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PurposeThis research focuses on the implementation of Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management, drawing on a case study of a commercial livestock farm located in a swampy area of southern Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a qualitative approach. Interviews and workshops were used for data collection.FindingsFindings from the study reveal that the commitment on the internal organisational members and skilful collaboration with supply chain partners are required for effective use of JIT, especially in an odd contextual situation such as the case in this study. This also justifies the embraced of additional cost of securing JIT inventory management practices such as the situation in the case study organisation that could not allow conventional inventory management.Originality/valueIt is suggested for further research to consider the topic from a mixed method approach as well as extend the focus on the possibility of legal regulations and government support to exceptional operational practices among organisations, especially those in the context of the food production sector, where this research was based.

PurposeThe purpose of this study sets out to examine (1) how have conflicts been conceptualized and operationalized within the context of online consumption communities? (2) what are the main conflict management, resolution strategies and frameworks that have been identified? and (3) what are the gaps in the relevant body of work in terms of theoretical and methodological dimensions, and what implications do they have for future research.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a systematic and multidisciplinary literature review of online conflicts. Following a descriptive and thematic content analysis, it examines 79 peer-reviewed scholarly articles of the past 20 years within 6 scientific databases.FindingsThe authors propose a literature-based conceptualization of online conflicts and a multi-level conflict resolution matrix based on the different governance structures and social control mechanisms investigated in extant research.Originality/valueThe originality of this study lies in the integrative and interdisciplinary view of online conflict in global consumption communities.

This paper investigates the role of resource allocation in alleviating the impact on from disruptions in healthcare operations. We draw on resource orchestration theory and analyse data stemming from US healthcare to discuss how the US healthcare system structured, bundled and reconfigured resources (i.e. number of hospital beds, and vaccines) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a comprehensive and robust econometric analysis of two key resources (i.e. hospital beds and vaccines), we discuss its effect on the outcomes of the pandemic measured in terms of confirmed cases and deaths, and draw insights on how the learning curve effect and other factors might influence in the efficient and effective control of the pandemic outcomes through the resource usage. Our contribution lies in revealing how different resources are orchestrated (‘structured’, ‘bundled’, and ‘leveraged’) to help planning responses to and dealing with the disruptions to create resilient humanitarian operations. Managerial implications, limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

Industry 4.0 has come as a consecutive and predicted outcome of the previous industrial periods, recently dubbed Industry 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 (Pereira and Romero 2017). As an expected outcome, compani...

The popularity and potential of FinTech for generating business value has been highlighted in an evolving number of studies. Nevertheless, there is still ambiguity on the success of such disruptive technologies. To address this gap, this paper draws on a case study of an IT vendor in Japan. We interview key stakeholders involved in the case project to (i) explore the success factors of FinTech applications adopted by non-financial organisations, (ii) illustrate the applicability of the multi-dimensional project success framework in FinTech projects, and (iii) highlight the importance of the FinTech Project Management field that warrants further investigation. We contribute to the IT Project Management field, where we extend the theoretical background with aspects of FinTech adoption and success. We also inform practice in terms of lessons for managers to improve the existing processes and assist their organisations in business transformational initiatives using FinTech.

A considerable number of contributions at the intersection of social media platforms and social entrepreneurship has been witnessed over the past decade. The multi-disciplinary nature of current literature necessitates integrative insights on the topic. We thus undertake a two-pronged approach – bibliometric analysis followed by systematic review – to map the extant literature in a structured, objective, and quantitative way. We contribute to the literature as we (i) offer a classification of the literature in three clusters, namely ‘social media platforms, social collaboration and social marketing’, ‘social media platforms and crowdfunding, and ‘social media platforms and crowdsourcing’; (ii) analyze recent research development in each cluster, methodological development, countries co-authorship and evolution of research in the area; and (iii) propose a conceptual framework -accompanied by research propositions- that provides an overview of the literature at the intersection of social media platforms, various social entrepreneurial practices and their influence on the social enterprise performance. Our review culminates with numerous impactful research avenues for scholarly progression in the area. From a practical standpoint, this review integrates scattered findings into one body, allowing the practitioners and policymakers to discern the role of social media platforms in dealing with emerging societal problems and increasing operational efficiencies of social enterprises (SEs). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review of its kind, offering unique perspectives at the nexus of social media platforms and SE’s performance.

