Chain Framework Research Articles

Techno-economic assessment of an industrial prosumer with biomass investment and time varying tariffs: An Australian case study

This paper investigates the potential for a value chain framework to deliver impact through innovation across the timber manufacturing process. A new and efficient combustion technology that converts timber waste to energy is considered for this study. The framework to estimate the new energy costs and savings derived from the new technology, compared with current supply and demand scenarios, as well as the value generated by waste streams. The opportunity of selling excess energy to the grid or local area has been investigated. Two alternatives of time-varying tariffs and time-varying tariffs with biomass, are used for assessing the costs. According to the numerical results, tariff 3, with 25,000 tonnes of biomass feedstock per year, is the best option for the mill. The price efficiency index is reduced by approximately 40% compared to this option’s usual business. In addition, the investor can save the whole energy bill compared to the current business as usual. The investor could make a profit of $460,401 per year by selling energy to the grid. The annual saving is around six times higher than the savings gained using a time-varying tariff alone. However, this option requires $1,811,635 as annual life cycle cost, with a payback period of ten years. The lowest levelised cost of energy of 0.14 c/kWh is also obtained for this option.

Artificial Intelligence applications for Information management in sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Review and future research agenda

In a Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) context, information management offers a unique perspective on the digital economy and information management. Artificial intelligence (AI) is developing into a more robust digital field to facilitate quick information access and intelligent decisions in expanding commercial contexts. These days, Supply Chains (SC) would crumble without robust information systems. Applying AI and information management is crucial in determining the direction of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). A systematic literature review (SLR) of the use of AI in SSCM is conducted in this research. The authors can identify crucial factors of the present literature using bibliometric and network analysis. AI is essential to the SSC to address sustainability challenges and manage the large volumes of data produced by numerous industrial processes. In the corpus of research that is already accessible, there is currently no comprehensive and bibliometric analysis of the potential for AI techniques for information management in SSC. Scientific publications were analysed from an objective point of view. Based on our results, we have drafted a proposal for an AI supply chain framework. Researchers, policymakers, and SCM practitioners may all benefit from the approach. This study is the first to analyse AI applications for information management in SSCM. In consideration of this, organizations are now exploring AI capabilities to improve operational efficiency and innovate their processes. This will assist industry people in understanding how AI methods support SC processes in their optimization to attain sustainability in SC practices.

Decentralized Clean Energy for Rural India: The Role of Small Modular Reactors

India's rapid development and expanding population have intensified the need for sustainable energy solutions. This is particularly significant in addressing the growing disparity in energy access between urban and rural communities. As the country shifts from traditional fossil-fuel-based power generation to cleaner technologies, nuclear energy is poised to play an increasingly vital role. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) represent a promising option to meet these energy demands in a decentralized and environmentally friendly manner, especially in rural regions. In this perspective article, we explore the technological, economic, social, and environmental advantages of deploying SMRs in rural India. SMRs offer the potential for faster and cheaper build, as well as stable and reliable power, which is essential for driving economic growth in underdeveloped areas. However, several challenges need to be addressed, including regulatory and legislative hurdles that could impede the integration of SMRs into the existing energy mix. This article also suggests solutions such as leveraging India’s existing reactor technology expertise, utilizing the mature supply chain framework, co-locating SMRs with renewable energy sources, and advocating for necessary regulatory and legislative reforms. These would help SMRs serve as a crucial bridge in facilitating a smoother transition from fossil fuel plants to clean energy technologies, particularly in underserved rural communities.

Information sharing decision of retail platform: platform's risk aversion and competing suppliers

An increasing number of retail platforms are adopting blockchain technology to mitigate information asymmetries and share data with upstream suppliers, thereby reducing demand uncertainty. However, these platforms often engage with multiple upstream suppliers of varying product quality. This study constructs a game-theoretic model within a supply chain framework, featuring a risk-averse retail platform and two upstream suppliers of different quality levels. As the core leader of the game, the retail platform decides whether to share demand information with the two competing suppliers after implementing the technology. Using mean-variance theory, this study addresses a key question: Which types of suppliers should be included in information sharing on a retail platform? The results show that when the unit cost of information sharing is low, allowing both suppliers to share demand information is most beneficial. Conversely, when the unit cost is high, only high-quality suppliers should be included. Notably, as the unit cost of information sharing and the intensity of competition between high-quality and low-quality products increase, low-quality suppliers are excluded from information sharing. Additionally, the model indicates that the greatest social welfare can be achieved whether both high-quality and low-quality suppliers are authorized to join the information sharing network, or only high-quality suppliers are included.

