Table of content Articles: Pg.

Supply chain integration using a maturity scale. 2 Obstacles to supply chain integration of the PM process in buyer-supplier dyad.. 3 Obstacles to process integration along supply chain: Manufacturing firms perspective. 3 Role-playing: a learning process to aid supply chain integration.4 Supply chain commitment and business process integration, the implications of Confucian dynamism 5 Process approach to supply chain integration 6 Process management and supply-chain integration at Bose corporation 7

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Summaries: 1) Supply chain integration using a maturity scale: (Written by Gilbert Aryee)
Integration among the supply chain depict the performance and improvement by developing a maturity scale and this scale also shows a relationship with organizational performance .Different factors contribute toward the integration of the supply chain therefore these factors are differentiated on the basis of hard issues for example technologies like MRP, MRP2, ERP, EDI or SCEM etc. and soft issues include relation or collaborative strategies leading to better coordination of business processes within and across the organizational boundaries which are the perquisite for any technological collaboration. The article comprises of a maturity model which is based on two characteristics first the evolutionary approach to supply chain integration and second both hard and soft issues also it tries to fill the gap based on previous models .The model take its starting point a three element based supply chain structure of business processes ,network structure and management components these are then mapped into three level of process integration optimization(functional view), integration (process view)and synchronization of processes .The author is of the view that according to the maturity model approach the sole use of information and communication technology ICT do not confer performance advantages to the company rather it is combination of both soft and hard variable integration that play a positive role toward the company performance ,another effect of the model is that supplier and customer collaboration have positive impact on performance EDI with customer collaboration has positive but both Web based interchange and EDI have negative effect but somehow supplier collaboration have positive impact. Internal collaboration as a soft variable also has a positive impact on company performance.

Critical comment: This article encircles the integration processes as a mean to identify the best of them for implementing supply chain integration. Technology and collaborative relationships are addressed and it was an attempt to prove whether each of them can create effectual results. But somehow it is one step beyond by defining supply chain in context of implementation criteria. Yet sample size was kept very small keeping in view the scope of the investigation required. So a grey area still under investigation about the advanced supply chain technology like SCEM.
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2) Obstacles to supply chain integration of the PM process in buyersupplier dyad : Written by Hellena Forslund and Patrik Jasson
The paper articulates the importance of obstacles that cannot be ignored in order to sustain performance management process integration that can be based on selecting performance variable, define metrics, setting targets, measuring and analyzing results. Purpose is to explain to what degree supplier relationship obstacles and operational tool obstacles hinder PM process integration. Customer-supplier integration and collaboration through the use of PM be an important part for research. Supply chain integration is considered one major factor in improving performance but how to measure that can be an issue in previous researches. Different issues play their part and become obstacles for Supply chain integration like lack of trust, parallel communication and collaborative culture or absence of performance metrics or treated them as nonstandardized, as well as company internal conditions (responsibility) and interorganizational issues also have an impact on PM integration. For customer-Supplier collaboration communication have their own role therefore lack of information (nontraditional data) or manual performance management hinder supply chain performance. Methodology of the article is based upon survey instrument and empirical data collected and findings of the article is of the view that supplier relationship obstacles have high impact to hinder PM integration like trust have a major role or operational level variable have low impact toward performance management integration among supply chain. Critical comments: Basically article is the empirical evidence of previously documented results about the supplier relationship variable. Many articles have the same obstacles and proved their validity with the variables designed and presented in this article, or level of integration can also be tested with the help of integration drivers but it is limited to those obstacles that hinder performance management.

