A fuzzy MICMAC analysis for improving supply chain performance of basic vaccines in developing countries

Pharmaceutical companies, upstream suppliers, associated logistics providers, health workers, regulatory agencies, public health experts and ultimately the medical practitioners and general public have been navigating an increasingly globalized vaccine supply chain; any disruption to the supply chain may cause cascading failure and have devastating consequences. The COVID-19 pandemic has already highlighted the lack of resilience in supply chains, as global networks fail from disruptions at single nodes and connections. As the race for a COVID-19 vaccine continues, the importance of not only an efficient supply chain but a resilient vaccine supply chain capable of reliable production and reaching target populations despite likely but currently unknown disruptions is imperative. Proactively applying resilience analytics to vaccine supply chain models will increase the probability that vaccination programs meet their goals. Without such a network in place for manufacture and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, even the most efficacious and safe vaccine will not prove viable. Through an overview of the existing vaccine and pharmaceutical supply chain publications focusing on resilience, as well as recent papers reporting modeling of resilience in supply chains across multiple fields, we find that models for supply chain resilience are few and most of them are focused on individual dimensions of resilience rather than on comprehensive strategy necessary for scaling up vaccine production and distribution in emergency settings. We find that COVID-19 resulted in a wave of interest to supply chain resilience, but publications from 2020 are narrow in focus and largely qualitative in nature; evidence-based models and measures are rare. Further, publications often focus exclusively on specific portions of the specific supply chain of interest, excluding associated supporting networks, such as transportation, social and command and control (C2) necessary for vaccine production and equitable distribution. This lack of network analysis is a major gap in the literature that needs to be bridged in order to create methods of real-time analysis and decision tools for the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain. We conclude that a comprehensive, quantitative approach to network resilience that encompasses the supply chain in the context of other social and physical networks is needed in order to address the emerging challenges of a large-scale COVID-19 vaccination program. We further find that the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the necessity of positioning supply chain resilience within a multi-network context and formally incorporating temporal dimensions into analysis through the NAS definition of resilience—plan, absorb, recover, adapt—to ensure essential needs are met across all dimensions of society. Modeling and analyzing vaccine supply chain resilience ensures that value is maintained should disruptions occur.KeywordsVaccine supply chain resilienceSupply chain resilienceVaccine supply chainPharmaceutical supply chainCOVID-19 supply chain

Purpose The necessity to assess and manage supply chains to be free from social problems such as human and labour rights abuses has become particularly apparent since the introduction of conflict minerals regulations in the United States (Dodd-Frank Act) and the European Union. Similarly, stakeholders demand that products are free from social problems. Ever more companies are therefore challenged to assess and manage social issues in their supply chains. At the same time, the increasing literature on assessment and management of social issues is disperse and an overview missing. This paper aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on social assessment and management approaches relating to conflict minerals and connected to social issues in supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A review of the academic literature on social assessment and management of conflict minerals to provide an overview is currently missing. This paper addresses this gap by systematically reviewing the existing research literature on approaches for the social assessment and management of conflict minerals from a supply chain perspective. Findings The systematic literature review found 21 social assessment and 30 social management approaches with reference to conflict minerals, with the most referenced approach being the OECD guidelines. Overall, the conflict mineral related literature discusses rather general social assessment and management approaches, such as codes of conduct, while the effectiveness of the approaches is not analysed in depth. The paper finds that an analysis of the effectiveness and interlinkages of different approaches is missing. The large variety of social and human rights issues addressed in the academic literature ranges from corruption to violence, going beyond the scope of regulations focused on conflict minerals. This indicates that regulations on conflict minerals and the consequences for management are seen as a specific case with wider implications for future regulations and the necessity for management to solve social problems in supply chains in an effective way. Research limitations/implications The review paper is conceptual and develops a framework to classify social assessment and management approaches for conflict minerals, drawing on the supply chain management literature. Practical implications The overview reveals that research refers to broader social assessment and management approaches indicating wider implications for assessing and managing social issues in supply chains in general, irrespective of whether they are conflict mineral related. Research has, however, so far not addressed the effectiveness and interlinkages between social assessment and management approaches. The aim of the emerging regulations, however, is to foster more effective management of social issues in supply chains. Management is therefore challenged to develop and implement innovative approaches to effectively reduce social problems in supply chains beyond conflict minerals. Conclusions are drawn for management and research. Social implications The paper highlights the need for collaboration with NGOs, industry associations and suppliers, recommending to engage in supplier development. Originality/value The paper conducts the first systematic review of academic literature on conflict mineral related social assessment and management approaches. A framework is proposed to classify social assessment and management approaches based on supply chain management literature. While conflict minerals often represent a small fraction of components in a product, they can have huge and costly implications for companies, which require (potentially) large changes for the sourcing and supply strategy of a company. Conflict mineral regulations represent the first attempt to regulate social and human rights abuses in supply chains holding companies responsible for misconduct caused by suppliers abroad.

