Building Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains: A Distributed Ledger-Based Learning Feedback Loop

Objective – Coal mining operations encounter substantial risks and uncertainties that originate from a wide array of sources, encompassing but not limited to natural calamities, supplier disruptions, market volatilities, regulatory modifications, and geopolitical instability. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive literature review on supply chain resilience in the coal mining industry and pinpoint potential avenues for further investigation. Methodology – A systematic literature review (SLR) was utilized to examine a total of 115 studies in the field of management and the coal mining supply chain. The studies were published from 2010 to 2023. The vulnerabilities and resilience strategies within the coal mining supply chain are the focal points of our research. We have integrated viewpoints from the domains of management and the coal mining supply chain to support our analysis. Findings – Challenges such as resource distribution, government policies, and maintenance are prevalent, pointing to the need for strategies that enhance performance through dynamic optimization and incentivizing integration. Practitioners must identify vulnerabilities in the coal mining supply chain to proactively anticipate and effectively manage potential disruptions, thus bolstering operational resilience. Novelty –This study fills the gap in extant literature by investigating the sequential application of supply chain resilience in the context of coal mining operations using the integrative view of supply chain nodes. Type of Paper: Review JEL Classification: M00, L72, M11, O13. Keywords: Coal mining, Disruption, Risk mitigation, Supply chain resilience, Systematic literature review Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Sinaga, P.T; Simatupang, T.M; Basri, M.H. (2024). Enhancing Supply Chain Resilience in Coal Mining: A Review of Managing Disruptions, J. Bus. Econ. Review, 8(4), 01–10. https://doi.org/10.35609/jber.2024.8.4(1)

Purpose This study aims to explore the interplay between supply chain collaboration and disruption and their joint impact on supply chain resilience. It also aims to identify the configurational conditions under which supply chain resilience is achieved, providing a holistic framework for enhancing supply chain management practices amidst disruptions. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the complex causal mechanisms linking supply chain collaboration and disruption with supply chain resilience. The research integrates three dimensions of collaboration with three dimensions of disruption, offering a comprehensive understanding of supply chain resilience factors. Findings This study reveals that supply chain resilience is not solely dependent on individual elements but is shaped by unique configurations of collaboration and disruption factors. Information sharing emerges as a core factor in high resilience, while the absence of supply and facility disruptions significantly influences resilience outcomes. The research highlights the importance of multiple paths leading to supply chain resilience and the asymmetrical impact of collaboration and disruption. Research limitations/implications The study acknowledges limitations due to data sourced exclusively from China and the use of static data, suggesting the need for cross-temporal and international samples to enhance broader applicability. Future research should consider dynamic temporal changes and diverse theoretical perspectives to comprehensively examine the factors influencing supply chain resilience. Practical implications The research underscores the critical role of information sharing in bolstering supply chain resilience and advises firms to prioritize it in their strategies. It also highlights the importance of mitigating supply and facility disruptions through supplier diversification and robust contingency planning, offering actionable insights for enhancing operational efficiency and risk management in supply chain management. Social implications This research has significant social implications, particularly in the context of global supply chain disruptions. By identifying key factors that enhance supply chain resilience, it can help businesses better prepare for and respond to crises, thereby reducing economic instability and social disruption. Improved resilience can lead to more stable employment, maintain the flow of essential goods and services and contribute to overall societal well-being during times of supply chain stress. Originality/value This study offers original insights by applying fsQCA to explore the multifaceted relationship between supply chain collaboration, disruption and resilience. Its value lies in revealing the complex causal configurations that lead to high or low levels of supply chain resilience, challenging traditional linear perspectives and providing a nuanced understanding that can guide both academic research and practical supply chain management strategies.

