Traditional Supply Chain Research Articles

Blockchain-Enabled Supply Chain Finance: A Bibliometric Review and Research Agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed weaknesses in traditional supply chain finance systems, highlighting the need for digital change. Blockchain technology, with its ability to create secure and transparent records of transactions, offers a potential solution. This study uses bibliometric analysis and a literature review to examine research on blockchain-enabled supply chain finance, drawing on a database of 446 articles from ScienceDirect and Scopus. The findings show a growing interest in how blockchain can improve transparency, efficiency, and security in supply chain finance, addressing challenges like information asymmetry. This study suggests future research should focus on real-world applications of blockchain, how it can be used with other technologies, regulations and governance, and the social and environmental impacts of blockchain-based supply chain finance. This research also highlights the different priorities of the Global North and South in blockchain-enabled supply chain finance. The North focuses on efficiency and traceability, while the South emphasizes adding value and transparency. A lack of research on fair pricing, especially in the Global South, points to a critical gap that future research needs to address to ensure fairness in global trade.

Research on supply chain efficiency optimization algorithm based on reinforcement learning

Supply chain efficiency is critical to enterprises and can affect their competitiveness. The supply chain faces an uncertain and complex external market environment, facing the problem of supply chain efficiency optimization; the traditional optimization method is ineffective, which can better face the current environment and deal with problems. It has advantages in optimizing supply chain efficiency and has been widely used. This paper first expounds on the importance of supply chain management status, the limitations of traditional supply chain management methods, and reinforcement learning in the application of supply chain optimization. Then, through experiments, reinforcement learning, supply chain optimization problems, and the analysis of related algorithm design, the optimal algorithm focuses on inventory management optimization. Finally, this paper points out the future research directions and development trend of the supply chain efficiency optimization algorithm based on reinforcement learning.

Transforming agri-food value chains in Bangladesh: A practical application of blockchain for traceability and fair pricing

The agricultural sector is a vital component of Bangladesh's economy, but its agri-food supply chain faces signifi-cant inefficiencies primarily due to the involvement of numerous intermediaries. This complexity not only reduces the profits for farmers but also affects the overall transparency and efficiency of the supply chain. This study aims to em-ploy blockchain technology to transform the traditional agri-food supply chain in Bangladesh, focusing on increasing transparency, enhancing efficiency, and improving profitability for farmers, thus potentially bolstering the entire agri-food ecosystem in the country. The research involves setting up a blockchain-based smart contract on the Ethereum Blockchain network. This approach guarantees that all transactions within the agri-food supply chain are transparent, traceable, and accountable. Additionally, the study develops a web application to facilitate user interaction with the smart contract, enhancing accessibility and usability. Performance analysis and testing of the implemented smart con-tract demonstrate its capability to handle a significant volume of transactions without compromising on performance. The solution effectively reduces the dependency on intermediaries, thereby increasing the profit margins for the farm-ers involved. The integration of blockchain technology in the agri-food supply chain has shown promising results in enhancing transparency and efficiency. It lays a solid foundation for future improvements and suggests a scalable model that could be applied to other sectors within the country to further enhance agricultural practices and economic growth.

Leveraging blockchain for sustainable supply chain management: A data privacy and security perspective

This review examines how blockchain technology can be leveraged to enhance data privacy and security in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). As global supply chains become increasingly complex and the demand for sustainability grows, ensuring data privacy and security has become a critical concern. Traditional supply chain systems often face challenges such as data breaches, lack of transparency, and difficulty in tracing products and materials. Blockchain technology, with its decentralized, immutable, and transparent architecture, offers a promising solution to these challenges. Blockchain can enhance data security by ensuring that data is tamper-proof, traceable, and encrypted, thus protecting sensitive information across the supply chain. It provides transparency while allowing permissioned access, ensuring that stakeholders can verify data without exposing confidential information. Furthermore, privacy-preserving technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and homomorphic encryption allow verification of data without compromising its security. Smart contracts enable automated compliance with regulatory frameworks like GDPR, reducing the risk of human error and improving operational efficiency. The integration of blockchain in SSCM can improve traceability, transparency, and accountability, thereby promoting environmental and social sustainability. By tracking the origin and journey of goods, blockchain helps verify ethical sourcing practices and reduce carbon footprints. However, the technology also presents challenges, including scalability, integration with legacy systems, and cost considerations. Through case studies in industries such as food, textiles, and renewable energy, this review highlights the practical applications and benefits of blockchain for SSCM. It concludes that blockchain has the potential to revolutionize supply chain operations, but careful consideration must be given to overcoming its technical and financial barriers to widespread adoption.

