Mark Barratt

Inventory record inaccuracy (IRI) challenges multichannel retailers in fulfilling both brick-and-mortar and direct channel demands from their distribution centers. The nature and damaging effects of IRI largely go unnoticed because retailers assume daily IRI remains stable over time within the replenishment cycle. While research shows that a high level of IRI is damaging, in reality the level of IRI can change every day.

We posit that daily IRI variation increases the uncertainty in the… Show more

Inventory record inaccuracy (IRI) challenges multichannel retailers in fulfilling both brick-and-mortar and direct channel demands from their distribution centers. The nature and damaging effects of IRI largely go unnoticed because retailers assume daily IRI remains stable over time within the replenishment cycle. While research shows that a high level of IRI is damaging, in reality the level of IRI can change every day.

We posit that daily IRI variation increases the uncertainty in the system to negatively affect inventory and service levels. Our research uses data collected daily from a multichannel retailer to ground a discrete-event simulation experiment. Going beyond testing just the level of IRI, we evaluate daily IRI variation’s impact on operating performance. What we find in our empirical data challenges extant assumptions regarding the characteristics of IRI. In addition, our simulation results reveal that daily IRI variation has a paradoxical effect: it increases inventory levels while also decreasing service levels. Moreover, we also reveal that brick-and-mortar and direct channels are impacted differently.

Our findings show that assumptions and practices that ignore daily IRI variation need revising. For managers, we demonstrate how periods of multi-day counting help assess their daily IRI variation and indicate what the causes may be. Show less

In the complex, high-pressure retail environment of
the 21st century, industry leaders looking for every
competitive advantage possible are increasingly relying
on analytics. Traditional retail challenges such as
demand forecasting, assortment planning, category
management, inventory replenishment, and labor planning
are prime candidates for analytics, generally, and
the application of operations research tools, specifically.
This is especially true as ever-increasing… Show more

In the complex, high-pressure retail environment of
the 21st century, industry leaders looking for every
competitive advantage possible are increasingly relying
on analytics. Traditional retail challenges such as
demand forecasting, assortment planning, category
management, inventory replenishment, and labor planning
are prime candidates for analytics, generally, and
the application of operations research tools, specifically.
This is especially true as ever-increasing amounts of
transactional data become available to retail managers.
In the absence of effective analytics, retailers run the risk
of poor inventory on-shelf availability (OSA), out-of-stock
(OOS) scenarios, and low conversion rates,1 which
can negatively affect retail sales, customer satisfaction,
and, ultimately, chain-wide profits. In this Executive
Update, we’ll explore how to blend analytics with
behavioral research for operational success. Show less

In their pursuit of improved operational performance, organizations in supply chains have sought to
develop external information-based linkages with their customers and vendors. Has this course of action been at the expense of developing similar internal information-based linkages? This research explores the specific roles of internal and external information-based linkages in achieving improved operational performance. Based on a single case study that comprises a supply chain containing… Show more

In their pursuit of improved operational performance, organizations in supply chains have sought to
develop external information-based linkages with their customers and vendors. Has this course of action been at the expense of developing similar internal information-based linkages? This research explores the specific roles of internal and external information-based linkages in achieving improved operational performance. Based on a single case study that comprises a supply chain containing twenty-four internal and fourteen external linkages this research develops a series of propositions. We find that the individual internal linkages may be useful for extending externally derived visibility, and for addressing to some extent, “structural holes” in the supply chain. Additionally, to extend visibility across the entire supply chain, organizations need to recognize the combining role of internal and external information-based linkages. Finally we offer some thoughts for future research in this area. Show less

Our study examines the state of qualitative case studies in operations management. Five main operations management journals are included for their impact on the field. They are in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, and Production and Operations Management. The qualitative case studies chosen were published between 1992 and 2007. With an increasing trend toward using more… Show more

Our study examines the state of qualitative case studies in operations management. Five main operations management journals are included for their impact on the field. They are in alphabetical order: Decision Sciences, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Journal of Operations Management, Management Science, and Production and Operations Management. The qualitative case studies chosen were published between 1992 and 2007. With an increasing trend toward using more qualitative case studies, there have been meaningful and significant contributions to the field of operations management, especially in the area of theory building. However, in many of the qualitative case studies we reviewed, sufficient details in research design, data collection, and data analysis were missing. For instance, there are studies that do not offer sampling logic or a description of the analysis through which research outcomes are drawn. Further, research protocols for doing inductive case studies are much better developed compared to the research protocols for doing deductive case studies. Consequently, there is a lack of consistency in the way the case method has been applied. As qualitative researchers, we offer suggestions
on how we can improve on what we have done and elevate the level of rigor and consistency. Show less