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the efficacy of the supply network approach in bolstering supply chain resilience amidst escalating global uncertainty. With enterprises worldwide facing increasing threats that disrupt supply chains, this research explores how firms enhance supply network resilience during crises.Design/methodology/approachUsing a multi-case study design, this research thoroughly examines interactions within firms’ supply networks to uncover new insights on supply network approach and how firms enhance supply network resilience against global uncertainty. The selection of cases was methodologically aligned to represent diverse industries and geographical locations to ensure a comprehensive analysis.FindingsThis study’s findings reveal how firms develop supply network resilience during global crises. The supply network perspective provides a deeper understanding of how firms manage supply chain interactions, interdependencies and strategic positions to survive and thrive during crises. The conceptual framework developed here provides insights that can foster improved coordination and facilitate effective temporary organising. The framework highlights the need for firms to proactively seize opportunities and mitigate risks within their global supply chains during crises to boost overall resilience.Originality/valueOffering novel insights into the domain of supply chain networks, this study underscores novel perspectives of the supply network approach when firms develop supply chain resilience during global crises. Highlighting the adaptive responses of firms that integrate these approaches enriches the understanding of strategic manoeuvres firms can use to navigate global uncertainty and secure supply chain continuity.

In the face of global competition, competitive enterprises should pursue sustainable development, and strengthen their supply chain resilience to cope with risks at any time. In addition, big data analysis has been successfully applied in a variety of fields. However, the method has not been applied to improve supply chain resilience in order to reduce sustainable supply chain risks. An approach for enhancing the capabilities of big data analytics must be developed to enhance supply chain resilience, and mitigate sustainable supply chain risks. In this study, a decision framework that integrates two-stage House of Quality and multicriteria decision-making was constructed. By applying this framework, enterprise decision-makers can identify big data analytics that improve supply chain resilience, and resilience indicators that reduce sustainable supply chain risks. A case study of one of China’s largest relay manufacturers is presented to demonstrate the practicability of the framework. The results showed that the key sustainable supply chain risks are risks regarding the IT infrastructure and information system efficiency, customer supply disruptions, transport disruptions, natural disasters, and government instability. To reduce risk in sustainable supply chains, enterprises must improve the key resilience indicators ‘financial capability’, ‘flexibility’, ‘corporate culture’, ‘information sharing’, and ‘robustness’. Moreover, to increase supply chain resilience, the following most important big data analysis enablers should be considered: ‘capital investment’, ‘building big data sharing mechanism and visualisation’, and ‘strengthening big data infrastructures to support platforms and systems’. This decision framework helps companies prioritise big data analysis enablers to mitigate sustainable supply chain risks in manufacturing organisations by strengthening supply chain resilience. The identified priorities will benefit companies that are using big data strategies and pursuing supply chain resilience initiatives. In addition, the results of this study show the direction of creating a fruitful combination of big data technologies and supply chain resilience to effectively mitigate sustainable risks. Despite the limited enterprise resources, management decision-makers can determine where big data analysis enablers can be most cost-effectively improved to promote risk resilience of sustainable supply chains; this ensures the efficient implementation of effective big data strategies.

Role of flexibility, agility and responsiveness for sustainable supply chain resilience during COVID-19

Digital technologies have become a cause célèbre among academics and practitioners as great tools capable of building resilient and sustainable supply chains. This chapter provides an overview of the recent developments in data analytics applications in supply chain resilience (SCR) and supply chain sustainability (SCS). There has been an exponential growth of literature on data analytics applications for SCR and SCS, with a particularly notable increase observed since 2015. In this systematic literature review, we find that both SCR and SCS research are concentrated around five main themes: (1) data analytics capabilities, (2) role of Industry 4.0, (3) blockchain adoption, (4) big data analytics, and (5) machine learning. Closed-loop supply chain design and circular economy are of unique focus in SCS, while digital twin only emerged as a research theme in SCR research. The underlying themes in SCR contexts are more dispersed than in SCS, mostly due to the comparative maturity of SCS research. In light of the promising developments in data analytics applications for SCR and SCS, promising avenues for future inquiry are the design of effective data-sharing incentive mechanisms, and the utilization of big data from social media platforms, yielding valuable insights for both research and practitioners.

