A network maturity mapping tool for demand-driven supply chain management : a case for the public healthcare sector

Date
2021-10-29
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
MDPI
Abstract
The healthcare supply chain is a complex adaptive ecosystem that facilitates the delivery of health products to the end patient in a cost-effective way. However, low forecast accuracy and high demand volatility in healthcare supply chains have resulted in an increase in stockouts, operational inefficiencies, poor health outcomes, and a significant increase in supply chain costs. To cope with these challenges, organisations are trying to adopt demand-driven supply chain management (DDSCM) operating practices which have been established in other sectors such as the telecommunications, fruit, and flower industries. However, previous studies have not considered these practices in the healthcare industry, and hence no methodologies exist that support the implementation of these practices in this context. Moreover, current studies present cases where the focus has been on improving and expanding individual organisational performance, but no supply chain network-level studies exist on the healthcare industry. Therefore, this paper provides a network-level analysis when addressing DDSCM in the healthcare industry. A grounded theory-based approach coupled with a conceptual framework analysis process was used to leverage a systematized literature review methodology with the development of a network maturity mapping tool for DDSCM which was validated in the public healthcare sector.
Description
CITATION: Bvuchete, M., Grobbelaar, S. S. & Van Eeden, J. 2021. A network maturity mapping tool for demand-driven supply chain management : a case for the public healthcare sector. Sustainability, 13(21):11988, doi:10.3390/su132111988.
The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.com
Publication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund
Keywords
Public health, Health services accessibility, Medical supplies industry, Demand (Economic theory), Human services, Business logistics -- Health aspects
Citation
Bvuchete, M., Grobbelaar, S. S. & Van Eeden, J. 2021. A network maturity mapping tool for demand-driven supply chain management : a case for the public healthcare sector. Sustainability, 13(21):11988, doi:10.3390/su132111988.