Supply Chain In China Research Articles

Research on Sustainability Evaluation of China’s Coal Supply Chain from the Perspective of Dual Circulation New Development Pattern

The critical strategic plan of the new dual circulation development pattern provides new strategic opportunities for the modernization of China’s coal supply chain. This paper presents new ideas for the sustainable development of the coal supply chain. To significantly improve the systematic and scientific evaluation of the sustainable development of China’s coal supply chain under the background of “dual circulation”, a sustainability evaluation index system for the coal supply chain is proposed, which contains five dimensions. Furthermore, an evaluation model is built based on multi-granularity unbalanced decision-making and TOPSIS theory. On this basis, an empirical study was carried out using a coal supply chain in China as an example, and scientific and effective development countermeasures are presented, which effectively promote new development and build unique competitive advantages for the energy industry.

China's lithium supply chain: Security dynamics and policy countermeasures

This paper used the system dynamics method to model the lithium supply chain in China, which was simultaneously driven by both demand and price dynamics. We focused on the long-term security dynamics in the context of resource constraints and the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in China. We then simulated the impact of the short-term shock caused by the Coronavirus on the security of the domestic lithium supply chain. Based on scenario analysis, China's lithium supply chain exhibited prominent consumption-driven characteristics. Long-term changes in China's ultimate recoverable lithium reserves would not have a significantly impact on lithium supply chain security. Contrary to this, the development of the EVs industry would result in a significant increase in China's demand for lithium, which might adversely affect the security of the country's supply chain for lithium in the future. The domestic lithium supply chain was able to withstand the short-term impact of the Pandemic, but overcapacity was intensified as a result.

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain in China: Pricing and Production Decisions with Price-Sensitive and Uncertain Demand

In this paper, we apply game theory to study the price competition between drugstores and hospitals in China’s pharmaceutical supply chain. Motivated by drug shortages and price disparity problems, we build a simplified model with one supplier, one hospital, and one drugstore in which the sellers sell one kind of drug and compete on price. The hospital receives a discount from the government when ordering the drug and both sellers face a price-sensitive and uncertain demand. The existence and uniqueness of a Nash equilibrium are proved and closed-form solutions are found for linear demand cases. We characterize the pricing and ordering decisions of the hospital and drugstore. The analysis shows that high ex-factory price, high price sensitivity, and a small discount are three factors contributing to drug shortages. We consider two special kinds of linear demand to obtain insights into the drug price disparity problem.

Synergies in sustainable phosphorus use and greenhouse gas emissions mitigation in China: Perspectives from the entire supply chain from fertilizer production to agricultural use

Synergies to achieve high phosphorus (P) use efficiency (PUE) and mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are critical for developing strategies aimed toward agricultural green development. However, the potential effects of such synergies in the entire P supply chain through optimizing P management in crop production are poorly understood. In this study, a partial life cycle of a GHG emissions model was developed to quantify the P-related GHG emissions in the entire P supply chain in China. Our results showed that 16.3 kg CO2-equivalent (CO2-eq) was produced from the entire P supply chain per unit of P used for grain agriculture (maize, rice, and wheat). P-related GHG emissions in China increased more than five-fold from 1980 (7.2 Tg CO2-eq) to 2018 (44.9 Tg CO2-eq). GHG emissions were found to be strongly associated with the intensity of grain production in China, and they varied considerably across production regions owing to the differences in the P fertilizer production efficiency. Mineral P fertilizer use in crop production was the primary source of P-related GHG emissions. The results suggest that sustainable P management by matching mineral P fertilizer rates and fertilizer types with crop needs can mitigate GHG emissions by 10.8–27.7 Tg (24.0–65.1%). Moreover, this can improve PUE and reduce mineral P input by 0.7–1.4 Tg (24.0–46.0%). These findings highlight that potential synergies between high PUE and low P-related GHG emissions can be achieved via sustainable P management, thereby enhancing green agricultural development in China and other regions worldwide.

Study on the Agricultural Land Transfer Embodied in Inter-Provincial Trade in China

The research on the land resources embodied in the inter-regional economic linkages is of great significance for the ecological compensation and sustainable use of the cultivated land. We constructed a model to estimate the agricultural land transfer embodied in inter-regional trade by using the agricultural land footprint model and the multi-regional input–output model. Taking China as an example, using a 2017 multi-regional input–output table and agricultural land and production data, we evaluated the agricultural land footprints embodied in the inter-provincial demand–supply chain in China and explored their characteristics, revealing the balance of income and expenditure that makes up the agricultural land footprint in each region. The results show that: (1) In 2017, China’s total agricultural land footprint was 557.63 million ha2. Developed areas such as Shandong, Guangdong, and Jiangsu in the East generally had a greater footprint than the underdeveloped areas in the west. Provinces with more agricultural land do not necessarily have larger agricultural footprints. (2) The Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry, and Fishing industry and the Food, Beverages, and Tobacco industry were the main two sectors that contributed to the agricultural land footprint for each province, accounting for more than 60% of the total agricultural land footprint in China. (3) The embodied agricultural land transfer between regions showed two main directions on the whole: one was from north to south and the other from west to east, reflecting the transfer law of movement from the less developed regions to those that were more developed.

