Supply Chain Level Research Articles

Optimizing Pasteurized Fluid Milk Shelf-Life Through Microbial Spoilage Reduction

Psychrotolerant spore-forming bacteria, entering raw milk primarily on-farm, represent a major challenge for fluid milk processors due to the ability of these bacteria to survive heat treatments used for milk processing (e.g., pasteurization) and to cause premature spoilage. Importantly, fluid milk processors require tools to identify optimal strategies for reducing spore-forming bacteria, thereby extending product shelf-life by delaying spoilage. Potential strategies include (i) introducing farm-level premium payments (i.e., bonuses) based on spore-forming bacteria counts in raw milk and (ii) investing in spore reduction technologies at the processing level of the fluid milk supply chain. In this study, we apply an optimization methodology to the problem of milk spoilage due to psychrotolerant spore-forming bacteria and propose two novel mixed-integer linear programming models that assess improving milk shelf-life from the dairy processors' perspective. Our first model, imposed to a budgetary constraint, maximizes milk's shelf-life to cater to consumers who prefer milk with a long shelf-life. The second model minimizes the budget required to perform operations to produce milk with a shelf-life of a certain length geared to certain customers. We generate case studies based on real-world data from multiple sources and perform a comprehensive computational study to obtain optimal solutions for different processor sizes. Results demonstrate that optimal combinations of interventions are dependent on dairy processors' production volume and quality of raw milk from different producers. Thus, the developed models provide novel decision support tools that will aid individual processors in identifying the optimal approach to achieving a desired milk shelf-life given their specific production conditions and motivations for shelf-life extension.

A Novel Mathematical Model to Optimize Sustainable Supply Chain in the Lighting Products Industry

Nowadays, due to changing conditions in global markets and competition, the issue of sustainability is a priority for the work of world leaders and business managers and is of great importance. Many supply chain issues are affecting greenhouse gas emissions and supply chain sustainability, such as facility location design, transportation routes, inventory policies, and so on. Lighting products due to the nature of consumption and its very high waste, is one of the most important products in terms of environment and society. In this research, an attempt has been made to design logistics optimization model at the strategic and tactical level in a sustainable supply chain for lighting products, taking into account the economic dimension. In this regard, a nonlinear mathematical model for a sustainable supply chain has been developed with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and reducing total costs. In order to optimize this mathematical model, genetic algorithm has been used. The results of this study show that the design of a sustainable supply chain network in the lighting products industry can significantly reduce the adverse environmental impact of this supply chain.

Order from chaos: A meta‐analysis of supply chain complexity and firm performance

AbstractIncreased globalization, varying customer requirements, extended product lines, uncertainty regarding supplier performance, and myriad related factors make supply chains utterly complex. While previous research indicates that supply chain complexity plays an important role in explaining performance outcomes, the accumulating evidence is ambiguous. Thus, a finer‐grained analysis is required. By meta‐analyzing 27,668 observations across 102 independent samples from 123 empirical studies, we examine the link between supply chain complexity and firm performance. While the preponderance of evidence from previous studies identifies supply chain complexity as detrimental to firm performance, our results illustrate that although supply chain complexity has a negative effect on operational performance, it has a positive effect on innovation performance and financial performance. Furthermore, we also distinguish among different levels of supply chain (i.e., upstream, downstream, and internal) and observe nuanced findings. Finally, our findings also reveal moderating effects of construct operationalization and study design characteristics. We discuss implications for theory and practice and provide avenues for future research.

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

PurposeThe 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/approachFollowing 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.FindingsFirst, 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 implicationsThis 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/valueThis 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.

The association between supply chain structure and transparency: A large‐scale empirical study

AbstractAn emerging body of work acknowledges the challenges focal firms face in gathering material information about their extended supply chains and begins to point to the role of supply chain structure in influencing supply chain transparency. Still, large‐scale empirical evidence on this complex association remains elusive, especially at the supply chain level of analysis. We begin to bridge this empirical gap by examining whether supply chain structure systematically associates to supply chain transparency in the context of the collective public environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures made by a focal firm's customers, suppliers, and subsuppliers. To shed light on this underexplored empirical phenomenon, we gather Bloomberg SPLC data and Bloomberg ESG data about 4803 firms and 20,504 contractual ties organized in 187 extended supply chains. We find that supply chain density positively associates with supply chain transparency, whereas supply chain clustering holds a negative association. We also find that supply chain geographical heterogeneity positively associates with supply chain transparency. Our results significantly expand the literature on supply chain transparency and are relevant to supply chain professionals because they emphasize the central role of supply chain structure in enabling or constraining supply chain transparency.

