Showing papers on "Supply chain management published in 2019"

Blockchain technology and its relationships to sustainable supply chain management

Abstract: Globalisation of supply chains makes their management and control more difficult. Blockchain technology, as a distributed digital ledger technology which ensures transparency, traceability, and sec...

Internet of things and supply chain management: a literature review

Abstract: This paper explores the role of Internet of Things (IoT) and its impact on supply chain management (SCM) through an extensive literature review. Important aspects of IoT in SCM are covered including IoT definition, main IoT technology enablers and various SCM processes and applications. We offer several categorisation of the extant literature, such as based on methodology, industry sector and focus on a classification based on major supply chain processes. In addition, a bibliometric analysis of the literature is also presented. We find that most studies have focused on conceptualising the impact of IoT with limited analytical models and empirical studies. In addition, most studies have focused on the delivery supply chain process and the food and manufacturing supply chains. Areas of future SCM research that can support IoT implementation are also identified.

Understanding blockchain technology for future supply chains: a systematic literature review and research agenda

Abstract: Purpose: This paper investigates the way in which blockchain technology is likely to influence future supply chain practices and policies. Design/methodology/approach: A systematic review of both academic and practitioner literature was conducted. Multiple accounts of blockchain adoption within industry were also consulted to gain further insight. Findings: While blockchain technologies remain in their infancy, they are gaining momentum within supply chains, trust being the predominant factor driving their adoption. The value of such technologies for supply chain management lies in four areas: extended visibility and traceability, supply chain digitalisation and disintermediation, improved data security and smart contracts. Several challenges and gaps in understanding and opportunities for further research are identified by our research. How a blockchain enabled supply chain should be configured has also been explored from a design perspective. Research limitations/implications: Our systematic review focuses on the diffusion of blockchain technology within supply chains and great care was taken in selecting search terms. However, we acknowledge that our choice of terms may have excluded certain blockchain articles from this review. Practical implications: This paper offers valuable insight for supply-chain practitioners into how blockchain technology has the potential to disrupt existing supply chain provisions as well as a number of challenges to its successful diffusion. Originality/value: Ours is one of the first studies to examine the current state of blockchain diffusion within supply chains. It lays a firm foundation for future research. Keywords: blockchain, distributed ledger technology, supply chain management, peer-to-peer communication, systematic literature review

Exploring Industry 4.0 technologies to enable circular economy practices in a manufacturing context: A business model proposal

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore how rising technologies from Industry 4.0 can be integrated with circular economy (CE) practices to establish a business model that reuses and recycles wasted material such as scrap metal or e-waste.,The qualitative research method was deployed in three stages. Stage 1 was a literature review of concepts, successful factors and barriers related to the transition towards a CE along with sustainable supply chain management, smart production systems and additive manufacturing (AM). Stage 2 comprised a conceptual framework to integrate and evaluate the synergistic potential among these concepts. Finally, stage 3 validated the proposed model by collecting rich qualitative data based on semi-structured interviews with managers, researchers and professors of operations management to gather insightful and relevant information.,The outcome of the study is the recommendation of a circular model to reuse scrap electronic devices, integrating web technologies, reverse logistics and AM to support CE practices. Results suggest a positive influence from improving business sustainability by reinserting waste into the supply chain to manufacture products on demand.,The impact of reusing wasted materials to manufacture new products is relevant to minimising resource consumption and negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, it avoids hazardous materials ending up in landfills or in the oceans, seriously threatening life in ecosystems. In addition, reuse of wasted material enables the development of local business networks that generate jobs and improve economic performance.,First, the impact of reusing materials to manufacture new products minimises resource consumption and negative environmental impacts. The circular model also encourages keeping hazardous materials that seriously threaten life in ecosystems out of landfills and oceans. For this study, it was found that most urban waste is plastic and cast iron, leaving room for improvement in increasing recycling of scrap metal and similar materials. Second, the circular business model promotes a culture of reusing and recycling and motivates the development of collection and processing techniques for urban waste through the use of three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies and Industry 4.0. In this way, the involved stakeholders are focused on the technical parts of recycling and can be better dedicated to research, development and innovation because many of the processes will be automated.,The purpose of this study was to explore how Industry 4.0 technologies are integrated with CE practices. This allows for the proposal of a circular business model for recycling waste and delivering new products, significantly reducing resource consumption and optimising natural resources. In a first stage, the circular business model can be used to recycle electronic scrap, with the proposed integration of web technologies, reverse logistics and AM as a technological platform to support the model. These have several environmental, sociotechnical and economic implications for society.,The sociotechnical aspects are directly impacted by the circular smart production system (CSPS) management model, since it creates a new culture of reuse and recycling techniques for urban waste using 3D printing technologies, as well as Industry 4.0 concepts to increase production on demand and automate manufacturing processes. The tendency of the CSPS model is to contribute to deployment CE in the manufacture of new products or parts with AM approaches, generating a new path of supply and demand for society.