Data science can create value by extracting structured and unstructured data using an appropriate algorithm. Data science operations have undergone drastic changes because of accelerated deep learning progress. Deep learning is an advanced process of machine learning algorithm. Its simple process of presenting data to the system is sharply different from other machine learning processes. Deep learning uses advanced analytics to solve complex problems for accurate business decisions. Deep leaning is considered a promising area for creating additional value in firms’ productivity and sustainability as they develop their smart manufacturing activities. Deep learning capability can help a manufacturing firm’s predictive maintenance, quality control, and anomaly detection. The impact of deep learning technology capability on manufacturing firms is an underexplored area in the literature. With this background, the purpose of this study is to examine the impact of deep learning technology capability on manufacturing firms with moderating roles of deep learning related technology turbulence and top management support of the manufacturing firms. With the help of literature review and theories, a conceptual model has been prepared, which is then validated with the PLS-SEM technique analyzing 473 responses from employees of manufacturing firms. The study shows the significance of deep learning technology capability on smart manufacturing systems. Also, the study highlights the moderating impacts of top management team (TMT) support as well as the moderating impacts of deep learning related technology turbulence on smart manufacturing systems.

We introduce the BDA dynamics and explore the associated applications in renewable energy sector with a focus on data-driven innovation. Our study draws on the exponential growth of renewable energy initiatives over the last decades and on the paucity of literature to illustrate the use of BDA in the energy industry. We conduct a qualitative field study in the UK with stakeholder interviews and analyse our results using thematic analysis. Our findings indicate that no matter if the importance of the energy sector for ‘people’s well-being, industrial competitiveness, and societal advancement, old fashioned approaches to analytics for organisational processes are currently applied widely within the energy sector. These are triggered by resistance to change and insufficient organisational knowledge about BDA, hindering innovation opportunities. Furthermore, for energy organisations to integrate BDA approaches, they need to deal with challenges such as training employees on BDA and the associated costs. Overall, our study provides insights from practitioners about adopting BDA innovations in the renewable energy sector to inform decision-makers and provide recommendations for future research.

The aim of the preface is to introduce the scope of this special issue (SI). We explain our editorial approach and summarise our findings based on articles included in this SI. Finally, we outline future research questions which stemmed out of the discussions of this SI.

While the use of big data tends to add value for business throughout the entire value chain, the integration of big data analytics (BDA) to the decision-making process remains a challenge. This study, based on a systematic literature review, thematic analysis and qualitative interview findings, proposes a set of six-steps to establish both rigor and relevance in the process of analytics-driven decision-making. Our findings illuminate the key steps in this decision process including problem definition, review of past findings, model development, data collection, data analysis as well as actions on insights in the context of service systems. Although findings have been discussed in a sequence of steps, the study identifies them as interdependent and iterative. The proposed six-step analytics-driven decision-making process, practical evidence from service systems, and future research agenda, provide altogether the foundation for future scholarly research and can serve as a step-wise guide for industry practitioners.

PurposeWith considerable international awareness of circular economy (CE), the purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework, informed by institutional theory and upper echelon theory (UET), to explain how top management commitment (TMC) mediates the relationship between external pressures and supplier relationship management (SRM) practices for CE.Design/methodology/approachThe authors test the hypotheses using cross-sectional data gathered using a survey of companies involved in sustainability practices.FindingsThe results of the hierarchical regression and mediating regression analyses suggest that TMC positively mediates the effect of external institutional pressures on SRM.Originality/valueThe authors advance existing theory by integrating institutional theory and UET to explain SRM practices in sustainable supply networks. Furthermore, the authors offer guidance to managers who would like to engage in leveraging SRM in sustainable supply networks and outline future research directions.

Social responsibility in labour-intensive industries of developing countries is always acontroversial issue among academics and practitioners. Although several studies haveconceptualised or empirically examined social responsibility in developing countries, there islimited research that investigates social responsibility issues spanning the entire manufacturingsupply chain. Using stakeholder and Resource-Based View (RBV) theory, this study examines thebarriers, enablers, motivations, and the current social responsibility facts of the garment and textileindustry from knitting suppliers to apparel or garment manufacturer to fashion retailers in theVietnamese context. The exploratory research design was used through content analysis, paneldiscussion, and in-depth interview. Our results show that most of the companies have notimplemented any significant policies to promote social responsibility but only to adhere to labourlaw. Since managers realize the crucial social responsibility role in the performance of theiroperation, merchandisers and intermediaries have a compelling role in improving their socialresponsibility, and the role of government and NGOs seems to be faded. We also provide themanagerial implications and directions for future research.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether agricultural supply chains (ASC) can be simultaneously sustainable and resilient to ecological disruptions, using the Planetary Boundaries theory. The nine different Planetary Boundaries i.e. climatic change, biodiversity loss, biogeochemical, ocean acidification, land use, freshwater availability, stratosphere ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosols and chemical pollution are examined in relation to ASC sustainability and resilience. Kenya’s tea upstream supply chain sustainability and resilience from the ecological point of view is questioned. This study adopts a multi-case study analysis approach of nine producer organisations from Kenya’s tea supply chain. The data from the in-depth semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion are analysed using thematic analysis. The Kenyan tea supply chain producers are not aware of all the nine planetary boundaries, although these impact on their resilience practices. They are engaged in pursuing both sustainability and resilience practices. They implement mainly environmental practices in relation to sustainability, while only a few of them are implementing resilience practices. The sustainability and resilience concepts were found to be interrelated, but resilience does not improve at the same pace as sustainability. It is suggested that the relationship between sustainability and resilience is non-linear. Limitations and future research avenues are also provided.

