International Journal Production Research (IJPR)

Call for papers

Special issue on

Supply Chain Resilience: Role of Complexities and Strategies

Both manufacturing and services have started sourcing from different countries in order to gain competitive advantage through an effective supply chain management. The motivations for sourcing are to achieve technological innovation, shorten product life cycle, reduce end product prices and total cost of ownership, reduce number of suppliers and establish strategic relationship. The major benefits for sourcing in different countries are reduction in material, labor, component service and capital investment cost. To certain extent the supply chains can improve their reliability and order lead time. However, supply chains are subjected to numerous challenges such as dependency of few suppliers, unable to react to uncertainties, type of relationship they have to maintain, type of channel they prefer and various other constraints. In addition to the above challenges supply chains are also susceptible to other artificial and natural calamities. In the broader sense these challenges adds complexity to their products and processes. In order to overcome the complexities and to avoid vulnerability different type of strategies are to be adapted by supply chain managers. Few researchers have started emphasizing the importance of supply chain risk or vulnerability. Furthermore studies have been started worldwide to identify the potential ways to increase the resilience of supply chain. The objective of this special issue is to contribute new insights to the extant body of knowledge in resilient supply chain. All potential papers should address the core objective of IJPR. We seek cutting edge developments, concepts, practices and research opportunities in supply chain resilience in both manufacturing and service sectors. Studies that build theory or test theory with rigor, extend existing theory in different contexts or different cultural environments are invited. Studies that examine emerging practices and new concepts in developed and developing economies are also invited. Methodologies adapted in these studies could extend from mathematical models to simulation, case studies, or empirical survey based research. Researchers can submit recent research findings and perspectives that engage concepts, models, methods, tools and techniques related to the managerial dimensions of supply chain resilience. Suggested topics are as follows, but not limited to: Supply chain complexity Supply chain risks Supply chain vulnerability Supplier relationship Sustainability versus supply chain resilience Risk mitigation strategies Organizational proactive management strategies Low cost country sourcing

2 Product flow strategies Measurement and management of risk Power and relationship issue in resilient supply chain Resilient supply chain organizational structures Cultural aspects of resilient supply chain Performance measurement systems in resilient supply chain Developing and managing innovation in resilient supply chain Quality issues in resilient supply chain

Manuscripts should be submitted not later than 31 July 2013 and should confirm to IJPR format (see IJPR website @ http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=00207543&linktype=44 for author guidelines). All papers will be refereed through a double blind process. Please submit an electronic copy of your manuscript as MS Word file to one of the Guest Editors by email: Guest Editors: Profesosor Angappa Gunasekaran Department of Decision and Information Sciences Charlton College of Business University of Massachusetts Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300 USA Tel: +1 (508) 999-9187 Email: agunasekaran@umassd.edu Professor Nachiappan Subramanian Nottingham University Business School China University of Nottingham, Ningbo 199 Taikang East Road Ningbo, 315 100 China Tel: +86 574 8818 0197 Nachiappan.Subramanian@nottingham.edu.cn Professor Shams Rahman Professor of Supply Chain Management School of Business IT and Logistics RMIT University Melbourne, Victoria 3001 Australia Tel: +61 + 3 + 9925-5530 Email: shams.rahman@rmit.edu.au