Improving management of vaccine supply chains: A multi-methods evaluation of vSTEP in Zambia

Today supply chain management has become one of the crucial factors for gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage. Enterprises that can more effectively manage their supply chain network have a higher likelihood of success in the marketplace. To this end, companies need not only make the “make” or “buy” decisions but also differentiate across potential suppliers in order to improve operational performance, and hence, supplier selection is one of the key decisions aiding effective supply chain management. Many studies have also pointed out that the integration of product and supply chain is a key factor for profitability and efficiency. However, prior studies mostly address supply chain performance after the creation of a new product; and only a few studies discuss when and how to incorporate supply chain decisions during product design. In the studies that cover product design, product family and product platform concepts are presented as enabling vehicles for mass customization, which require a considerable investment, and hence might be out of reach for small to medium size enterprises (SME). Accordingly, there is a need to develop a methodology that can consider manufacturability and supply chain issues at the product design stage. This paper presents a graph theory based optimization methodology to tackle this problem. The supplier selection issue is considered by evaluating its impact on both engineering (e.g., process planning) and operational performance (e.g., cost and time), which are then aggregated as the supply chain performance at the conceptual design stage. A case study in the bicycle industry demonstrates the advantages of this methodology. The synchronized structure of the supply chain and the product design results in simultaneous optimization of both design and supply chain decisions during the early design stages.

PurposeThe objectives of this paper were twofold: to explore if there are differences in the perceptions about supply chain performance (SCP) and relationship quality (RQ) among traditional food supply chain members, and to examine the influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated relationship quality on SCP in the traditional food sector.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was conducted in a triadic context with 189 supply chain members (62 suppliers, 65 focal companies and 62 customers) of 65 traditional food supply chains (cheese, olive oil, meat products, brandies and liqueurs, wine and honey) in Croatia. The influence of individual relationship variables and aggregated RQ on perceived SCP was tested using regression analysis.FindingsIt was found that there were no significant differences in the perception of overall SCP and RQ among supply chain members. It was identified that aggregated RQ and all individual relationship variables (trust, commitment, economic satisfaction, non-coercive and coercive power, reputation and conflict) have a significant influence on perceived SCP of the traditional food supply chains.Practical implicationThis study provides a systematic approach to investigate the SCP and supply chain RQ in the traditional food sector. The findings suggest that managers should not neglect any aspect of supply chain relationship to keep high SCP and to be competitive on the market.Originality/valueThis multiple supply chain study makes an original empirical contribution to the supply chain and network management literature by using a triadic approach to investigate RQ and SCP. The influence of individual RQ constructs and aggregated RQ on traditional food SCP examined in this study has not been explored thus far. This study also makes an original empirical contribution by investigating RQ and SCP in the traditional food sector, which has received little attention recently.

PurposeDue to the introduction of new vaccines in the child immunization program and inefficient vaccine supply chain (VSC), the universal immunization program (UIP), India is struggling to provide a full schedule of vaccination to the targeted children. In this paper, the authors investigate the critical factors for improving the performance of the existing VSC system by implementing the next-generation vaccine supply chain (NGVSC) in India.Design/methodology/approachThe authors design a fuzzy multi-criteria framework using a fuzzy analytical hierarchical process (FAHP) and fuzzy multi-objective optimization on the basis of ratio analysis (FMOORA) to identify and analyze the critical barriers and enablers for the implementation of NGVSC. Further, the authors carry out a numerical simulation to validate the model.FindingsThe outcome of the analysis contends that demand forecasting is the topmost supply chain barrier and sustainable financing is the most important/critical enabler to facilitate the implementation of the NGVSC. In addition, the simulation reveals that the results of the study are reliable.Social implicationsThe findings of the study can be useful for the child immunization policymakers of India and other developing countries to design appropriate strategies for improving existing VSC performance by implementing the NGVSC.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the study is the first empirical study to propose the improvement of VSC performance by designing the NGVSC.