Measuring the influence of digital twins on the sustainability of manufacturing supply chain: A mediating role of supply chain resilience and performance

This review proposes a comprehensive framework that integrates data fusion with Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) to enhance sustainability in supply chain management. In today’s global supply chains, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and environmental responsibility is critical, yet the lack of real-time visibility and data fragmentation presents significant challenges. The framework addresses these issues by merging data from multiple sources, including IoT devices, operational databases, and external environmental factors, using advanced data fusion algorithms. DLT, with its decentralized, immutable, and transparent nature, ensures the integrity and security of the data, allowing all stakeholders to access accurate and tamper-proof information. The fusion of data within a DLT infrastructure not only improves traceability and accountability but also enables the automation of sustainability checks via smart contracts. These contracts can trigger actions based on predefined sustainability metrics such as carbon emissions, energy consumption, and resource efficiency. Furthermore, predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms integrated into the system provide real-time monitoring and optimization of sustainability performance throughout the supply chain. The proposed review offers numerous benefits, including enhanced transparency, reduced operational costs, improved sustainability outcomes, and risk mitigation. It also addresses challenges such as scalability, data privacy, and regulatory compliance, offering solutions to overcome these hurdles. By exploring case studies of successful implementations, this review demonstrates the practical applications and future potential of combining DLT and data fusion for sustainable supply chain management, positioning it as a critical tool for organizations aiming to meet environmental and regulatory demands in an increasingly digital and eco-conscious world.

In today's contemporary turbulent business environment, marked by disruptions ranging from natural disasters to global pandemic, supply chain resilience is crucial. This research addresses the pressing need to understand challenges faced by Indian supply chain executives by adopting AI-driven solutions for enhancing resilience. Analyzing data from 300 executives using ANOVA and t-tests reveals critical patterns in encountered barriers. Simultaneously, the study aims to fill gaps in existing literature by developing a strategic framework for executives. Using Structured Equation Modeling (SEM), it outlines best practices for integrating AI into supply chain operations, offering nuanced insights into strategic considerations and organizational barriers influencing AI adoption decisions. The research identifies a gap in comprehensive studies on challenges and decision-making factors specific to Indian executives adopting AI for supply chain resilience. By addressing this gap, the study enriches global discourse on AI in supply chain management and provides targeted guidance to Indian executives navigating AI-enabled operations. Ultimately, the research aims to empower executives with actionable insights to effectively leverage AI, enabling them to fortify supply chain resilience amidst India's evolving business dynamics.JEL Code: O32, M15, L23, L25, Q55. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2024-08-04-013 Full Text: PDF

In the highly competitive Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face unique challenges in maintaining supply chain resilience. These businesses are often more vulnerable to disruptions, such as global crises, supply shortages, and shifts in consumer behavior. Integrating digital marketing strategies into supply chain management presents a solution that not only enhances resilience but also fosters growth and adaptability. Digital marketing provides SMEs with critical tools for improving visibility, engaging customers, and strengthening supply chains. E-commerce platforms, for instance, allow SMEs to diversify their sales channels, reducing reliance on traditional distribution networks. By embracing online marketplaces and direct-to-consumer models, these businesses can mitigate the risks associated with physical supply chain disruptions. This diversification also enhances their ability to reach new customer segments and expand into emerging markets. Social media marketing plays a crucial role in maintaining customer engagement during disruptions. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook enable real-time communication with customers, providing updates on product availability, delivery timelines, and promotional offers. This strengthens customer loyalty and trust, which are essential for maintaining sales during times of uncertainty. Additionally, personalized content and targeted advertisements can help manage demand fluctuations, ensuring a balance between inventory and sales. Email marketing and customer relationship management (CRM) systems further enhance supply chain resilience by facilitating effective communication with both customers and suppliers. CRM tools allow SMEs to track customer preferences, forecast demand, and adjust marketing efforts based on real-time data. This level of agility enables SMEs to respond quickly to supply chain challenges, aligning their operations with market needs. By integrating digital marketing strategies into their operations, FMCG SMEs can achieve a more resilient, responsive, and customer-centric supply chain. The use of digital tools not only mitigates risks but also unlocks opportunities for growth in an increasingly digital world.