Link between Digital Technologies Adoption and Sustainability Performance: Supply Chain Traceability/Resilience or Circular Economy Practices

Technological progress and digitalization have ushered in significant transformations in business strategies. At present, research is scarcely focused on the influence of the adoption of digital technologies (DTs) on establishing comprehensive relationships within the context of a circular economy (CE), and the supply chain (SC) framework to contribute to the Resource-Based View (RBV) theory. This study utilizes survey data collected from 235 manufacturing practitioners employed by Turkish manufacturing enterprises to explore a model elucidating the relationship between DTs adoption and sustainability performance (SP) through supply chain traceability (SCT), supply chain resilience (SCR), and circular economy practices (CEPs), based on 10R strategies. Through this linkage, this research accentuates that the exclusive integration of CEPs with digital technology solutions is insufficient for industrial enterprises to attain their long-term sustainability goals. It underscores the necessity of ensuring SCT and/or SCR in this context.

Navigating the Complexity: The Sustainability Challenges in Global Value Chains

The global value chain (GVC) framework may provide a systematic approach to depict and advance sustainable path options at the global, national, and local scales. However, a coherent picture of the fragmented body of knowledge on the sustainability implications of GVCs is lacking. In an attempt to delineate the most effective perspective for addressing sustainability challenges within GVCs, this review explores the main academic streams that have emerged in response to the pressing need for detailed insights into GVCs. These academic streams include sociological, economic, and management approaches. We examine the intersections and distinctions among them, evaluating whether they converge or diverge in addressing sustainability within GVCs. By discussing the limitations and potential of these approaches, we suggest a possible integrated and appropriate research agenda to achieve an encompassing and still operative perspective to address current sustainability challenges.

Enhancing Social Sustainability in Malaysian Supply Chains: Integrating Occupational Safety and Health for Resilient and Ethical Business Practices

This conceptual paper examines the insufficient integration of Occupational Safety and Health into Malaysian supply chains' social sustainability frameworks, despite its recognized impact on worker well-being and economic performance. While Malaysia has advanced in sustainability overall, incorporating OSH into broader social responsibility strategies remains underdeveloped. This paper argues that protecting worker well-being is essential for sustainable supply chains, directly contributing to social sustainability and economic performance. The study examines the ethical, legal, and business justifications for prioritizing OSH in supply chain management. It draws upon international human rights declarations, treaties, and conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the ILO's Occupational Safety and Health Convention, to underscore the fundamental right to a safe and healthy work environment. This model developed through analysis of existing literature and policy frameworks, aims to guide a more comprehensive approach to OSH management within Malaysian supply chains. By analyzing these frameworks, the paper highlights the need for a comprehensive approach that aligns OSH with international standards and sustainable development goals. Ultimately, it advocates for a more resilient and equitable supply chain framework in Malaysia, where worker well-being is central to sustainable business practices.

An Integrated Circular Supply Chain Framework to Enhance Malaysian Business Performance

Businesses rely on supply chain management to suit the needs of global and multigenerational consumers. However, the current linear manufacturing and distribution supply chain strategy has been regarded as the source of dangerous waste generation, environmental deterioration, and the global warming phenomenon. In mitigating this issue, circular supply chain management, a practical integration model, is seen as the solution as it helps to reduce material flows and supply chain waste. Unfortunately, the fundamental mechanisms that can support its effective execution have not been comprehensively examined, hindering its complete incorporation into company strategy. Thus, to overcome this knowledge gap and improve organizational understanding, this study uses the systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) procedure to investigate the characteristics, enablers, and barriers of circular supply chain management. The study found five interconnected key structures: government, industry stakeholders, corporate management, end users, and financial institutions, all of which play important roles in the successful implementation of a circular supply chain strategy. As a result, close collaboration across the five identified stakeholders is essential to enable successful implementation. This study's objective is to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, and 12, which aim to promote peace and prosperity for people and the planet both now and in the future.

