Big Data Analytics Driven Supply Chain Transformation

Big data has emerged as the new frontier in supply chain management; however, few firms know how to embrace big data and capitalize on its value. The non-stop production of massive amounts of data on various digital platforms has prompted academics and practitioners to focus on the data economy. Companies must rethink how to harness big data and take full advantage of its possibilities. Big data analytics can help them in giving valuable insights. This chapter provides an overview of big data analytics use in the supply chain field and underlines its potential role in the supply chain transformation. The results show that big data analytics techniques can be categorized into three types: descriptive, predictive, and prescriptive. These techniques influence supply chain processes and create business value. This study sets out future research directions.

Food Supply Chain Transformation through Technology and Future Research Directions—A Systematic Review

Background: Digital and smart supply chains are reforming the food chain to help eliminate waste, improve food safety, and reduce the possibility of a global food catastrophe. The globe currently faces numerous food-related issues, ranging from a lack of biodiversity to excessive waste, and from ill health caused by excessive consumption to widespread food insecurity. It is time to look back at how technology has tackled food supply-chain challenges related to quality, safety, and sustainability over the last decade. Moreover, continuous transformations of the food supply chain into a more sustainable business model with utmost resilience is the need of the hour due to COVID-19 disruptions. Method: This study aimed to systematize literature (2010–2021) in the described context and propose a future research direction, with the assistance of a systematic review and bibliometric analysis on the research agenda proposed above. Results: The findings reveal that technological Industry 4.0 (IR 4.0) tools face specific barriers due to the scope and objective of the application. Conclusion: The Internet of Things has received more attention than any other IR 4.0 tool. More integration between the specialized tools is needed to address this issue. Furthermore, the authors have proposed a food supply chain-based operational framework on technological inclusion to facilitate the roadmap for food supply chain 4.0 for more resilience and food supply chain viability.

Sustainable Agrifood Value Chain—Transformation in Developing Countries

To service high-value international markets, many agrifood value chains in developing countries are required to transform to meet the strict quality and safety standards. This transformation process has become further complicated by increased sustainability expectations. The key players in these countries, typically smallholders, are struggling to meet this new sustainability value focus. Economic drivers pervade in this context, whilst the lack of integration often decouples producers from the end market. To address these challenges, this paper develops a framework to enable sustainable agrifood value chain transformation in developing countries. A narrative review was used to analyse the major enablers and barriers in sustainable agrifood value chain transformation specifically in developing countries. The framework novelty lies in the synthesis and prioritisation of transformations actions, by integrating three central dimensions: sustainability, governance, and value addition. The incorporation of sustainability drivers into value chain governance provides a holistic approach that balances profit maximization with social and environmental impacts, thus enabling smallholders in developing countries to access higher value markets. The framework can assist these value chain actors in identifying their transformation trajectory and guide policymakers, along with the public sector, in prioritising their intervention to overcome barriers.

Supply chain agility responding to unprecedented changes: empirical evidence from the UK food supply chain during COVID-19 crisis

Purpose The COVID-19 outbreak has imposed extensive shocks embracing all stages of the food supply chain (FSC). Although the magnitude is still unfolding, the FSC responds with remarkable speed, to mitigate the disruptive consequences and sustain operations. This paper aims to investigate how operationalising supply chain agility (SCA) practices has occurred amid the COVID-19 crisis and expectations for how those practices could transform the supply chain in the post-COVID-19 era. Design/methodology/approach Following an exploratory case-based design, this paper examines the various agile responses that three supply chains (meat, fresh vegetables and bread) adopted and elaborate using the dynamic capability (DC) theoretical lens. Findings First, the findings demonstrate how, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, each affected case pursued various agile responses through sensing and seizing capabilities. Sensing includes identifying and assessing the relevant opportunities and threats associated with the specific supply chain context. Seizing involves acquiring, combining and modifying the tangible and intangible resources at the firm and supply chain levels. Second, supply chain transformation is likely if firms and their supply chain develop the sustaining capability to ensure that the desirable changes outlast the crisis. Practical implications This study provides an actionable guide for practitioners to develop agile responses to systemic changes in times of crisis and to sustain favourable changes so as to enable their outlasting of the crisis. Originality/value This study provides a novel and unique perspective on the role of SCA in crisis – in this case, the pandemic. This paper synthesises the empirical stories of the agile responses in the FSC and elaborates on the DC framework, to identify theoretical and practical implications. This paper establishes the sustaining capability as the missing DC capability for enabling transformation in the post-COVID-19 era.