5. Conclusions and implications
5.2. Limitations and future research directions
While this study makes significant theoretical and practical contributions, it has limitations that open up avenues for future studies. First, this study uses an in-depth case study approach and the data is collected from one multinational pharmaceutical company and its supplier. In addition, the analysis is mainly based on qualitative data. Large scale surveys could be conducted to quantify the key constructs, such as indirect and direct supplier development and supply chain social responsibility, and empirically test and validate the propositions. Second, social capital in supplier-buyer relationships plays a critical role in supply chain management. Investigating the effects of social capital on the relationships between supplier development and supply chain social responsibility could be an interesting topic. Third, researchers argue that supply chain management practices, such as postponement and integration, also influence supplier development (Krause et al. 2007, Humphreys et al. 2011). Future studies could link supplier development with other supply chain management practices and investigate their joint effects on supply chain social responsibility.
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39 Appendix 1. Semi-structured interview protocol
1. What is the role of the sourcing department in the company? 2. What does the company source from external suppliers? 3. What are the main criteria for selecting suppliers?
4. How do you ensure Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) compliance?
5. What is being done around the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sourcing?
6. How does the PSCI benefit the company?
7. What are the key challenges for sourcing in China?
8. Are suppliers reliable? If not, what does the company do to mitigate risk of the clinical supply chain (CSC)?
9. What is the role of the Study Manager and Study Drug Coordinator in sourcing? 10. How many sites are active and cater to?
11. What are the standard operation procedures (SOPs) and infrastructure for manag- ing CSC?
12. What supporting services do the studies need?
13. What kinds of problems have you faced because of poor supplier CSR perfor- mance?
14. What are the key challenges for managing the CSC?
15. How can you improve CSR performance with regard to the CSC? 16. What is the role of the Quality Assurance (QA) department in sourcing? 17. How much emphasis is placed on SHE?
18. How often are audits carried out? 19. Do you train partners’ staff on SOPs?
20. What kinds of performance failures are most common with regard to QA? 21. What is a QA manager’s role in improving CSR?
40 Appendix 2. Interview details
Table A1. Interview details
Interviewee Sessions (Date DD/MM)
MPC Senior Manager (Global Sourcing Team) 3 (02/06, 15/06, 12/07) Quality Assurance Management 3 (17/06, 18/07, 05/08)
Supply Chain Manager 2 ( 22/06, 19/06)
Study Drug R&D Specialist 2 (21/07, 22/07)
Medical Director 2 (11/08, 19/08)
Regulatory Affairs Specialist 1 (21/07) Assistant Medical Director 1 (28/07) Clinical Research Associate 1 (10/07)
Clinical Study Director 1 (12/08)
Regulatory Affairs Specialist 1 (18/08)
Supplier General Manager 2 (20/07,22/07)
Associate Project Manager 2 (20/07, 22/07)
Key Account Manager 1 (18/07)
41 Appendix 3. Clinical supply chain
Source: Company document
Figure A1. Clinical supply chain