Stages Of Supply Chain Research Articles

A Blockchain-Based IoT-Enabled E-Waste Tracking and Tracing System for Smart Cities

Recycling of electronic waste is a rapidly growing global issue that requires proper monitoring and tracing of electronic devices and the business transactions between the stakeholders. The majority of current systems that manage electronic devices throughout their supply chain stages are centralized and lack data transparency, immutability, and security. Specifically, such systems are incapable of handling problems like comprehensive coverage of the life cycle of e-products, access control for maintaining data security, reputation-aware selection of stakeholders, and large amounts of data generated during various stages of the supply chain processes. In this paper, we propose a blockchain-based IoT-enabled system for monitoring all post-production business processes, activities, and operations performed on an electronic device. The system is supported by five smart contracts that record the actions of users on the immutable distributed ledger that aid in ensuring that the business processes carried out by the participants are transparent, traceable, and secure. To store large files, such as images of e-waste materials, products, and licenses for stakeholders, we have integrated our system with a distributed storage system. The proposed system is tested on Ethereum blockchain to check the gas consumption of the functions of the smart contracts. The cost and security analysis shows that the proposed system is viable.

Innovative modern bio-preservation module of meat by lytic bacteriophages against emergent contaminants.

Meat is a perishable product that has a short shelf life and can be ruined easily if the proper preservation measures are not employed. It is difficult to control all potential sources of microbial contamination due to the complexity of the habitats present during the pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages of the food supply chain. This is due to the fact that contamination can occur at any stage. As a consequence of this, the food industry is perpetually at risk of being tainted by microorganisms, notwithstanding the progress that has been made in contemporary technology. Antibiotic usage has exacerbated the problem, leading to the emergence of infections transmitted by antibiotic-resistant foods. It's critical to work on novel ways to reduce microbial contamination in meat and in the meat processing environment. Therefore, to assure the wholesomeness of the finished product, several control procedures must be adopted throughout the food manufacturing and processing chain. Because of this, bacteriophages and the derivatives of these viruses have arisen as an innovative, significant, and risk-free option for the prevention, treatment, and/or elimination of such pollutants in a variety of foodstuff handling environments. So, the focus of this review was on the future potential of integrated phage, modified phage, and their derivatives as antimicrobials in the traditional farm-to-table setting, which encompasses areas like primary production, post-harvest processing, bio-sanitation, and bio-detection. In addition to presenting certain safety concerns. Also, this paper discusses how to assure the safe and successful use of bacteriophages in the future.

The role of social norms and behavior on household food waste

Studies have shown how food loss and waste occur in the various stages of the food supply chain. Among these stages, household food waste in the consumption stage has been identified as a key contributor to food waste generation. Several dimensions such as food preparation and handling; consumer behavior, environmental awareness and concern; social norms and many other variables were posited by scholars as predictors of food waste generation. There is no consensus albeit as to what among the aforementioned dimensions influences food waste at the household level and the role of consumer values and social norms has not been thoroughly explored. This research was conducted to focus on the gaps, utilized a semi-structured interview for three hundred three (303) household respondents, and adopted Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) for data measure and analysis. The findings of this research reveal that food habits such as food conservation and acceptance of expiration date-based prices and suboptimal food determine the extent of food waste generation. Materialism is found to have a direct impact on food waste behavior while an environmental concern, on the other hand, supports waste prevention and recycling behavior. Moreover, environmental concern was positively linked to descriptive and injunctive norms. To explain, households who hold strong environmental norms manifest environmental concerns such as opposing waste and wasting less. Keywords: Food waste behavior, food waste generation, household food waste, social norms.