The Challenges of Palm Oil Sustainable Consumption and Production in China: An Institutional Theory Perspective

The emerging economies are the centrepieces in the sustainable consumption and production of palm oil (SCP). With the collaborative efforts of the European Union and some non-governmental organisations, producers are kept in the spotlight, and scrutiny has begun to sweep down the supply chain. Palm oil environmental liabilities are extended to the consuming countries and criticism of emerging economies is evident in the context of weak institutions and inadequate attention from interest groups. China, one of the major consumers of palm oil, encompasses almost every potential environmental performance issue at the end of the palm oil supply chain. Sherri Torjman’s six-step approach has been used to parse the constraints and contributions of institutional coercive, mimetic and normative drivers to the three goals of the economic, social and environmental performance of palm oil SCP. This paper investigates the relevant institutions in China and compares in detail the content of SCP-related elements in these institutions through desktop research. An institutional theoretical perspective is provided to take a more comprehensive look at the SCP challenges facing the palm oil supply chain in China whereby this paper aims to shed light on the linkages between the challenges and institutional drivers.

Calculation Method of Logistics Energy Consumption in Agricultural Product Supply Chain Based on Structural Equation Model

The ecological value chain agricultural products in China are mainly produced by scattered farmers. Due to the lack of modern planting and breeding techniques for small-scale scattered farmers, it is difficult to obtain scale effects, and the benefit-cost ratio is generally low. Their own production, supply, and marketing integration organization can only enter the market separately, which is difficult to adapt to market needs, and often bear great market risks. In the circulation link, the agricultural product logistics management level in China is low and logistics losses are huge. This research attempts to conduct a theoretical analysis and discussion on the integration of the ecological agricultural product supply chain in China based on the enterprise theory. At the same time, we conduct an empirical analysis of the relationship between supply chain integration and performance from the perspective of logistics and build agricultural product supply chain integration with the company’s logistics capabilities as the center. We perform hypothesis model, collect data through survey methods, use quantitative analysis and path analysis methods to test the hypothesis model, explore the relationship between supply chain management and agricultural product logistics capabilities, and corporate competitiveness, to provide the empirical support for the introduction of supply chain management in the agriculture in China.

Simulation Study on Complex Systems of Forest Biomass Power Generation Supply Chain in China.

Based on the perspective of complex system management of forest biomass power generation (FBPG) supply chain, this paper explores a new way to reduce the operation cost of forest biomass raw materials supply chain and improve the operation efficiency of forest biomass supply chain in China. Firstly, the supply chain model of FBPG is summarized through the survey data, and the existing problems are found. Then, the behavior strategies among farmers, middlemen, and enterprises are analyzed, and the data that cannot be obtained in the model are estimated by using statistical methods. Finally, the complex supply chain system is simulated by computer. Through setting different forestry policies, this paper compares and analyzes the profit of the supply chain and puts forward policy suggestions to promote the development of the FBPG industry in China. In this paper, the actual situation, principles of statistics, and system simulation are effectively combined to make the behavior rules of various stakeholders fit the reality, and the research conclusions are more practical.

Growth and survival of aerobic and Gram-negative bacteria on fresh spinach in a Chinese supply chain from harvest through distribution and refrigerated storage

Spinach is a highly perishable product that degrades over time, including due to bacteria contaminating the product prior to packaging, yet the dynamics of bacterial spoilage and factors that affect it are not well understood. Notably, while China is the top producer of spinach globally, there is limited available microbiological data in the literature for spinach supply chains in China. The overall goal of this foundational study was to establish a baseline understanding of bacterial population dynamics on spinach from harvest to 10 days postprocessing for a Chinese supply chain that includes distribution via traditional grocery (a local physical store) and eCommerce (an online store). To this end, organic spinach samples were collected at different stages in a Chinese supply chain by following the same 3 lots, starting at point-of-harvest through processing and distribution via a local grocery store and eCommerce. After distribution, the same 3 lots were stored at 4 °C with microbiological testing performed on multiple days up to day 10 postprocessing, simulating storage at the point-of-consumer. Results showed aerobic plate counts and total Gram-negative counts did not significantly differ across stages in the supply chain from harvest through processing. However, packaged spinach from the same processing facility and lots, exhibited different patterns in bacterial levels across 0 to 10 days postprocessing, depending on whether it was distributed via the local grocery store or eCommerce. Evaluation of bacterial populations performed on a subset of the packaged spinach samples indicated Gram-negative bacteria, in particular Pseudomonas, were predominant across all days of testing (days 0, 3, and 10 postprocessing), with populations differing at the genus level by day. Overall, this study improves our understanding of the dynamics of bacterial populations on spinach and provides baseline data needed for future studies.

