Drivers of implementing Big Data Analytics in food supply chains for transition to a circular economy and sustainable operations management

PurposeThe aim of this study is to evaluate Big Data Analytics (BDA) drivers in the context of food supply chains (FSC) for transition to a Circular Economy (CE) and Sustainable Operations Management (SOM).Design/methodology/approachTen different BDA drivers in FSC are examined for transition to CE; these are Supply Chains (SC) Visibility, Operations Efficiency, Information Management and Technology, Collaborations between SC partners, Data-driven innovation, Demand management and Production Planning, Talent Management, Organizational Commitment, Management Team Capability and Governmental Incentive. An interpretive structural modelling (ISM) methodology is used to indicate the relationships between identified drivers to stimulate transition to CE and SOM. Drivers and pair-wise interactions between these drivers are developed by semi-structured interviews with a number of experts from industry and academia.FindingsThe results show that Information Management and Technology, Governmental Incentive and Management Team Capability drivers are classified as independent factors; Organizational Commitment and Operations Efficiency are categorized as dependent factors. SC Visibility, Data-driven innovation, Demand management and Production Planning, Talent Management and Collaborations between SC partners can be classified as linkage factors. It can be concluded that Governmental Incentive is the most fundamental driver to achieve BDA applications in FSC transition from linearity to CE and SOM. In addition, Operations Efficiency, Collaborations between SC partners and Organizational Commitment are key BDA drivers in FSC for transition to CE and SOM.Research limitations/implicationsThe interactions between these drivers will provide benefits to both industry and academia in prioritizing and understanding these drivers more thoroughly when implementing BDA based on a range of factors. This study will provide valuable insights. The results from this study will help in drawing up regulations to prevent food fraud, implementing laws concerning government incentives, reducing food loss and waste, increasing tracing and traceability, providing training activities to improve knowledge about BDA and focusing more on data analytics.Originality/valueThe main contribution of the study is to analyze BDA drivers in the context of FSC for transition to CE and SOM. This study is unique in examining these BDA drivers based on FSC. We hope to find sustainable solutions to minimize losses or other negative impacts on these SC.

A Systematic Review on Social Sustainability of Artificial Intelligence in Product Design

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence help operations management achieve sustainability. However, in sustainable operations management studies, scholars pay less attention to product design, which can be highly affected by artificial intelligence. In addition, sustainability is perceived as maintaining economic development while limiting environmental harm caused by human activity. Therefore, social sustainability is treated as peripheral compared to economic and environmental sustainability. However, social sustainability now has gained more attention because it is the basis on which meaningful economic and environmental sustainability can be valid. Thus, I systematically reviewed present studies on product design considering artificial intelligence to understand what types of social sustainability are achieved when applying artificial intelligence to product design. This study discovered artificial intelligence can improve social sustainability in product design, but social sustainability diversity is necessary. These findings can contribute to the inclusion of different types of social sustainability in product design when using artificial intelligence.

Triple Bottom Line toward a Holistic Framework for Sustainability: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT Context: 25 years after it was coined, the triple bottom line (TBL) is now considered a failure by its own author. The concept can be considered the foundational base for the development of a necessary new business model for sustainable operations management. Objective: this paper aims to present systematic literature updates, controversies, limitations, and future framework developments of the TBL concept presented by Elkington in 1998. Methodology: through a systematic literature review spanning from 1998 to 2019, considering two main bibliographical databases, it was possible to evaluate the use of the concept in the sustainability literature. Results: the main results present that the concept has not lost its credibility; on the contrary, it reached its peak in the past five years, due to environmental and societal pressures. Also, it has been used inadequately considering only two of its three spheres (either financial and social, or financial and environmental). Conclusion: the study also exposes capabilities that if included to the TBL concepts can result into success of the business model. Therefore, our aim is to scrutinize how the concept has been used along these years, reflect on its impact in the academia and the business segment, and draw some conclusions on future research agenda and the transition toward a holistic framework for sustainable operations.

Intellectual Capital and Operational Excellence: An Influential Assessment

Competent intellectual capital is one of the most essential wealth that an organization requires in the present era of cutthroat competition. Operations management is nothing but management of operational processes in every big and small organization, and such activities constitute a major chunk of all organizational activities. Therefore, the present work targets to explore the association between intellectual capital and operational excellence, review of already conducted studies in the said area, and future directions through systematic literature review process. A total number of 165 articles provided by Scopus database (2010 to 2019) is used for analysis and interpretation. Bibliometric analysis and network analysis deliver significant clusters (operations management and optimization; intellectual capital and intellectual investment; knowledge management and decision support system; strategic planning and resource allocation; sustainable operations management and performance standards; behavioural research and change management), which is in turn a novel contribution of this article. The study concludes with a proposed conceptual model and key take away for researchers, academicians, and managers.

Sustainable Operations Management Practices and Competitive Advantage of Manufacturing Firms in Kenya

Sustainable Operations Management refers to strategies, actions, and techniques that support operational policies in achieving environmental and economic objectives. This paper focuses on examining the effect of Sustainable Operations Management Practices on the competitive advantage of manufacturing firms in Kenya. Despite the importance of green innovation to green issues and success in the business, a review of studies revealed limited information in connection to the strategic role played by sustainable operations technologies. This paper adopted a positivist philosophy to the development of knowledge and used a cross-sectional survey research design. The population sample consisted of 903 manufacturing firms registered with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers. A sample size of 277 was calculated using Slovin’s formula, and a sample of 300 was used to cater for non-response. Primary data was collected. Validity and reliability were also tested and finally, data was analyzed using covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that Sustainable Operations Management Practices have a significant influence on a firm’s competitive advantage. The main conclusion was that Sustainable Operations Management Practices lead to minimized operating costs, enhanced satisfaction of employees, and environmental improvement leading to competitive advantage. The paper recommends the implementation of Sustainable Operations Management Practices by manufacturing firms since it comes with some advantages. The findings of the paper are relevant to the advancement of environmental policy and practices. It also adds knowledge by providing theoretical underpinning, conceptual and methodological references.