Enhancing supply chain security and transparency with ai and blockchain integration for future-proof solutions

The objective of this review paper is to examine the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology to enhance supply chain security and transparency, providing future-proof solutions for global industries. As the digital landscape evolves, traditional supply chain management methods face increasing vulnerabilities and inefficiencies. This paper reviews existing literature to assess the current challenges and potential benefits of integrating AI and blockchain in supply chains. The review highlights how AI enhances predictive analytics, demand forecasting, and operational efficiency, while blockchain ensures immutable, decentralized ledgers for real-time tracking and verification of goods. The synergy between these technologies offers unprecedented levels of transparency, enabling stakeholders to detect and respond to anomalies swiftly. Case studies across various industries demonstrate significant improvements in reducing fraud, counterfeiting, and human errors, alongside enhanced compliance with regulatory standards. Conclusions drawn from this review underscore the transformative potential of AI and blockchain in creating resilient, transparent, and secure supply chains. The integration of these technologies not only addresses current vulnerabilities but also lays the foundation for adaptive, intelligent supply chain networks capable of withstanding future disruptions. This paper provides actionable insights and practical frameworks for businesses and policymakers aiming to implement AI and blockchain solutions, emphasizing the importance of strategic planning, cross-industry collaboration, and continuous innovation in achieving long-term supply chain sustainability and security.

COLLABORATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE SHARING ECONOMY: AN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH

This study examines the impact of the sharing economy on collaborative supply chain management among Turkish international trade firms. The sharing economy, which involves temporary access to underutilized resources via digital platforms, has challenged traditional supply chain models, necessitating resilient and flexible collaborations. The research utilizes the Inter-organizational Relationships (IOR), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and Resource-Based View (RBV) frameworks, highlighting dynamic capabilities. Through structural equation modeling and expert interviews, the findings reveal that trust and information sharing are essential, but their effects on e-collaboration are complex. Trust negatively correlates with e-collaboration, indicating that electronic platforms may mediate trust in low-trust environments. On the other hand, performance expectancy and facilitating conditions significantly boost e-collaboration adoption. The study identifies e-collaboration as a dynamic capability, improving operational performance, customer/supplier satisfaction, growth, and profitability. This research contributes theoretically by integrating organizational and individual perspectives on e-collaboration and elucidates the intricate relationships between trust, information sharing, and technology in supply chains. Practical recommendations are provided for leveraging technological innovations to enhance trust and information sharing in collaborative supply chains.

A Bibliometric Analysis on Visualising and Mapping Green Supply Chain Management

The emergent field of green supply chain management (GSCM) has recently piqued the interest of both academics and practitioners, owing to its crucial role in integrating sustainable environmental processes into the traditional supply chain. An essential research goal is to understand the overall structure of research and what has been completed in the area so far to build a strong research program to address forthcoming GSCM problems. The purpose of conducting a bibliometric analysis of GSCM in its current state is to gain insights into the existing body of knowledge, identify trends, and understand the research landscape. Several literature reviews concentrating on certain elements of GSCM have been published from 2002 to 2021 (data update time is April 10, 2021). Thus, this study used a bibliometric method to examine the present level of research on the GSCM. The Scopus database, one of the world-leading publishers-independent global citation databases, was used to search for documents related to GSCM. A bibliometric tool called Bibliometrix was executed to examine the data collected from the search, which generated 717 documents. This software was used to build maps based on scientific publication network data, revealing relationships between researchers, countries, and journals. This comprehensive mapping of the field serves to graphically depict the evolution of publications over time as well as identify current research interests. Finally, the findings of the bibliometric analysis point out a growing trend in green supply chain studies around the world, indicating that people are becoming more conscious of the need for environmental management and protection, and sustainable development.

