The Impact of Supply Chain Business Processes on Competitive Advantage and Organizational ...

108 Pages·2012·2.42 MB·English

THE IMPACT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT BUSINESS PROCESSES ON
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

THESIS

John F. Perry II, Capt, USAF

AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14

DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
AIR UNIVERSITY
AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED.
The views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not reflect the official
policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the United
States Government.
AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14

THE IMPACT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT BUSINESS PROCESSES ON
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

THESIS

Presented to the Faculty

Department of Operational Sciences

Graduate School of Engineering and Management

Air Force Institute of Technology

Air University

Air Education and Training Command

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Degree of Master of Science in Logistics and Supply Chain Management

John F. Perry II, BS

Captain, USAF

March 2012

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED.
AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14

THE IMPACT OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT BUSINESS PROCESSES ON
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE

John F. Perry II, BS
Captain, USAF

Approved:

____________//signed//______________________ _15 Mar 2012_
William A. Cunningham III, PhD (Chairman) Date

____________//signed//______________________ _15 Mar 2012_
Sharon G. Heilmann, Lt Col, USAF, PhD (Member) Date

____________//signed//______________________ _15 Mar 2012_
Daniel D. Mattioda, Maj, USAF, PhD (Member) Date
AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14
Abstract
Organizational performance has routinely been viewed through a limited scope
primarily focused on functions, practices, and resources directly controlled by the focal
organization, but supply chain management (SCM) has broadened this scope to
incorporate all organizations along the supply chain. This shifted the notion of
competition from that of between individual organizations to between supply chains.
Supply chain management is an ever growing field; multiple SCM frameworks exist
today and are being further developed and defined.
Successful firms must reside on the leading edge of management techniques,
theories, and practices in order to stay competitive in an ever growing, more constrained,
increasingly diverse, and rapidly changing global economy. Supply chain management is
at the forefront of such management techniques, theories, and practices. Supply chains
vary from firm to firm and from industry to industry. Firms have limited resources and a
desire to know if the development and implementation of SCM within their firm is, in
fact, going to equate to enhanced organizational performance and competitive advantage.
This thesis conceptualized and measured three of the eight key business processes
(customer relationship management (CRM), order fulfillment (OF), and returns
management (RM)) across the supply chain according to The Global Supply Chain
Forum framework. Do these key business processes lead to increased firm performance
and a competitive advantage? This thesis developed a survey and collected data from
private organizations and, through statistical analysis, measured the strategic
development of the CRM, OF, and RM processes of organizations and their relationship
to competitive advantage and organizational performance. The results of this thesis
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AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14
found each of the processes were positively related to competitive advantage and
organizational performance. The results will serve as value to both academics and
practitioners by expanding existing SCM literature and provide firms with a deeper
understanding of how SCM business processes truly measure up.

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AFIT/LSCM/ENS/12-14

This thesis is dedicated to my amazing wife, whose optimism, support, understanding, and
love made this journey possible. This thesis is also dedicated to my son, who serves as a
constant inspiration in my life and reminder of just how blessed my wife and I are.

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Acknowledgments
I would first like to express my sincere appreciation to my faculty advisor, Dr.
William Cunningham III, for his honesty, patience, and mentorship from the beginning of
my AFIT career though the completion of this thesis. His expertise and charisma made
this endeavor an experience I will always cherish. I would also like to thank my
committee members, Lt Col Sharon Heilmann and Maj Dan Mattioda, for sharing their
knowledge, insights, and recommendations that were critical to the completion of this
thesis. I couldn’t have asked for a better committee; they were invaluable. I would also
like to thank Lt Col Joseph Skipper for sharing his enthralling vision of supply chain
management which served as the catalyst for this research. I am also extremely grateful
for not only having Lt Col Sharon Heilmann on my committee but also as my academic
advisor. She made this program an extraordinary experience I will always be grateful for.

John F. Perry II

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Table of Contents

Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................... vii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... viii
List of Tables .................................................................................................................... xi
I. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1
II. Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 5
Supply Chain Management ............................................................................................. 5
Customer Relationship Management ............................................................................ 10
Order Fulfillment ........................................................................................................... 20
Returns Management ..................................................................................................... 27
Competitive Advantage ................................................................................................. 36
Organizational Performance .......................................................................................... 37
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 38
III. Methodology ............................................................................................................ 40
Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 40
Participants .................................................................................................................... 41
Measures ........................................................................................................................ 47
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 58
IV. Results and Analysis ................................................................................................ 59
Data ............................................................................................................................... 59
Hypothesis One ............................................................................................................. 60
Hypothesis Two............................................................................................................. 60
Hypothesis Three ........................................................................................................... 61
Hypothesis Four ............................................................................................................ 61
Hypothesis Five ............................................................................................................. 61
Hypothesis Six............................................................................................................... 62
Summary ....................................................................................................................... 62
V. Discussion ................................................................................................................... 65
Limitations .................................................................................................................... 66
Future Research ............................................................................................................. 69
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 70
Appendix A. Survey ........................................................................................................ 72
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Appendix B. Item Correlations ...................................................................................... 85
Appendix C. Storyboard ................................................................................................ 88
Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 89
Vita ................................................................................................................................... 95

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