Identification and causal assessment of supply chain flexibility

Supply Chain Resilience and Operational Performance: The Role of Digital Technologies in Jordanian Manufacturing Firms

This study aims to analyze the relationship between supply chain resilience (SCR) practices and operational performance and the moderating role of digital technologies in Jordanian manufacturing firms. A descriptive-analytical approach was adopted using a questionnaire based on the study model and previous related literature. Four hundred supply chain (SC)-related managers within seventy-one firms were reached to collect the needed data; three hundred and seventy-two complete questionnaires were analyzed. The results revealed that the level of SCR practices and operational performance was high; SCR (with its sub-dimensions: SC agility (SCA), SC flexibility (SCF), and SC collaboration (SCC)) had a significant positive relationship with operational performance; and the appropriate use of digital technologies had a significant moderating impact on the aggregate level of the SCR–operational performance relationship. Finally, research limitations, practical implications, and future research conclude this study.

Flexible Green Supply Chain Management in Emerging Economies: A Systematic Literature Review

The purpose of this research is to synthesize the fragmented extant knowledge on flexible and green supply chain management (FGSCM) in the context of emerging economies and to unearth research gaps to motivate future research. We adopted a novel structured systematic literature review by triangulating a systematic literature review, text mining, and network analysis. Institutional theory and contingency theory were employed to analyze the results of the review. The results show that, firstly, research on FGSCM in emerging economies, despite its importance, is immature compared to general FGSCM literature. Second, the specificities of strategies and practices that distinguish this topic in emerging economies are discussed and the drivers and barriers are identified with respect to sources of institutional pressure. Third, a research framework for FGSCM in emerging economies is developed and 12 gaps for future research are identified. This study has exclusively developed a research framework for FGSCM in an emerging economy which has received the least consideration in the literature and practice. The framework was developed to synthesize the existing literature and to identify the research gaps to inspire future research.

Supply chain management practices, retail outlets attributes and organisational performance: a case of organised food retailers in India

Purpose

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of supply chain management (SCM) practices and retail outlet attributes on the performance of organised food retailers in India during COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

Authors conducted empirical research with SCM practices and retail outlet attributes to evaluate the retailers’ performance. The authors present the results from 321 valid responses from the Indian food retailers. The study used structured equation modeling to present the analysis and the results.

Findings

The findings of this study reveal that most of the SCM practices (i.e. information technology, level of information sharing, customer relationship, supplier relationship and goal congruence) have a positive impact on performance except the quality of information sharing. The results show that in the time of the pandemic, the retail outlet attributes (image, service quality and convenience) have no significant relationship with the food retailer’s performance while SCM practices are necessary to achieve better performance of the food retailers.

Research limitations/implications

A proactive approach is needed from retailers at the time of pandemic situations to manage the supply chains. The retailers must be extra careful in screening the suppliers for the short and long run. The reason being that in the situation of pandemic, customers might be more demanding and hence, food retailers need to pay special attention to gain growth. It is also required that the policymakers should give importance to the implementation of these SCM practices to be positioned differently.

Originality/value

The research can be valued in terms of its original contribution towards companies in overcoming the disruption caused by COVID-19 to maintain a balance between demand and supply and proposes a completely new theoretical framework. The proposed theoretical model would add value to the existing literature to help the retailers in process of their performance improvement. The study has provided insights for retail organisations, suppliers and government departments to manage their SCs more effectively and efficiently during the pandemic.

Resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic: is the hotel and tourism supply chain on the right path?

Purpose

The hotel and tourism industry forms a crucial economic sector for all the economies around the world. However, it suffered the worst hit during the COVID-19 outbreak. Considering the hotel and tourism sector's critical situation, this manuscript aims to emphasise the importance of resilience in the hotel and tourism supply chain (HTSC) and explores the crucial barriers that tend to disturb the inculcation of stability in the hotel and tourism sector. The present research analyses the factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience and also takes into consideration the various critical success factors (CSFs) needed to build a resilient HTSC.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-phase research approach has been proposed and used in this study. In the first phase, eight CSFs and sixteen factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified. The basis of the identification of the CSFs and factors was literature and inputs received from experts. In the second phase, the grey-Entropy-EDAS, a qualitative and quantitative analysis, was used to analyse the identified CSFs and factors to determine the priority of concern.