Optimal subsidy strategies in a smart supply chain driven by dual innovation

Due to the deep integration of modern information technology, supply chain management has moved into a new stage of a smart supply chain. Considering the dual smart innovation of the manufacturer's production and retailer’s service, the manufacturer-led Stackelberg game model is constructed in the smart supply chain. Under the single and coordinated government subsidy strategies, the optimal decisions of the smart supply chain are researched, and the impacts of manufacturers' risk aversion on the government subsidy strategies and supply chain decisions are analysed. In addition, the efficiencies of different government subsidy strategies are compared and analysed by numerical simulation. Finally, the results show that: (i) The moderate risk aversion by the manufacturer can improve social welfare and help provide consumers with more affordable products. (ii) The government expenditure and product prices are highest under the coordinated subsidy strategy. (iii) Subsidising manufacturers is more beneficial than subsidising retailers among the two single government subsidy strategies. (iv) In general, the coordinated government subsidy strategy is more effective than the single subsidy strategy for the innovative development of a smart supply chain. In conclusion, the research provides a significant practical reference for jointly building the smart supply chain.

Blockchain Enabled Credibility Applications: Extant Issues, Frameworks and Cases

The credibility of information is known as a major cause of a wide range of issues, such as: altered product information in food supply chains; fake transactions on E-commerce platforms; lengthy claim settlement time in agricultural insurance; and costly borrowings in agricultural financing. For a more specific example in food supply chains, end customers want to check the product information, but either doubt the authenticity of information, or simply do not have access to the information. The reason is that upstream suppliers and downstream retailers are often reluctant to share data, fearing privacy loss or business secret leakage. The consequence is that regulatory departments may face enormous challenges to identify accurate contamination sources, if there is scarce information or falsely recorded information at any stage of the food supply chain. In this paper, we focus on four common scenarios demanding information credibility in the agricultural supply chain: product traceability, E-commerce platforms, agricultural insurance, and agricultural financing. We review some high-profile smart credibility applications with emphasis on how blockchain related technologies can provide the information credibility by examining extant issues and relevant frameworks.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR BANANA: APPLICATION AREAS, LEARNING ALGORITHMS, AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

Bananas are the world’s most traded fruits. Several analytical models using artificial intelligence (AI) have been developed to resolve challenges facing the banana supply chain. The number of publications in this field has steadily increased each year. However, a literature review regarding the trends of recent AI developments is not available. Thus, this study reviews the current scenario of scientific research involving AI in the stages of the banana supply chain (pre-harvest, harvest, post-harvest, processing and retail). This review covers literature published between 2015 and 2020 from online databases. Fifty-two relevant studies were retrieved from 23 countries. Consequently, we propose an AI-performance framework based on real applications implemented for bananas: the application domain, learning algorithms, performance metrics, and reported impacts. This paper discovers 11 AI-application areas for bananas, such as ripeness, leaf diseases, quality grading, crop type, crop yield, and soil control. Moreover, this review summarizes the main functionality of learning algorithms found in the literature (ANN, CNN, SVM, and K-NN). Finally, the future challenges are discussed. This comprehensive review will help researchers understand AI applications in the banana sector and analyze the knowledge gap for future studies.

A Smart Contract for Coffee Transport and Storage With Data Validation

Recently there has been an increase in the use of Blockchain technology for multiple purposes; one of them has been food traceability. This technology has increased quality control, safety, and reliability. So, the producers are looking for better ways to trace the products at any supply chain stage to ensure their quality. A smart contract is a transaction protocol that execute automatically when a predefined set of conditions are met. In this paper, we propose a smart contract to monitor the status of the coffee beans in the transport and storage stages with data validation. Using the Hyperledger Fabric Blockchain tool, we deploy a test network of two actors, also known as organizations. The organizations come together to form a channel in the network. Each has a valid identity that helps them verify their signatures over any transaction. We selected JavaScript to write our proposed smart contract for experimental and evaluation purposes. To evaluate the smart Contract, we use Hyperledger Caliper, obtaining an average throughput of 10.4tps and average latency of 0.7s, being fast enough to be used in a real environment, considering the current control conditions of the coffee beans.