Optimizing the Agricultural Supply Chain Through the Internet + Model: Enhancing Efficiency with a Case Study of TikTok

This study uses the TikTok platform as a case study to explore the application of the Internet+ model in the agricultural supply chain and analyses the impact of Internet+ model on improving supply chain efficiency and reducing costs. With the development of science and technology, Internet+ has become an important trend in modern industry, which deeply integrates traditional agriculture with information technology and promotes the innovation and efficiency of supply chain management. This study not only discusses the practical application of the Internet + model in agriculture but also proposes to solve the bottlenecks in the traditional agricultural supply chain using logistics informatization, intelligent scheduling system, cold chain monitoring and intelligent warehouse management. Through case studies, the effectiveness of Internet technology in optimizing the supply chain, improving the circulation efficiency of agricultural products and reducing costs are verified, providing theoretical and case study support for promoting the development of agricultural modernization.

What is the impact of demand patterns on integrated online-offline and buy-online-pickup in-store (BOPS) retail in a smart supply chain management?

Retailers aim to provide in-person and remote interactions to accelerate purchases through hybrid methods, which introduce additional delivery and emissions loads but create a seamless shopping experience. The challenges of unified inventory, customer information, pricing, demand forecasting complications, and order fulfillment are met successfully in the hybrid methods. Here, a smart supply chain management that integrates traditional physical presence with cloud-based and hybrid buy-online-pickup in-store channels is optimized to meet customer demand in different demand patterns. The demand patterns considered are linear, cubic, and normalized functions of the selling price, the advertising cost, and the product lifetime. The article incorporates sustainable supply chain and omnichannel strategies to optimize supply chain performance and profitability. The paper compares the results of the proposed models with traditional supply chain models and provides some managerial insights and suggestions for online retailers. Numerical simulation reveals that nonlinear price dependence in demand provides an opportunity for higher promotional investment with a substantial rise in optimal selling price and overall profit. The shift-to-imperfect probability is seen to be the volatile component in the solution surface. The markup of the offline channel has a greater impact than buy-online-pickup in-store markup.

Economic Substantiation of Innovative Solutions for Direct Cooperation between Manufacturers and Restaurants

The traditional supply chain management between manufacturers and restaurants is not effective enough, considering its high costs, long turnaround times and reliance on third parties, which creates challenges to profitability and agility. This study aims to find out how this system helps optimise costs and supply chain management within the restaurant industry. Data was obtained through manager interviews for some middling and high-end restaurants presenting some operational issues confronted before and after the system was installed. A sample of 50 restaurants was selected using a stratified sampling technique, targeting various restaurant categories. A structured questionnaire was designed to interview restaurant managers on operational efficiency, cost reduction, and supply chain performance. The logistics costs, transaction costs and overall efficiency improvements, among other quantitative metrics, were monitored for the first and second intervals. To achieve this, the analysis used a difference-in-difference methodology, where restaurants before and after the implementation of the system were compared concerning specific performance indicators.Data was processed using SPSS Statistics 27, ensuring accuracy and reliability in the analysis. The findings show that wastage management cost efficiency has improved to 15%, while significant decreases have also been observed regarding transaction time and logistics costs. This also resulted in a substantial decline in time-to-order delivery which positively influences operational speed. Based on these findings, it is suggested that direct trade models would benefit the restaurant business in terms of cost savings and enhanced performance. The policy recommendations include promoting digital supply chain platforms using tax credits, assisting SMEs with government-sponsored projects, and facilitating direct interaction between producers and consumers.