Preventing food waste in the Chinese catering supply chain：from a tacit knowledge viewpoint

PurposeIn China food waste during the catering service process namely the back end of the entire food supply chain has neither received sufficient attention nor been evaluated precisely even though it has been the cause of food security concerns. In response considering the complex tacit knowledge embedded at the front end of the Chinese catering supply chain this article aimed at addressing relevant issues from the viewpoint of tacit knowledge.Design/Methodology/ApproachThis article is conceptual in nature. From the perspective of knowledge management (KM), we used a deductive method to explore intricate tacit knowledge embedded at the front end of the catering supply chain in China.FindingsThe key challenges in preventing food waste in the Chinese catering supply chains are: (1) a variety of knowledge icebergs in Chinese catering culture, (2) the complex tacit dimension of knowledge in Chinese cookery, and (3) difficulties in bringing standardization to the Chinese catering business. The three KM-based step-by-step solutions are: (1) standardizing the essential cookery techniques of Chinese cuisine, (2) encouraging catering enterprises to create online knowledge-sharing platforms to reduce food waste for all stakeholders, and (3) using big data to build a nationwide KM system.Practical ImplicationsOur research indicates that the of a comprehensive KM system specific to the Chinese catering supply chain is crucial for standardizing the essential cookery techniques of Chinese cuisine and analyzing big data, which could help improve Chinese catering processes and gastronomic habits in reality, so as to more effectively prevent food waste.Originality/ValueOur research contributes to the literature by connecting the reduction of food waste issues with the KM perspective. A key to more efficiently reducing food waste in China lies in the lack of a deeper, more systematic understanding of the tacit dimension of knowledge in Chinese cookery and impressive dietary culture, namely the front end of the catering supply chain.

Factors associated with symptoms of poor mental health among women factory workers in China's supply chain.

ObjectiveForeign direct investment (FDI) to China has motivated increased labor migration to export processing zones (EPZs). Work environments with high occupational stress, such as production line jobs typical in EPZs, have been associated with adverse mental health symptoms.MethodsA cross-sectional survey that examined occupational stress and symptoms of poor mental health was implemented among Chinese women factory workers in three electronic factories in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. Symptoms of mental health measured in the survey were hopelessness, depression, not feeling useful or needed, and trouble concentrating. Crude and adjusted prevalence odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated with logistic regression.ResultsResponses were collected from 696 women factory workers. Participants were aged 18–56 years (mean 28 ± 5.8), 66% of whom were married and 25% of whom were migrants. Nearly 50% of participants reported at least one symptom of poor mental health. After adjusting for covariates associated with each outcome in the bivariate analysis, high job strain was associated with hopelessness (OR 2.68, 95% CI 1.58, 4.56), not feeling useful (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.22, 3.43), and feeling depressed (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.16, 2.72).ConclusionThis study expands on the international body of research on the well-being of women working in the global supply chain and provides evidence on the associations between occupational stressors, migration, and social support on symptoms of poor mental health among women workers. Future research to better understand and improve psychological health and to prevent suicide among workers in China’s factories is critical to improve the health of China’s labor force.

Promotion of Chinese platform-based supply chains in the COVID-19 era

This paper focuses on the ways COVID-19 has facilitated the development of platform-based supply chains. Platform-based supply chains are of great research value as a new direction for supply chain development, especially in China. The first part of the paper summarizes the characteristics of the COVID-19 era around the world, the second part points out the situation of platform-based supply chains in China, and the third part analyses the promotion effect of the epidemic. As platform-based supply chains are still at an emerging stage, there are very few analyses and theoretical studies on their operation models, and for this reason this paper lacks empirical data.

