Modeling Demand Chain Management (DCM) Processes for Indian Retailing

The study aims at determining the core variables of demand chain management (DCM) which should ideally be the focus of senior management in order to accomplish higher organisational performance through improved supply chain practices. The research follows development survey based on descriptive-analytical research design. It initially involves identification and analysis of influential factors of implementation of DCM practices. Then these variables are organised into interpretive structural questionnaire given to ten experts-five academics and five retail supply chain experts. Subsequently, in order to obtain the enablers and outcomes the factors are analysed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology. The study concentrates upon identifying the enablers and outcomes of the DCM practices implemented by the retailers in a supply chain. The major findings of the paper are: top management commitment and support in SC is the most significant enabler with the highest driving power i.e., they must be committed to and support the adoption of DCM practices. Besides this, the variables that management must consider significant are collaborative relationship with suppliers, internal integration, coordination, and information management. Further marketing orientation seems to be playing key role as enabler. The novelty of the paper lies in the study of an emerging SC philosophy i.e. DCM and its key practices per se. It has rarely been studied from a theory building perspective hitherto. Moreover, ISM-based approach is applied for the first time to study the DCM practices and its drivers vis-a-vis dependents. The variables possessing higher driving power in ISM needs to be dealt meticulously with on top priority because sooner or later they are going to influence the variables dependent on them.