Food Waste Causes in Fruit and Vegetables Supply Chains

Fruit and vegetables are a core component of healthy diets, but horticultural production and distribution activities suffer from a high incidence of surplus food and food waste. The intrinsic perishability of products as well recurring pests, diseases and contamination events are since long recognized to be primary reasons for fruit and vegetables wastage, but a more thorough knowledge of causes, including external events and internal strategies and practices, is necessary to design and implement waste reduction strategies. However, literature on waste causes in fruit and vegetables supply chains is rather fragmented. Most existing studies focus on single products, single deterioration mechanisms or single reuse or recycling choices, and hardly ever investigate more than one stage of the fruit and vegetables supply chain.The main objective of the paper is to offer an instrument for identifying in a comprehensive way the possible origin points and root issues behind food waste generation in the stages of fruit and vegetables supply chains. The research is conducted through the application of two methods. A first phase consists in a deep literature review, whose results are summarized in the so-called Causes Framework. This qualitative instrument shows the possible sources of fruit and vegetables surplus and waste, highlighting for each supply chain stage the high-priority causes and for each cause the fundamental root issue. The second research phase is a case study that shows how the Framework can be applied to pinpoint the most significant causes for specific supply chains. The unit of analysis is the supply chain of an Italian PGI pear. Primary information is gathered from 6 enterprises through 7 semi-structured interviews. The most critical causes of surplus and waste generation in the focal supply chain are found as the intersection between interview answers and Framework predictions. The paper integrates sparse pieces of knowledge on the processes of food waste generation in fruit and vegetables supply chains, and offers an instrument that may support private and public decision-makers in the reduction of horticultural waste.

Sustainability assessment of transport operations in local Food Supply Chain networks

As food supply chains represent a hotspot of climate change, a rapid transition toward more sustainable processes and operations is expected. Whilst research provides decision-support models to optimize food ecosystems, the application of these techniques in practice is often discouraged by a lack of knowledge and visibility on the hidden food networks’ performance and impacts. This paper overviews a case study on a regional fruit and vegetable supply chain characterized by broad fragmentation of supplies, a wide number of actors involved, multiple stages, and limited visibility on the routes traveled by a generic food order. This work analyzes the perishable flows from the growers to the retailer under the lens of environmental externalities in order to promote sustainable supply chain management strategies. Logistic flows throughout the stages are tracked and mapped to aid integrated decision-making, resulting in food miles and transport externalities assessment. A multi-scenario what-if analysis is illustrated to compare and assess transportation costs, food miles, and carbon footprint resulting from more integrated supply chain decisions and configurations. The To-Be scenario results in significant savings in terms of carbon emissions, traveling, and transportation costs. Moreover, the reduction of transported volumes reflects how multiple supply chain stages compel double/triple-handling of food and avoidable traveling.

Measuring Performance of Food Supply Chain in Libyan Industrial Organizations: A Balanced Scorecard Approach

The current paper identifies the most important Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for measuring the food supply chain’s performance using the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). A qualitative analysis was performed in cooperation with domain experts who practise Food Supply Chain (FSC) through interviews with managers from the Libyan food industrial organizations. For each BSC perspective, a set of 20 KPIs was considered in the analysis, a total of 80 KPIs related the four perspectives. KPIs were collected through studying previous studies and researches related food supply chain. The questionnaire was prepared and distributed on (125) individuals who work in the five levels of SC; (25) individuals for each level, namely, suppliers (S), manufacturing (M), wholesalers (W) retailers (R) and customer (C). The questionnaire was analysed, results highlighted only a shortlist of metrics (only 7, 5, 7, 4 KPIs) respectively for financial, customer, internal process, and learning & growth perspectives. Consequently, a generic BSC model was constructed that can be used for any stage of the food supply chain that includes suppliers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, and customers. The proposed model was agreed upon by the industrial experts. Different performance criteria that can be measured by the proposed BSC include reliability, integration, agility, responsiveness, risk management, product safety, collaboration, assets management, cost/profit, time, and sustainability.

