During the 1990s, globalization and time‐based competition have emerged as important business strategies leading to renewed emphasis on the logistics function. This has opened up opportunities for strategic alliances between manufacturing firms and specialized logistics services providers,...

Strategic planning of the supply chain is an important decision problem determining the long‐term survival and prosperity of companies in the manufacturing, retail, and other industrial sectors. In general such companies rely on their information systems to acquire the essential data that are...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of a strategic approach (contingency planning) to minimize risk exposure to a supply chain disruption. Specifically, the relationship between several attributes of a contingency planning process and flexibility are examined....

Intense global competition has created a highly demanding customer. To serve his needs for highvariety, low cost, sound quality and easy availability, organisations are looking beyond their own boundaries to the management of their supply chains. In this they have been inspired by the typical...

As businesses continue to globalize, attention has increasingly turned to logistics. Examines global logistics in depth, beginning with a brief overview, to provide a working context. Discusses the development of global logistics strategy, taking a bottom‐up approach. Assesses the effects of...

Observes that strategic alliances continue to be an important research and business focus. Many firms struggle with how to link alliance theory with actual practice. In particular, managers question how long‐term commitment between alliance partners is developed and achieved. Traditional...

Describes the increasing use of strategic alliances in the international market by US domestic airlines. Gives specific examples. Delineates the policy issues and alternatives available to the US Department of Transportation. Expects that international strategies will be increasingly utilized by...

Refers to the recent trend to utilize strategic alliances and partnerships for securing both goods and services. Additionally, the supply chain management concept is gaining more acceptance as a method of sustaining a competitive advantage in global markets. Although the literature explores...

Evaluates the level of purchasing participation in the corporate strategic planning process. Results indicate that the level of participation has increased over the last five years. Discusses possible explanations for this increase.

Argues that the organization for logistics often favours an aggregation of all tasks into one department. This decision presupposes an extensive analysis of important contingency factors, like product line, environmental relations, technology and organizational size. However, such contingency...