This paper discusses how digitalization of healthcare empowers stakeholders to interact and co-create value. The literature so far has focused on the benefits of healthcare value co-creation through digital technologies (DTs) from the patients and providers’ perspective. It has viewed patients and providers in isolation focusing on the benefits accruing to the healthcare system but has not shed light upon the role of DT during interactions between stakeholders to co-create healthcare value. To address this gap, this research uses a case of the ‘Occupational Health Adviceline’ (OHA), a DT-enabled Occupational Health (OH) service introduced in England to provide support and advice to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We draw upon the affordances and S-D Logic concepts to illustrate how technology enables stakeholder (employees, employers, contact centre advisors, and OH nurses) empowerment and allows them to interact and co-create healthcare value. Our contribution lies in illustrating, through the affordances and S-D Logic lenses, how digitalization facilitates value co-creation through empowering stakeholders while providing new forms of visibility management. British Academy / Leverhulme Trust (grant no. SG122331); Knowledge Transfer Leave (Brunel University London).

Scholars have long acknowledged the importance of unveiling the black box of Operational Research (OR) practice. However, despite the emerging empirical studies in the area known as “Behavioural OR”, there is still a dearth of research into how artefacts are used at the micro-level of OR practice. This article addresses this gap by using adaptive structuration theory (AST) to study the appropriation (use) of artefacts during a facilitated modelling (FM) workshop. We argue that the appropriation of artefacts from the workshop participants enables them to engage in negotiation of meaning with action implications effectively, but appropriation occurs at varying intensities (high, medium, and low) depending on the issue of concern. Moreover, we identify that artefacts are reproduced if their reproduction is an aim or part of an aim of strategic discourse. Finally, we outline the limitations of our study and future research avenues.\ud \ud

Highlights • Limited research exists on SMEs’ DT use to address COVID-19 consequences. • Relates DT deployment by SMEs to secure business continuity. • Outlines research on the SMEs’ use of DT to deal with COVID-19 issues. • Reflects on managerial implications SMEs’ use of using DT to deal COVID-19 issues., Scholars have highlighted the role of Digital Technologies (DT) in enhancing productivity and performance in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). However, there is limited evidence on the use of DT for dealing with the consequences of extreme events, such as COVID-19. We discuss this gap by (i) outlining potential research avenues and (ii) reflecting on the managerial implications of using DT within SMEs to deal with the repercussions of COVID-19 and securing business continuity.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of interest in resilience in the supply chain field. Even though literature has acknowledged the antecedents of resilient supply chains, such as supply chain visibility, cooperation, and information sharing, their confluence in creating resilient supply chains where other behavioural issues are prevailing (i.e. trust and behavioural uncertainty) has not been studied. To address this gap, we conceptualized a theoretical framework firmly grounded in the resource based view (RBV) and the relational view that is tested for 250 manufacturing firms using hierarchical moderated regression analysis. The study offers a nuanced understanding of supply chain resilience and implications of supply chain visibility, cooperation, trust and behavioural uncertainty. Implications and suggestions for further research are provided.

Scholars and practitioners have long acknowledged the impact of climate change on businesses, operations, and supply chains. Nevertheless, there is still scant research on the role of Big Data and Analytics (BDA) in addressing these challenges but also opportunities created by Climate Change for operations and supply chains as they strive to become more sustainable. We address this gap in this opinion paper by identifying and discussing how these challenges and opportunities can be better pursued. We then propose thematic foci that future research on BDA and climate change could follow to facilitate the transition to a sustainable future.

The aim of the editorial note is to introduce the scope of this special issue (SI). We explain our editorial approach and provide a brief summary of eight articles included in the SI following mult...