Findings

In this research, the most imperative facet influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience has been identified, and the findings will assist hotel and tourism sector in managing and mitigating the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of the results indicates that out of all the critical success factors, supply chain visibility is the most crucial aspect in building HTSC's resilience, whereas economic catastrophe is the most influential factor. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted to examine the priority ranking stability.

Practical implications

The results of this study can be used by the hotel supply chain managers and policymakers to plan for various challenges faced by them as they try to implement resilience-based strategies in their supply chain.

Originality/value

This research is unique as it analyses the general factors hindering the pathway of resilience in the hotel and tourism supply chain. This is also the first kind of study that has used grey-Entropy to analyse the critical success factors and grey-EDAS for analysing the impact of various factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience.

Does a retailer's performance depend on CSR practices? A stakeholder theory perspective from developing economy

Purpose

The study aims to examine the relationship between retailer's performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Indian context. The article introduces a new conceptual model considering the parameters as per the stakeholder theory perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted empirical research with CSR practices (CSRP) and other parameters to evaluate the retailers' performance using stakeholder theory. The authors present the results from 292 valid responses from the Indian retailers. The study used structured equation modeling (SEM) to present the analysis and the results.

Findings

Findings indicate that CSRP along with additional constructs loyalty (L), reputation (R), customer satisfaction (CS) and competitive advantage (CA) have positive and significant impact on organizational performance (OP).

Practical implications

The framework will serve as a guiding tool to the management of the retail outlets to examine carefully the link among CSRP with other variables presented in the study and subsequently to the retail outlet performance. The retailers must be more focused on the expectations and demands of the customers concerning products and services for better growth of the firms.

Originality/value

The uniqueness of the study lies in “CSR practices enabled integrated model” to examine the performance of the organizations. The proposed theoretical model would add value to the existing literature to help the retailers in process of their performance improvement.

Artificial intelligence for supply chain resilience: learning from Covid-19

Purpose

Many supply chains have faced disruption during Covid-19. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one mechanism that can be used to improve supply chain resilience by developing business continuity capabilities. This study examines how firms employ AI and consider the opportunities for AI to enhance supply chain resilience by developing visibility, risk, sourcing and distribution capabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have gathered rich data by conducting semistructured interviews with 35 experts from the e-commerce supply chain. The authors have adopted a systematic approach of coding using open, axial and selective methods to map and identify the themes that represent the critical elements of AI-enabled supply chain resilience.

Findings

The results of the study highlight the emergence of five critical areas where AI can contribute to enhanced supply chain resilience; (1) transparency, (2) ensuring last-mile delivery, (3) offering personalized solutions to both upstream and downstream supply chain stakeholders, (4) minimizing the impact of disruption and (5) facilitating an agile procurement strategy.

Research limitations/implications

The study offers interesting implications for bridging the theory–practice gap by drawing on contemporary empirical data to demonstrate how enhancing dynamic capabilities via AI technologies further strengthens supply chain resilience. The study also offers suggestions for utilizing the findings and proposes a framework to strengthen supply chain resilience through AI.

Originality/value

The study presents the dynamic capabilities for supply chain resilience through the employment of AI. AI can contribute to readying supply chains to reduce their risk of disruption through enhanced resilience.

Effect of information sharing in supply chains: understanding the roles of supply chain visibility, agility, collaboration on supply chain performance

Purpose

Exploring ways to acquire, sustain and improve competitive positions in supply chains through information sharing, supply chain visibility, collaboration and agility have been essential for scholars and practitioners. Basing on the relational view, resource based view and the extended resource based view, this study assesses the critical role of information sharing in supply chains through emphasizing its effect on supply chain visibility, collaboration, agility and supply chain performance. Particularly, the study proposes that information sharing, supply chain visibility, collaboration and agility collectively have crucial direct and indirect influences on supply chain performance which lead to superior gains, competitiveness and flexibility.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a survey research design, a quantitative approach and partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) in making data analysis and interpretations due to its suitability for predictive research models.