A fuzzy synthetic evaluation of vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong

PurposeDemands for Industrialized Construction (IC) have intensified with growing construction industry imperatives to (A) boost performance; (B) reduce reliance on “in-situ and on-site” operations; and (C) strengthen supply chain resilience (SCR) not just for survival but also to fulfill obligations to clients in the coronavirus disease 2019–induced (COVID-19–induced) “new normal”. In addressing these imperatives, this paper targets more effective leveraging of latent efficiencies of off-site-manufacture, based on findings from a Hong Kong (HK)–based study on assessing and improving SCR in IC in a high-density city.Design/methodology/approachStarting with the identification of critical supply chain vulnerabilities (CSCVs), this study developed a multilevel–multicriteria mathematical model to evaluate the vulnerability levels of IC supply chains (SCs) in HK based on an in-depth questionnaire survey followed by experts' inputs and analyzing them using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE).FindingsThe overall vulnerability index indicates that IC in HK is substantially vulnerable to disruptions, while production-based vulnerabilities have the highest impact. Top management attention is needed to address these CSCVs in IC in HK.Originality/valueTo the authors' knowledge, this is the first structured evaluation model that measures the vulnerability level of IC, providing useful insights to industry stakeholders for well-informed decision-making in achieving resilient, sustainable and performance-enhanced SCs.

Cohort study on the food safety knowledge among food services employees in Saudi Arabia state hospitals

Hospital food safety is of paramount importance as patients are vulnerable to acquired diseases transmitted by unsafe food. The focus of this research was to critically analyze food safety and hygiene knowledge in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in respect of compliance with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO22000). Interviews of 242 randomly selected food services employees from seven KSA hospitals were carried out. Roles ranged from catering workers and catering supervisors together with Ministry of Health (MOH) supervisors. The survey was designed to evaluate their level of education, training, ethnicity, level of understanding and knowledge of food safety management systems, such as HACCP. Amongst an ethnically diverse group of catering workers, education levels were adequate but hygiene training in some of the hospitals investigated could be improved and the training should start immediately upon employment. The group of catering supervisors were well-educated but the survey identified some weaknesses in their knowledge and understanding of HACCP. The MOH supervisors group were all Saudi nationals and also showed some weakness in their knowledge and understanding of HACCP. The food policies in KSA need to be more accessible to their target audience and the format of the policies would benefit from increased consultation at all levels of the food supply chains.

A Study on the Optimal Inventory Allocation for Clinical Trial Supply Chains

With increasing competition in the pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical companies pay more attention to improving the efficiency of clinical trial supply chains to reduce the drug supplying cost, which takes up a considerable part of the total research and development expense. To improve the efficiency of clinical trial supply chains, this study investigates the inventory levels of clinical drugs in each period at a distribution center and clinics considering the reverse replenishment, transshipment, and generalized stockout cost. The inventory allocation problem in clinical trial supply chains is formulated as a rolling horizon-based two-stage stochastic mixed-integer model where the minimal operational cost constitutes the underage cost at the production planning level of clinical trial supply chains. An algorithm extending Benders decomposition is proposed as the solution approach. We also derive several structural results and develop the reformulation method and row generation strategy to improve the efficiency of the optimization process. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated in the numerical experiment.

Holding Up a Mirror to the World Trade Organization: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Holding Up a Mirror to the World Trade Organization: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Integration of Blockchain Technology and Smart Grid: Framework and Application

Based on the diffusion of blockchain technology in the smart grid, this paper studies the framework and application of the blockchain technology in the smart grid, so as to combine the blockchain with the smart grid and establish a sustainable supply chain. However, the establishment of a sustainable supply chain is based on a layered theoretical framework. Not only should the framework take into account needless attributes and the relationship among various criteria and aspects but the application should also involve a balance of multiple stakeholders. For the above reasons, this paper uses a combination of Fuzzy-DEMATEL and ISM. The results show that (1) the hierarchical path of sustainable supply chain management of the smart grid under the blockchain starts from the social level, pays attention to system construction, grasps the technical standards, and defines the development goals of the power grid. (2) The development of green energy has become a new market growth point. (3) The control of the operation level becomes the focus of the smart grid. (4) The optimization and development of the economic structure are restricted by social factors. By integrating and optimizing the blockchain and supply chain, this paper puts forward a theoretical framework, establishes a sustainable GIP application system with multistakeholder participation at the supply chain level, and indicates the significance of the blockchain in the smart grid.

