About

A. Michael Knemeyer is a Professor of Logistics at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. His research focuses on supply chain relationships, including supply chain risk and resilience, vendor relations, logistics, and supply chain integration. His work has been published in prominent journals such as the Harvard Business Review, Transportation Journal, Journal of Business Logistics, and International Journal of Logistics Management. He is also a co-author of four chapters in the book Supply Chain Management: Processes, Partnerships, Performance. Professor Knemeyer holds a PhD from the University of Maryland and a BSBA from John Carroll University. His expertise encompasses international logistics and supply chain management, with particular emphasis on supply chain relationships, risk management, and logistics strategies. His scholarly contributions include numerous articles that explore various aspects of logistics performance, supply chain collaboration, sustainability, and technology implementation, making him a recognized figure in the field of logistics and supply chain research.

Research topics

• Business
• Marketing
• Computer Science
• Industrial organization
• Process management
• Political Science
• Engineering
• Transport engineering
• Knowledge management

Selected publications

• Navigating paradoxical tensions in pursuit of sustainable supply chain management: review and guidance for future inquiry

  The International Journal of Logistics Management · 2025-02-06 · 20 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose Organizational pursuit of sustainability in multi-tier supply chain systems operating in unpredictable environments is often associated with the emergence of paradoxical tensions. This study aims to summarize and synthesize existing literature on managing various paradoxical tensions in supply chains (i.e. sourcing, making, delivering and reverse logistics) as organizations pursue sustainability transformation. It also strives to motivate new academic research inquiry into developing responses to sustainability paradoxes. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on a systematic literature review of 73 papers from the Web of Science database selected at the intersection of paradox, sustainability and logistics/ supply chain management (SCM). Applying paradox theory as a guiding lens, we investigate organizational strategies, practices and capabilities described in the literature to navigate sustainability paradoxes in supply chains. Findings The results assert that the success of sustainability transformation will depend on an organizational ability to recognize, accept and navigate paradoxical tensions in one's supply chain. This requires developing the dynamic capabilities of paradoxical leadership, strategic agility, innovativeness, collaboration with contextualization and governance. Successful sustainability transformation is not reliant on finding an optimal, final design but rather the continuous balancing of tensions inherent within or across the organizations that make up one's supply chain. Practical implications The research offers an integrative conceptual framework to guide organizations in navigating sustainability paradoxes in supply chains, embracing strategic, practice and capability levels. It also outlines opportunities for future research inquiries connected to this framework that are needed to build additional insight for addressing paradoxical tensions related to the pursuit of sustainable supply chain management. Originality/value This study takes a dynamic capabilities approach to navigating paradoxical tensions in pursuit of sustainable supply chain management.

  PublisherDOI

• Is Your Supply Chain Breaking Down? Call AAA for Resilience Assistance

  Journal of Business Logistics · 2025-01-01 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  ABSTRACT Supply chain disruptions regularly interrupt the normal operations of organizations, impairing their financial, operational, and service performance. Therefore, organizations must develop capabilities to enhance their resilience–their ability to anticipate, overcome, and transform after disruptions. The literature proposes that agility, adaptability, and alignment (AAA capabilities) enhance long‐term organizational success but does not explicitly link these AAA capabilities to resilience. Motivated by conversations with senior supply chain leaders, our research explores how organizations utilize practices, behaviors, and structures to build AAA capabilities in their pursuit of resilience over different phases of disruption. We use a grounded theory approach, conducting in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews with supply chain executives. Our findings contribute to the supply chain resilience literature by (a) highlighting how distinct practices, behaviors, and structures support the development of distinct AAA capabilities, (b) demonstrating which AAA capabilities are most influential in enhancing resilience during specific phases of a disruption, and (c) illustrating how the AAA capabilities operate in a feedback loop to synergistically improve resilience over the lifecycle of a disruption.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Advancing OSCM scientific knowledge by replicating empirical findings: Step‐by‐step procedure and illustration for transformative replication endeavors