Dual-level eco-efficiency analysis in sustainable management: An empirical study on textile manufacturers and supply chains in China

Eco-efficiency analysis at multi-levels can address the disconnection between its macro-level necessity and micro-level contribution. This cross-level analysis helps policymaking on systematically improving the sustainability of industry. Therefore, in this study, the dual-level eco-efficiency evaluation combing with interactive econometric analysis was applied for contributing a more holistic view of sustainable management in the heavy pollution industry. The empirical study was based on 12 international clothing brands and retailers' textile supply chains and their 202 major upstream manufacturers in China from 2015 to 2019. The dual-level evaluation uncovered a significant improvement in eco-efficiency both at the textile manufacturer and supply chain levels during the five years. The manufacturers' average eco-efficiency increased by 54%. The dyeing and finishing companies' efficiency of emissions to air, energy use, GHG emissions, and water use averagely increased by 165%, 39%, 28%, and 19%, respectively; discharges to water did not change significantly. Meanwhile, the interactive econometric analysis revealed the effects of green management certification, technological innovation, and the number of buyers/suppliers on dual-level eco-efficiency. The influencing mechanism of the same factor on eco-efficiency was demonstrated heterogeneous at manufacturer and supply chain levels. Adopting green management certification was an efficient facilitator to promote textile manufacturers' eco-efficiency, but not sufficient to advance supply chain's ecological performance until 2018. Conversely, inducing technological innovation can promote industry sustainability benefitting from knowledge search and absorption at the supply chain level. Depending on the multi-level lens, this study underlines that the same factor may have heterogeneous impacts at different levels and provides a drawable approach that can support decision-making on improving overall eco-efficiency for stakeholders such as companies, brands and retailers, and the government.

Risk evaluation of the grain supply chain in China

ABSTRACT The food supply chain (GSC) involves multiple links from production to consumption. The interruption of one or more links will lead to supply risks, evolving into food crises. To better guarantee food security, maintain national security, it is essential to improve the structural imbalance of China's food supply. This article innovatively regards trade as an important link in the food supply chain and quantitatively designs 16 indicators from the four links of production, consumption, trade, and circulation to evaluate the food supply chain risks of 30 provinces in China from 2003 to 2019. The results show that: (1) The GSC risk value at the regional scale is generally stable, and the western region is slightly higher than the eastern region. (2) The distribution of risk value shows significant spatial clustering. (3) During the study period, China's grain risk has not changed significantly. The highest average risk is the production link of the supply chain, followed by the distribution and trade links. He also believes that adjusting production, enhancing regional trade, strengthening suitability, and enhancing defensiveness are corresponding measures to improve the food supply chain. It is expected to provide a reasonable reference for government agencies.

Uncovering the impact of COVID-19 on shipping and logistics

PurposeThis research aims to uncover coronavirus disease 2019’s (COVID-19's) impact on shipping and logistics using Internet articles as the source.Design/methodology/approachThis research applies web mining to collect information on COVID-19's impact on shipping and logistics from Internet articles. The information extracted is then analyzed through machine learning algorithms for useful insights.FindingsThe research results indicate that the recovery of the global supply chain in China could potentially drive the global supply chain to return to normalcy. In addition, researchers and policymakers should prioritize two aspects: (1) Ease of cross-border trade and logistics. Digitization of the supply chain and applying breakthrough technologies like blockchain and IoT are needed more than ever before. (2) Supply chain resilience. The high dependency of the global supply chain on China sounds like an alarm of supply chain resilience. It calls for a framework to increase global supply chain resilience that enables quick recovery from disruptions in the long term.Originality/valueDiffering from other studies taking the natural language processing (NLP) approach, this research uses Internet articles as the data source. The findings reveal significant components of COVID-19's impact on shipping and logistics, highlighting crucial agendas for scholars to research.

Relieving the water-energy nexus pressure through whole supply chain management: Evidence from the provincial-level analysis in China

Water-energy nexus (WEN) is an international hot-spot issue, while more attentions have been paid to the direct nexus effect resulting from production activities. In this context, this study firstly used the multiregional input-output (MRIO) analysis to offer a full spectrum of water and energy usage throughout the whole supply chain in China, considering production-based perspective and betweenness-based and consumption-based perspectives. And then the principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to further target the critical WEN sectors in Chinese's 30 provinces. The results show that: (1) For most of these provinces, the direct WEN pressure caused by production activities can be found in several traditional resource-intensive sectors, especially in S22 (Production and supply of electric power and steam) and S14 (Smelting and pressing of metals). (2) The most critical transmission sectors with WEN pressure was S12 (Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products), followed by S14 in most of these province. S22 was the key transmission center in several provinces, and S7 (Manufacture of textile) in Fujian and Hubei and S10 (Papermaking and printing) in Zhejiang and Hainan should also be highly-concerned. (3) For all of these provinces, the indirect WEN pressure driven by final consumption appeared in S24 (Construction industry). In addition, S16 (Manufacture of general and special-purpose machinery) and S17 (Manufacture of Transport equipment) were the other two key consumption-based WEN sectors in some provinces. Overall, the WEN pressures in Jiangsu were relatively great in China, and S12 in Hubei was the only sector facing great WEN pressure from all three perspectives. Our results can draw implications for regional sustainable development in China.

