Digitalization and the greening of supply chains

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Sarkis ◽  
Mahtab Kouhizadeh ◽  
Qingyun Serena Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Data Systems ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs

PurposeThis study provides a reflective overview on the role of traditional and emergent digitalization and information technologies for leveraging environmental supply chain sustainability – while reflecting on potential trade-offs and conflicts of digitalization and greening.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use relevant literature and literature from Industrial Management and Data Systems (IMDS) research published in this journal over the past 50 years. They also use their knowledge and over 30 years of research experience in the field to provide professional scholarly reflections and perspective.FindingsThe authors provide a focused and succinct evaluation for research directions. A pressures, practices and performance framework sets the stage for pertinent research questions and theoretical needs to investigate the nexus of digitalization and green supply chain management. The authors provide two frameworks with exemplary practices and research for traditional and emergent digitalization and information technology. Their reflection concludes with a summary and steps forward.Social implicationsThe authors show how research and practice can be used to affect supply chain greening with digitalization and information technology. They observe that care should be taken given that these technologies can paradoxically simultaneously offer solutions to environmental degradation and potentially be a source of environmental degradation across the supply chain.Originality/valueThis work provides a summary and unique perspective that links traditional and emergent digitalization technology to green and environmental sustainability work. The area has not seen a clear summary and path forward and shows how IMDS literature has contributed to the field for decades.

Supply chain sustainability: learning from the COVID-19 pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Sarkis
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Learning

PurposeThis paper, a pathway, aims to provide research guidance for investigating sustainability in supply chains in a post-COVID-19 environment.Design/methodology/approachPublished literature, personal research experience, insights from virtual open forums and practitioner interviews inform this study.FindingsCOVID-19 pandemic events and responses are unprecedented to modern operations and supply chains. Scholars and practitioners seek to make sense of how this event will make us revisit basic scholarly notions and ontology. Sustainability implications exist. Short-term environmental sustainability gains occur, while long-term effects are still uncertain and require research. Sustainability and resilience are complements and jointly require investigation.Research limitations/implicationsThe COVID-19 crisis is emerging and evolving. It is not clear whether short-term changes and responses will result in a new “normal.” Adjustment to current theories or new theoretical developments may be necessary. This pathway article only starts the conservation – many additional sustainability issues do arise and cannot be covered in one essay.Practical implicationsOrganizations have faced a major shock during this crisis. Environmental sustainability practices can help organizations manage in this and future competitive contexts.Social implicationsBroad economic, operational, social and ecological-environmental sustainability implications are included – although the focus is on environmental sustainability. Emergent organizational, consumer, policy and supply chain behaviors are identified.Originality/valueThe authors take an operations and supply chain environmental sustainability perspective to COVID-19 pandemic implications; with sustainable representing the triple bottom-line dimensions of environmental, social and economic sustainability; with a special focus on environmental sustainability. Substantial open questions for investigation are identified. This paper sets the stage for research requiring rethinking of some previous tenets and ontologies.

Contrasting supply chain traceability and supply chain visibility: are they interchangeable?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Roy
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Critical Element ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type

PurposeSupply chain traceability and supply chain visibility have become a critical element for the effective management of contemporary complex supply chains. At their core is information sharing, which has been acknowledged as a key prerequisite for logistics and supply chain performance, but whose notional underpinnings have not been delineated fully, leading to interchangeable deployment of these terms. Addressing the shortcoming, this paper aims to establish a contrast between the two notions.Design/methodology/approachDrawing from systematic review protocols, a multi-disciplinary review scope is constructed wherein the synthesis is strategized to primarily channel implications for the scholarship of logistics and supply chain management. The review is aimed at addressing two research objectives: (1) how the notions of traceability and visibility in supply chain management develop contrast in terms of their thematic emphasis and (2) to attain an integrative understanding of the notional convergence and divergence between supply chain traceability and visibility for raising strategic recommendations.FindingsThe review outcomes help contrast both the convergence and the divergence between traceability and visibility in the supply chain environment, and the differentiated but fundamental role that information sharing plays within these notions to outline why they are not interchangeable.Originality/valueThe originality of the findings lies in the conceptual synthesis of the relevant literature from both technological and non-technological perspectives to ultimately draw logistics and supply chain management implications. The review also points out key strategic considerations to demarcate the notional boundaries of traceability and visibility in future research.

scholarly journals Achieve a low carbon supply chain through product mix

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (10) ◽  
pp. 2468-2484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Chen ◽  
Xiaojun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Trade Policy ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Channel Structure ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Cap And Trade ◽  
Product Mix ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Carbon Supply ◽  
Trade Offs

Purpose In the era of climate change, industrial organizations are under increasing pressure from consumers and regulators to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of product mix as a strategy to deliver the low carbon supply chain under the cap-and-trade policy. Design/methodology/approach The authors incorporate the cap-and-trade policy into the green product mix decision models by using game-theoretic approach and compare these decisions in a decentralized model and a centralized model, respectively. The research explores potential behavioral changes under the cap-and-trade in the context of a two-echelon supply chain. Findings The analysis results show that the channel structure has significant impact on both economic and environmental performances. An integrated supply chain generates more profits. In contrast, a decentralized supply chain has lower carbon emissions. The cap-and-trade policy makes a different impact on the economic and environmental performances of the supply chain. Balancing the trade-offs is critical to ensure the long-term sustainability. Originality/value The research offers many interesting observations with respect to the effect of product mix strategy on operational decisions and the trade-offs between costs and carbon emissions under the cap-and-trade policy. The insights derived from the analysis not only help firms to make important operational and strategic decisions to reduce carbon emissions while maintaining their economic competitiveness, but also make meaningful contribution to governments’ policy making for carbon emissions control.