Biosecurity and the ornamental fish trade: A stakeholder perspective in England.

The freshwater and marine ornamental fish industry is a primary route of hazard introduction and emergence, including aquatic animal diseases and non-native species. Prevention measures are key to reducing the risk of hazard incursion and establishment, but there is currently little understanding of the biosecurity practices and hazard responses implemented at post-border stages of the ornamental fish supply chain. This study addresses this knowledge gap, using questionnaires to collate information on actual biosecurity behaviours and hazard responses practised by ornamental fish retailers and hobbyist communities in England. Actual behaviours varied considerably within retailers and hobbyists, suggesting that reliance on preventative practices by individuals in the post-border stages of the ornamental fish supply chain is likely to be ineffective in minimizing the risk of hazard incursion and establishment. Resources should be allocated towards improving and enforcing robust pre- and at-border control measures, such as risk-based surveillance of ornamental fish imports at border controls. In addition, these findings should be used to implement targeted awareness-raising campaigns and help create directed training on biosecurity practices for individuals involved in the post-border stages of the ornamental supply chain.

The Impact of Blockchain Technology on Food Waste Management in the Hospitality Industry

This paper examines blockchain technology and food waste management in the hospitality industry. Food waste prevention is an important issue for hotels, as food consumption is difficult to estimate, often leading to huge amounts of waste. Food waste occurs at each stage of the food supply chain and represents a big percentage of hospitality waste. Although many studies examine the difficulties of food waste management, only a limited number of studies examine the stages of food waste inside food supply chains. The coordination of food supply chains can be supported by blockchain technology, which can break the supply chain into smaller parts and help managers to better mitigate food control. To address these issues, this paper conducts an extensive literature review, firstly to clarify the concept of food waste management in the hospitality industry and secondly to examine the benefits of the use of blockchain technology in food supply chains. Combining the obtained knowledge, this study aims to analyze the relationship between blockchain and food waste management practices. It also aims to examine how this combination boosts hotels to increase their performance and gain customers’ loyalty. Therefore, this paper analyses food waste management in the hospitality industry makes propositions on how blockchain technology could support food waste management in the food supply chain and forms the base for future research.
 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

A FUZZY-ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS OF TOURISM SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE: CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVES

Evaluation of end-to-end tourism supply chain performance from the end customer (tourist) perspective is missing from literature, which necessitates for investigation. As the end customers are involved throughout all stages of the tourism supply chain, and that the tourism product is merely that of tourist experience and satisfaction, the agenda is considered quintessential. Accordingly, this research aims to investigate tourism supply chain management (TSCM) performance attributes from the tourists’ point of view. This study takes its setting in the Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) Province of Indonesia, a flourishing prospectus of tourism sector in the country. A Fuzzy – Analytical Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) method was employed to examine the relative importance of the criteria and sub-criteria of TSCM. Results render the stages prior to travelling as the most essential phases in the tourism supply chain that influences satisfaction in the travelling experience. Moreover, the three most critical performance criteria are visa and/or other pre-travel document arrangements cycle time, accuracy of information about the destination, and accuracy of information in the booking process. Aside from practical insights, our findings also present a foundation for further investigation into other dimensions of TSCM performance.

A multipurpose power supply for constant current, constant voltage, and constant power applications.

Constant current (CC), constant voltage (CV), and constant power (CP) find numerous applications in different stages of the power supply chain and are often a part of various industrial and commercial needs. Although several conventional power supplies are available in the market to provide CC, CV, and CP, their outputs are specific and limited to one or two of these power modes. In light of this, this paper introduces a multipurpose power supply that can deliver power in all three modes (CC, CV, and CP) irrespective of load dynamics. A novel branch type resonant converter comprising three inductors and a capacitor is investigated for the designand development of the power supply. Consumers can choose their preferred mode of operation by switching the operating frequency. This multipurpose power supply subsidizes the space, technology, time, and economy required for three individual supplies and bags magnificent features such as simple control with efficiency greater than 95% in the CC mode and above 80% in CV and CP modes, subjected to loading constraints. The versatility of the power supply is validated by a hardware prototype tested at different load conditions. Regardless of the changes in load resistance, the proposed power supply remained rigid and efficient in each of the mentioned modes.