  Decision Sciences · 2024-02-19 · 5 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Replication endeavors contribute to the accumulation of scientific evidence about previously reported findings and are crucial for scientific progress. Replication studies are, however, often discouraged and rarely published in the operations and supply chain management (OSCM) discipline. In this article, we offer a framework for replications consisting of two complementary tables. This framework recognizes two types of replications already defined in the literature (i.e., The Exact (EXT) Replication and the Methods‐Only (MTD) Replication) and adds to these two new types (i.e., the Bounded‐Conceptual‐Extension (BCE) Replication and the Transformative (TRF) Replication). The framework clarifies what constitutes replications, forms of replication endeavors, and their purposes. Importantly, we also differentiate replication endeavors from reproducibility tests, robustness checks, and post hoc analyses. Moreover, we describe a seven‐step procedure to guide the design, execution, and presentation of replication endeavors, illustrating these steps by conducting a TRF Replication that incorporates, at the same time, a BCE Replication and an MTD Replication of Polyviou et al. (2018). The proposed framework and seven‐step procedure hopefully motivate OSCM scholars to embrace replications as valuable scientific endeavors that can yield corroborating evidence to bolster confidence in previously reported findings and, better yet, provide new nuanced findings to advance precise scientific understanding of past and new OSCM phenomena.

  PublisherDOI

• Energizing Research at the Intersection of Public Policy and Supply Chain Resilience: A Systematic Review and Guiding Framework

  Journal of Business Logistics · 2024 · 16 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Political Science
  • Business
  • Industrial organization

  ABSTRACT Academic scholars and US political leaders have called for a better understanding of the connection between public policy and supply chain resilience. In this structured literature review we analyze and synthesize literature published in high‐quality public policy and business journals at this intersection. We leverage existing frameworks in public policy and supply chain resilience to help analyze the relationships studied to date, resulting in a conceptual framework that elucidates the connections between public policy and resilience and leads to the development of a platform for future research inquiries. We encourage and provide guidance for future work in the space from both supply chain management and public policy scholars that can drive actionable results for policymakers, firm decision‐makers, and the welfare of society.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supply chain sustainability, risk and transformational tension: a systems perspective

  The International Journal of Logistics Management · 2024-03-28 · 11 citations

  articleSenior author

  Purpose Sustainability continues to be put forth as a strategic priority. However, sustainability efforts are often deemphasized for short-term profitability. This study explores the nuances in managerial decision-making related to adopting sustainability initiatives within food supply chains in an emerging economy. We identify a complex interaction between sustainability efforts and risk mitigation. We derive a model to explain conflicting company goals, managerial decisions and system design. Design/methodology/approach We followed an exploratory research design with an inductive approach. We analyzed data from semi-structured interviews with 29 companies representing different tiers in Turkish food supply chains. We refined and validated the interview findings through a focus group with nine senior managers. We conducted open, focused and theoretical coding in an iterative and reflective manner to analyze the data and derive our results. Findings From the data, three themes emerged, indicating that managers are pursuing different, often conflicting, goals concerning value creation, risk management and sustainability performance. Managers identified and commented on new risks brought on by sustainability initiatives. These sustainability-induced risks were seen as a threat to operational performance, a driver of increased costs and a negative impact on product quality and delivery performance. Trade-offs across operating, sustainability and risk management systems create transformational tension that confounds the sustainability adoption decision-making process. Originality/value The data from the study was contrasted with a theoretical framework derived from systems theory, goal-setting theory of motivation and the theory of planned behavior. We identified four distinct decision paths that managers pursue. Increased awareness of transformational tension and how it influences managerial decision-making can enhance strategic sustainability system design and initiative success.

  PublisherDOI

• The free shipping endowment: exploring omnichannel fulfillment steering by nudging consumers toward alternative order fulfillment methods

  International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management · 2024-11-23 · 3 citations

  article

  Purpose This research explores the concept of omnichannel fulfillment steering (OFS) and demonstrates how retailers can influence a consumer’s fulfillment decisions through commonly used financial incentives such as discounts, credits and the opportunity to avoid home delivery fees. Design/methodology/approach We present insights from two theoretically grounded experiments to examine how different types of financial incentives can be used by omnichannel retailers to steer consumers from home delivery toward three alternative order fulfillment methods (AOFM) – buy-online-pickup-in-store, curbside-pickup and ship-to-locker. Findings Our analysis suggests that an opportunity to avoid shipping fees (penalty-avoidance) is a more effective OFS nudge than offering discounts or store credits (rewards). No difference was observed between offering discounts or credits as steering mechanisms; further, no omnichannel steering benefits were observed among the tested AOFMs. Collectively, these findings provide possible justification for retailers’ prioritization of credits to foster customer in-store visits, thus encouraging greater customer engagement and facilitating cross-selling opportunities. Finally, we uncover a penalty-avoidance endowment effect for “free shipping” of purchases over the current industry-standard free shipping threshold. Practical implications Retailers might prioritize store credits over discounts as nudges to steer customers toward an AOFM, with buy-online-pickup-in-store offering the greatest benefits for most retailers. Furthermore, using penalty-avoidance OFS incentives over a typical free shipping threshold may increase AOFM selection rates but engender adverse customer reactions. Originality/value Advancing the concept of OFS, this study directly informs retailers’ omnichannel incentive programs to nudge customers back into the store. Countering intertemporal choice theory, we could not demonstrate that delayed incentives are less effective than immediate ones. Based on prospect theory, we identify a free shipping endowment effect at a specific reference point along a purchase amount continuum.