Restaurant dependence/autonomy in the supply chain and market responsiveness

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 2945-2964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meehee Cho ◽  
Mark A. Bonn ◽  
Alex Susskind ◽  
Larry Giunipero
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Technology Adoption ◽  
Supply Relationship ◽  
Market Responsiveness ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose This study aims to understand how restaurant dependence and autonomy within the supply chain influence market responsiveness. An examination of influences related to improving market responsiveness was also conducted by investigating the moderating roles of information technology adoption and trust. Design/methodology/approach Hierarchical regression models were developed to test the hypothesized relationships. In particular, data were obtained from only independent restaurant owners and managers because of their ability to select and determine their own suppliers. Findings Results revealed that restaurant autonomy from suppliers has a more positive effect on market responsiveness than supplier dependence. The moderating test results revealed that information technology adoption significantly improved the relationships between restaurant dependence and market responsiveness, while exhibiting no significant moderating effect. Restaurant trust in suppliers significantly improved the positive effect of autonomy upon market responsiveness; however, it had no significant moderating effect on this link. Originality/value This study was conducted to identify what types of supplier relationships should be pursued to improve the independent restaurant’s ability to effectively respond to market conditions. The findings regarding the moderating effects of information technology adoption and trust provided clear evidence that buyer–supply relationship strategies should be developed in consideration of those distinguishable characteristics unique to the operations and environment of independent restaurants. Practical implications Findings can be applied to developing desirable relationships with suppliers characterized by restaurant dependence or autonomy and contribute to improving managerial actions for independent restaurants involving adopting information technology and building trust.

A systematic review of the literature on supply chain agility

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Singh Patel ◽  
Murali Sambasivan
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Supply Chain Agility ◽  
Agility Assessment ◽  
Future Research Directions

Purpose The purpose of this study is to critically examine the scholarly articles associated Murali Sambasivan with the diverse aspects of supply chain agility (SCA). The review highlights research insights, existing gaps and future research directions that can help academicians and practitioners gain a comprehensive understanding of SCA. Design/methodology/approach The present study has adopted author co-citation analysis as the research methodology, with a view to thoroughly investigating the good-quality articles related to SCA that have been published over a period of 22 years (1999-2020). In this study, 126 research papers on SCA – featuring diverse aspects of agility – from various reputed journals have been examined, analysed and assimilated. Findings The salient findings of this research are, namely, agility is different from other similar concepts, such as flexibility, leanness, adaptability and resilience; of the 13 dimensions of agility discussed in the literature, the prominent ones are quickness, responsiveness, competency and flexibility; literature related to SCA can be categorised as related to modelling the enablers, agility assessment, agility implementation, leagility and agility maximisation. This research proposes a more practical definition and framework for SCA. The probable areas for future research are, namely, impediments to agility, effective approaches to agility assessment, cost-benefit trade-offs to be considered whilst implementing agility, empirical research to validate the framework and SCA in the domain of healthcare and disaster relief supply chains. Practical implications This paper provides substantial insights to practitioners who primarily focus on measuring and implementing agility in the supply chain. The findings of this study will help the supply chain manager gain a better idea about how to become competitive in today’s dynamic and turbulent business environment. Originality/value The originality of this study is in: comprehensively identifying the various issues related to SCA, such as related concepts, definitions, dimensions and different categories of studies covered in literature, proposing a new definition and framework for SCA and identifying potential areas for future research, to provide deeper insights into the subject and highlight areas for future research.

Incorporating the risk of knowledge loss in supply chain risk management

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelkader Daghfous ◽  
Abroon Qazi ◽  
M. Sajid Khan
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Supply Chain Risk Management ◽  
Supply Chain Risk ◽  
Knowledge Loss ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based

PurposeThe literature on supply chain risk management (SCRM) has investigated a multitude of supply chain risks. This paper aims to make a case for the importance of managing the risk of knowledge loss in the supply chain management (SCM) function and incorporating knowledge loss as a critical risk within the SCRM process.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a knowledge-based view of the SCRM process and attempts to bring to light insights based on a synthesis of the relevant literature. The authors conducted a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed articles published between 1998 and 2019. Further, a case study was conducted to illustrate the significance of the risk of knowledge loss in the SCM function in terms of how it operates and why it has such a significant impact on performance.FindingsKnowledge loss is a relatively neglected type of supply chain risk that can be added to the existing typologies. This paper argues that knowledge loss in the SCM function has the propensity to significantly impact the performance of the focal firm, exacerbate other types of supply chain risk and impede risk mitigation efforts. We put forth several strategies that supply chain managers can adopt to mitigate the risk of knowledge loss in their function.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper generates an exploratory opening that could pave the way for a systematic theory of knowledge loss as a supply chain risk and future empirical research. The study culminates in a number of important insights and initiatives for supply chain managers to recognize and manage the risk of knowledge loss.Originality/valueThis paper argues for the importance of incorporating the risk of knowledge loss in SCRM research and practice. It also provides an examination of some promising angles for future research in SCRM from a knowledge-based perspective.