Impact of Variable Deterioration Rate of Perishable Food Items on Multi-Echelon Distribution Chains

Customer satisfaction is the backbone of any business entity and supply chain optimization plays a vital role in customer satisfaction efforts. Supply chain inventory control is one of the scientific supply chain optimization methods for determining proper inventory levels at different stages or echelons of the supply chain to meet the requirements of the customers. The intention is to supply right type of material at exact time in appropriate quantities and at competitive rates. Supply chain inventory costs consist of costs to store, track and insure materials. Inventories that mishandled create substantial financial problems for a business, whether the mismanagement results in an inventory accumulation or an inventory shortage. Therefore, an examination of the right quantities to be kept in stock to meet the requirements, the strategic location, storage facilities and recordings of the goods or items should be done systematically such that the desired degree of service can be provided at competitive prices or at minimum ultimate cost. Major objective of inventory control in a multi echelon supply chain is to optimize inventory cost elements like transportation cost, carrying cost, holding cost and all other inventory related costs at all supply chain stages with an elevated service level at the end customer point. The supply chain inventory control becomes tough when the handling material is a perishable one as its deterioration rate is variable rather than constant. This article provides the study results of the deterioration rate of a perishable edible inventory at different selected environmental conditions. The focus of this article is to introduce a mathematical equation for the deterioration rate of the selected perishable inventory which is inevitable for the formulation of inventory models for its supply chain echelons.

Towards an Understanding of Hydrogen Supply Chains: A Structured Literature Review Regarding Sustainability Evaluation

Hydrogen technologies have received increased attention in research and development to foster the shift towards carbon-neutral energy systems. Depending on the specific production techniques, transportation concepts, and application areas, hydrogen supply chains (HSCs) can be anything from part of the energy transition problem to part of the solution: Even more than battery-driven electric mobility, hydrogen is a polyvalent technology and can be used in very different contexts with specific positive or negative sustainability impacts. Thus, a detailed sustainability evaluation is crucial for decision making in the context of hydrogen technology and its diverse application fields. This article provides a comprehensive, structured literature review in the context of HSCs along the triple bottom line dimensions of environmental, economic, and social sustainability, analyzing a total of 288 research papers. As a result, we identify research gaps mostly regarding social sustainability and the supply chain stages of hydrogen distribution and usage. We suggest further research to concentrate on these gaps, thus strengthening our understanding of comprehensive sustainability evaluations for HSCs, especially in social sustainability evaluation. In addition, we provide an additional approach for discussion by adding literature review results from neighboring fields, highlighting the joint challenges and insights regarding sustainability evaluation.

Influence of Online Apps in Fostering Agri-Enterprise Development along the Agricultural Value Chain in Kenya

Influence of Online Apps in Fostering Agri-Enterprise Development along the Agricultural Value Chain in Kenya

An Integrated Approach for Evaluating Lean Innovation Practices in the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