  PublisherDOI

• Time for Students to Take the Stage: Improving Career Readiness via a Deliberate‐Practice Case Pedagogy

  Transportation Journal · 2023-09-01 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract What skills do supply chain students need to be career ready? The answer: Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and professionalism. Regrettably, recruiters lament today’s graduates too often lack these core skills. Worse, declining student learning and diminished engagement, especially post‐pandemic, are undermining the value of a supply chain education. To help close the supply chain skills gap and re‐engage students, we describe a deliberate‐practice case pedagogy. We begin by reviewing the pros and cons of various case pedagogies to highlight how they might fit in a professor’s case‐teaching portfolio. We then discuss deliberate practice and show how professors can embed it into a student‐led case pedagogy. We conclude by sharing post‐graduation student feedback that shows this approach not only closes career‐readiness gaps but also helps students build the confidence needed to achieve early career success.

  PublisherDOI

• The Future of 3PLs

  2022-12-08 · 2 citations

  book-chapterSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Plastic response to disruptions: Significant redesign of supply chains

  Journal of Business Logistics · 2022-08-31 · 31 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract A plastic response is a type of resilient response to disruption whereby a supply chain is significantly redesigned. This is in contrast to the most common responses to disruption emphasized in the extant resilience literature, in which restoration of a supply chain to its pre‐disruption state is typically the focus. Researching plastic responses is important because they differ greatly from restoration. A plastic response is a new way to operate, thus requiring implementation of major changes to the supply chain. Accordingly, a foundational premise is adopted to characterize a plastic response as (1) a significant redesign, (2) due to a pressing need, (3) requiring most or all of the following: acquisition of new skills, investment in new assets and leadership support, (4) a permanent new way to operate. Additionally, eight propositions are offered to serve as bases for further research. These relate to two fundamental issues: when are plastic responses most likely to be exercised and how to enable plastic responses. The propositions were developed through qualitative data analysis and informed by change management theory. The data were collected from in‐depth interviews with global corporations in a variety of industries. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are offered at the end.

  PublisherDOI

• Overcoming the collaborative challenge: commitment as a super-ordinate enabler of value co-creation

  International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management · 2021-08-03 · 35 citations

  article

  Purpose Despite over 30 years of focus on supply chain collaboration, companies continue to struggle to achieve collaborative advantage. To better understand why some companies are able to collaborate for competitive advantage and others can't, the authors explore how managerial commitment enables collaborative capabilities. Design/methodology/approach The authors employed a longitudinal inductive study, interviewing companies with reputations for intense supply chain collaboration at four different times over 20 years. Findings The authors identified managerial commitment as a super-ordinate enabler. They describe the dynamics of commitment development and explore three types of commitment: instrumental, normative and transformative. The authors document key antecedents and outcomes of each type of commitment. Research limitations/implications Theory regarding the antecedents to commitment to collaborative capability is underdeveloped. The authors elaborate these antecedents and the dynamics that enable or undermine the commitment necessary to build effective collaboration capabilities. Practical implications The authors provide insight (i.e. a practical and actionable roadmap) into the process companies use to cultivate commitment to collaboration and value co-creation. Originality/value Collaboration is critical to value co-creation, including effective supply chain risk mitigation and lasting sustainability efforts. The authors elaborate a theory of commitment dynamics that explains why most companies never go beyond basic levels of collaboration. At the same time, the authors provide a roadmap for deep, transformative collaboration.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Thomas J. Goldsby

  26 shared

• Carl Marcus Wallenburg

  WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

  19 shared

• David L. Cahill

  The Ohio State University

  19 shared

• Sebastian Brockhaus

  18 shared

• Paul R. Murphy

  16 shared

• Stanley E. Fawcett

  13 shared

• Douglas M. Lambert

  12 shared

• Keely L. Croxton

  Fisher College

  9 shared

Awards & honors

• 2013 IJPDLM Outstanding Paper Award
• 2011 IJLM Highly Commended Paper Award
• 2011 IJPDLM Highly Commended Paper Award
• 2013 Bernard J. La Londe Best Paper Award