Understanding the Relationship Between the Supply Chain and Finance Functions in Canadian Export Oriented Enterprises and Its Impact on Innovation Consideration

This thesis is an exploratory research effort designed to initiate the development of an explanatory model specifically associated with one component of the financial value chain of global supply chains. Canadian enterprises have not adopted, let alone considered, a newly emerging financial innovation that is accepted as a best practice; that of supply chain finance (SCF). SCF is a technology based cross-enterprise administrative process that is a subcomponent of trade finance.;As neither the SCF issue nor the cross-functional relationship in question have been investigated academically before, this research is well suited to exploratory research practices, and a three stage mixed methods research design was chosen. The first two stages involved in depth interviews with seven Canadian exporters to explore and refine various lines of inquiry within the context of the "source to pay" process. Subsequent to the first two stages, suggested hypotheses were formulated and a survey tool was designed and executed to provide preliminary evaluation and refinement of a proposed model.;The observations from all three stages have brought preliminary clarity to the practical nature of the relationship between the two functions related to upstream supply chain and finance issues. These observations have also provided suggestions related to cross-functional interface activities that financial institutions may find useful in the pursuit of financial process innovation opportunities within a supply chain. From an academic perspective the research has provided guidance to the development of a proposed explanatory model related to the consideration of SCF. As well, a number of insights for future consideration, particularly related to the application of innovation theory to financial process consideration, have been identified. Suggestions for future research activity related to cross-functional relationships are also provided.;The research explores this lack of consideration from the context of cross-enterprise, cross-functional and innovation consideration theories; grounded in a comparison of views from both the Supply Chain and the Finance functions towards upstream related supply chain and finance issues. Additionally, as SCF is not an established practice in Canada, a "proxy" line of inquiry, the "source to pay" process, is used to investigate the issue at hand.