Product eco-design practice in green supply chain management: a China-global examination of research

PurposeThis paper comprehensively and systematically reviews and critiques the product eco-design practice in green supply chain management studies. It seeks to explore drivers, barriers and initiatives of eco-design practice with a specific emphasis on China in comparison to non-China countries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper adopts a systematic literature review approach. It also uses a conceptual thematic landscape of the global eco-design practice along supply chains to critically evaluate published studies. The Web of Science™ Core Collection database is used as the source.FindingsResults show that although common factors exist, China exhibits a higher number of barriers, leading to an overall lag in eco-design adoption. China’s advantage lies in pressing market demand, actively engaged human resources and a cooperative culture. Alternatively, non-China countries demonstrate their relative superiority in eco-design tools, knowledge and innovation. Findings also indicate stakeholders simultaneously act as the three roles of eco-design practice in all countries, so do environmental regulations in China.Originality/valueA thematic framework is introduced that can be used to further investigate and identify research opportunities. This study aids practitioners take stock of current eco-design management issues. It also includes pertinent recommendations on international eco-design performance improvement. It especially provides significant insights into successful eco-design implementation to green supply chains in China.

Chinese provincial multi-regional input-output database for 2012, 2015, and 2017

Global production fragmentation generates indirect socioeconomic and environmental impacts throughout its expanded supply chains. The multi-regional input-output model (MRIO) is a tool commonly used to trace the supply chain and understand spillover effects across regions, but often cannot be applied due to data unavailability, especially at the sub-national level. Here, we present MRIO tables for 2012, 2015, and 2017 for 31 provinces of mainland China in 42 economic sectors. We employ hybrid methods to construct the MRIO tables according to the available data for each year. The dataset is the consistent China MRIO table collection to reveal the evolution of regional supply chains in China’s recent economic transition. The dataset illustrates the consistent evolution of China’s regional supply chain and its economic structure before the 2018 US-Sino trade war. The dataset can be further applied as a benchmark in a wide range of in-depth studies of production and consumption structures across industries and regions.

Factors affecting the diffusion of traceability practices in an imported fresh produce supply chain in China

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to facilitate the successful adoption of traceability technologies, such as blockchain, into food supply chains and facilitate the understanding of the barriers and enablers to their uptake by channel members' needs so that appropriate enabling strategy can be put in place.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, an integrated framework involving five components was used as the methodology: (1) diffusion of innovation theory, (2) the innovation concept, (3) the business structure-conduct-performance paradigm, (4) legitimacy and (5) trust was developed and assessed for validity through interviewing 21 channel members, including distributors, wholesalers, Internet retailers and traditional retailers associated with a global fresh produce company's supply chain in China.FindingsBarriers negatively framing channel members' attitudes and decisions included a perceived lack of need owing to fresh produce having a short shelf life and being of low value and risk. However, the importance of traceability and the need for effective food recalls were not always understood among channel members, and distributed trust innovations were also suppressed by their lack of compatibility with the Chinese hierarchical culture.Originality/valueTo date, channel members' perception of innovations in food supply chains has not been considered in light of the components proposed in the integrated framework. The adapted framework used in this study ensured a comprehensive assessment of channel members' attitude and motivations toward traceability practices.

Early impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the molluscan shellfish supply chain in China

A farm-level survey and a market survey were conducted in China to study the impact of the COVID-19 on the shellfish supply chain in the early stage of the pandemic in 2020. 114 farms of 36 cites participated in an online survey from mid-July to late August, and 23 markets in five cities were investigated from June to November. The series results are expected to provide an insight for the fisheries and aquaculture sector to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on participants in the shellfish supply chain and to improve of the ability of the government to respond to such events in the future. Shellfish farmers and sellers have experienced a sharp drop in profits, largely due to shrinking demand. Relying on local employees and suppliers, shellfish farming activities have rapidly resumed since the gradual reopening from February. Nevertheless, demand has been slow to recover due to public concern about contamination of seafood with the virus. Additionally, we analyzed the ability and attitude of farms of different size to cope with the pandemic and the plight of shellfish sellers, and discussed government supports for different size farms and improvements in seafood distribution channels.