Findings

The results indicate information sharing positively and significantly influenced supply chain visibility, collaboration, agility and performance. Supply chain visibility presented significant effects on collaboration, agility and performance, while supply chain collaboration and agility had significant impact on supply chain performance. The study findings connote that information sharing is key to enhancing competitive gains and superior supply chain performance.

Originality/value

The study is among the few to probe on how information sharing as a variable interacts with supply chain visibility, collaboration, agility and performance. Although, information sharing has received a lot of attention in supply chains, this study is among the first to capture the study variables in a single model and thus, exposes the vital need for information sharing in improving supply chain performance seeing that it ensured significant and robust impacts on the study variables.

Exploring the influence of supply chain collaboration on supply chain visibility, stakeholder trust, environmental and financial performances: a partial least square approach

Purpose

The need to stay competitive amidst ever-changing business environment has shifted competitive strategies from firms to supply chains. Managers are now basing competitive strategies on supply chains acknowledging that supply chains present competitive advantages among other resources. The purpose of the study is to explore the predictive relevance of supply chain collaboration and the extent to which it influences supply chain visibility, stakeholder trust, environmental and financial performances. This study focused on manufacturing firms due to their supplier relationships, consumption of resources, energy and emissions of greenhouse gasses.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a survey research design, a quantitative approach and partial least square structural equation modelling technique in making data analysis and interpretations due to its suitability for predictive research models as is the case in this study.

Findings

The study hypothesized that supply chain collaboration positively and significantly interacts with supply chain visibility, stakeholder trust, environmental and financial performances. The study results confirmed supply chain collaboration as a significant, positive and a robust influence on supply chain visibility, stakeholder trust, environmental and financial performances thereby projecting win-win scenarios for firms that engage in collaborative supply chain practices.

Originality/value

The study is among the few to indicate findings in relation to the scope of supply chain collaboration's potency in influencing performance from the perspective of manufacturing firms operational in an emerging economy. Thus, this study contributes to understanding the wider scope of supply chain collaboration, its interactions with other firm variables and how it informs decisions of managers, scholars and supply chain partners.

Integrated approach for finding the causal effect of waste management over sustainability in the organization

Purpose

In developed and developing countries, organizations need to do sustainability reporting. The purpose of this paper is to identify the vital linkages of sustainability, which helps to capture the existing waste management practice in sustainable organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper reports a mixed-method approach for sustainable organization. Initially, the waste management and sustainability factors have been linked together for finding the relation between them through the situation, actor, process, learning, action, performance (SAP-LAP) linkages framework; it has been used as qualitative design details to achieve sustainability in the organization. The waste management and sustainability factors linkages have been used as a reference to guide the cause and effect relationship through decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to upgrade knowledge for a sustainable organization.

Findings

The proposed method has been used to meet the functional requirements of sustainability in the organization. Waste management has been analyzed as the most significant benchmarks to achieve sustainability in the organization. The causal relationship reveals that the social image of an organization as a sustainable organization is the effect of its governmental directives, followed by the organization. The governmental directives is the most influencing dimension, and waste management efficiency and energy consumption are the most related, whereas wastivity is the most flexible dimension of sustainability in the organization. To increase its customer satisfaction, profit share and market value, these factors must be considered as vital factors of organization's sustainable performance.

Research limitations/implications

The scope of the present research has been limited to benchmark sustainability by analyzing eight waste management factors and ten critical sustainability factors that have been grouped into four dimensions in the service sector, which could be generalized. The expert's view has been captured for DEMATEL based on “ratings provided by experts,” which may be biased.