Reassessing China's virtual water trade with a global value chain framework: Participation, inequality and multi-scenario analysis

With the rise of global value chain (GVC), traditional accounting methods for virtual water (VW) trade have failed to reflect the inherent VW flow generated by the production of intermediate goods in shared production processes. Here, we reassess China's VW consumption in 2020 based on a new GVC framework, and propose the concept of VW consumption embodied in forward and backward GVC activities (VWF/VWB). We clarify China's role in GVC activities and reveal VWF/VWB inequalities under multiple scenarios. Our results show that the maximum share of VWF and VWB reaches 64.4% and 86.1%, respectively, far exceeding the traditional trade share. China's VWB primarily sources from developing countries in Asia, while VWF primarily serves the United States. VWF/VWB inequalities are exacerbated by China's GVC activities and exhibit considerable variation under multiple scenarios. Our findings provide new insights into reconciling China's GVC participation and narrowing regional disparities in VW consumption.

Techno-Service-Profit Chain: The Impacts of IoT-Enabled Algorithmic Customer Service Systems from an Interdisciplinary Perspective

The infusion of emerging technologies (e.g., IoT-enabled algorithmic customer service systems [IACSs]) often brings disruptive changes to customer service. In particular, the agentic nature of these technologies challenges prominent service theories. Among these challenges, recent scholarly calls have pushed for more research on the infusion of emerging technologies into the service-profit chain (SPC) framework, advocating for the importance of extended knowledge to develop a techno-infused version of the SPC. Thus, from an interdisciplinary perspective, we draw upon role theory and propose a technoservice-profit chain (TSPC). Specifically, we contextualize the SPC in the technoservice context with different approaches, including decomposing context-specific constructs and theorizing IACS implementation as a contextual factor that moderates TSPC relationships. Using a sequential mixed methods design combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, we tested our research model by conducting multiwave surveys and follow-up interviews in a large business-to-business service firm with data from employees, supervisors, and customers before and after IACS implementation. This interdisciplinary study contributes to the information systems, service marketing, and management literatures by enriching the compositions of core SPC constructs, theorizing interactions between human agents and technology agents, and scrutinizing the impacts of technology agents on the linkages between internal employee management and external customer service. Our results further reveal the emerging issues of competing bosses (i.e., supervisors and IACSs), competing employees (i.e., employees and IACSs), and the unintended dehumanization effects of IACSs on supervisors and employees.

A Blockchain-Based Fish Supply Chain Framework for Maintaining Fish Quality and Authenticity

A Blockchain-Based Fish Supply Chain Framework for Maintaining Fish Quality and Authenticity

Building responsible and sustainable supply chain frameworks: limits of international investment law and the CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China

ABSTRACT Supply chains play a pivotal role in global economic relations, fostering growth, employment, and poverty alleviation. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are central actors in these chains, bearing responsibilities towards workers and the environment. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards guide MNEs in assessing the societal and environmental impacts of their activities, though these standards remain largely voluntary. Recent investment treaty practice shows a trend to incorporate CSR provisions in international investment agreements (IIAs), but such clauses fail to impose direct human rights, labour and environmental obligations on investors. Amidst this landscape, the EU and China, major players in global trade and investment, have established diverging legal and policy frameworks to build responsible and sustainable supply chains. Considering these developments, the objectives of this article are twofold. First, the article explores the integration of CSR in international investment law. Second, it evaluates the different CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China that frame their foreign direct investments. Focusing on EU–China FDI relations, the article delineates implications for global supply chain governance offering insights into the evolving landscape of CSR frameworks, and the plagued path in adopting mandatory corporate responsibility standards.