3) Obstacles to process integration Manufacturing firms perspective. Written by Tumaini Mujuni

along

supply

chain:

Supply chain management has their own importance in the companys success structure and competitors are now competing against supply chain vs. supply chain .Managers now realize that decision making can affect the whole supply chain just like the bullwhip effect
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.This articles comprises of the importance of motivating factors and those barriers that company has to face in supply chain activities. The success of supply chain is based upon the integration of the process to create the value for the end customers, operating an integrated supply chain requires continuous information flow and product flow cannot be accomplished without implementing a process approach to a business. For each firm it is important to identify the critical trading partners that will enable the successful sale and delivery to the end customer or it can also play an important role in external process integration. But different obstacles prevails in case of supply chain management integration like Silo mentality (using cheaper suppliers and less attention to the needs of the customer) lack of supply chain visibility (fail to synchronize right information with their trading partners) Lack of trust among supply chain partners, lack of knowledge , bullwhip effect (price fluctuation and the order batching etc.). The author is of the view that information technology surfaced as a key instrument to help organization achieve greater coordination and collaboration among the supply chain process, or in order to be responsive toward retailor and customer need companies has to reduce lead time and improve their overall operational activities. Critical comments: Article tries to explore the perspective of buyer, manufacturers perspective and value for the end customers. Both have eyed the obstacles but the solutions to the problems are seldom witnessed in either of these articles. Different sectors are ignored like service industry where knowledge and trust is the main factor of interest for further value creation.

4) Role-playing: a learning process to aid supply chain integration:

This paper articulates that role-playing is a useful technique to enable traditional hard and soft orientated participants within the supply chain to gain an understanding of each others role to supplement inter-functional and inter-rm integration. Although the arguments presented in this paper are conceptual, role-playing as a learning technique has been used successfully in both the accounting sector in regard to training in negotiations and within organizations in the labor relations context. This technique of role-playing as an enhancer of understanding is currently being used as a learning mechanism in higher education by the author and colleagues in a supply chain setting. Initial feedback indicates that students both full time and part-time (involving industry representatives) have been able to use this role-playing activity to place themselves in an unfamiliar role which has provided them fresh insight into the demands of their immediate interface partner. The specic value of this paper then, is to view role-playing
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as an additional mechanism to enhance integration by enabling different supply chain participants to gain an understanding of each others roles so as to accept and appreciate the perspective of the individual or department that is their immediate interface. The practical implications of embracing such a technique will help encourage better inter-functional and inter-rm communication, coordination and integration. At the very least, role-playing provides an effective forum for discussion as to potential conict between functions and rms, and facilitates joint commitment to nding a workable solution through a better appreciation of other roles. Critical comments: Role playing making the learning experience more sophisticated and it has significant importance among the inter-firm integration but on the other side conflicts among the members become a challenge for the supply chain integration somehow this article show the positive side of role playing but fail to address those critical inter-firm conflicts in case of role playing.

5) Supply chain commitment and business process integration The

implications of Confucian dynamism : Written by Mohammad Asif Salam The purpose of this article is to explore the linkages between the behavioral and marketing determinants of SCM and their impact on commitment and process integration. The current research attempts to answer the research question: "What is the impact of behavioral and marketing determinants on supply chain commitment, and business process integration?" The paper is organized as follows: rst, paradigms from supply chain commitment and business process integration are used to delineate a conceptual framework to link marketing and behavioral determinants. The antecedents of business process integration in SCM drawing on previous studies, there are three different categories of factors that have an inuence on business process integration in SCM; they are SCM commitment, marketing determinants of SCM, and behavioral determinants of SCM. Supply chain commitment SCM commitment is a promise or agreement to do something in the future in supply chain relationships. Power plays a signicant role in Supply chain commitment and business nowadays, where big rms could control transactions and force supply chain partners to commit and join the process integration. In order to enhance supply chain performance and deliver customer satisfaction, it is imperative for the executives of companies to understand the behavioral underpinnings, so that they can be effective in planning the supply chain business process. Latent construct Operationalization/components Trust Your supply chain partner perceives that your rm is perfectly honest and truthful Your supply chain
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partner perceives that your rm has high integrity You would like to keep informing your supply chain partner everything about new developments supply chain commitment a supply chain member's tendency to experience. Affective commitment to do something in the future in the your supply chain partner feels that, if some problems happen in supply chain relations this supply chain, these problems must be made by them your supply chain partner feels like "Part of the family" . The results imply that Behavioral Determinants play a pivotal role in achieving supply chain commitment and business process integration. So supply chain managers have to understand the importance of behavioral aspects in context of supplier-customer relationship. Critical comments: The significance is based on the impact of behavioral and marketing determinants on supply chain commitment, and business process integration. In previous literature only study revealed that different management, marketing and behavioral determinants inuence commitment to SCM, and SCM business integration. A drawback of this study is that its result are more confined toward Asian (Confucian culture) and study conducted in Thailand i.e. there is ales chance of acceptability toward other countries and more chance close to Asian cultures .Low context cultural belonging countries like America and European union have low confusion cultural values

