مدیریت درخواست مشتری در زنجیره های تامین جهانی : تجزیه و تحلیل مطالعه چند موردی تطبیقی

The Customer Enquiry Management (CEM) process is of strategic importance to non-Make-To-Stock companies but few empirical studies have explored the CEM practices adopted by firms in practice. A study on the Italian capital goods sector by Zorzini, Hendry, Stevenson, and Pozzetti (2008) provides the most comprehensive contingency-based framework to date. This paper builds on Zorzini et al. (2008) by conducting multi-case study research with seven global capital goods companies managing CEM in the UK. The evidence suggests that both high levels of coordination and formalization of the CEM process are linked to improved performance. In particular, cross-functional coordination and formalization impact jointly on the performance of companies characterized by a large-sized control problem. Two moderating factors are also identified: the proportion of slightly/highly customized orders and the availability of integrated information systems. Analysis of the impact of supply chain coordination and other globalization factors on CEM shows that CEM practices are: directly influenced by the complexity of the supply chain configuration; and, indirectly influenced by the types of relationships with supply chain partners. Two sources of complexity that result from operating in a global context are also identified: coordinating the activities of sales structures distributed around the world; and, managing global customers with different languages and cultures. In terms of managerial implications, the results indicate that coordination with partners along the supply chain is needed at the customer enquiry stage and constraints linked to global customers should be considered when structuring CEM.

A responsive supply chain relies on the effective and efficient processing of orders and information across its various channel members, especially in the initial stages of the customer order process. This can be particularly challenging when products are customized, decision-makers are dispersed and customers demand short lead times. As a result, Customer Enquiry Management (CEM) is fundamental for non-Make-To-Stock (non-MTS) firms and impacts the ability to provide quotations that are competitive, reliable and realistic (Hicks et al., 2000 and Watanapa and Techanitisawad, 2005). The term “non-MTS” refers to a variety of production strategies, ranging from limited product customization to a completely new design for each new order (see, for example, Stevenson, Hendry, & Kingsman, 2005 and Hendry, 2010). In such contexts, CEM can be defined as the multi-stage decision process which takes place between the receipt of a customer enquiry and the processing of a confirmed order, including: determining whether the company wishes to make a bid for the enquiry; preparing cost and lead time estimates; and, determining the price and lead time to bid (Kingsman, Hendry, Mercer, & De Souza, 1996). Coordination among all the parties involved is often fundamental to CEM. With globalization and a generally decreasing degree of vertical integration in many manufacturing environments, coordination becomes more complex and critical to both organizational effectiveness and efficiency (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2005, Meijboom, 1999 and Prasad et al., 2005). Globalization also results in negotiations between members of different nations; differences in language and culture play an important role in CEM (e.g., in pricing decisions) and should be considered at a strategic and tactical decision level (Flint, 2004, Meijboom, 1999, Reynolds et al., 2003 and Sambharya et al., 2005). Despite the importance and increasing complexity of CEM, few studies have explored the CEM practices adopted by firms in practice (Ebben, Hans, & Olde Weghuis, 2005). The few studies which have emerged have approached CEM from an internal cross-department perspective (Jin and Thomson, 2003, Kingsman and Mercer A., 1997, Konijnendijk, 1994, Kromker et al., 1997 and Zorzini et al., 2008); however, research is now required which adopts a global supply chain perspective, i.e., which considers all the (potentially geographically dispersed) parties across the supply chain involved in the CEM process and the relationships between them. This paper builds on the most comprehensive contingency-based study to date, by Zorzini et al. (2008), in which the authors: (i) developed a framework based on contingency theory for understanding how and why the CEM process varies between capital goods manufacturers; and, (ii) presented propositions to be tested in further research. Two of these propositions focus on the positive impact of cross-functional coordination and formalization during the CEM process on firm performance. However, those propositions were developed using evidence from Italian-based companies with primarily Italian-based supply chains; in addition, supply chain-related issues were overlooked. In order to overcome the aforementioned gaps, our study pursues two core objectives. Firstly, interviews with global capital goods firms managing CEM in the UK are used to assess whether the framework proposed by Zorzini et al. (2008), based on data from Italian firms, applies to global capital goods companies. Secondly, we adopt a supply chain perspective of CEM, considering all the parties involved across the supply chain and explore whether findings related to cross-functional coordination and formalization within a firm can be extended to global supply chains. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. A literature review is presented in “Literature review” before the research method adopted is described in “Research methodology”. “Assessing the validity of previous theory for global companies (RQ1)” then uses case study evidence to assess the applicability of the framework proposed by Zorzini et al. (2008). “Impact of supply chain and globalization factors on CEM (RQ2)” provides a global perspective of CEM based on issues that emerge from the case study evidence before possible refinements to the framework are considered in “Refining the contingency-based framework”. Finally, conclusions are drawn in “Conclusion”.