Retailers today are struggling to manage demand across multiple channels while effectively controlling inventory levels. Vital to this process is the accuracy of their inventory systems. Cycle counting is the main technique used to curb inventory record inaccuracy (IRI), but it offers only a static perspective. This article provides clear evidence why retailers need to adopt a more dynamic perspective on their inventory picture.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and validate two new constructs with the potential to sharpen our understanding of how and why firms integrate their internal supply chains and assess the governance structure of their supply chains. The first construct, organizational alignment (OA), is a reflective scale measuring the extent to which upper management attempts to
foster integration between internal supply chain functions. The second, supply chain governance structure (SCGS), is a… Show more

The purpose of this paper is to introduce and validate two new constructs with the potential to sharpen our understanding of how and why firms integrate their internal supply chains and assess the governance structure of their supply chains. The first construct, organizational alignment (OA), is a reflective scale measuring the extent to which upper management attempts to
foster integration between internal supply chain functions. The second, supply chain governance structure (SCGS), is a formative index, and is a first attempt at developing a measurement instrument to assess SCGS along multiple dimensions. Show less

Using a theory-building approach based on case studies, this research explores the responses of four decentralized business units to institutional pressure to adopt Radio frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The institutional pressure emanates from the Department of Defense, and the affected decentralized business units operate in a large defense contractor. Institutional theory explains how organizations respond to external pressures to adopt new procedures, policies, and technologies… Show more

Using a theory-building approach based on case studies, this research explores the responses of four decentralized business units to institutional pressure to adopt Radio frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The institutional pressure emanates from the Department of Defense, and the affected decentralized business units operate in a large defense contractor. Institutional theory explains how organizations respond to external pressures to adopt new procedures, policies, and technologies. The case studies show how business units vary in their response to the RFID mandate and how different internal dynamics manifest. The responses range from complying faithfully, primarily concerned with satisfying the external constituent, to completely ignoring the mandate and focusing on internal efficiency initiative utilizing RFID. A number of propositions are developed to better understand the organizational responses to exogenous pressure to implement RFID. The paper concludes by proposing future research directions and issues that must be considered further. Show less

Although visibility has become a popular buzzword in the supply chain literature it remains an ill-defined and poorly understood concept. It is assumed that if companies across supply chains have visibility of demand, inventory levels, processes, etc., that organizational performance improves. This research explores the antecedents of high levels of supply chain visibility from a
resource-based theory perspective across five different external supply chain linkages. We find that the level of… Show more

Although visibility has become a popular buzzword in the supply chain literature it remains an ill-defined and poorly understood concept. It is assumed that if companies across supply chains have visibility of demand, inventory levels, processes, etc., that organizational performance improves. This research explores the antecedents of high levels of supply chain visibility from a
resource-based theory perspective across five different external supply chain linkages. We find that the level of visibility across these linkages differs considerably based on various contributing factors which are both technology and non-technology based. Using resource-based theory, we identify those factors that can give a sustainable competitive advantage to a supply chain linkage through a ‘‘distinctive’’ or high level of visibility. Show less

Just been informed that this is one of the top 10 most downloaded papers ever published in SCM-IJ, with 39,585 downloads to date AND is in the top 10 most highly cited papers published in SCM-IJ according to Scopus, with 447 citations to date.

+400 citations. Based on the MSc Thesis "A preliminary study of the enablers and barriers to the Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) process", School of Management, Cranfield University, 2000. Request a copy via Linkedin message

Despite the existence of a detailed and comprehensive process model for collaborative planning and promising initial results, there has not been widespread adoption of CPFR, justifying the need to revisit the process model and to further explore the inhibitors and enablers. Part One of this paper presented a review of the existing literature and details of a comprehensive survey of participants in existing CPFR implementations. Part Two presents the results of this survey, identifies the… Show more

Despite the existence of a detailed and comprehensive process model for collaborative planning and promising initial results, there has not been widespread adoption of CPFR, justifying the need to revisit the process model and to further explore the inhibitors and enablers. Part One of this paper presented a review of the existing literature and details of a comprehensive survey of participants in existing CPFR implementations. Part Two presents the results of this survey, identifies the critical inhibitors to the CPFR process and makes some proposals as to how these inhibitors may be overcome. Show less

Despite the existence of a detailed and comprehensive process model for collaborative planning and promising initial results, there has not been widespread adoption of CPFR, justifying the need to revisit the process model and to further explore the inhibitors and enablers. Part One of this paper presented a review of the existing literature and details of a comprehensive survey of participants in existing CPFR implementations. Part Two presents the results of this survey, identifies the… Show more

Despite the existence of a detailed and comprehensive process model for collaborative planning and promising initial results, there has not been widespread adoption of CPFR, justifying the need to revisit the process model and to further explore the inhibitors and enablers. Part One of this paper presented a review of the existing literature and details of a comprehensive survey of participants in existing CPFR implementations. Part Two presents the results of this survey, identifies the critical inhibitors to the CPFR process and makes some proposals as to how these inhibitors may be overcome. Show less