Blockchain and supply chain management integration: a systematic review of the literature

Abstract: This paper aims to identify, analyse and organise the literature about blockchains in supply chain management (SCM) context (blockchain–SCM integration) and proposes an agenda for future research. This study aims to shed light on what the main current blockchain applications in SCM are, what the main disruptions and challenges are in SCM because of blockchain adoption and what the future of blockchains holds in SCM.,This study followed the systematic review approach to analyse and synthesise the extant literature on blockchain–SCM integration. The review analysed 27 papers between 2008 and 2018 in peer-reviewed journals.,Blockchain–SCM integration is still in its infancy. Scholars and practitioners are not fully aware of the potential of blockchain technology to disrupt traditional business models. However, the electric power industry seems to have a relatively mature understanding of blockchain–SCM integration, demonstrated by the use of smart contracts. Additionally, the disintermediation provided by blockchain applications has the potential to disrupt traditional industries (e.g. health care, transportation and retail).,The limitations of this study are represented mainly by the scarcity of studies on blockchain–SCM integration in leading journals and databases.,This study highlights examples of blockchain–SCM integration, emphasising the need to rethink business models to incorporate blockchain technology.,This study is the first attempt to synthesise existing publications about the blockchain–SCM integration, shedding light on the disruption caused by, and the necessity of, the SCM reconfigurations.

A literature review on green supply chain management: Trends and future challenges

Abstract: This study aims to review the literature in green supply chain management (GSCM) published from 1998 to 2017 and presenting insights and directions for future research. The study collects data from Scopus and ISI Web of Science databases and objectively selects 880 papers and conducts metadata analysis. In addtion, 236 papers from ISI Web of Science is analyzed to present the insights along with the classifications of the literatures based on content analyses, which comprises of conceptual development, drivers and barriers, collaboration with supply chain partners, mathematical and other optimization models, and assessment of green supply chain management practices and performance. The study finds that research on drivers or barriers analysis of green supply chain management reveals a declining trend while there is a growing trend of applying mathematical optimization models for enhancing decision making in pursuit of environmental performance. Moreover, the study finds a consistent growth in the evaluation of green supply chain management practices and performance. Though, the concept of green supply chain management started gaining popularity among academicians from the beginning of the 20th century, this study finds a sharp growth of publications on the topic after 2010 until now. This study identifies influential authors, top journals, top contributing countries, top contributing institutions and contribution by disciplines. This study presents a comprehensive but straightforward conceptual model of green supply chain management. The findings and future research directions of the study offers a new avenue for further exploration and contribution to this discipline.

Blockchain technology: implications for operations and supply chain management

Abstract: Purpose: To encourage the study of blockchain technology from an Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) perspective, identifying potential areas of application; and to provide an agenda for future research. Approach: An explanation and analysis of blockchain technology is provided to identify implications for the field of OSCM. Findings: The hype around the opportunities that digital ledger technologies offer is high. For OSCM, a myriad of ways in which blockchain could transform practice are identified, including: enhancing product safety and security; improving quality management; reducing illegal counterfeiting; improving sustainable supply chain management; advancing inventory management and replenishment; reducing the need for intermediaries; impacting new product design and development; and, reducing the cost of supply chain transactions. The immature state of practice and research surrounding blockchain means there is an opportunity for OSCM researchers to study the technology in its early stages and shape its adoption. Research implications: The paper provides a platform for new research that addresses gaps in knowledge and advances the field of OSCM. A research agenda is developed around six key themes. Practical implications: There are many opportunities for organisations to obtain an advantage by making use of blockchain technology ahead of the competition, enabling them to enhance their market position. But it is important that managers examine the characteristics of their products, services and supply chains to determine whether they need or would benefit sufficiently from the adoption of blockchain. Moreover, it is important that organisations build human capital expertise that allows them to develop, implement, and exploit applications of this technology to maximum reward. Originality: The first paper in a leading international OSCM journal to analyse blockchain technology thereby complementing a recent article on digital supply chains that omitted blockchain.

