Supply chain strategy, product characteristics, and performance impact: Evidence from Chinese manufacturers

摘要

Purpose: To investigate supply chain strategies and empirically test a supply chain strategy (SCS) model positing lean, agile and lean/agile (LAL/A) approaches using data inputs from 604 manufacturing firms in China. Summary: Supply chain management (SCM) is a popular approach to enhance global competitiveness of today's business corporations. Chinese firms adopt a variation of LAL/A based SCS although some firms still practice the traditional approach without emphasizing the LAL/A strategies and perform worse in comparison. The strategies are examined with reference to product characteristics and financial and operational performance. (59 refs.) Results: It may be said for sure that today's competition not between autonomous business entities, but between integrated supply chains. Despite its well-organized importance, research on SCS is still in its infancy.