ObjectivesThe design of the supply chain determines how effectively any vaccination campaign can be operated. This case study of Switzerland's vaccine supply chain compares its design with public health objectives. It maps the vaccine supply chain in Switzerland as it was set up to handle the first shipments of Covid-19 vaccine in 2021 to enable a more holistic view of supply and demand flows. Recommendations are made to improve emergency logistics of vaccines in the future.MethodsTwenty-six semi-structured interviews with international and Swiss stake-holders were coded and analyzed to arrive at a description of planning and distribution processes. The vaccine supply chain network structure was mapped, linking upstream and downstream flows of material and information. The visualization of nodes and flows was combined with spatial information, including population data. The results are summarized in narrative form to support decision-makers across disciplines.ResultsDespite adequate vaccine supply, abundant local endowments and high investment in infrastructure, the 2021 design of Switzerland's vaccine supply chain reduced the potential reach of target populations. The segmentation of catchment populations, collaboration between administrative units and better use of information on geolocation and material flows could have improved the speed and reach of vaccinations during the emergency response phase. Three recommendations are made for supply chain structures to support higher vaccination rates in the future.ConclusionsThe visualization identifies design alternatives which could have improved vaccination rates under the prevailing conditions. A supply chain map provides public health officials with a shared view of the vaccine supply chain in order to better match supply with demand. The case study contributes to developed country studies. In order to improve public health outcomes in Switzerland, investments to secure supply, strong national endowments, and excellent infrastructure must be combined with optimized supply chain design.

Supply chain members’ reciprocal altruism and consumers’ quality and service reference effects are important behavioral factors that affect the decision-making of supply chain members. This article incorporates these factors into a product–service supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a retailer in the online-to-offline (O2O) environment. Based on the inherent dynamics of the model, we construct a differential game model between the manufacturer and the retailer. Based on the Bellman continuous dynamic programming theory, this study analyzes the quality strategy of the manufacturer, the service level strategy of the retailer, and the performance of the supply chain system under three decision-making patterns (decentralization, centralization, and reciprocal altruism) within the O2O framework. The results show that compared with the decentralized decision-making model, reciprocal altruism helps members develop higher quality and service levels, improve brand goodwill, and obtain greater utility. The results are verified by numerical examples, and sensitivity analysis of consumer quality and the service reference effect, channel preference, and members’ reciprocal altruism behavior on the supply chain performance is carried out. The results show: (1) Consumers’ reference effects cause an “anchoring mentality” among consumers, which leads the manufacturer to lower the quality level and the retailer to lower the service level. This hurts the performance of the product–service supply chain. Consumers’ channel preference has an important impact on supply chain members’ strategies and performance. (2) Retailers should encourage consumers to purchase products online and use offline channel services as sales assistance measures to satisfy consumers’ experience utility. (3) As a positive social preference, the supply chain performance under the members’ reciprocal altruism decision-making model is Pareto-improved and receives additional social benefits. (4) Only when the manufacturer and the retailer have pure altruistic preference, that is, minimum return and maximum altruism, the total profit of the supply chain can reach that of the centralized decision-making scenario.

The aim of the paper is to present the modeling approach using simulation tool to assess environmental issues in supply chain with remanufacturing. Remanufacturing is usually multi-optional and multi-operations process, not as transparent as the manufacturing process itself. The supply chain with remanufacturing has to take in consideration the reverse materials flow and additional activities like for example collection of used product, disassembly and reprocessing. The simulation tools seem to have a big potential to model such environmental indicators like for example energy consumption, water usage and sewages control. The paper examines the potential of application of simulation model in a field of remanufacturing. Authors elaborated generic simulation modeling approach which might be used in global and local level of a supply chain.

