Supply Chain Management Journal 2017, Volume 8, Number 1

Supply Chain Management Journal
2017
Volume 8
Number 1

PAPERS


Impact of Information Security Initiatives on Supply Chain Performance

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Abd`Elazez HASHEM
Hossam Ahmed HANAFY

email: hussam_ahmed@foc.cu.edu.eg
Business Administration Department Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University, Egipt

Purpose – Study aims to:
1. Develop a comprehensive framework for the effective implementation of information security encompassing the internal and external technical environment, formal and informal management, and includes several aspects from an organizational perspective and between organizations in the context of the supply chain.
2. Exploring the potential outcomes of the effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives to supply chain performance.
3. Study the impact of effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives on supply chain operations from the inter and intra-organizational perspective.
4. Study the impact of supply chain operations on supply chain performance.
Design/Methodology/Approach – Based on extant information security management and supply chain security management literature, a conceptual model was developed and validated. A questionnaire survey instrument was developed and administered among supply chain managers to collect data. Data was collected from 90 organizations belonging to different nodes of Egyptian automotive industry. Study employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis for data analysis. Further, to test the hypotheses and to fit the theoretical model, Structural equation modeling techniques were employed.
Research Findings – Results of this study indicates that:
1. Effective implementation of information security initiatives has a positive impact on supply chain operations. The explanatory power of supply chain operations from the effective implementation of information security initiatives is 65.3%.
1.1 Effective implementation of internal information security initiatives has a positive impact on supply chain operations. The explanatory power of supply chain operations from the effective implementation of internal information security initiatives is 64%.
1.2 Effective implementation of external information security initiatives has a positive impact on supply chain operations. The explanatory power of supply chain operations from the effective implementation of external information security initiatives is 61.8%.
2. Supply chain processes have a positive impact on supply chain performance. Where the explanatory power of supply chain performance of supply chain operations is 61.5%.
3. There is no statistically significant relationship between the dimensions of effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives and supply chain performance.
Problem of study – There are many gaps highlighted by previous studies and the current study attempts to fill them will be clarified as follows:
1. Despite the importance of the exchange of information and its benefits, there are some obstacles and challenges to its success and persistence, including the concerns of the supply chain partners regarding the confidentiality and privacy of information, so a reliable network must be established so that partners share information through them. There is therefore a great need for an information security structure, where the binformation exchanged by organizations with the supply chain partners is one of the most important assets to them. (Kollurum and Meredith 2005; Chang et al., 2008; Qingxiong and co., 2008; Merete and co., 2008; Douglas and co., 2009; Ramesh and co., 2010; Kelly and co., 2010: Suhazimah and Ali 2012; Zahra and co., 2013; Metalidou and co., 2014; Sindhuja 2014)
2. Effective implementation of information security initiatives includes standards, procedures, practices, culture, and information security policies and awareness creation among all employees of the Organization. And a closer look at most of the studies undertaken in the field of information security (Ashton, 2008; Werlinger and co., 2009; Douglas and co., 2009; and co., 2014; Sindhuja, 2014) we find that they have
incorporated those variables within their organizational framework. However, most studies have proposed expanding research and study in the external environment of the organization as in the supply chain. (Sarathy, 2006; Voss and co., 2008; Jouini and co., 2014; Metalidou and co., 2014; Sindhuja, 2014).
3. Internal information security initiatives are easier to implement than external initiatives because it doesn’t require coordination among partners. In addition, it is likely to be a learning curve for security initiatives that allows companies to start from the inside out. Where internal security is first implemented (for example, physical security initiatives) then external security initiatives throughout the supply chain. However, there is a major weakness in the implementation of security initiatives, which focus only on internal processes. Many researchers have mentioned that cooperation between supply chain partners is key to security success. (Douglas and co., 2009).
4. Nearly 71% of information attacks are committed by individuals within the organization, although 91% of security controls focus on external threats. We need to examine the effective implementation of both internal and external information security initiatives (Jouini and co., 2014). Most studies on information security have focused on technological, formal or informal controls (Dhillon, 2007). However, there is a need to
develop a comprehensive and integrated framework for the effective implementation of information security initiatives that include all security controls within and between organizations (Sindhuja, 2014).
5. Number of security incidents reported only in 2016 in the United States is 3,720,529 security incidents, and each security incident costs the organizations $ 17-28 million. There is also an increase in the number of small and large organizations that suffer from security breaches. The number of large organizations that have been hit by security breaches reached 90% (Ernst and Young Survey, 2008). The number of small
organizations reached 74%. There is also an increase in the cost of security breaches against large organizations. Million pounds in 2014 to 3.14 million pounds in 2015, and for small organizations, the cost of security breaches increased from 115 thousand pounds in 2014 to 311 thousand pounds in 2015 (Information security beaches survey, 2015). In spite of the increased attacks and security breaches against organizations, managers often do not view the issue of information security with sufficient attention and many allow their corporate information systems to have little protection or are not protected at all. Management of information security is still insufficient. (Kelly and col., 2010).
6. Egyptian textile industry indicated that there are very few studies on management change in supply chain management by focusing on studying the impact of supply chain management practices on the performance of various industries. Relations between suppliers and buyers need to be further improved and developed by organizations so that they can be globally competitive, and this will be achieved by maintaining the security and confidentiality of information (Elwan and Ogunyemi, 2012). The study will therefore address the effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives.
7. There is a severe lack of scarcity in previous studies on the effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives, which include the three disciplines of information security management in supply chains, and their impact on supply chain operations and performance (Sindhuja 2014).This study aims to examine the impact of the effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives on the operations and performance of the supply chain.
This Study focuses on fill these gaps by conducting a quantitative study to study the effective implementation of internal and external information security initiatives and their impact on both supply chain operations and performance by applying to the chain of all the partners in the supply chain of the Egyptian automotive industry.
Originality/Value
1. In today’s global supply chain environment where competition prevails among supply chains, this research is relevant in terms of capability that an organization has to acquire for managing internal and external information security (Sindhuja, 2014).
2. The importance of study is due to the importance of its subject matter, especially in light of the lack of internal and external information security initiatives. The implementation of information security initiatives has become an urgent necessity for all business organizations. The concept of information security is now an important concept for information preservation and is the most valuable and important asset of the
organization along supply chains (Akram, 2013; Sindhuja, 2014).
3. There is a lack of previous studies on internal and external information security initiatives, which include the three technical, formal and informal controls of information security management in supply chains (Sindhuja, 2014).
4. There is a great need to develop a security structure for information, where information exchanged by organizations with supply chain partners is one of the most important assets, and until the exchange of information requires organizations to make security arrangements on both sides of the transmission and reception. (Kollurum and Meredith 2005; Chang and co., 2008; Qingxiong and co., 2008; Merete and co., 2008;
Douglas and co., 2009; Ramesh and co., 2010; Kelly and co., 2010; Suhazimah and Ali 2012; Zahra and co., 2013; Metalidou and co., 2014; Sindhuja 2014).

