Collaborative management of inventoryrnin Australian hospital supply chains:rnpractices and issues

摘要

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the nature of collaborative arrangements that partners in Australian hospitalnsupply chains use to manage inventories.nDesign/methodology/approach – A case study involving a supply chain network of ten healthcare organisations (three pharmaceutical manufacturers,ntwo wholesalers/distributors and five public hospitals) was studied. Data included 40 semi-structured interviews, site visits and examination of documents.nFindings – This study highlights the existence of a variety of collaborative arrangements amongst supply chain partners such as the “Ward Box”nsystem (a variant of the vender managed inventory system) between wholesalers/distributors and hospitals. The materials management departmentsnwere more willing than their pharmacy counterparts to participate in a variety of partial and complete outsourcing arrangements with wholesalersdistributors and other hospitals. Several contingent factors were identified that influenced development of collaborative arrangements.nResearch limitations/implications – This study is limited to the Australian healthcare sector. To improve generalisability, this study could benreplicated in other industry sectors and countries.nPractical implications – Application of collaborative arrangements between manufacturers and wholesalers/distributors would improve inventorynmanagement practices across the supply chains. Also, learning from materials management departments could be transferable to pharmacyndepartments.nOriginality/value – Several contingent variables for the implementation of collaborative inventory management arrangements between healthcarensupply chain partners have been identified. Methodologically, data across three echelons in the supply chains (manufacturers, wholesalers/distributorsnand hospitals) were collected and analysed.