This paper explores how theory and methodology from Community Operational Research (Community OR) can enhance Lean initiatives. We are driven by the paucity of the literature discussing the involvement of non-obvious stakeholders, particularly local communities, in the adoption of Lean. We present a project undertaken with a food production company in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria, where we employed a Systemic Intervention methodology to integrate theory and methods from Community OR with those from Lean. Based on this example, we argue that the inclusion of community representatives is necessary if Lean waste-reduction initiatives are to benefit both organizations and their local communities. Our only proviso is that, in the spirit of Community OR, the involvement of community representatives must be meaningful, so change is agreed through stakeholder engagements that respect their inputs and framings, and do not result in organizations imposing unwanted ‘solutions’ on communities. The paper ends with some reflections on the added value that Community OR can offer Lean practitioners.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the existing literature on supply chain performance measures and metrics (PMMs). It provides a critical evaluation of 234 articles published in past 24 years. Design/methodology/approach The paper examines the studies published from 1991 to 2014 by adopting the bibliometric technique of citation and co-citation analysis. Findings The analysis of the results indicate that the number of articles on supply chain PMMs is increasing at its fastest pace in the past few years. Furthermore, the study identifies some of the most influential articles on performance measurement and metrics. Finally, it concludes that there has been a transition from traditional to more sophisticated performance measurement system. Research limitations/implications This study focuses only on supply chain performance measurement and metrics and excludes research on performance management and control. Thus, researchers may explore and extend this area of research. Originality/value To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study to review the literature on supply chain PMMs by using citation and co-citation analysis. The study includes 234 articles over the time of 24 years (1991-2014).

Purpose A shortage of skills is recognized as a major source of risk in supply chain networks. This study uses two independent organizational theories to explain how to build applicable skills for continuous availability of appropriate supply chain talents. The purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated framework that links human agency theory, social capital theory and supply chain skill. Design/methodology/approach This framework is analyzed in third party logistics (3PL) organizations by confirmatory factor analysis and tested using a survey. After pre-testing by six academics and six practitioners, and following the total design method, the data were collected from 183 3PL organizations in India. Data were checked to ensure no non-response bias. Research hypotheses were tested using WarpPLS-structural equation modeling. Findings A primary finding offers guidance to 3PL managers. Their driving role and mediating role of access to information and access to resources facilitate building supply chain skill. Leaders who invest in library, acquiring e-resources, offer financial support and create trust among employees are enablers of building supply chain skill. Originality/value This study classified 14 supply chain skills into three categories as: managerial skill, quantitative skill and supply chain core skill. The study could be extended to similar companies in other developing countries.

In this research, the objective is to develop and test a model which provides understanding into the supply chain integration (SCI)-supply chain sustainability (SCS) relationship. The paper also explores how the SCI-SCS relationship is mediated by customer satisfaction and moderated by external uncertainty (EU) through the lenses of stakeholder and contingency theory by considering the pharmaceutical industry in Ghana and the UK. Empirical survey data were gathered from 231 pharmaceutical firms in Ghana and UK. We used structural equation modelling, multi-group analysis, and hierarchical regression to analyse the SCI-SCS relationship. We argue that through SCI, the economic, social and environmental performances can be simultaneously improved. However, the SCI-SCS relationship differs among the UK and Ghana context. Testing for mediation found that by increasing levels of customer satisfaction through customer integration (UK) and internal integration (Ghana), pharmaceutical companies can improve their SCS performances. However, testing moderation showed that the mediating effect is affected in both high and low EU. Drawing on stakeholder and contingency theory, our study is among the first to understand the influence of customer satisfaction and EU on the SCI-SCS relationship from a developing country (Ghana) and developed country (UK) perspective. Practitioners are provided with guidance on how to effectively/efficiently operationalise SCI to achieve SCS.

PurposeA low-carbon economy is the pressing need of the hour. Despite several efforts taken by the government and large corporations, there is still research to be conducted exploring the role of top management commitment in translating external pressures into responses that help to build low-carbon emissions in supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThe authors have grounded their framework in institutional theory, agency theory and contingency theory. On the basis of existing literature, four hypotheses were drawn. To test these hypotheses, a questionnaire was developed and pre-tested. Finally, statistical analyses were performed to test the research hypotheses using 176 samples gathered using a pre-tested questionnaire following Dillman’s (2007) total design test method.FindingsThe results suggest that coercive pressures and mimetic pressures under the mediating effect of top management commitment have a significant influence on organizational response to low-carbon emissions. The authors further note that supply base complexity has moderating effects on the link between top management commitment and organizational response towards low-carbon emissions.Originality/valueThis study offers valuable insights to those managers and environmental consultants who view supply base complexity as a limitation. However, the results indicate that supply base complexity may help to enhance the effectiveness of the top management commitment on organizational response towards low-carbon emissions.