Practical implications

Benchmarked sustainability factors have been proposed to increase the value and performance of the organization. The cause and effect relationship is useful to present the capability of waste management to act as a strong foundation for establishing a sustainable organization, where governmental directives, wastivity, waste management efficiency, and energy consumption act as the benchmarking factors to compare sustainable organization performance in developing the county's viewpoint. The present study considered the fourth dimension of sustainability “government and customer” as the dynamic dimension of sustainability, which can absorb and diffuse the changes in sustainable organization with time and can improvise social acceptance.

Originality/value

The research improves the existing method of measuring the performance of the sustainable organization by using well-established methods.

Identification of cause and effect relationships among barriers of Industry 4.0 using decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method

Purpose

Industry 4.0 is regarded as a modern industrial phase wherein convergence between horizontal and vertical production systems, along with their interactions, would enable industries to obtain excellent industrial efficiency. This research thus explores the barriers relevant to Industry 4.0 and their cause and effect relations using the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique, and this will assist in the implementation of Industry 4.0 in manufacturing industries.

Design/methodology/approach

A comprehensive literature review is carried out to outline the barriers for the Industry 4.0 implementation. The investigative techniques used in this research were conducted utilizing a questionnaire as an instrument for collecting data. The data collected were analysed using the method DEMATEL.

Findings

The findings indicate that key barriers to implementing Industry 4.0 include their cause and effect relationships. Reported “implementation costs” have been a critical barrier for Industry 4.0 implementation. Prioritization of barriers and their cause and effect relationships was achieved so that decision-makers could concentrate on overcoming such barriers for Industry 4.0 implementation.

Practical implications

The research is intended to assist executives in recognizing the barriers to Industry 4.0 implementation in their manufacturing industries. Furthermore, the strong functional and empirical importance of emerging and digital manufacturing technologies ensures that understanding the necessary barriers to implementation is important.

Originality/value

This is one of the first few empirical studies in the field of Indian manufacturing industries that uses the DEMATEL method framework as a foundation for recognizing cause-effect interactions among the barriers that affect Industry 4.0.

Selection of environmental-conscious sourcing: an empirical investigation

Purpose

The prime objective of this paper is to design a green supply chain management (GSCM) framework to evaluate the performance of environmental-conscious suppliers using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The literature survey reveals critical factors for implementing GSCM, adopted methodologies and the result obtained by several researchers. Data have been collected by conducting surveys and interviews with strategic-level personnel of five esteemed organizations in automobile manufacturing sectors. A GSCM framework is developed in which a mathematical tool entropy–the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) has been used to analyze the six parameters of automobile manufacturing unit. Initially, entropy is used to find the weights of each of the parameters that influence the decision matrix of the TOPSIS method. Secondly, the proposed GSCM framework ranks the supplier. Finally, sensitivity analysis of the model satisfies the GSCM framework and benchmarked the supplier.

Findings

The result shows that “Total CO2 emission” has an influential role for GSCM sustainability, and hence, firms should put more effort to reduce emissions to improve overall performance. Again, the parameters like investment in R&D and total waste generation may be ignored in the selection process. The result reveals the benchmarked supplier and its strategies for effective sourcing, which would have an indirect effect on organizations' overall sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

This research entirely focuses on sustainability within supply chain considering economic, social and environmental paradigms. The mathematical modeling of the proposed work considers many influential parameters and provides an easy and comprehensive decision-making technique.

Practical implications

The methods may be adopted by the industries for sustainable supply chain management. This study benchmarks the supplier organizations and explores the adopted policies by benchmarked organizations. Other organizations should follow the policies followed by benchmarked organization for enhancing environmental, social and economic performance. Organizations striving for sustainable development can adopt this framework for evaluation of supplier performance and benchmark with better accuracy.

Originality/value

The design of the GSCM framework explores both the qualitative and quantitative data based on environmental, social and economic parameters simultaneously in the evaluation of environmentally conscious suppliers. The research also investigates the constraints of the system to implement the GSCM in automobile manufacturing unit. Additionally, the sensitivity analysis justifies the benchmarked supplier and the adopted strategies to be followed by other manufacturing unit.