Information security initiatives, Supply chain operations, Supply chain performance, Egyptian automotive industry.

June 2017, pp 1 – 16


Quantitative and Qualitative Purchasing Behaviour Traits in Large Surface Stores. A Case Study of Bucharest During the 2015 Easter Celebration

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Teodor Purcărea
Iliuţă Costel Negricea
Mihai Papuc
Tudor Edu

Romanian-American University, Bucharest, Romania

The paper focuses on identifying quantitative and qualitative buying behavior traits prior to the 2015 Easter celebration prompted by individuals shopping from large surface stores in Bucharest, Romania. A comprehensive semi-structured, disguised and human-based direct observation was conducted in three Kaufland stores in Bucharest to uncover quantitative and qualitative behavioral peculiarities regarding six product categories (fruits and vegetables, sweets, meat and meat-by-products, household cleaning products and bakery products). A sample of 384 shoppers stratified based on gender and age was used to reflect the population layers of Bucharest. The findings of this study, centered on product categories and types chosen by shoppers as well as in-store behavior in the form of store first-stop, use of shopping lists, expressions, sensorial conduct and communication, display a comprehensive buying behavior perspective with significant importance for the retail sector in Romania as large surface stores can make use of such findings in their effort to tailor their assortments and amend volumes during important festive seasons.

retail, observation, purchasing behavior, quantitative and qualitative traits, semi-structured, disguised and direct observation

June 2017 pp 16 – 26


LOGISTICIANS TOWARDS THE CHALLENGES OF LOGISTICS

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Joanna KRZYWDA
Dariusz KRZYWDA

email: jkrzeminska@interia.pl
Czestochowa University of Technology

The article presents the trends of the contemporary logistics and the response of the logistics job market. It analyses the changes in the job of the logistician: the requirements of this profession but also the employment level and specialization. The study shows that the job of the logistician becomes very diversified and requires many different skills, depending on the branch, region, position in the company, etc. It is all
caused by the changes in logistics which becomes even more complex. The research is completed with the analysis of the job offers for logisticians in Poland, Germany and the USA, with special focus on the situation on the Polish job market which is characterized by an increased number of hard and soft skills required and a higher number of job offers. The paper also shows the jobs in logistics as a field of continuous changes which are the answer to the changes in the global economy.