Manufacturing flexibility has been the subject of scholarly debate for decades. The literature investigated the relationship between manufacturing flexibility (MF) and business strategy realisation. However, scholars are yet to establish the relationship between these two constructs as mediated by the position of decoupling point (DP), which plays a key role in the design and management of supply chains. To address this gap, this paper develops a theoretical model grounded in strategic choice theory, which investigates the direct relation between MF and the position of DP, as well as the indirect relation between MF and business strategy as mediated by the position of DP. Based on a sample of 257 responses from a survey with Indian organisations, we test the model using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that the level of MF varies with the position of DP within supply chains. This position of DP differs in different types of business strategies and accordingly affects their MF.

Purpose The purpose of paper is twofold. First, it provides a consolidated overview of the existing literature on “big data” and second, it presents the current trends and opens up various future directions for researchers who wish to explore and contribute in this rapidly evolving field. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the objective of this study, the bibliographic and network techniques of citation and co-citation analysis was adopted. This analysis involved an assessment of 57 articles published over a period of five years (2011-2015) in ten selected journals. Findings The findings reveal that the number of articles devoted to the study of “big data” has increased rapidly in recent years. Moreover, the study identifies some of the most influential articles of this area. Finally, the paper highlights the new trends and discusses the challenges associated with big data. Research limitations/implications This study focusses only on big data concepts, trends, and challenges and excludes research on its analytics. Thus, researchers may explore and extend this area of research. Originality/value To the knowledge of the authors, this is the first study to review the literature on big data by using citation and co-citation analysis.

This study, drawing on natural resource-based view (NRBV), identifies drivers, barriers and the potential benefits of Returnable Transport Packaging (RTP) –that is, the repeated use of packaging items– and conceptualises RTP as a technology and resource that supports organisational competitiveness. Specifically, it investigates the impact of RTP adoption on business performance, the effects of drivers, barriers and size of organisations. The data collection took place in Nigeria and South Africa. The findings suggest that RTP has a significant positive impact on business performance. Whilst prior studies seem to suggest that shrinkage and attrition are the major problems identified with the usage of RTP, our findings indicate that there are several other barriers affecting RTP adoption and the resultant performance advantage. The results also show that there is increasing move towards adoption of RTP but some organisations are faced with financial constraints, especially the small and medium size enterprises. In addition, the results show that RTP is largely a ‘sustainability facing’ initiative with adoptees motivated primarily by potential environmental, economic, social and operational benefits of adoption.

Purpose Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted considerable interest among academics and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the literature, to identify missing links, to argue for the use of world class SSCM (WCSSCM) through a framework, and suggest further research directions. Design/methodology/approach In the paper the authors have undertaken an extensive review of literature and classified articles using a novel classification scheme. Findings Through the extensive review and identification of research gaps, the paper identifies significant differences between definitions and methodologies in the SSCM literature; and argues for “WCSSCM.” This term is elaborated on via a theoretical framework in which 18 dimensions are classified under six constructs of SSCM. Furthermore, a list of potential research directions for WCSSCM is discussed. Research limitations/implications The research is an attempt to critically review literature, argue for WCSSCM, and develop a theoretical framework. Originality/value The paper offers a new approach to SSCM literature, arguing for WCSSCM through a framework, and providing further research directions.

The concept of green supply chain management is evolving rapidly and gaining popularity in the research community. This research reviews the literature on green supply chain performance measures for the purpose of providing thorough insight into the field. Using bibliometric and network analysis, the research critically evaluates 653 articles published over the past 22 years and identifies some of the top contributing authors, organizations and key research topics related to the field. In addition, the most influential works based on citations and PageRank are also obtained and compared. At last, major research areas and potential future directions are identified by conducting network analysis.

This paper focuses on how the use of Community OR (COR), specifically Systems Thinking (ST) and the Viable System Model (VSM) can help in addressing complex and uncertain problem situations within community organisations, in particular Alternative Food Networks (AFNs). Literature has highlighted the importance and benefits of AFNs, but also the complexity and uncertainty underpinning the majority of AFN related problem situations that limit decision making and strategic planning and threaten the long-term sustainability of AFNs. To address this issue, we discuss the use of ST via a VSM intervention within a member-driven food cooperative in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the changes in decision making and the organisational structure of the cooperative. We illustrate the application of the VSM and in particular the methodology for organisational self-transformation within ‘localist green communitarianism’ and ‘nonprofit management’ to tackle issues, enhance democratic and participative decision making, and changes in the organisational structure that foster coordination and cohesion. The implications for COR and Soft OR, limitations and future research directions are also provided.