Influence of data-driven supply chain quality management on organizational performance: evidences from retail industry

Purpose

The objective of the study is to test a conceptual model based on the interrelation between data-driven supply chain quality management practices (DDSCQMP) and the performance of organized retailing firms in India.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a comprehensive review of literature, the dimensions of DDSCQMP concerning the Indian organized retail sector have been extracted. Considering the research objectives, the research data has been collected using a structured questionnaire from Indian retailers. Overall 133 questionnaires were responded successfully from retailers. The model was tested using structured equation modeling (SEM) through PLS 3.0.

Findings

The research findings confirm hypotheses and reveal the statistically significant relationship between DDSCQMP and retailers' performance at an aggregate level. However, the results of the individual-level analysis of DDSCQMP appear to vary from practice to practice. Among various DDSCQMP, “customer focus” with the highest beta (ß) value was found to have the greatest impact on performance followed by “employee relations”.

Originality/value

The study provides empirical justification for a structural model that identifies a positive and significant relationship between DDSCQMP and organizational performance within the context of organized retail sector of India.

Supply chain agility assessment of an Indonesian humanitarian organization

Purpose

The article presents an evaluation of the supply chain agility of the Indonesian humanitarian organization Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT). It discusses the flexibility, responsiveness and effectiveness of ACT's supply chain.

Design/methodology/approach

The supply chain agility metrics were assessed based on interviews with representatives from ACT and the National Agency for Disaster Management (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana [BNPB]). Recommendations were made based on the assessment results.

Findings

The findings of this study indicated that ACT's supply chain agility maturity was at level 2 or repeatable. This meant that ACT's humanitarian supply chain (HSC) had demonstrated agility only on limited occasions. ACT's supply chain agility can be improved by enhancing the flexibility component.

Practical implications

The study shows how to assess the supply chain agility of a humanitarian organization and identify the components/capabilities of agility that need improvement. The same assessment can be conducted by other humanitarian organizations to enhance their supply chain agility to improve their emergency response in the event of a disaster.

Originality/value

The study provides insights into the supply chain agility of a locally based humanitarian organization in an emerging country, which is rarely discussed in the literature.

Exploring integrated supply chain performance in healthcare: a service provider perspective

Purpose

The paper identifies the antecedents and consequences of integrated supply chain performance (ISCP) in healthcare systems.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a review of the literature constructs of supply chain flexibility (SCF), employee relationships (ERs), organizational orientation (OO) and knowledge exchange (KE) were identified as antecedents of ISCP, and patient centricity (PC) emerged as its consequence. This structural relationship was tested using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

ERs, SCF, OO and KE positively impacted the performance of an integrated healthcare supply chain. Furthermore, enhanced ISCP in operational processes of the hospital positively influenced patient centeredness and care quality.

Research limitations/implications

Paper contributes by identifying antecedents and consequences of ISCP. Future researchers may explore the inter-relationships among the antecedents of ISCP.

Practical implications

Insights from this study will help practitioners in enhancing hospital operations by integrating processes along the healthcare service supply chain and developing a patient-centric approach.

Social implications

This paper highlights how PC may be achieved by focusing on a facilitative internal environment. This understanding may help in designing processes that deliver health as a social good in an effective manner.

Originality/value

The empirical evidence from this study can help hospitals integrate their functions, thus, enabling them to deliver quality care.

A systematic review of responsiveness to develop future research agenda: a TCCM and bibliometric analysis

Purpose

This paper aims to epistemologically extend and explore the present theories from prior research conducted in the area of responsiveness. Furthermore, it determines to benchmark the prominent theories, characteristics, context and methodologies (TCCM) used in the domain since its inception to advance the science and practice of marketing and logistics discipline.

Design/methodology/approach

A seven-step methodology (SSM) has been introduced to create a comprehensive dataset. Based upon the selection criteria of high-ranked journals and language, the research studies have been retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, Business Source Complete and journal homepage to avoid the error of exclusion. Moreover, the dataset has been compiled using manual and electronic searches without any limitation of time.