Towards autonomous supply chains: Definition, characteristics, conceptual framework, and autonomy levels

Recent global disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing geopolitical conflicts, have profoundly exposed vulnerabilities in traditional supply chains, requiring exploration of more resilient alternatives. Among various solution offerings, Autonomous supply chains (ASCs) have emerged as key enablers of increased integration and visibility, enhancing flexibility and resilience in turbulent trade environments through the widespread automation of low level decision making. Although ASC solutions have been discussed and trialled over several years, they still lack well-established theoretical foundations. This paper addresses this research gap by presenting a formal definition of ASC along with its defining characteristics and auxiliary concepts. We propose a layered conceptual framework, called the MIISI model. An illustrative case study focusing on the meat supply chain demonstrates an initial ASC implementation based on this conceptual model. Furthermore, we introduce a seven-level supply chain autonomy reference model, delineating a trajectory towards achieving full supply chain autonomy. Recognising that this work represents an initial endeavour, we emphasise the need for continued exploration in this emerging domain. This work is designed to stimulate further research, both theoretical and technical, and contribute to the continual evolution of ASCs.

Research on Supply Chain Optimization and Management Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

This research introduces a groundbreaking approach to supply chain optimization and management, termed as Deep Reinforcement Learning based Supply Chain Optimization and Management (DRL-SCOM). At the core of this approach is the utilization of advancements in Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), specifically through the integration of Randomized Ensembled Double Q-learning (REDQ) and Trust Region Policy Optimization (TRPO). DRL-SCOM is designed to effectively tackle the inherent complexities and dynamic challenges that are characteristic of supply chain management. One of the key strengths of DRL-SCOM lies in its use of REDQ, which plays a crucial role in mitigating the overestimation bias commonly associated with traditional Q-learning methods. This results in more accurate value estimation and policy improvement, a critical factor in the effective management of supply chains. Additionally, the integration of TRPO into the framework brings the advantage of safe and stable policy updates. Such stability is vital for maintaining the robustness required in the fluctuating environment of supply chain operations. The combination of REDQ and TRPO in DRL-SCOM creates a powerful synergy. REDQ’s ensembled learning approach, when fused with TRPO’s trust-region method, enables the framework to efficiently navigate the complex and high-dimensional decision space typical of supply chains. This allows for real-time optimization of decisions while staying within operational constraints. The DRL-SCOM methodology shows significant potential in addressing various aspects of supply chain management, from demand forecasting and inventory management to logistics, adeptly handling the nonlinearities and uncertainties that are prevalent in these areas. Thus, the DRL-SCOM framework emerges as an innovative solution, pushing the frontiers of traditional supply chain management. It paves the way for a more agile, responsive, and intelligent system, equipped to adapt to changing market demands and operational challenges. This approach represents a significant stride towards transforming supply chain management into a more advanced, data-driven, and adaptive field.

Optimal Financing Strategy in a Dual-Channel Supply Chain with Agricultural Product

This study models a two-stage agricultural supply chain consisting of a financially constrained manufacturer of agricultural products and a financially stable retailer. We examine two supply chain structures: traditional and dual channel. Our analysis centers on the effects of consumer green preferences, consumer sensitivity to the freshness of agricultural products, and substitution rate between green and non-green agricultural products on the profitability of supply chain members. The purpose of this work is to study the optimal financing strategy for companies producing both regular and organic products simultaneously. We analyze optimal financing strategies for the manufacturer using three models: bank financing, internal debt financing, and internal equity financing. Our results indicate that in both traditional and dual-channel supply chains, increased consumer green preferences or greater sensitivity to the freshness of agricultural products improve supply chain profitability, while a higher substitution rate between green and non-green products reduces profits. Additionally, the manufacturer prefers internal debt financing when consumer environmental awareness is low. Conversely, as consumer environmental awareness increases, internal equity financing becomes more profitable. These findings offer valuable insights for agricultural product manufacturers facing financial constraints, assisting them in selecting the most appropriate financing model.

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Process by Block Chain Based Approach

The developments in technology and the emergence of new technologies have increased the expectations for the supply chain to have a more efficient, traceable and transparent structure. Although the legal regulations and standards of blockchain technology have not been clearly revealed yet, it is thought that it will solve many problems with its application in the food supply chain. In this context, the use of blockchain technology in the food supply chain, its advantages and disadvantages and today's application examples were examined by making a literature review. As a result of the study, it has been seen that blockchain technology provides significant added value to the food supply chain and is a solution to many problems of today's traditional supply chain.