logisticians, jobs in logistics, skills in logistics, trends in logistics

June 2017, pp 26 – 36


Modern Sales Applications on the Polish E-Commerce Market

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Aleksandra PTAK
Paula BAJDOR

email: paula.bajdor@gmail.com
Czestochowa University of Tehnology

E-commerce is inextricably linked to the Internet. In the first phase of the creation of the Internet it served mainly as communication tool, but the 80’s of last century brought the first attempts to use its capabilities in trade. In Poland, the rapid development of electronic commerce occurred in the first decade of the twenty-first century and today Poland is considered to be one of the fastest growing countries in terms of e-commerce in Europe. Internet users increasingly prefer online shopping, buying electronics, books, cosmetics, clothes or even groceries. Companies operating in the field of e-commerce gain top positions in rankings. Nowadays, it is hard to talk about the company which is important on the market, if it does not operate on the Internet. Implementation of the idea of commercial activity on the Internet should be preceded by a thorough analysis of the business, including the planned business and organizational model. It is also necessary to recognize the right market, and thus the ability to analyze the customers market, and the vendors and service providers market. The concept developed in terms of business can be realized with the use of information technology. Today, on the market, there is a huge amount of companies offering solutions supporting electronic commerce. E-commerce systems support companies in online commerce and enable them to conduct sales activities efficiently in a variety of sales channels. Online store software is an integral and very important part in the business of each store, a
thorough needs analysis allows to avoid large, unforeseen costs associated with the development of the store. This article presents basic concepts related to e-commerce, advantages of effective software of online store, the most popular e-commerce sites in Poland and selected systems available on the Polish market, supporting companies in the trade over the Internet.

E-commerce, e-business, Internet, online shopping, e-commerce systems, software

June 2017, pp 36 – 46


Risk Mitigation Planning In Oil And Gas Transport

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Katarzyna SZYMCZYK
email: katarzyna.szymczyk@opoczta.pl
Czestochowa University of Technology
Faculty of Management

The transport of oil and gas is regarded to be fast, effective and safe. In order to guarantee the safety, the right management needs to implement the adequate strategies that will reduce the possibility of risk occurrence. The process of developing options and actions to reduce threats in oil and gas transportation in terms of innovative and genuine solutions and the newest data how to enhance the effectiveness of this
transport have been discussed in this paper. The paper is based on the analysis of the scientific literature as well as on technical and professional journals touching the subject of oil and gas issues.

oil, gas, transport, risk management, risk mitigation, innovations

June 2017 pp 46 – 54


Organizational performance in logistics companies through
human resource strategies

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Stet Mihaela
Western University “Vasile Goldis” of Arad

The study is the result of analysis of the role that human resources have in increasing performance in logistics organizations. Initial research revealed the problems facing the Romanian companies in the sector in the recruitment of competent professionals in the supply chain, in obtaining and, especially, keeping the trained specialists. The shortage of specialized human resources which have to cope with companies derives from the still low offer on educational market, both from the university and pre-university education system and from the field of training and certification of competencies in logistics and supply chain. The paper presents the strategies adopted by some companies in the sector and possible strategies and solutions to increase organizational performance by valorization the potential of existing human resources in companies and labor market.

logistics, human resource, performance, organization

June 2017, pp 54 – 60



Lack of Communication and Information Sharing- Barriers in Obtaining a Good Collaboration Along Supply Chain

Author
Abstract
Keywords
Published

Dorina AntonetaTĂNĂSESCU
Nicoleta Valentina FLOREA
Irina Antoaneta TĂNĂSESCU
email: dtanasescu2212@yahoo.fr
Valahia University of Targoviste

Organizations to survive in this thriving competition, to satisfy its customers, to obtain competitive advantage and to obtain performance, they need to achieve a better exchange of resources, knowledge and skills between the participants along supply chain and to make stronger alliances made between customers, producers or distributors by building good collaboration, communication, and information sharing, using traditional and new technologies. In our article we will present the barriers which may stand in the way of obtaining performance and good collaboration along supply chain, especially the communication and the information sharing along with the use of new technologies and the business flexibility. We are also using simulation (Markov chains) to predict the evolution of these issues among supply chain participants in order to avoid their impact from time and make specific plans to overcome them and obtain performance.

communication barriers, information sharing, new technologies, flexibility, Markov chains, performance

June 2017, pp 60 – 70