Findings

The search for a suitable dataset retrieved 642 documents by identifying “1969” as the beginning year of research in the subject domain. The analysis found that responsiveness has been prominently studied in the manufacturing industry. The results also advocate responsiveness as the vital antecedent to performance and satisfaction. Frameworks have been proposed with significant propositions for future empirical testing and theory inventiveness by researchers.

Originality/value

The study pioneers its utility for retailers to recognize the firms' inherent abilities and strengths, which can be promoted to create responsiveness more than ever. The analysis results can act as the compelling force to understand the driving power of various factors influencing responsiveness.

An integrative framework of supply chain flexibility

Purpose

It is crucial to recognize that supply chain flexibility is important to build sustainable competitive edge in coping with uncertainty. This study puts forth an empirically supported integrative framework to understand supply chain flexibility from market-oriented and network-oriented perspectives, interrelationships among its dimensions and the effect of supply chain complexity as a contingent factor.

Design/methodology/approach

The online survey data were collected from 201 manufacturing companies and checked for common method variance, validity and reliability. Structural equation modeling was then used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The results of this study demonstrate that there are interrelationships among market-oriented and network-oriented supply chain flexibility dimensions. It is the flexibility embedded in the supply chain network configuration that plays critical roles in superior performance in flexibility capabilities to create customer values. The interrelated effect among flexibility dimensions is contingent on the magnitude of the supply chain complexity corresponding to the number of supply chain tiers.

Originality/value

This study takes a step to advance understanding of supply chain flexibility from an integrative point of view consisting of market-oriented and network-oriented perspectives. This study is expected to provide practitioners the foundation to implement supply chain flexibility considering the interrelationships among flexibility dimensions. Our results suggest that to carry out a supply chain flexibility strategy, the vertical complexity of the supply chain structure needs to be taken into consideration.

Lessons from the humanitarian disaster logistics management

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to draw lessons for logistics management in humanitarian disasters, using the earthquake in Haiti as a case study. In Haiti, there were problems with the logistical response. This study investigates the humanitarian logistics challenges faced by various stakeholders in Haiti during the disaster-relief operations.

Design/methodology/approach

In this exploratory case study, the central methodology used was data triangulation. Data triangulation involved interviews with respondents grouped into three categories, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the military establishment and the governmental agencies. Prominence is given to the common themes expressed by each group. These common themes are then compared to the themes of other groups to identify opportunities and problems for future disaster relief operations.

Findings

The study indicates that there is a clear gap in terms of how the humanitarian efforts were coordinated between different actors. Lack of civil–military cooperation and coordination was one of the findings from the interviews, and many of the resources and initiatives were overlapping or redundant. Timeliness and efficiency need to be at the forefront of all planning and would result in more saved lives and reduced human suffering. The key goal of humanitarian logistics stipulates is to form connections and relationships, which was well illustrated through the informants' interviews. It was found that organizing different stakeholders/actors to work together by sharing processes and distribution channels demands a vision that goes beyond logistics management. Government agencies, the military establishment, NGOs, locals and victims need to collaborate to create a synergy in generating solutions that are tailored to the shock of the disaster in the first place.

Research limitations/implications

The current study relies on a single case study approach as disaster scenarios are unique in terms of their impact, magnitude, timing and location. Despite these limitations, this study provides a detailed account of the logistical challenges in dealing with the disaster that took place in Haiti. The logistics-related lessons learned from this case study should be carefully applied in other settings, taken into consideration contextual differences.

Practical implications

One important aspect of measuring efficiency for any commercial logistics system is key performance indicators (KPIs) that indicate how well the firm is doing in managing its inbound and outbound operations. From a practical standpoint, the Haiti case raised a challenging concern with regard to how to measure the performance of humanitarian disaster logistics. This is a starting point to understand the dynamics of disaster system efficiency and logistics interplay and offers a few lessons to improve the resource availability in the case of future emergencies.

Originality/value

This study lays the groundwork for future researchers to explore and debrief on the topic once disaster relief draws to a close and time has allowed logisticians and relief workers to analyze the response mechanisms used in disasters.