Predictive analytics on artificial intelligence in supply chain optimization

AI-powered predictive analytics is among the most important ways of optimizing supply chains. This paper on AI-powered predictive analytics will address improving the competitiveness and effectiveness of supply chain operations. Nevertheless, current methods are not always scalable or adaptable to complex supply networks and changing market environments. Therefore, this paper posits that Supply Chain Optimization using Artificial Intelligence (SCO-AI) systems can help with these concerns. SCO-AI employs real-time data analysis and advanced machine learning algorithms which results to reduced response time, enhanced logistics route optimization, improved demand planning as well as real-time inventory control. Thus, the idea herein suggested fits smoothly into existing supply chain frameworks for data-driven decisions that make companies remain agile in ever-changing market dynamics. SCO-AI implementation has seen significant improvements in inventory turnover rate, rates of on-time delivery as well as overall supply chain costs. In this period of high business turbulence, such kind of research builds up the robustness of a given supply chain while at the same time minimizing operational risks by means of simulations and case studies

Pricing and Financing Strategies of Dual-Channel Green Supply Chain with Risk Aversion and Consumer Preferences

Nowadays, considering the growing tendency of companies toward e-commerce as well as green production, dual-channel green supply chain management has become particularly important. This paper investigates pricing decisions within a dual-channel green supply chain framework while considering the capital constraints faced by risk-averse manufacturers. Simultaneously, the impact of the degree of risk aversion, consumer green preferences, and channel preferences on the optimal decision-making process of green supply chain members is analyzed. We address the issue of financial constraints faced by manufacturers through bank loans and trade credit financing and compare the two cases. Our findings illustrate that trade credit financing outperforms bank loan financing in the dual-channel green supply chain. Moreover, pricing decisions under different models are influenced by consumer preferences and risk aversion. Specifically, the greenness of the product, wholesale price, and sale price exhibit negative correlations with manufacturers’ risk aversion but positive correlations with consumer preferences.

Incentive for blockchain technology adoption in an online platform-based co-opetitive supply chain

This paper explores the incentive for blockchain technology (BT) adoption in a co-opetitive supply chain with an online platform from the perspectives of consumers’ sensitivities to products’ checking time cost and authenticity. Within this supply chain framework, the manufacturer and reseller are co-opetitive, and both of them sell their products via the same online platform by paying a commission fee. The adoption of BT can reduce consumers’ time cost of checking products and ensure product authenticity. We establish decision models without and with adopting BT and analytically compare the equilibrium outcomes. Results show that the online platform’s incentive to adopt BT hinges on the commission rate, additional production cost, and fixed cost with introducing BT. When both the fixed cost with introducing BT and additional production cost are low, and the commission rate falls in a moderate range, the online platform is willing to introduce BT. The manufacturer participates in blockchain when the competition intensity is high or when the competition intensity, commission rate and additional production cost are all low. Interestingly, adopting BT benefits the reseller with a free-riding behavior only if the additional production cost is low. Based on the basic model, we make some extensions to check the robustness of these results by relaxing our parameter settings and changing the sequence game. We verify that our main derived results remain true in these extensions.

Strategies for Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain in Organizational Contexts: Pre- and Post-Disaster Management Perspectives

Every organization typically comprises various internal components, including regional branches, operations centers/field offices, major transportation hubs, and operational units, among others, housing a population susceptible to disaster impacts. Moreover, organizations often possess resources such as staff, various vehicles, and medical facilities, which can mitigate human casualties and address needs across affected areas. However, despite the importance of managing disasters within organizational networks, there remains a research gap in the development of mathematical models for such scenarios, specifically incorporating operations centers/field offices and external stakeholders as relief centers. Addressing this gap, this study examines an optimization model for both before and after disaster planning in a humanitarian supply chain and logistical framework within an organization. The affected areas are defined as regional branches, operational units, major transportation hubs, operations centers/field offices, external stakeholders, and medical facilities. A mixed-integer nonlinear model is formulated to minimize overall costs, considering factors such as penalty costs for untreated injuries and demand, delays in rescue and relief item distribution operations, and waiting costs for the injured in emergency medical vehicles and air ambulances. The model is implemented using GAMS software 47.1.0 for various test problems across different scales, with the Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm proposed for larger-scale scenarios. Numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed model and to validate the metaheuristic approach. Sensitivity analysis is conducted to assess the model’s performance under different conditions, and key managerial insights and implications are discussed.

