A multi-stakeholders view of the barriers of social sustainability in healthcare supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matloub Hussain ◽  
Mehmood Khan ◽  
Mian Ajmal ◽  
Karim Sajjad Sheikh ◽  
Amiruddin Ahamat

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for the identification, categorization and prioritization of social sustainability barriers in health-care supply chains. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory survey tool is used to identify barriers that are relevant to a health-care supply chain. The identified barriers are grouped into five main categories and experts’ opinions were applied to validate the content. Finally, an analytical hierarchical process (AHP) is used to prioritize the main categories and sub-categories of the barriers. Findings The exploratory phase identified 34 barriers that are relevant to a health-care supply chain. These barriers were grouped into the following categories: poor infrastructure, organizational culture, poor coordination, stakeholder disparity, and uncertainty. Organizational culture and poor coordination were assigned the highest priority through the AHP. Overall, lack of management support, lack of commitment and lack of coordination were found to be the top relevant barriers to a health-care supply chain. Research limitations/implications This study only explored and prioritized the barriers of social sustainability. Future research should explore the impact of the identified barriers on the overall performance of the hospital supply chain. Practical implications The findings of this study may be of value to the local health-care industry in achieving their objectives by overcoming social sustainability barriers, which would in turn facilitate the implementation of social sustainability programs that can positively contribute to the overall supply chain performance. Social implications Social sustainability has grown in importance as a pressurizing issue to push supply chain managers to assess their social impacts on the communities. This is especially important in service supply chains such as health care, where human element is a part of every stage. Originality/value Despite practitioners’ and academics’ growing emphasis on the social dimension of sustainability, the categorization and prioritization of social sustainability practices across health-care supply chains and general service care supply chains have not been addressed. This study aims to cover this gap by contributing to both the academic literature and the practical health-care environment.

foresight ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sriyanto Sriyanto ◽  
Muhammad Saeed Lodhi ◽  
Hailan Salamun ◽  
Sardin Sardin ◽  
Chairil Faif Pasani ◽  
...  

Purpose The study aims to examine the role of health-care supply chain management during the COVID-19 pandemic in a cross-section of 42 selected sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Design/methodology/approach The study used cross-sectional robust least square regression for parameter estimates. Findings The results confirmed the N-shaped relationship between the health-care logistics performance index (HLPI) and COVID-19 cases. It implies that initially HLPI increases along with an increase in COVID-19 cases. Later down, it decreases COVID-19 cases by providing continued access to medical devices and personal protective equipment. Again, it increases due to resuming economic activities across countries. Practical implications The continuing health-care supply chain is crucial to minimize COVID-19 cases. The international support from the developed world in providing health-care equipment, debt resettlement and resolving regional conflicts is deemed desirable to escape the SSA countries from the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value The importance of the health-care supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic is evident in the forecasting estimates, which shows that from August 2021 to April 2022, increasing the health-care supply chain at their third-degree level would reduce coronavirus registered cases. The results conclude that SSA countries required more efforts to contain coronavirus cases by thrice increasing their health-care logistics supply chain.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Najla Alemsan ◽  
Guilherme Tortorella ◽  
Carlos Manuel Taboada Rodriguez ◽  
Hadi Balouei Jamkhaneh ◽  
Rui M. Lima

Purpose The importance of a lean health-care supply chain is increasingly discussed. However, it is still not very clear how lean practices relate to resilience capabilities, as there are synergies and divergences between them. This study aims at identifying the relationship between lean practices and resilience capabilities in the health-care supply chain. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted a scoping review based on five databases, which allowed the content analysis of 44 articles. Such analysis allowed the verification of trends and volume of studies on this topic. Further, the descriptive numerical and thematic analyses enabled the proposition of a conceptual framework, relating the adoption of lean practices to the development of resilience capabilities according to the tiers of the health-care supply chain in different value streams. Findings Three research directions were derived from this scoping review: empirical validation of the contribution of lean practices to resilience capabilities in the health-care supply chain; systemic implementation of lean practices across tier levels of the health-care supply chain; and complementary approaches to lean implementation toward a more resilient health-care supply chain. Practical implications The understanding of these relationships provides health-care managers arguments to prioritize the application of lean practices to improve desired resilience capabilities in the entire health-care supply chain. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no similar study in the literature.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anuj Dixit ◽  
Srikanta Routroy ◽  
Sunil Kumar Dubey

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify, analyze and classify (i.e. driving and dependence power) the government-supported health-care supply chain enablers (GHSCEs) in rural areas of India for enhancing availability and minimizing wastage of generic medicines. Design/methodology/approach A methodology is proposed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) – fuzzy matriced impacts croises multiplication appliqueeaun classement (Fuzzy MICMAC) analysis to analyze the GHSCEs on the basis of inputs collected from various stakeholders about their driving and dependence power. Findings The performance measurement system, employee recognition and reward, technology adoption, training cell and inbuilt analytical tool for IT system were found to be the appropriate GHSCEs where efforts and resources should be put for enhancing availability and minimizing wastage. Research limitations/implications The proposed approach provides a platform for the both researchers and academicians to understand the GHSCEs and their relationships. It also provides the direction to the government for optimally allocating the efforts and resources to enhance the current performance level of generic drug distribution. Originality/value Although many issues related to health-care supply chain have been widely researched and reported, no literature has been found for analysis of GHSCEs to choose the appropriate set of GHSCEs for supply chain performance improvement in general and developing country like India in specific.


