Impact of sustainable supply chain management on market performance: Study on Marks & Spencer

This research proposal aims to assess the impact of sustainable supply chain management on market performance of enterprise, with a study on Marks and Spencer. The study will identify the impact of supply chain management on organizational productivity, assess the key benefits of managing supply chain to organization, determine the link between supply chain management and market performance of enterprise, and recommend effective ways through which Marks and Spencer can better manage its supply chain.

RESEARCH
PROPOSAL

Table of Contents
Title..............................................................................................................................................1
Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Literature review..........................................................................................................................1
Aim and objective........................................................................................................................5
Research questions.......................................................................................................................6
Research methodology.................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

Title
The Impact of sustainable supply chain management on market performance: Study on
Marks & Spencer.
Introduction
Supply chain management is regarded as the oversight of information, material and
overall finance which moves from supplier to manufacturer of enterprise. It takes into
consideration proper coordination along with integration of flow both within and among the
companies. The main reason behind carrying out this study is to know the overall impact of
sustainable supply chain management practices on market performance of company where
Marks and Spencer has been chosen as one of the organization which operates in retail sector and
well known in the market for range of products it offers to its target market (Christopher, Peck
and Towill, 2006). One of the main objective of effective supply chain management system is to
reduce inventory and it directly assist in efficient utilization of key resources of the firm. In the
modern era every organization has adopted the process of managing supply chain so that overall
productivity of the business can be enhanced easily. In short it allows business to carry out the
production process in more effective manner and has positive impact on brand image also.
Supply chain of any organization takes into consideration key intermediaries which are
supplier, manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler, consumer etc. All these play significant role in the
supply chain of enterprise. Further, ultimate objective of every business is to deliver products to
its target market in short period of time so that customers may not have to wait for longer period
of time. Therefore, adoption of supply chain management has become must for every business
and through this business can easily deal with the range of challenges present in the business
environment (Green Jr, McGaughey and Casey, 2006). Moreover, competition level in every
market is rising at faster pace due to which corrective actions are taken by every enterprise so
that commodity offered can reach to customer in short period of time. Supply chain management
relies on three main goals which are to reduce inventory, to enhance the speed of supplying
products and increasing the level of revenue by meeting customers demand in most efficient
manner. Through this technique it is possible for business to easily meet with the changing need
and requirement of target market in the modern era.
Literature review
Impact of supply chain management on organizational productivity
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As per view of Hervani, Helms and Sarkis (2005) supply chain management is regarded
as one of the effective way for business in order to perform better in the competitive market. It
allows business to respond towards the changing need and requirement of target market in
efficient manner. Further, it is the one of the main objective of every business to perform
efficiently in the market where ample of opportunities are present and this can be accomplished
if higher efforts are applied by management in providing range of products to target market on
time and in appropriate manner (Hervani, Helms and Sarkis, 2005). In short technique of
managing supply chain has positive impact on the productivity of business and it becomes easy
for business to gain competitive advantage which is regarded as one of the main objective of
business behind carrying out operations in the market. Further, it supports in maximizing value
linked with target market and assist in accomplishment of desired aim along with objectives.
However Kumar and et. al. (2006) argued that management of every business has started to take
initiative for effective management of supply chain and in short it has boosted performance of
company in the market. Main motive behind adoption of this concept is to deliver proper
products to target market as per their expectation level and this enhances overall satisfaction
level of customers which is must for every business in the modern era.
Apart from this, when customers are offered products on time and as per their
requirement and it leads to rise in level of brand loyalty where business can easily survive in the
competitive market for longer period of time (Lambert, 2008). Sector like retail is getting
competitive day by day due to which every business has started to search for new ways through
which it is possible to enhance productivity of the business in the market. In short competition is
not present in between the company but it is among supply chain of business. Companies who
are capable enough of managing supply chain are able to deliver products to their target market
on time and this has supported in enhancing their satisfaction level. As per view of Li and et. al.
(2006) it is regarded as the key to build sustainable competitive advantage and has enhanced
internal capability of the business to deliver products to customers on time and as per their actual
requirement (Li and et. al., 2006).