Turning Livestreaming Viewers into Game Players: Exploring the Impact of Game Streamers on Viewer Video Game Engagement Based on an Extended Means-End Chain Framework

This study aims to explore how perceived influence of game streamers affects viewer video game engagement. We propose a research model based on an extended means-end chain framework and validate this model through a two-wave field survey with 465 respondents. The results show that perceived attractiveness, perceived competence, and perceived trustworthiness are important attributes of perceived influence of game streamers. Additionally, viewer value perception—encompassing perceived utility value, perceived hedonic value, and perceived symbolic value—which is derived from watching game streaming, partially mediates the relationship between perceived influence of game streamers and viewer video game engagement. These findings not only provide insights into the psychological mechanisms underlying the impact of game streamers on viewer behavioral intention but also contribute to a better understanding of the contemporary game streaming landscape.

Crafting efficient blockchain adoption strategies under risk and uncertain environments

Risk and uncertainty are crucial factors in decision-making processes, especially when integrating emerging technologies into essential systems like supply chains. Failing to adequately consider significant risks can disrupt supply chain operations, leading to a loss of competitive edge and causing financial and reputational damage. On the other hand, the complex nature of new technology environments, differing viewpoints among stakeholders, and the challenges of interpreting data introduce a variety of uncertainties in decision-making. In this study, we conduct a thorough examination of how blockchain strategies can be applied within supply chain frameworks. Our analysis utilizes data-driven network decision-making models that are refined to effectively manage uncertainty and risk. These models take into account aspects such as supply chain dynamics and technological factors. Importantly, we meld risk considerations with our models to tackle efficiency shortfalls, while also accounting for uncertainty caused by ambiguous and stochastic data environments. By applying and assessing these models in a real-world case study of the oil and gas industry, our research uncovers insightful observations. Specifically, we find that adopting a localization strategy presents specific risks, while a single-use strategy yields significant efficiency improvements.

Environmental Drivers, Environmental Practices, and Business Performance: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions

Internal and external pressures urge businesses to adopt sustainable practices and compel them to manage natural resources for enhanced performance. The objective of this literature review research was to investigate the stakeholders influencing companies to embrace environmental practices, document existing environmental practices, and investigate the effects of these practices on business performance. This study spans a 25-year period, from 1998 to 2023, utilizing articles sourced from the Scopus database. The novelty of this research is that (a) each dimension—drivers, environmental practices, and performances—is individually examined, as well as in combination; (b) environmental practices are categorized based on the value chain framework, across the different stages of business operations; and (c) it includes analysis of the effects of each of the environmental practices on all three types of performance—environmental, financial, and non-financial. This research is presented with its findings and highlights the gaps in the existing literature. This work discusses the implications of this research for academics and managers.

Self-Reliance in Community-Based Rural Tourism: Observing Tourism Villages (Desa Wisata) in Sleman Regency, Indonesia

Self-reliance is essential for community-based rural tourism (CBRT), ensuring effective running in the long term. However, existing studies have focused on general self-reliance conditions while overlooking details surrounding the community’s self-reliance in each activity of the CBRT value chain. This study filled this significant gap by observing community self-reliance in CBRT and considering the tourism value chain (TVC) framework. Built upon the abduction method, this study applied the systematic combining approach to observe three aspects of self-reliance, i.e., goals or objectives, rights and abilities, and owned resources, in the TVC of CBRT entities. Taking the case of CBRT in Sleman Regency, Indonesia, the data collection involved representatives of 49 community-based tourism villages (desa wisata). The results showed that observing community self-reliance in CBRT allows for the identification of multifaceted self-reliance problems in rural tourism communities. Apparently, the observed CBRT initiatives are unable to achieve complete self-sufficiency across all aspects of self-reliance. Reliance on external collaboration and support networks persists out of necessity rather than an inability to self-manage. Policy protections, capacity building, and collaborative partnerships are necessary to develop resilient and sustainable rural tourism amidst necessary dependencies. CBRT planning and policies should hence consider the abovementioned aspects of self-reliance to empower CBRT toward sustainable rural development.