Backgroung: Lean innovation focuses on minimizing waste in the product development stages in order to increase productivity by obtaining customer feedback more quickly and efficiently. The usage of lean innovation practices in product development stages in the pharmaceutical supply chain is the topic of an increasing amount of research on the critical question of how lean innovation practices can be implemented in a pharmaceutical supply chain or logistic sector. To answer this question, we first identified lean innovation practices by reviewing the literature. Methods: the identified practices were screened using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). The expert panel included eight persons working in pharmaceutical supply chain fields. In the next step, the causal relationships between practices were analyzed using the Gray DEMATEL (GDEMATEL) technique. Results: show that technological knowledge was the most crucial factor in lean innovation practices in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Conclusions: Actualizing lean innovation in the supply chain is more than just utilizing the correct strategies and instruments. To execute lean innovation effectively, a reevaluation must be accomplished: A culture that recognizes requirements for change and is set up for consistent change is essential. Methodological strategies such as the value system cannot be set up as a one-time strategy. To execute lean innovation on a long-haul premise, members must be included and become acclimated to a proceeding with the progress process. Changes in forms are frequently used because of an absence of association of suppliers, regardless of whether measures are sensible.

Comparative Analysis of Illicit Supply Network Structure and Operations: Cocaine, Wildlife, and Sand

Illicit supply networks (ISNs) are composed of coordinated human actors that source, transit, and distribute illicitly traded goods to consumers, while also creating widespread social and environmental harms. Despite growing documentation of ISNs and their impacts, efforts to understand and disrupt ISNs remain insufficient due to the persistent lack of knowledge connecting a given ISN’s modus operandi and its patterns of activity in space and time. The core challenge is that the data and knowledge needed to integrate it remain fragmented and/or compartmentalized across disciplines, research groups, and agencies tasked with understanding or monitoring one or a few specific ISNs. One path forward is to conduct comparative analyses of multiple diverse ISNs. We present and apply a conceptual framework for linking ISN modus operandi to spatial-temporal dynamics and patterns of activity. We demonstrate this through a comparative analysis of three ISNs – cocaine, illegally traded wildlife, and illegally mined sand – which range from well-established to emergent, global to domestic in geographic scope, and fully illicit to de facto legal. The proposed framework revealed consistent traits related to geographic price structure, value capture at different supply chain stages, and key differences among ISN structure and operation related to commodity characteristics and their relative illicitness. Despite the diversity of commodities and ISN attributes compared, social and environmental harms inflicted by the illicit activity consistently become more widespread with increasing law enforcement disruption. Drawing on these lessons from diverse ISNs, which varied in their histories and current sophistication, possible changes in the structure and function of nascent and/or low salience ISNs may be anticipated if future conditions or law enforcement pressure change.

A Novel Hybrid Life Cycle Assessment Approach to Air Emissions and Human Health Impacts of Liquefied Natural Gas Supply Chain

Global interest in LNG products and supply chains is growing, and demand continues to rise. As a clean energy source, LNG can nevertheless emit air pollutants, albeit at a lower level than transitional energy sources. An LNG plant capable of producing up to 126 MMTA was successfully developed and simulated in this study. A hybrid life cycle assessment model was developed to examine the social and human health impacts of the LNG supply chain’s environmental air emission formation. The Multiregional Input–Output (MRIO) database, the Aspen HYSYS model, and the LNG Maritime Transportation Emission Quantification Tool are the key sources of information for this extensive novel study. We began our research by grouping environmental emissions sources according to the participation of each stage in the supply chain. The MDEA Sweetening plant, LNG loading (export terminal), and LNG transportation stages were discovered to have the maximum air emissions. The midpoint air emissions data estimated each stage’s CO2-eq, NOx-eq, and PM2.5-eq emissions per unit LNG generated. According to the midpoint analysis results, the LNG loading terminal has the most considerable normalized CO2-eq and NOx-eq emission contribution across all LNG supply chain stages. Furthermore, the most incredible intensity value for normalized PM2.5-eq was recorded in the SRU and TGTU units. Following the midpoint results, the social human health impact findings were calculated using ReCiPe 2016 characterization factors to quantify the daily loss of life associated with the LNG process chain. SRU and TGTU units have the most significant social human health impact, followed by LNG loading (export terminal) with about 7409.0 and 1203.9 (DALY/million Ton LNG produced annually), respectively. Natural gas extraction and NGL recovery and fractionation units are the lowest for social human health consequences.