This paper examines the role of adverse economic conditions and human capital on different types of collaboration within agri-food supply chains. Data was collected from the Greek agricultural sector, covering periods of economic hardship. The results reveal that the impact of adverse economic conditions on the collaborative constructs of goal congruence, decision synchronization, incentive alignment, resource sharing and joint knowledge creation is nonlinear, specifically an inverted U for all of them. For collaboration constructs of information sharing and collaborative communication, the results reveal that under adverse economic conditions, the farmers do not collaborate. We also show that aspects of human capital such as age, education and farming experience affect collaboration. Our contribution lies in investigating the potential non-linear relationship between adverse economic conditions and various types of collaboration. Therefore, this study provides several managerial implications and insight for policymakers, while filling a crucial gap in the literature due to the limited existing studies that consider the impact of adverse economic conditions on agri-food supply chains.

In this paper, we study the role of temporal coordination in managing the early stages of innovation (aka fuzzy front-end) in the context of virtual teams. Following a comparative case study approach, we detail the role of temporal coordination through the study of two contrasting virtual teams—one with a 24-h lifespan, and one with a five-month lifespan—from two Industry-Academia collaboration projects. Our approach was longitudinal capturing virtual team activities from start to end of each project, and involved multiple data collection methods, including observations and interviews. The findings reveal that the virtual team lifespan influences the type of temporal coordination that emerges. In virtual teams with short lifespans, tight coordination with frequent communication can help to reduce the uncertainty characterizing the fuzzy front-end. On the other hand, in virtual teams with longer lifespans, loose coordination allows dispersed members to work simultaneously on different, complementary aspects of the task at hand. These findings extend scholarly understanding around how innovation activities are coordinated in technology-mediated environments, such as virtual teams. Finally, we discuss theoretical and managerial implications.

There has been tremendous interest in blockchain technology (BT) (also known as distributed ledger technology) around the globe and across sectors. Following significant success in the financial sector, other sectors, such as humanitarian sector, have started deploying BT at various levels. Although the use of BT in the humanitarian sector is in its infancy, donors and government agencies are increasingly calling for building BT-enabled swift-trust and more collaborative relationships among various humanitarian actors in order to improve the transparency and traceability of disaster relief materials, information exchanges and flow of funds in disaster relief supply chains. Our study, which is informed by organizational information processing theory and relational view, proposes a theoretical model to understand how BT can influence operational supply chain transparency (OSTC) and swift-trust (ST) among actors engaged in disaster relief operations. Our model also shows how BT-enabled ST can further improve collaboration (CO) among actors engaged in disaster relief operations and enhance supply chain resilience. We formulated and tested six research hypotheses, using data gathered from international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with the help of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) database. We received 256 usable responses using a pre-tested survey based instrument designed for key informants. Our results confirm that our six hypotheses were supported. Our study offers significant and valid contributions to the literature on swift-trust, collaboration and supply chain resilience and BT/distributed ledger technology. We have also noted limitations of our study and have offered future research directions.

In recent years, to stimulate the development of Lean Supply Chain Management (SCM) in SMEs, the UK aerospace industry has developed a change programme named ‘Supply Chains for the twenty-first century’ (SC21). This programme promotes the use of a simple standard improvement framework, which defines performance goals and standardises the approaches and tools for continuous sustainable improvement. However, its effective impact on Lean SCM and performance measurement systems (PMS) has not been widely covered in the literature. Adopting a qualitative research methodology approach, this study investigates five significant organisations to explore and contribute to knowledge on Lean SCM and PMS challenges related to the adoption of the SC21 programme. From an academic point of view, the paper highlights the key role of SC21 in accelerating the competitiveness of the aerospace industry by fostering managerial development of supply chain partners. In particular, it highlights the importance of PMS as well as collaboration between supply chain partners for efficient and effective SCM. From a practitioner’s perspective, the SC21 performance award is highlighted as a very successful approach in bridging the gap of differing agendas between supply chain partners. SMEs, with support from their larger supply chain partners, can embrace performance measurement practices to improve their performance. More established SMEs with a headcount of more than 50 employees are capable of developing and documenting strategic plans and more sophisticated PMS.