Benefits of managing supply chain to companies
According to Lin and et. al. (2005) supply chain management provides large number of
benefits to business. Securing access to the main raw materials, supplies and component is
regarded as one of the main advantage of supply chain management as through this businesses
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can easily negotiate with its suppliers on long term basis and this also assist in saving overall
cost. Further, supply chain management allows business to save cost of obtaining supplies and
with the help of this procurement cost can be eliminated which is fruitful for business in every
possible manner. Moreover, it is ultimate objective of every business to save overall cost which
is only possible when entire supply chain is managed in appropriate manner and in turn it is
beneficial for business in every possible manner (Sarac, Absi and Dauzère-Pérès, 2010).
However Storey, Emberson and Reade (2005) argued that quality is regarded as one of the main
issue faced by business in the competitive market and to enhance quality level of products supply
chain management practice is beneficial and through this it is ensured that quality standards
adopted are as per expectation level of the target market. Rise in level of customer satisfaction is
one of the main advantage of supply chain management practice where products are delivered to
customers on time keeping in view overall expectations of target market and this leads to
favorable outcomes for business in the competitive era (Storey, Emberson and Reade, 2005).
SCM allows companies especially those operating in retail sector to better adopt and meet
demand of target market in most efficient manner. It assists in reducing the level of inventory
and enhances inventory turns across the network which can reduce overall cost associated with
the business.
Further, company like Marks and Spencer operating in retail sector has undertaken the
concept of supply chain management through which business is able to build healthier
relationship with its trading partners and time period required for delivering the products to
target market directly reduces. Therefore, in this way practice of supply chain management
enhances organizational performance and leads to accomplishment of major goals of the business
(Tate, Ellram and Kirchoff, 2010). No doubt benefits of supply chain management practices are
present in large amount but it depends on every organization the ways adopted for management
of supply chain and in case if its practices are ineffective then it can have adverse impact on
business performance.
Link between supply chain management and organizational performance
Their exist direct relationship between organizational performance and supply chain
management as when larger efforts are applied by company in managing its entire supply chain
then it leads to improvement in overall performance and vice versa. As per view of Williamson
(2008) when firm is capable enough of delivering products to its target market on time then it
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enhances satisfaction level of customers. Moreover when customers are highly satisfied with the
range of products offered to them then it supports in improvement of performance of company in
the market. Further, large numbers of challenges are present in the market which business has to
face and in case if supply chain is not managed properly then cost of delivering products to target
market enhances which is not at all beneficial for the business. Further, rendering high quality
services to the target market is one of the ultimate objectives of every enterprise and same can be
accomplished through effective supply chain management practices and it supports business to
become leader in the market (Won Lee, Kwon and Severance, 2007). Traditionally supply chain
management is regarded as logistics management but in real it is an important function in the
development of effective SCM. Main processes in supply chain involves customer service
management, timely order fulfillment, flow of manufacturing management, performance
measurement etc.
Above diagram represents the relationship between practices of supply chain
management and organizational performance. Due to presence of effective SCM technique
performance of business improves with regard to market and finance. As per view of Wook Kim,
(2006) in financial terms performance of company enhances where management is able to earn
higher revenue and market share also increases. Further, overall cost of delivering products
reduces and this assists organization in enhancing profitability level which is regarded as one of
the main aim of business behind carrying out operations in the competitive market. Maintaining
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SCM practices
Customer relationship
Strategic supplier
Quality of information sharing
Organizational performance
Market performance
Financial performance
Competitive advantage
Innovation in product
Timely delivery
Improved Product quality

relationship with suppliers is necessary for every business as they are the key intermediaries with
the help of which company can easily supply finished product to the target market in lesser
period of time (Supply chain management. 2015). So supply chain management integrates all the
key intermediaries present and through this needs of target market can be satisfied in efficient
manner (Wook Kim, 2006). Moreover, requirement of target market changes time to time and if
supply chain of firm is properly managed then it is possible to deliver superior quality product to
the customer as per their needs. However Lin and et. al. (2005) argued that short term objective
of SCM is to enhance productivity of the business and reduce inventory time which is also
profitable for the business. Sometime, it is possible that business may not be able to utilize all the
available resources in appropriate manner and due to this reason significance of SCM practices is
gaining important day by day and it acts as development tool for the organization. Further, long
term objective takes into consideration rise in profitability level along with market share of the
company in the market. In this way, practice of supply chain management is fruitful for the
business and each and every objective set by business can be easily accomplished if proper chain
is managed by the company (Hervani, Helms and Sarkis, 2005).