Towards Industry 4.0

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive picture of the innovative efforts undertaken over time to develop the digital technologies for managing the interface between supply chain management and marketing processes and the role they play in sustaining supply chain management-marketing (SCM-M) integration from an information processing point of view.,Patent analysis and actual examples are used to carry out this study. In detail, first, the authors identify the subset of enabling technologies pertaining to the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) that can be considered the most relevant for effective SCM-M integration (i.e. Industrial Internet of Things, Cloud computing, Big Data analytics and customer profiling, Cyber security). Second, the authors carry out a patent analysis aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of the patenting activity trends characterizing the set of digital technologies under investigation, hence highlighting their innovation dynamics and applications.,This research provides insightful information about which digital technologies may enable the SCM-M integration. Specifically, the authors highlight the role those solutions play in terms of information acquisition, storage and elaboration for SCM-M integration by relying on illustrative actual examples. Moreover, the authors present the organisations more involved in the development of digital technologies for SCM-M integration over time and offer an examination of their technological impact in terms of influence on subsequent technological developments.,So far, much has been said about why marketing and supply chain management functions should be integrated. However, a clear picture of the digital technologies that might be adopted to achieve this objective has yet to be revealed. Thus, the paper contributes to the literature on SCM-M integration and Industry 4.0 by highlighting the enabling technologies for the Industry 4.0 that may particularly serve for managing the SCM-M interface from an information processing perspective.

Effects of green supply chain management practices on sustainability performance

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of eight dimensions of green supply chain management (GSCM) on economic, environmental and social performance, which are the three dimensions of corporate sustainability. The eight dimensions covered in this study are: green purchasing, green manufacturing, green distribution, green packaging, green marketing, environmental education, internal environmental management and investment recovery.,The relationships between dimensions of GSCM and sustainability performance are tested by using a plant-level survey. A proposed research model and hypotheses are tested by using cross-sectional face-to-face and e-mail survey data collected from manufacturing firms in Turkey. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses.,Except for green purchasing, all GSCM dimensions are found to be related with at least one of the performance dimensions.,The results are important in highlighting the importance of GSCM in improving sustainability performance.,This paper enhances the understanding of the relationship between different dimensions of GSCM and the three sustainability performance factors. While there are very few studies examining the relationship between GSCM and corporate sustainability, this study is important in terms of exploring the effects of dimensions of GSCM applications on economic, environmental and social performance one by one, by examining these applications in the form of eight dimensions.

The mean-variance approach for global supply chain risk analysis with air logistics in the blockchain technology era

Abstract: Supply chain operations have entered the digital era with the emergence of blockchain technology. In this paper, we discuss how the mean–variance (MV) approach can be applied to explore global supply chain operations risk with air logistics in the blockchain technology era. To be specific, we examine the related literature from four areas, namely air-logistics operations, demand management, supply management, and supply-demand coordination. We propose how the blockchain technology can be applied to facilitate the implementation of mean-variance risk analysis for global supply chain operations. We then highlight several promising areas for further studies. A future research agenda is developed.

A supply chain sustainability innovation framework and evaluation methodology

Abstract: Sustainability is hinged on innovation. The importance of sustainable innovation management in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) cannot be underestimated. Studies on SSCM have emphasised t...

Blockchain Technology Implementation in Logistics

Abstract: This paper researches decentralized data storage represented by blockchain technology and the possibility of its development in sustainable logistics and supply chain management. Although the benefits of blockchain technology have been most widely researched in the financial sector, major challenges in logistics, such as order delay, damage to goods, errors, and multiple data entry can also be minimized by introducing blockchain technology. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current and rising trends of blockchain technology usage in logistics and supply chain management.

A Novel Medical Blockchain Model for Drug Supply Chain Integrity Management in a Smart Hospital

Abstract: At present, in pharmacology one of the most serious problems is counterfeit drugs. The Health Research Funding organization reported that in developing countries, nearly 10–30% of the drugs are fake. Counterfeiting is not the main issue itself, but, rather, the fact that, as compared to traditional drugs, these counterfeit drugs produce different side effects to human health. According to WHO, around 30% of the total medicine sold in Africa, Asia, and Latin America is counterfeit. This is the major worldwide problem, and the situation is worse in developing countries, where one out of every 10 medicines are either fake or do not follow drug regulations. The rise of Internet pharmacies has made it more difficult to standardize drug safety. It is difficult to detect counterfeits because these drugs pass through different complex distributed networks, thus forming opportunities for counterfeits to enter the authentic supply chain. The safety of the pharmaceutical supply chain has become a major concern for public health, which is a collective process. In this paper, we propose a novel drug supply chain management using Hyperledger Fabric based on blockchain technology to handle secure drug supply chain records. The proposed system solves this problem by conducting drug record transactions on a blockchain to create a smart healthcare ecosystem with a drug supply chain. A smart contract is launched to give time-limited access to electronic drug records and also patient electronic health records. We also carried out a number of experiments in order to demonstrate the usability and efficiency of the designed platform. Finally, we used Hyperledger Caliper as a benchmarking tool to conduct the performance of the designed system in terms of transactions per second, transaction latency, and resource utilization.