The scarcity of IT resources and technological advancements in high-tech small and medium enterprises (SMEs) require leaders to embed IT ambidexterity – simultaneous pursuit of IT exploitation and IT exploration activities – into their organization’s strategy, which could be challenging. To better understand how leaders enable IT ambidexterity, this study focuses on the leadership decision-making style (directive decision-making and participative decision-making) as a key driving factor. Moreover, we examine how and when leadership decision-making styles are most effective in enacting IT ambidexterity by considering new product development (NPD) team diversity and shared vision as two important contingencies. Finally, we test the role of IT ambidexterity in improving NPD performance. We analyse our research model using survey data from 292 high-tech SMEs. Our findings suggest that both decision-making styles enable IT ambidexterity, however, participative decision-making style is more effective in highly diverse NPD teams and directive decision-making style should be preferred when shared vision is a dominant factor among NPD team members. Our results also show that IT ambidexterity significantly enhances NPD performance. We discuss our contribution to information systems (IS) and ambidexterity research and provide implications for practice.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a theoretical framework to explain resilience in supply chain networks for sustainability using unstructured Big Data, based upon 36,422 items gathered in the form of tweets, news, Facebook, WordPress, Instagram, Google+, and YouTube, and structured data, via responses from 205 managers involved in disaster relief activities in the aftermath of Nepal earthquake in 2015. The paper uses Big Data analysis, followed by a survey which was analyzed using content analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results of the analysis suggest that swift trust, information sharing and public–private partnership are critical enablers of resilience in supply chain networks. The current study used cross-sectional data. However the hypotheses of the study can be tested using longitudinal data to attempt to establish causality. The article advances the literature on resilience in disaster supply chain networks for sustainability in that (i) it suggests the use of Big Data analysis to propose and test particular frameworks in the context of resilient supply chains that enable sustainability; (ii) it argues that swift trust, public private partnerships, and quality information sharing link to resilience in supply chain networks; and (iii) it uses the context of Nepal, at the moment of the disaster relief activities to provide contemporaneous perceptions of the phenomenon as it takes place.

This paper argues for the use of Total Interpretive Structural Modeling (TISM) in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). The literature has identified antecedents and drivers for the adoption of SSCM. However, there is relatively little research on methodological approaches and techniques that take into account the dynamic nature of SSCM and bridge the existing quantitative/qualitative divide. To address this gap, this paper firstly systematically reviews the literature on SSCM drivers; secondly, it argues for the use of alternative methods research to address questions related to SSCM drivers; and thirdly, it proposes and illustrates the use of TISM and Cross Impact Matrix-multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis to test a framework that extrapolates SSCM drivers and their relationships. The framework depicts how drivers are distributed in various levels and how a particular driver influences the other through transitive links. The paper concludes with limitations and further research directions.

Research on social sustainability in developing countries has recently gained importance for both academics and practitioners. Studies in the supply chain management field take either a supplier or a manufacturer perspective that address predominantly corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues referring to the internal stakeholders. Our research integrates the literature on supplier, manufacturer, and customer responsibility and proposes the concept of supply chain social sustainability (SCSS) that refers to addressing social issues within the overall (upstream and downstream) supply chain. Furthermore, we develop and empirically validate scales for measuring SCSS using in-depth interviews and a survey in the Indian manufacturing industry. Our results suggest that SCSS consists of six underlying dimensions, namely equity, safety, health and welfare, philanthropy, ethics, human rights, in a 20-item valid and reliable scale. We discuss the implications of the findings for research and practice and suggest future research avenues.

Facility layout design, a NP hard problem, is associated with the arrangement of facilities in a manufacturing shop floor, which impacts the performance, and cost of system. Efficient design of facility layout is a key to the sustainable operations in a manufacturing shop floor. An efficient layout design not only optimizes the cost and energy due to proficient handling but also increase flexibility and easy accessibility. Traditionally, it is solved using meta-heuristic techniques. But these algorithmic or procedural methodologies do not generate effective and efficient layout design from sustainable point of view, where design should consider multiple criteria such as demand fluctuations, material handling cost, accessibility, maintenance, waste and more. In this paper, to capture the sustainability in the layout design these parameters are considered, and a new sustainable stochastic dynamic facility layout problem (SDFLP) is formulated and solved. SDFLP is optimized for material handling cost and rearrangement cost using various meta-heuristic techniques. The pool of layouts thus generated are then analyzed by data envelopment analysis to identify efficient layouts. A novel hierarchical methodology of consensus ranking of layouts is proposed which combines the multiple attributes/criteria. Multi attribute decision-making techniques such as technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution, interpretive ranking process and analytic hierarchy process, Borda–Kendall and integer linear programming based rank aggregation techniques are applied. To validate the proposed methodology data sets for facility size $$N=12$$ for time period $$T=5$$ having Gaussian demand are considered.