Apart from this, it becomes easy for business enterprise to dominate market if proper
coordination is present in between suppliers, manufacturer, retailer, wholesaler etc who are
important part in the supply chain management practice of business. In short firm can easily gain
competitive advantage and can retain its valuable customers for longer period of time. As per
view of Christopher, Peck and Towill (2006) SCM practice does not influences organizational
performance but also affects competitive advantage also. It enhances performance in the form of
price, cost, quality, delivering products to target market etc for instance with the help of strategic
supplier partnership it is possible for business enterprise to enhance supplier performance and the
time period required in delivering the finished goods to the target market can be reduced easily
and it is favorable for the organization. Therefore, in this way it can be said that practices of
supply chain management are highly effective and have favorable impact on business
performance along with productivity (Storey, Emberson and Reade, 2005).
Aim and objective
The main aim behind carrying out this study will be “To assess the impact of sustainable
supply chain management on market performance of enterprise: A study on Marks and Spencer”.
For accomplishing the aim of the study following objectives will be developed which are:
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 To identify the impact of supply chain management on organizational productivity
 To assess the key benefits of managing supply chain to organization
 To determine the link between supply chain management and market performance of
enterprise
 To recommend the effective ways through which Marks and Spencer can better manage
its supply chain
Research questions
Following will be the research questions for the study which are:
 What is the impact of supply chain management on organizational productivity?
 What are the main benefits of managing supply chain to firm?
 What is the link between supply chain management and market performance of firm?
Research methodology
Research design
It is regarded as one of the most important part of the research which supports in knowing
the nature of the study. Further, selection of every methodological tool is required for the
research and it supports in accomplishment of overall aims along with objectives. Different types
of research designs are present which involves case study, exploratory, descriptive, experimental
etc (Saunders, 2003). For conducting the present study descriptive design will be adopted where
main stress is on providing description of the topic being selected for the research. Through
adoption of this design it will become possible to know impact of sustainable supply chain
management practice on market performance of Marks and Spencer. In short adoption of this
design will support in accomplishing aim of the study and is appropriate for the entire research.
Further, research inductive approach will be used which will be the most suitable and
appropriate approach as per the nature of this study where results move from specific to general.
Entire research will be carried out from point view of Marks and Spencer and on the basis of
outcomes recommendations will be provided to entire retail industry. This will be one of the
main reason behind selection of inductive approach for the present research.
Interpretivism as a philosophy will be employed where results will be interpreted and
through this it will become possible to know how effective is supply chain management practices
of Marks and Spencer in enhancing its overall performance in the market. On the other hand
main reason behind rejection of positivism philosophy is that it is suitable for quantitative
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researchers whereas interpretivism research philosophy are more appropriate for qualitative
studies (Sekaran, 2006). Through interpretivism philosophy it will be possible to accomplish
overall aim of the study in effective manner and can enhance validity of the study in every
possible manner.
Moreover, sample size of 10 managers working in Marks and Spencer will be undertaken
who are responsible for managing supply chain within the workplace. By obtaining response
from them it is possible to accomplish overall aim along with objective of the research. Further,
technique of purposive sampling will be employed for obtaining information from the
respondents and this will help in obtaining expected results which is beneficial for the entire
study. Therefore, this will be the range of techniques which will be adopted for conducting the
entire study and it will enhance research reliability.
Data collection and analysis
Data collection can be termed as the process in which a scholar determines various
sources from which he can gather relevant information regarding the topic of the study. Further
one has to be very careful in determining the sources as the success of researcher somewhat
relies on the quality and the kind of data collected. Other than this primary and secondary are the
two major sources from which a researcher can gather information (Sreedharan., 2007). Primary
data is the one which has been collected for the first time and has not been used by anyone else
in the past. On the other hand, secondary data is the one which is already gathered by someone
else and has been used earlier. In the present study, both the sources of data collection will be
taken into consideration. For collection of primary information 10 managers of Marks and
Spencer will be selected on the basis of which appropriate information will be acquired which
will be beneficial for research. On the other hand for collection of secondary information various
books, journals and online will be referred which are associated with the topic and this will
support in attaining the aim of the study.
Further, for data analysis two techniques are present namely qualitative and quantitative.
In the present study qualitative technique will be employed where data will be analyzed by
forming different themes and this will represent overall response provided by the respondents
from whom information will be acquired. Moreover, quantitative technique will not be adopted
where statistical tools are adopted for analyzing information as in present research data is present
in non numeric form and it is not possible to employ quantitative technique.