Price Variance in Hybrid-LCA Leads to Significant Uncertainty in Carbon Footprints

Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment (HLCA) methods attempt to address the limitations regarding process coverage and resolution of the more traditional Process- and Input-Output Life Cycle Assessments (PLCA, IOLCA). Due to the use of different units, HLCA methods rely on commodity price information to convert the physical units used in process inventories to the monetary units commonly used in Input-Output models. However, prices for the same commodity can vary significantly between different supply chains, or even between various levels in the same supply chain. The resulting commodity price variance in turn leads to added uncertainty in the hybrid environmental footprint. In this paper we take international trading statistics from BACI/UN-COMTRADE to estimate the variance of commodity prices, and use these in an integrated HLCA model of the process database ecoinvent with the EE-MRIO database EXIOBASE. We show that geographical aggregation of PLCA processes is a significant driver in the price variance of their reference products. We analyse the effect of price variance on process carbon footprint intensities (CFIs) and find that the CFIs of hybridised processes show a median increase of 6–17% due to hybridisation, for two different double counting scenarios, and a median uncertainty of −2 to +4% due to price variance. Furthermore, we illustrate the effect of price variance on the carbon footprint uncertainty in a HLCA study of Swiss household consumption. Although the relative footprint increase due to hybridisation is small to moderate with 8–14% for two different double counting correction strategies, the uncertainty due to price variability of this contribution to the footprint is very high, with 95% confidence intervals of (−28, +90%) and (−23, +68%) relative to the median. The magnitude and high positive skewness of the uncertainty highlights the importance of taking price variance into account when performing hybrid LCA.

The adoption of digital technologies in supply chains: Drivers, process and impact

Digital technologies have been extensively studied in academic research and industry. However, little is known about the adoption of digital technologies in manufacturing firms at a supply chain level. This paper aims to understand why and how manufacturing firms adopt digital technologies, and the impact of the adoption on supply chains. The study uses literature review method, identifies the main drivers of manufacturing firms adopting digital technologies (why), develops a new model of the adoption process (how), and synthesizes the impact of the adoption on supply chains into four aspects (what): supply chain efficiency, supply chain structure, sustainability and innovation. The paper then proposes a conceptual framework consisting of driver, process and impact, and discusses their inter-relationships. The study identifies that the technological intelligence and supply chain cooperation are two important factors and proposes a two-dimentional levels of adopting digital technologies according to their low-to-high degrees. The proposed framework, in particular the levels of digital technology adoption, are novel to the existing literature. Each of the three parts of the framework and their inter-relationships lays a foundation for further empirical studies in this field. This study also provides guidance for practitioners adopting digital technologies for supply chain management and developing appropriate business strategies at different digitalization levels.

Application of an Analytic Hierarchy Process to Select the Level of a Cyber Resilient Capability Maturity Model in Digital Supply Chain Systems

Cyber resilient is the ability to prepare for, respond to and recover from cyber attacks. Cyber resilient has emerged over the past few years because traditional cybersecurity measures are no longer enough to protect organizations from the spate of persistent attacks. It helps an organization protect against cyber risks, defend against and limit the severity of attacks, and ensure its continued survival despite an attack.The cyber resilient capability maturity model is a very important element within an effective in digital supply chain. The maturity model has 6 components: identify, protect, detect, respond, recover and continuity which affect the cybersecurity of the organization. To measure the maturity level needs a holistic approach. Therefore, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach which allows both multi-criteria and simultaneous evaluation. Generally, the factors affecting cyber resilient in digital supply chain have non-physical structures. Therefore, the real problem can be represented in a better way by using fuzzy numbers instead of numbers to evaluate these factors. In this study, a fuzzy AHP approach is proposed to determine the cyber resilient capability maturity level in digital supply chain. The proposed method is applied in a real SMEs company. In the application, factors causing are weighted with triangular fuzzy numbers in pairwise comparisons. The result indicate that the weight factors from comparing the relationship of all factors put the importance of identify factors first, followed by protect, detect, respond, recover and continuity respectively.