Blockchain and smart contracts for supply chain transparency and vendor management

Blockchain technology and smart contracts are emerging as transformative tools for enhancing transparency and efficiency in supply chain management and vendor relations. Traditional supply chains often face challenges such as inefficiencies, lack of transparency, and susceptibility to fraud (Kouhizadeh & Sarkis, 2018). Blockchain, a decentralized ledger technology, coupled with smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into code, offers promising solutions to these challenges (Wang, Han, & Beynon-Davies, 2019). This paper explores the application of blockchain and smart contracts in these domains, examining their potential to provide immutable records, streamline processes, and mitigate risks (Casado-Vara et al., 2018). Through a comprehensive analysis of current literature and case studies, we identify key benefits including improved transparency, enhanced efficiency, and better risk management (Christidis & Devetsikiotis, 2016; Tian, 2016). Our findings suggest that blockchain and smart contracts can significantly improve supply chain transparency and vendor management, though their implementation requires careful consideration of technical, regulatory, and organizational factors (Saberi et al., 2019). Notable case studies, such as Walmart’s blockchain pilot for food safety and De Beers' diamond tracking initiative, illustrate the practical benefits and challenges of adopting these technologies in real-world scenarios (Casino, Dasaklis, & Patsakis, 2019; Kshetri, 2018). Despite the promising outlook, further research is needed to address scalability, interoperability, and regulatory compliance issues to fully realize the potential of blockchain and smart contracts in supply chain management (Hughes et al., 2019).

Application of Business Intelligence Technology Model to Sustainable Supply Chain

Under the backdrop of globalization, sustainable supply chains are becoming one of the most important directions for commercial development in the future. The efficiency of supply chain management (SCM) will be significantly improved when business intelligence is used in the supply chain. Sustainable supply chain refers to the integration of sustainable development elements on the basis of traditional supply chain management, introducing the assessment and management of social, environmental, economic benefits and other risks. The aim of this paper is to look at how different BI techniques affect different business models. Most of this paper is a summary of previous scholars work. The most successful and widespread application of BI is the final outcome of the technology acceptance model. These three BI models have different effects on sustainable supply chains, but in general, BI is very helpful for sustainable supply chain development in all aspects. Future results would be much more accurate and effective if three techniques were actually able to monitor and compare the sustainability of supply chains.

Advertising strategies of one e-commerce platform and competitive sellers in a supply chain under agency mode

As the internet traffic dividend disappears, the growth of e-commerce platforms slows and competition among sellers increases. We examine whether the sellers choose to cooperate with the e-commerce platform in advertising. This paper considers advertising strategies in a supply chain with one e-commerce platform and two competitive sellers, where each seller can choose either cooperative advertising or independent advertising in a strategic game. This paper shows that the cooperative advertising strategy is a unique Nash equilibrium. Only when a seller has a relatively high revenue share ratio in the cooperative venture, and competition with the other seller is low, will the seller obtain higher profits with cooperative advertising than independent advertising. After competition increases to a certain level, the sellers fall into the prisoner’s dilemma. Cooperative advertising can increase the profits of the platform. It is better for the platform to cooperate with two sellers than with only one seller. Besides, a seller’s market share can also impact its advertising strategy. Previous studies were mainly based on traditional supply chains in the wholesale mode where the platform acts as a retailer. Our paper considers the supply chains under the agency mode where sellers compete on price and advertising.

