Collaboration Supply chain coordination

In the second chapter (Structural Supply Chain Collaboration Among Grocery Manufacturers), Laseter and Weiss continued this theme, and examined the issue of supply chain coordination among the grocery manufacturers. Most notably, they quantify the opportunity for strategic, multilateral collaboration through a shared distribution network. This moved one step beyond the current focus on CPFR and VMI, which are essentially collaborative efforts focusing on inventory turns and service performance. 

The coordinated approach contracting relationships built on collaboration, trust and close interpersonal ties define the coordinated approach. This approach means that the producer inherits the responsibility and costs of social auditing as they are passed down the supply chain. This is achieved, however, within the framework of close retailer-supplier relationships. Although subcontracting exists, known networks of traceable suppliers are involved. As such, it is possible to exert considerably greater control over the ethical trading process. 

Negotiation Agent. Negotiation Agent will be activated by the user, when it is considered appropriate by the latter, from the interface of the developed tool. When it is active, it will allow the management of forecasting demand in the supply chain in a coordinated way through collaboration between Shop Retailer and Retailer, on the one hand, and Wholesaler and Factory, on the other. 

Supply Chain Management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all Logistics Management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners. 

The first of our cases points to the need for managing the perceptions of each function when enlisting them in a supply chain improvement effort. The problems eneountered call for continued top management eommit-ment, defining the seope of the supply chain improvement effort, collaboration between departments, and coordinated pursuit of the demand-driven supply chain. 

The Internet has opened new venues for companies to create flexible systems (or supply webs ) by offering high-speed communication and tight connectivity. This presents a tremendous potential to change the way companies distribute goods, communicate with suppliers and customers, and collaborate both within their company and with their business partners. Hence, businesses increasingly look for ways to use these new tools to achieve collaboration and coordination between entities within their company, as well as between entities within their supply chain. 

New theories or frameworks need to be developed to identify patterns within or between industry sectors and product development project types. Several attempts have been made in the past, while new challenges have also emerged. In this chapter CE has been described as an innovation system aimed at generating a production system that is capable to sustainably produce the new product envisioned. The production system is often also a complex system of collaborating companies, for example in a supply chain. Based on this view a framework has been proposed that can be used to describe CE processes and its resulting production system for farther analysis. Examples of innovation in the food industry have been presented, which show that several innovation systems may co-exist and interact. In addition, specific properties of food production systems, in particular integration and coordination, have been presented that need to be taken into account when developing a production system. 

The success of the supply chain depends on the integration of the management systems used by its links, collaboration in the supply chain, the establishment of long-term relationships, the coordination of flows, the compatibility of information systems, and mutual commitment, responsibility and trust (Moberg, Speh and Freese 2003). 

When describing the relationship between a supplier and buyer, one should refer to the 3C paradigm, which covers the three possible types of market coordination in a supply chain cooperation, competition, and control. Each aspect of coordination is characterised by specific indicators, e.g. the main relation, the dominant type of management relation, the degree of independence, the resources contributed to the relation, and a sentimental feeling. For instance, the main relation and the attitude for cooperation are, respectively, collaboration and partnership. 

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