A responsive supply chain relies on the effective and efficient processing of orders and information across its various channel members, especially in the initial stages of the customer order process. This can be particularly challenging when products are customized, decision-makers are dispersed and customers demand short lead times. As a result, Customer Enquiry Management (CEM) is fundamental for non-Make-To-Stock (non-MTS) firms and impacts the ability to provide quotations that are competitive, reliable and realistic (Hicks et al., 2000 and Watanapa and Techanitisawad, 2005). The term “non-MTS” refers to a variety of production strategies, ranging from limited product customization to a completely new design for each new order (see, for example, Stevenson, Hendry, & Kingsman, 2005 and Hendry, 2010). In such contexts, CEM can be defined as the multi-stage decision process which takes place between the receipt of a customer enquiry and the processing of a confirmed order, including: determining whether the company wishes to make a bid for the enquiry; preparing cost and lead time estimates; and, determining the price and lead time to bid (Kingsman, Hendry, Mercer, & De Souza, 1996). Coordination among all the parties involved is often fundamental to CEM. With globalization and a generally decreasing degree of vertical integration in many manufacturing environments, coordination becomes more complex and critical to both organizational effectiveness and efficiency (Gunasekaran and Ngai, 2005, Meijboom, 1999 and Prasad et al., 2005). Globalization also results in negotiations between members of different nations; differences in language and culture play an important role in CEM (e.g., in pricing decisions) and should be considered at a strategic and tactical decision level (Flint, 2004, Meijboom, 1999, Reynolds et al., 2003 and Sambharya et al., 2005). Despite the importance and increasing complexity of CEM, few studies have explored the CEM practices adopted by firms in practice (Ebben, Hans, & Olde Weghuis, 2005). The few studies which have emerged have approached CEM from an internal cross-department perspective (Jin and Thomson, 2003, Kingsman and Mercer A., 1997, Konijnendijk, 1994, Kromker et al., 1997 and Zorzini et al., 2008); however, research is now required which adopts a global supply chain perspective, i.e., which considers all the (potentially geographically dispersed) parties across the supply chain involved in the CEM process and the relationships between them. This paper builds on the most comprehensive contingency-based study to date, by Zorzini et al. (2008), in which the authors: (i) developed a framework based on contingency theory for understanding how and why the CEM process varies between capital goods manufacturers; and, (ii) presented propositions to be tested in further research. Two of these propositions focus on the positive impact of cross-functional coordination and formalization during the CEM process on firm performance. However, those propositions were developed using evidence from Italian-based companies with primarily Italian-based supply chains; in addition, supply chain-related issues were overlooked. In order to overcome the aforementioned gaps, our study pursues two core objectives. Firstly, interviews with global capital goods firms managing CEM in the UK are used to assess whether the framework proposed by Zorzini et al. (2008), based on data from Italian firms, applies to global capital goods companies. Secondly, we adopt a supply chain perspective of CEM, considering all the parties involved across the supply chain and explore whether findings related to cross-functional coordination and formalization within a firm can be extended to global supply chains. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. A literature review is presented in “Literature review” before the research method adopted is described in “Research methodology”. “Assessing the validity of previous theory for global companies (RQ1)” then uses case study evidence to assess the applicability of the framework proposed by Zorzini et al. (2008). “Impact of supply chain and globalization factors on CEM (RQ2)” provides a global perspective of CEM based on issues that emerge from the case study evidence before possible refinements to the framework are considered in “Refining the contingency-based framework”. Finally, conclusions are drawn in “Conclusion”.