‘Strategic sustainable development: The role of intermediaries in managing the sustainability compliance of a multi‐tier crop agri‐food supply chain. A developing economy perspective’

AbstractThis qualitative case study investigation highlights deeply entrenched sustainability challenges within a multi‐tier supply chain of a developing country's crop agri‐food sector. Focusing on the rice supply chain, the study reveals how Agri Processing Company Limited (APCL), operating as a first‐tier intermediary, effectively launched and managed different levels of intermediaries through ‘multi‐actor’ and ‘multi‐level’ management approaches to extend sustainability upstream in the rice supply chain, especially in the lower‐tiers previously considered ‘commodities with no value’. Social networking and progressive farmers played the inclusive roles of change agents in bringing all the stakeholders of a traditional and fragmented supply chain into a coordinated platform. The bottom‐up strategic management approach of APCL gained the trust of local stakeholders and buying firms, resulting in a sustainable business strategy. Increased collaboration at different levels of farming communities led to a transformed methodology for sustainable development through intermediaries. The transformed business structure and mediated governance of ‘multi actors’ supply chains revamped socio‐ecological outcomes for the lower‐tiers and improved local living conditions through economic fairness and equal opportunities. This transformation contributed to significant advances in Pakistan's rice industry towards sustainable development.

Lithium Recovery from Geologic Brines by Advanced Cation-Exchange Ionomers

As of today a massive restructuring of the energy system is taking place at the global level to curtail the use of fossil fuels and foster the large-scale implementation of renewable sources such as the sun and the wind. This is a crucial stepping stone to minimize the emissions of the greenhouse gases associated with the combustion of fossil fuels, with the ultimate goal to slow down global warming and ensure that the development of humankind could become compatible with the conservation of the natural environment.A major drawback of most renewable sources (e.g., the sun and the wind) is that they are intermittent and non-programmable. Hence, energy storage and distribution technologies are necessary to close the spatial and temporal gaps between the production of energy and its exploitation by end users. In this regard, lithium batteries (LiBs) are becoming one of the most promising tools to profitably use the energy obtained from renewable sources to power to a broad variety of applications, from portable electronics to light-duty (LD) vehicles.After decades of R&D efforts a large-scale rollout of LD vehicles powered by LiBs is currently taking place worldwide. Consequently, the production of massive amounts of LiBs is underway, straining the traditional supply chains of lithium and leading to a huge increase in the cost of this element, now listed by the European Union as a Critical Raw Material [1]. Accordingly, major efforts are dedicated at the global level to identify new and unexploited sources of lithium. In recent years it was acknowledged the potential of geologic brines to supply lithium. Geologic brines are widely available and abundant worldwide. However, an effective and inexpensive technology to selectively extract Li from a brine (that is typically much richer in other cations such as Na+, and Ca2+) is still not available.In this contribution a family of very inexpensive and chemically-stable cation-exchange ionomers is proposed. The physicochemical features of the ionomers are elucidated, with a particular reference to the cation-exchange capacity, the morphology (probed by scanning electron microscopy) and the porosimetric features (investigated by nitrogen physisorption techniques). In a second step it is studied the kinetics of cation binding upon immersing the ionomers into a suitable synthetic brine closely mimicking a natural specimen and including the following cations: Li+, Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+. The kinetic information is then used in experiments meant to determine the binding features at equilibrium of the various cations present in the synthetic brine to the ionomers.The following binding features of the ionomers are determined: (i) number of distinct binding sites; (ii) number of cations that can be coordinated to each binding site; and (iii) maximum theoretical binding of each cation to the ionomer, with a particular reference to Li+ [2]. The physicochemical properties of the ionomers are finally correlated to the binding parameters, allowing to suggest new strategies to devise enhanced ionomers able to extract selectively and cheaply Li+ from the brines.

Linking supply chains to ecosystems in the era of supply chain management 4.0

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing supply chain management, prompting a significant shift toward Supply Chain Management 4.0 (SCM 4.0). This transformation facilitates traditional supply chains evolving into platform-based ecosystems, thereby fundamentally redefining the processes of value creation, delivery, and capture. This study recognizes the divergence in empirical research between supply chains and ecosystems and aims to integrate these research streams by focusing on technological platforms. The study offers a comprehensive theoretical framework designed to dissect the evolutionary trajectories of supply chains into ecosystems in the SCM 4.0 context. By doing so, this research unveils the profound strategic implications of digital transformation, paving the way for groundbreaking research in SCM 4.0.