Purpose – The emergent field of Internet of Things (IoT) has been evolving rapidly with a geometric growth in the number of academic publications in this field. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature of IoT in past 16 years using rigorous bibliometric and network analysis tools, offering at the same time future directions for the IoT research community and implications for managers and decision makers. Design/methodology/approach – The authors adopted the techniques of bibliometric and network analysis. The paper reviewed the articles published on IoT from 2000 to 2015. Findings – This study identifies top contributing authors; key research topics related to the field; the most influential works based on citations and PageRank; and established and emerging research clusters. Scholars are encouraged to further explore this topic. Research limitations/implications – This study focusses only on vision and applications of IoT. Scholars may explore various other aspects of this area of research....

Purpose – Firms within industrial clusters are subject to challenges such as globalization, limited resources, volatility of international markets and financial instabilities. 4th party logistics (4PL) service providers are supporting individual firms to overcome such challenges by using collaborative operational capabilities from within an industrial cluster to their enhance competitiveness. The purpose of this paper is to focus on China and proposes a collaborative operational capabilities framework to illustrate the role of 4PL in industrial cluster competitiveness. Design/methodology/approach – The paper follows an extensive literature review and structured interviews in two types of clusters, drawing on resource-based view and importance-performance matrix analysis. Findings – The paper proposes six elements (that is, synergy of logistics, expansion of industrial chain, financial ability, creativity and innovation ability, cooperation of companies and flexibility of supply chain) that comprise collaborative operational capabilities, and highlights the role of “creativity and innovation ability” and “supply chain flexibility” in the use of 4PL for industrial cluster competitiveness in Chinese context. Research limitations/implications – The paper focusses on China and hence it could also be tested in the developed countries’ context with the support of large-scale empirical data to investigate further its usefulness and to identify other constraints. Originality/value – The study contributes to the 4PL literature in that it proposes a framework that extrapolates the importance of 4PL in industrial cluster competitiveness in China.

As Big Data has undergone a transition from being an emerging topic to a growing research area, it has become necessary to classify the different types of research and examine the general trends of this research area. This should allow the potential research areas that for future investigation to be identified. This paper reviews the literature on ‘Big Data and supply chain management (SCM)’, dating back to 2006 and provides a thorough insight into the field by using the techniques of bibliometric and network analyses. We evaluate 286 articles published in the past 10 years and identify the top contributing authors, countries and key research topics. Furthermore, we obtain and compare the most influential works based on citations and PageRank. Finally, we identify and propose six research clusters in which scholars could be encouraged to expand Big Data research in SCM. We contribute to the literature on Big Data by discussing the challenges of current research, but more importantly, by identifying and proposing these six research clusters and future research directions. Finally, we offer to managers different schools of thought to enable them to harness the benefits from using Big Data and analytics for SCM in their everyday work.

Purpose – At a time when the number and seriousness of disasters seems to be increasing, humanitarian organizations find that besides their challenging work they are faced with problems caused by a high level of turnover of staff. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Based on the 24 variables leading to employee turnover identified by Cotton and Tuttle (1986) the authors analyse the work-related, external and personal factors affecting employee turnover in humanitarian organizations, using a survey of members of the Indian National Institute of Disaster Management. Findings – Results indicated that the three factors are present. Of the external factors, only employment perception had a factor loading over 0.7; of the work-related factors, all were significant; of the personal factors, biographical information, marital status, number of dependants, aptitude and ability and intelligence had the highest loadings. It was also shown that behavioural intentions and net expectation were not significant. Originality/value – Only a few studies reported on employee turnover and its reasons are not well understood in the context of humanitarian organizations. To address this need, the aim of this paper is to explore the personal reasons impacting employee turnover in humanitarian organizations. In the study the authors have adopted 24 variables used in Cotton and Tuttle (1986) and classified into constructs to explain turnover, and further tested the model using data gathered from humanitarian organizations.

In this paper an attempt has been made to build a theoretical framework of the enablers and barriers of flexible green supply chain management (FGSCM). This study is unique in its kind, as it clearly illustrates both the enablers and barriers and their complex interrelationships that impact the design and implementation of flexible and green strategies in a supply chain closed loop system. Ten enablers and eight barriers of FGSCM are identified through an extensive literature review process. Then, an expert survey is developed and conducted to further understand the interactions and the transitive links between the enablers and barriers. Separate frameworks are developed and proposed regarding the enablers and barriers of FGSCM by using total interpretive structural modeling approach. Finally, we have discussed the findings of the study in light of the relevant literature, followed by limitations and further research directions.