Background: Since the roll-out of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines worldwide, South Africa has had to adjust and overcome challenges associated with the safe and effective distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens. Vaccines are biological products, and many supply chain factors could influence product integrity and efficacy. This study focuses on aiding the logistics industry in understanding the COVID-19 vaccine supply chain around its handling, storage, and transportation requirements.Objectives: The study had five objectives. Firstly, to understand the functionality and components of a vaccine supply chain and, secondly to identify the stakeholders involved and their roles. Thirdly, the researchers wanted to comprehend and clarify the cold chain protocols for each category of the COVID-19 vaccines procured and the appropriate international best practices. The last two objectives were to identify the skill and training requirements of stakeholders on all levels, and using these inputs in creating an educational toolkit, aimed at operationally involved supply chain stakeholders.Method: The researchers made use of both primary and secondary data, focusing mostly on collecting data through a literature review, stakeholder analysis, and interview process.Results: The study outcome was a COVID-19 vaccine educational toolkit with four tools addressing the research objectives: (1) An identification of all vaccine supply chain stakeholders, (2) vaccine categorisation according to type and equipment required, (3) handling, storage, and delivery protocols, and (4) vaccine supply chain skill and training requirements.Conclusion: These tools can be used as a basis when educating and/or training COVID-19 vaccine supply chain employees on different levels and stages.

Perioperative Cardiac Research Considerations During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

Impact of supply chain digitalization on supply chain resilience and performance: A multi-mediation model

Supply chain management survey of Swedish manufacturing firms

The level of sales of copra coconuts fell during the pandemic in proportion to the decrease in consumer demand. It is a problem caused by improper handling in the supply chain. The Agroindustry needs to maintain and improve its supply chain performance. Objectives This research analyses supply chain structure, performance, value creation, and supply chain state. Performance measurement was carried out using the Supply Chain Operations Reference Method (SCOR), Analytical Hierarchy Procedure (AHP), and the Hayami method for added value analysis. CV. X comprises several supply chain members, including farmers, collectors, the copra industry, and consumers. Business push starts with farmers, collectors, industry, which produces products, and consumers. The profit rate for farmers is 3.5156 percent, and for collectors is -5.525 percent; the industry profit rate is -7,656,590.90 percent.
 
 Tingkat penjualan kelapa kopra turun selama pandemi, sebanding dengan penurunan permintaan konsumen. Ini adalah masalah yang disebabkan oleh penanganan yang tidak tepat dalam rantai pasokan. Oleh karena itu, agroindustri perlu mempertahankan dan meningkatkan kinerja rantai pasoknya. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis struktur rantai pasokan, kinerja, penciptaan nilai dan keadaan rantai pasok. Pengukuran kinerja dilakukan menggunakan Metode Referensi Operasi Rantai Pasokan (SCOR), Prosedur Hierarki Analitik (AHP), dan metode Hayami untuk analisis nilai tambah. CV. X. terdiri dari beberapa anggota rantai pasokan, termasuk petani, pengepul, industri kopra, dan konsumen. Bisnis push dimulai dengan petani, diikuti oleh pengepul, industri, yang menghasilkan produk, dan terakhir konsumen. Tingkat keuntungan petani adalah 3,5156 persen dan pengepul adalah -5.525 persen; tingkat keuntungan industri adalah -7.656.590,90 persen.

\nAdvances in information technology and increased social networking have increased health awareness among people in this era. The increased health awareness has prompted people to eat healthy and stay fit. In this regard, the food sector has seen tremendous demand in terms of good quality vegetables/fruits, cereals, with hygiene, nutrition, proteins etc. With the consumer willing to pay an extra premium for the quality expected, it has been observed that the producers are still offered low prices for a good quality produce whereas the intermediaries grab a huge share of the price paid by the consumer. This research tried to understand the supply chain with the farmers in focus and explored the influence of farmer demographics and the supply chain issues on the performance of the organized retail. Linear regression analysis was used to test the linear relationship of supply chain issues with organized retailer performance. The outcome of the study implies that independent variables like demographic characteristics and supply chain issues had no control over the retailer’s performance.\n