6) Process approach to supply chain integration : Written by Peter Trkman, Mojca

The novel combination of business process and demand/supply simulation enables an estimation of changes in lead-times, process execution costs, quality of the process and inventory costs. Enhancing supply chain process maturity with business renovation leading towards e-business .Business renovation or business process renovation and informatisation effort integrate the radically strategic method of business process reengineering and the more progressive methods of continuous process improvement with appropriate IT-infrastructure strategies. The business process model helps us understand the business - One of the primary goals of business process modeling is to increase our understanding of the business and to facilitate communication about the business. A business process model is a basis for improving the current business structure and operation .As it shows a clear picture of the business current state a business process model can be used to identify the changes required to improve the business. The organizational changes that turned the petrol transporter into a strategic partner were the key to the process improvements that led the process to the fourth level of process maturity. As a whole this research paper articulate the importance of As is and
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To be analysis in order to capture and reduce those bottle neck and renovate the process to reduce the lead time or other cost by using information technology and automation in a supply chain processes. In this article a case study of Petrol and transportation company clearly show the importance of as-is and To-be analysis and use of modeling and simulation techniques for the better implementation of process approach and measuring the performance. Critical comments: Process integration shows the importance of information technology and information flow with the perspective of As-is and to-be analysis of petroleum company but somehow it become a point of interest Too much responsibility toward supplier in term of demand forecasting is just to reduce the supply chain cost or too much responsibility effect supplier performance. Therefore cost is the main aspect in term of process integration.

7) Process management and supply-chain integration at Bose corporation: Albert.H.Seagers

In the early stages, managers commonly explore and discover process concepts informally. Managers link the process thinking created within the organization with process efforts of the business coalition. Boses experiences provide a guide for process improvement within the organization and across the supply chain. Process management leads to improved business performance. The question is how do organizations initiate and maintain programs of process improvement? The Bose Corporation's experience with quality-based management can provide a useful guide for managing quality-based. Bose basically a stereo manufacturer for the automotive industry so due to the technological changes in a hi-fi home market they have to face different challenges like one of the Japanese automotive company audited Bose operations thats they have to re-engineer their process because they lack process thinking and quality practice. Process management at Bose has emanated from the group of entrepneurial middle managers seeking to better serve their internal and external customers and they had a believe that improving processes would improve business. Process linking was the main concern for the Bose and it can be characterize by definable stages of process skill building among functional areas, exploration of process opportunities defines the initial stages of the path (main obstacles toward process improvement). The middle stages are defined by the transformation of informal process activity into formalized process activity. The final stages are defined by coordinated process improvement and innovation within the firm
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and throughout the supply chain of suppliers and customers. Bose's investment in process management has been enormous, the pay offs over several years have been impressive. By improving its process management, Bose has maintained its position in the Japanese OEM segment of audio products and improved responsiveness to changing demands within the component hi-fi market. The benefits to Bose include reduced inventory, lower transaction costs, faster response to problems, and decreased procurement costs. Benefits to linked suppliers include increased volume (the plastics supplier's volume has increased threefold), lower production costs, and improved overall operations. Critical comments: The article has a significance importance of process management and supply chain integration at Bose Corporation and the process thinking across the whole supply chain .Boss will sustain process management if its philosophies are incorporated in to its culture and values therefore sustainability of process management still a point of interest for Bose in a near future. Conclusion: These articles comprises the importance of the process integration across the whole supply chain .The literature is of the view that process integration is important in order to incorporate within a supply chain but there are different obstacles like lack of trust and unavailability of right information which a companies has to manage .But question arises these process are clear and standardized with respect to the environment if environment is unstable then process adjustment is necessary like Bose did in their process management with the help of process linking across the whole supply chain but still an ambiguity about the supply chain and logistics management somehow resolved by the process integration across the supply chain .

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