SEPs Licensing Across the Supply Chain: An Antitrust Perspective

The rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the development of 5G are set to add a new layer of complexity to the current practice of standard essential patents (SEPs) licensing. While, until recently, the debate has centred on the nature of fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) commitments and the mechanisms to avoid hold-up and reverse hold-up problems between licensors and licensees, a new hotly-debated issue has now emerged. At its core is the question of whether SEP holders should be required to grant a FRAND licence to any implementer seeking a licence, including component makers (so-called ‘licence-to-all’ approach), or if they should be allowed freely to target the supply chain level at which the licence is to be granted (so-called ‘access-for-all’ approach). After providing an up-to-date overview of the current legal and economic debate, the paper focuses on the most recent antitrust case law dealing with the matter on both sides of the Atlantic and argues that no sound economic and legal bases which favour licence-to-all solutions can be identified.

The effects of inter- and intraorganizational factors on the adoption of electronic booking systems in the maritime supply chain

Digitalization is currently reshaping business models and providing more opportunities for cross-border supply chains. Maritime transportation occupies a crucial position in the global supply chain and information systems are playing an increasingly important role in the industry. In contrast with information systems used in other industries, interorganizational information systems in the maritime industry may involve a greater number of organizational users, including manufacturers, customers, shipping lines and customs and port authorities from different countries. Therefore, the adoption of container e-booking systems in the maritime supply chain is complex and with limited scrutiny in academia. This study explored the use of e-booking systems in the maritime supply chain and, in particular, the factors influencing the adoption of such systems at the organizational level. The study aimed to close the gap between the general understanding of the adoption of information systems and the adoption of e-booking systems in a specific context, namely the maritime supply chain. We conducted an exploratory multi-case study of eight firms across multiple tiers of the maritime supply chain. We employed a qualitative approach to investigate this issue at the maritime supply chain level, rather than the firm level. The study focused on inter- and intraorganizational factors. The results suggest that adoption is influenced by several factors, including pressure from trade partners, pressure from leading organizations, as well as organizational compatibility, and so forth. Furthermore, the identified factors have different levels of impact across organizational tiers in the shipping chain. This study offers insights that are relevant to both researchers and practitioners in the maritime transportation industry and may help to accelerate the digitalization of the industry.

The interplay between inter-personal and inter-organizational relationships in coordinating supply chain activities

PurposeThis paper aims to identify and explain the link between relational dynamics and the development of coordination capabilities of Fourth-Party Logistics Providers (4PL) within a supply chain (SC). We aim to demonstrate the critical role relational dynamics can play in converting trust from interpersonal to inter-organizational level and facilitate the improvement of capabilities to coordinate customer's SC activities.Design/methodology/approachUsing semi-structured interviews with 78 logistics managers operating in 45 different logistics service providers located in France, we developed a set of propositions and built a conceptual framework. Exploratory qualitative research in the form of propositional discourse analysis (PDA) is used to develop propositions in our research to contribute to theory in supply chain management (SCM).FindingsResults indicate that both interpersonal and inter-organizational trust is a convertible capital. Based on their dynamic interactions, these two levels of trust endow the supply chain partners with economic benefits that would otherwise be highly costly or even practically extremely difficult to achieve through complex socio-economic transactions (meso-social level).Research limitations/implicationsFuture research may test our conceptual model using primary and secondary data and conduct longitudinal case studies that are necessary to triangulate our results and thus strengthen our conclusions. The prospect of adding control variables to our model would be of considerable importance.Practical implicationsOur results suggest that “4PL” need to invest more in interpersonal relations to facilitate collaboration with their clients and enhance their capability to coordinate and manage customer's supply chain activities. The ability to convert interpersonal trust represents an invaluable capital contributing to the achievement of above-normal profits.Originality/valueThis work contributes to a better understanding of the coordination of supply chain activities through the development, mobilization and maintenance of social capital. While previous research explained the importance of trust in SCM, this paper explores and studies the process of converting interpersonal trust into social capital mobilized at the supply chain level. We add to the existing literature on structural and relational dimensions of social capital by offering a process-based explanation of the conversion of interpersonal trust into inter-organizational trust and its role in facilitating collaboration in logistics services.