2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1012-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santanu Mandal

Purpose Health-care supply chains must focus on efficient deployment of resources for ensuring optimal supply chain performance. With efficient supply chain (SC) performance, health-care entities would be able to address their patients’ requirements with great speed. This is the essence of health-care agility. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to focus on developing health-care agility through human capital, that is, innovative idea generation capabilities and specialised knowledge possessed by the firm employees. Because information technology (IT) capabilities play a dominant role in information exchange crucial to supply chain operations; the study considered the moderating role of three IT capabilities, viz. outside-in, spanning and inside-out IT capabilities on human capital and health-care SC performance association, and on health-care supply chain performance and health-care agility association. Design/methodology/approach Because the constructs used in the study mainly deals with issues specifically related to hospitals and their associated supply chains, the study collected perceptual responses from senior hospital managers. Perceptual responses were received through face-to-face interviews with 212 hospital managers working in different hospitals. The collected responses were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. Findings Findings suggests positive influences of human capital on health-care SC performance and health-care agility. Furthermore, health-care SC performance was also found to result in enhanced health-care agility. The study further revealed positive moderation of outside-in, spanning and inside-out IT capabilities on human capital and health-care SC performance association and on health-care SC performance and health-care agility association. Originality/value The study addressed the importance of human capital in providing faster services to patients (i.e. agility) in health-care supply chains through improved SC performance. Furthermore, the study addressed the importance of different IT capabilities that enhance the importance of human capital in providing efficient and faster services through efficient SC performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atif Saleem Butt

PurposeThis study explores the countermeasures taken by retailers to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chain disruptions.Design/methodology/approachThis research uses a multiple case study approach and undertakes 36 semi-structured interviews with senior management of the four largest retailers of the United Arab Emirates. The respondents were designated at different positions such as Vice President, Director and Project Manager.FindingsResults reveal that retailers are employing six countermeasures to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on supply chains. Particularly, retailers are securing required demand, preserving cash flows, redirecting inventory, adding capacity to their distribution centres, becoming more flexible with their direct or third-party logistics provider and finally widening delivery options for their suppliers to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the results of this study cannot be generalized to a broader population as it attempts to build an initial theory. Second, this study uses a cross-sectional approach to explore the countermeasures employed by retailing firms to mitigate the effects of COVID-19.Originality/valueA notable weakness in a supply chain disruption literature is an unfulfilled need for research examining the strategies employed by retailers to respond to/address the challenges posed by COVID-19. Our study fills this gap.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sindhuja P.N.

Purpose Information security is an essential element in all business activities. The damage to businesses from information security breaches has become pervasive. The scope of information security has widened as information has become a critical supply chain asset, making it more important to protect the organization’s data. Today’s global supply chains rely upon the speedy and robust dissemination of information among supply chain partners. Hence, processing of accurate supply chain information is quintessential to ensure the robustness and performance of supply chains. An effective information security management (ISM) is deemed to ensure the robustness of supply chains. The purpose of the paper is to examine the impact of information security initiatives on supply chain robustness and performance. Design/methodology/approach Based on extant literature, a research model was developed and validated using a questionnaire survey instrument administered among information systems/information technology managers. Data collected were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Further, to test the hypotheses and to fit the theoretical model, Structural equation modeling techniques were used. Findings Results of this study indicated that information security initiatives are positively associated with supply chain robustness and performance. These initiatives are likely to enhance the robustness and performance of the supply chains. Originality/value With the advancements in internet technologies and capabilities as well as considering the dynamic environment of supply chains, this study is relevant in terms of the capability that an organization needs to acquire with regards to ISM. Benefiting from the resource dependency theory, information security initiatives could be considered as a critical resource having an influence on the internal and external environment of supply chains.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 360-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Drakaki ◽  
Panagiotis Tzionas

PurposeInformation distortion results in demand variance amplification in upstream supply chain members, known as the bullwhip effect, and inventory inaccuracy in the inventory records. As inventory inaccuracy contributes to the bullwhip effect, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of inventory inaccuracy on the bullwhip effect in radio-frequency identification (RFID)-enabled supply chains and, in this context, to evaluate supply chain performance because of the RFID technology.Design/methodology/approachA simulation modeling method based on hierarchical timed colored petri nets is presented to model inventory management in multi-stage serial supply chains subject to inventory inaccuracy for various traditional and information sharing configurations in the presence and absence of RFID. Validation of the method is done by comparing results obtained for the bullwhip effect with published literature results.FindingsThe bullwhip effect is increased in RFID-enabled multi-stage serial supply chains subject to inventory inaccuracy. The information sharing supply chain is more sensitive to the impact of inventory inaccuracy.Research limitations/implicationsInformation sharing involves collaboration in market demand and inventory inaccuracy, whereas RFID is implemented by all echelons. To obtain the full benefits of RFID adoption and collaboration, different collaboration strategies should be investigated.Originality/valueColored petri nets simulation modeling of the inventory management process is a novel approach to study supply chain dynamics. In the context of inventory errors, information on RFID impact on the dynamic behavior of multi-stage serial supply chains is provided.


Author(s):  
Breanne Cameron ◽  
Fay Cobb Payton

Along the health care supply chain, cost and quality measures are vital in the decision-making process for treatment and care delivery. This study applies statistical significance to a hypothesis about cost effectiveness of patients’ total charges by health insurance providers for different heart conditions. A retrospective, observational analysis of data is collected from an urban hospital in the Southeastern United States. Using the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) database, diagnoses are selected for further analysis based on their prevalence in the general population. The numbers of procedures as well as the patient’s length of stay in the hospital are significantly higher among the Medicare population. However, results indicate that although Medicaid and Medicare have significantly higher ordinary average total charges than the private counterparts, the difference is negligible when comparing means adjusted to remove covariate influence. One implication is that if private insurers were to insure the same types of high risk patients as Medicare and Medicaid the average total charges of a visit would be comparable between providers. These results also suggest that to enhance cost saving measures in government funded insurance programs, the clinical pathways need to be adapted to reduce length of stay and number of procedures per visit.


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