How does information integration enhance SMEs’ credit quality: the mediating role of supply chain capabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaqin Yuan ◽  
Linlin Liu ◽  
Liu Liu
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Information Sharing ◽  
Information Integration ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Credit Quality

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the relationship between information integration, supply chain capabilities and credit quality of small and middle enterprises (SMEs) in supply chain finance (SCF).Design/methodology/approachGrounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and signaling theory, this study proposes a theoretical model. Then, structural equation modeling and interview analysis are employed to test the theoretical model.FindingsThe results show that both two aspects of information integration, namely, information technology and information sharing, have positive effects on the SMEs’ credit quality in SCF, and these effects are mediated by supply chain capabilities.Originality/valueFirst, the paper contributes to SCF literature by simultaneously examining the role of two dimensions of information integration (information technology and information sharing) in enhancing SMEs’ credit quality. Second, this paper enriches the existing theoretical research on SCF by integrating the SMEs perspective and SCF service provider perspective. Moreover, this paper explores the indirect effects of information integration on SMEs’ credit quality by incorporating supply chain capabilities as a mediating factor.

Fusion microfinance: expansion with information technology

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Adarsh Garg
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Electronic Waste ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Business Analytics ◽  
Microfinance Institutions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emergent Technologies ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Rural Clients

Learning outcomes After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to understand the following: the functioning of the microfinance institutions (MFIs); how the importance of using information technology (IT) can generate a competitive edge; and how emergent technologies, business analytics play a significant role in the expansion of business by helping in decision-making and meet up the corporate social responsibility by ethical disposal of electronic waste. Case overview/synopsis Fusion Microfinance Private Limited is a start-up company with a vision to build a professionally managed MFI that can achieve a healthy amalgamation of social and financial sustainability. It is operational in the less penetrated North Central part of India spread across four states (Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi). Fusion appreciated the importance of IT and gradually leveraged IT to help the automation of various functions. Fusion wants to further optimize the organizational outreach to its rural clients by integrating its core function with IT. IT facilitates its huge client network conveniently with the usage of IT. Fusion also aims further to reduce its carbon footprint, thus moving towards the goal of achieving environmental sustainability through IT. Complexity academic level Undergraduate- or graduate-level course on management information systems, environmental sustainability or emergent technologies. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 1: Accounting and Finance.

Collaborative Commerce

2005 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Eldon Y. Li ◽  
Timon C. Du
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Enterprise Resource Planning ◽  
Concurrent Engineering ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Resource Planning ◽  
Collaborative Commerce ◽  
Collaborative Technology ◽  
Integrated Technology ◽  
Business Partners

This chapter introduces collaborative commerce as a means of integrating information technologies into e-business adoption. It explains how companies use information technology to achieve a closer integration and a better management of business relationships among business partners, including internal personnel, business partners, and customers. In this chapter, collaborative commerce is defined as (1) a collaborative technology, similar to workflow collaboration; (2) a customer-driven technology, similar to a pull-type supply chain; (3) a functionally integrated technology, similar to concurrent engineering; and (4) a business-driven technology, similar to enterprise resource planning, for cross-organisational integration. The authors hope that understanding the characteristics and infrastructures of collaborative commerce can improve the adoption of the technologies.

Workplace Green Behavior for Sustainable Competitive Advantage

2021 ◽  
pp. 248-263
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Imoh Uwem ◽  
Ola Olusegun Oyedele ◽  
Olasoji Timilehin Olubiyi
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Behavioral Responses ◽  
Waste Recycling ◽  
Sustainable Competitive Advantage ◽  
Green Behavior ◽  
Health Deterioration

Enhancing sustainable competitive advantage in terms of quality service delivery is key for environmental sustainability. Most organizations are bedeviled with toxic behavior of the workforce which have unpredictable concerns for sustainable initiatives parameters such as decline in profits, environmental degradation, and health deterioration. This chapter utilized the ability, motivation and opportunity theory, and relevant literature to examine the influence of workplace green behavior on sustainable competitive advantage, and the implication for environmental sustainability. The conclusion revealed that workplace green behavior in form waste recycling, going paperless, and embracing renewable energy predicted sustainable competitive advantage in terms of producing green products and services. The study recommended initiation of green organizational culture and creativity as panacea for green behavioral responses and sustainable goals.

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