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Resources
Every scholar needs to identify and allocate various resources which will be required to
carry out a study in effective manner. The benefit of this is that it helps a researcher to carry out
his study very easily and obtain most accurate and desired findings. In the present study there
will be some human, financial and technical resources required. The role of human resources will
be to collected data from various primary and secondary sources. Further they will also assist in
arrangement of the information in order to get desired results (Walden, 2006). On the other hand,
financial resources will be required in data collection and interpretation. At the time of gathering
information from primary sources, the scholar will be required to invest some time and money.
Other than this, in order to evaluate the data collected from various sources technical resources
will be also required. Such resources will help in eliminating the chances of mistake and errors
during the time of data analysis.
Limitations
In the present research some of the major limitations will be related to time and cost.
Data will be collected from managers working in Marks and Spencer and it may be possible that
they will not have proper time to provide important information. Apart from this approaching
different type of individuals will enhance overall cost of the study which will also act as
limitation for study.
Ethical issue
In carrying out any kind of research, every scholar is required to take care of its ethical
aspects (Sekaran, 2006). One of the main advantage of taking ethical issues into consideration is
that it increases the validity of the study. In the present study it can be stated that all the ethical
aspects will be taken into consideration. Prior permission will be taken from managers of Marks
and Spencer.
Time scale
Activities 1st
Week
2nd
Week
3rd
Week
4th
Week
5th
Week
6th
Week
7th
Week
8th
Week
9th
week
10th
Week
Drafting
proposal of
research
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Writing down
the aim and
objectives
Drafting
critical
review
Defining the
method of
data
collection
Research
Methodology
primary and
secondary
data
collection
Writing down
findings of
the study
Data analysis
Conclusion
and
recommendat
ions
Final
Submission
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Christopher, M., Peck, H. and Towill, D., 2006. A taxonomy for selecting global supply chain
strategies. The International Journal of Logistics Management. 17(2). pp. 277-287.
Green Jr, K. W., McGaughey, R. and Casey, K. M., 2006. Does supply chain management
strategy mediate the association between market orientation and organizational
performance?. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. 11(5). pp. 407-414.
Hervani, A. A., Helms, M. M. and Sarkis, J., 2005. Performance measurement for green supply
chain management. Benchmarking: An international journal. 12(4). pp. 330-353.
Kumar, V. and et. al., 2006. Implementation and management framework for supply chain
flexibility. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. 19(3). pp. 303-319.
Lambert, D. M., 2008. Supply chain management: processes, partnerships, performance. Supply
Chain Management Inst.
Li, S. and et. al., 2006. The impact of supply chain management practices on competitive
advantage and organizational performance. Omega. 34(2). pp. 107-124.
Lin, C. and et. al., 2005. A structural equation model of supply chain quality management and
organizational performance. International journal of production economics. 96(3). pp. 355-
365.
Sarac, A., Absi, N. and Dauzère-Pérès, S., 2010. A literature review on the impact of RFID
technologies on supply chain management. International Journal of Production
Economics, 128(1), 77-95.
Saunders, M., 2003. Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education.
Sekaran, U., 2006. Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach. John Wiley &
Sons
Sreedharan., 2007. A Manual of Historical Research Methodology. Centre for South Indian
Studies.
Storey, J., Emberson, C. and Reade, D., 2005. The barriers to customer responsive supply chain
management. International Journal of Operations and Production Management. 25(3). pp.
242-260.
Tate, W. L., Ellram, L. M. and Kirchoff, J. F., 2010. Corporate social responsibility reports: a
thematic analysis related to supply chain management. Journal of Supply Chain
Management. 46(1). pp. 19-44.
Walden, G., 2006. Survey Research Methodology 1990-1999: A. IAP.
Williamson, O. E., 2008. Outsourcing: Transaction cost economics and supply chain
management*. Journal of supply chain management. 44(2). pp. 5-16.
Won Lee, C., Kwon, I. W. G. and Severance, D., 2007. Relationship between supply chain
performance and degree of linkage among supplier, internal integration, and customer.
Supply chain management: an International journal. 12(6). pp. 444-452.
Wook Kim, S., 2006. Effects of supply chain management practices, integration and competition
capability on performance. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal. 11(3).
pp. 241-248.
Online
Supply chain management. 2015. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.unilever.co.uk/careers-jobs/graduates/uflp/supply-chain-management/>.
[Accessed on 19th Dec 2015].
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