Thinking green: The role of smart technologies in transforming cities’ waste and supply Chain’s flow

The literature on sustainability is vast and spans across social, economic and environmental domains. This paper looks at the role digital technologies can have in helping the transition to environmentally sustainable conducts across the different domains of economic life. In particular, it investigates the green potential yield in the development of Smart Cities as facilitators of sustainable practices at the individual and supply chain levels. Smarter cities and industries can help the transition to more ecological modes of production and distribution of goods, making our supply networks greener and realise the ambitious Circular Supply Chain (CSC) project. The present work proposes a formulation of the Smart City as centred on users’ needs and illustrates how a Smart City can be instrumental to realising a Circular Economy (CE) reporting the case of solid waste management. It introduces Circular Supply Chains as the optimal solution to attain green management practices inside the production network and argues that Smart Cities are crucial to deliver the desired circularity in the chain.

The impact of leadership on supply chain green strategy alignment and operational performance

With increasing attention being paid to environmental issues, manufacturers are seeking to establish strategy alignment with their supply chain (SC) partners to cope with these environmental challenges. However, few studies have uncovered how to effectively align green strategies at the SC level. Based on upper echelons theory, this study uses data collected from 206 manufacturers in China to explore the influence of leadership on the different dimensions of supply chain green strategy alignment (GSA) (i.e., internal, supplier, and customer GSA) and operational performance. The results show that first, internal GSA is a key driver of both supplier and customer GSA. Second, transformational leadership is positively related to all dimensions of GSA, while transactional leadership is only positively related to internal GSA. Third, internal and customer GSA are positively related to operational performance. This study contributes to the green supply chain management (GSCM) and leadership literature by conceptualizing GSA as a three-dimensional construct and constructing a framework for investigating its antecedents (leadership styles) and consequences (operational performance) and provides practical guidelines for companies to align their green strategies with their SC partners under the influence of leadership.

Accounting and Management of Natural Resource Consumption Based on Input-Output Method: A Global Bibliometric Analysis

Resources and environment management have always been a research hotspot. In the context of sustainable development and environmental governance, scholars and policy makers have been increasing their research efforts on natural resource utilization and its environmental impact. By using the Web of Science Core Collection database, this article applies the bibliometric method to accomplish a systematic review about studies on accounting and management of natural resource consumption based on input-output method. The results indicate that both in terms of the quantity and quality of academic achievements and international cooperation, China is in high academic position and has made great contributions to the development in this research field. While energy and water account for a large proportion of the study objects, more attention is paid on the other kinds of natural resources, such as land, metal, and ocean. International trade is an eternal hot topic in this field. With the continuous progress of the multi-regional input-output model, the importance and feasibility in the analysis of sub-national level or region in the global supply chain gradually emerged. Combining input-output model with other methods can obtain more comprehensive and accurate results for scientific decision-making. Meanwhile, the uncertainty and limitations inherent in such models clearly need further attention.

Telecoupling cropland soil erosion with distant drivers within China

Soil erosion on cropland is a result of the interaction between nature and human activities. The socioeconomic influencing factors of soil erosion have been less studied than the biophysical processes and previous studies have mainly focused on the impacts of local socioeconomic factors on soil erosion in the same region. However, since agricultural activities are densely connected to other socio-economic activities, the need for agricultural products from distant regions could potentially drive local soil erosion accompanying agricultural production. To the best of our knowledge, these telecoupling effects have not been studied. Here, we combined the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and multiregional input-output analysis (MRIO) models to quantify the contribution of China's cross-provincial economic demand to local soil erosion at the provincial, sectoral, and supply chain levels. Our results show that a large amount of soil erosion in the southwest, northeast, and central regions is linked to the economic needs across provinces. Agriculture and food processing are the most important distant driving sectors. The driving effect of household consumption on soil erosion mainly occurs on shorter supply chains, while exports and capital formation drive soil erosion through longer chains. Our results indicate that local soil erosion management must consider the impact of distant agricultural product needs and coordinate food production and supply on a national scale to protect the ecological function of the land.