Data quality challenges for sustainable fashion supply chain operations in emerging markets: Roles of blockchain, government sponsors and environment taxes

Abstract: In emerging markets, there are data quality problems. In this paper, we establish theoretical models to explore how data quality problems affect sustainable fashion supply chain operations. We start with the decentralized supply chain and find that poor data quality lowers supply chain profit and social welfare. We consider the implementation of blockchain to help and identify the situation in which blockchain helps enhance social welfare but brings harm to supply chain profitability. We propose a government sponsor scheme as well as an environment taxation waiving scheme to help. We further extend the study to the centralized supply chain setting.

Pricing and service effort strategy in a dual-channel supply chain with showrooming effect

Abstract: This study investigates the influence of the showrooming effect on firms’ pricing and service effort in a dual-channel supply chain. The no-service, ex-ante and ex-post service effort strategies are considered. The equilibrium results show that the showrooming effect enables the firms to benefit the most from the ex-post service efforts. Moreover, the showrooming effect makes the manufacturer set high/low wholesale prices for retailers in the ex-ante/ex-post strategy. This study further extends the three strategies by considering no showrooming effect. Results show that the greater the showrooming effect, the higher profits firms will obtain using the ex-post service effort strategy.

Sustainable business models: A review

Abstract: During the past two decades of e-commerce growth, the concept of a business model has become increasingly popular. More recently, the research on this realm has grown rapidly, with diverse research activity covering a wide range of application areas. Considering the sustainable development goals, the innovative business models have brought a competitive advantage to improve the sustainability performance of organizations. The concept of the sustainable business model describes the rationale of how an organization creates, delivers, and captures value, in economic, social, cultural, or other contexts, in a sustainable way. The process of sustainable business model construction forms an innovative part of a business strategy. Different industries and businesses have utilized sustainable business models’ concept to satisfy their economic, environmental, and social goals simultaneously. However, the success, popularity, and progress of sustainable business models in different application domains are not clear. To explore this issue, this research provides a comprehensive review of sustainable business models literature in various application areas. Notable sustainable business models are identified and further classified in fourteen unique categories, and in every category, the progress -either failure or success- has been reviewed, and the research gaps are discussed. Taxonomy of the applications includes innovation, management and marketing, entrepreneurship, energy, fashion, healthcare, agri-food, supply chain management, circular economy, developing countries, engineering, construction and real estate, mobility and transportation, and hospitality. The key contribution of this study is that it provides an insight into the state of the art of sustainable business models in various application areas and future research directions. This paper concludes that popularity and the success rate of sustainable business models in all application domains have been increased along with the increasing use of advanced technologies.

Leveraging the Internet of Things and Blockchain Technology in Supply Chain Management

Abstract: Modern supply chains have evolved into highly complex value networks and turned into a vital source of competitive advantage. However, it has become increasingly challenging to verify the source of raw materials and maintain visibility of products and merchandise while they are moving through the value chain network. The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) can help companies to observe, track, and monitor products, activities, and processes within their respective value chain networks. Other applications of IoT include product monitoring to optimize operations in warehousing‚ manufacturing, and transportation. In combination with IoT, Blockchain technology can enable a broad range of different application scenarios to enhance value chain transparency and to increase B2B trust. When combined, IoT and Blockchain technology have the potential to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of modern supply chains. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we illustrate how the deployment of Blockchain technology in combination with IoT infrastructure can streamline and benefit modern supply chains and enhance value chain networks. Second, we derive six research propositions outlining how Blockchain technology can impact key features of the IoT (i.e., scalability, security, immutability and auditing, information flows, traceability and interoperability, quality) and thus lay the foundation for future research projects.

A review on supply chain contracting with information considerations: information updating and information asymmetry

Abstract: Supply chain contracting and the use of information are undoubtedly two critical and influential areas in modern supply chain management. However, relatively little is known about supply chain cont...