In the context of intensifying globalization and escalating supply chain risks, the study of supply chain resilience has increasingly attracted significant scholarly attention globally. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the current research landscape on the definition of supply chain resilience, its evaluation metric systems, and assessment methodologies, with an in-depth analysis of pertinent literature from both domestic and international sources. The extant research reveals a lack of consensus on the precise definition of supply chain resilience. The predominant evaluation methodologies encompass index weighting methods, mathematical modeling approaches, and simulation techniques, each possessing distinct advantages and limitations. This paper underscores the necessity for future research to emphasize the contextual variability in supply chain complexity, bolster the inherent resilience of supply chains, and develop more objective and versatile evaluation models. Furthermore, the integration of emerging technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain is anticipated to play a pivotal role in enhancing supply chain resilience. The deployment of these advanced technologies not only offers novel avenues for theoretical exploration but also furnishes crucial tools and methodologies for practical supply chain management.

With the increasing risks of global supply chain disruptions, enhancing supply chain resilience has become critical for ensuring stable business operations. This study utilizes panel data from A-share listed companies between 2007 and 2021 to empirically examine the impact of digital transformation on supply chain resilience, as well as the moderating role of the external legal environment. The results show that digital transformation significantly strengthens supply chain resilience, with information transparency, agile response capabilities, and R&D capital stock serving as key mediating factors. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that this effect is more pronounced in firms with higher data utilization levels, executives with digital backgrounds, and those with superior overall innovation quality. The findings offer valuable strategic insights for both enterprises and policymakers aiming to enhance supply chain resilience.

The research focuses on how Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) coupled with Machine Learning (ML) can help manage the challenges and risks associated with new-generation supply chains networks. The proposed MAS-ML framework improves flexibility, adaptability, and predictiveness in essential roles in supply chain management (SCM), including demand forecasting, inventory management, production planning, and SCM logistics. The framework is based on decentralised decision-making where each agent is responsible for a particular supply chain activity but employs real-time data foresight from the ML model to streamline the activities. This decentralisation enables resilience in supply chains, which can experience events such as demand variability and transportation disruptions. MAS-ML is presented in this paper as the solution capable of enhancing supply chain performance, reliability, and cost optimisation in situations characterised by risk and uncertainty, such as the current global pandemic. In addition, this paper presents potential research areas, such as the integration of more enhanced deep learning algorithms, the extension of proposing MAS-ML into other sectors, and the addressing of ethical and transparency concerns associated with AI-based decision-making systems. The proposed MAS-ML framework improves the adaptability and resiliency of supply chains, providing a flexible solution for modern supply chain problems.

Background: The use of blockchain technology for tracking and tracing (T&T) in supply chains is the subject of lively debate in scientific literature. However, distributed ledger technology (DLT) does not have to have the characteristic blockchain structure and often performs better without such a structure. Generalized DLT for T&T in supply chains has rarely been discussed in the existing literature. Methods: This article presents an exploratory case study research of eight companies to identify the main goals, and problems that the companies have when they engage in T&T. This practical perspective is complemented by a theoretical systems thinking perspective. Based on these two foundations, we discuss the usefulness of blockchain technology and, more generally, DLT for T&T in supply chains. Results: Based on our analysis, DLT is only necessary in special cases, e.g., when the owners of the data have an interest in deleting the data, but the data stakeholders do not. In the other cases examined, DLT competes with other technologies, such as conventional, centralized databases in combination with digital signatures. Furthermore, it became evident that DLT can only be useful for supply chain tracing. The technological features of DLT do not provide any benefit for supply chain tracking, i.e., the timely communication of the status of a physical good. Conclusions: Distributed ledgers often have a disadvantage in that they are very complex and, therefore, expensive. DLT should preferably only be used when it is technologically necessary or the simplest/cheapest choice, which is probably not all that often. Finally, the usefulness of distributed ledger technology and its integrated smart contract technology is highly dependent on how easy it is to link the real physical world to a digital record/contract in an error-free and tamper-proof way. Currently, such a definite link exists only in very few cases and is often impossible.

There has been a paradigm shift in the functioning of global supply chains, particularly in thepost-pandemic era. This shift is characterized by the convergence of technology. deployment, geopolitical dynamics, and an increased awareness of environmental and social responsibilities. These transformative changes compel businesses to navigate a complex. web of challenges while simultaneously creating many opportunities for global supply chains. This includes delegating responsibilities to the supplier side, empowering suppliers, and promoting digital supply chain networks. Ongoing trade tensions between major economies, such as the United States and China, have resulted in fluctuations in global logistics patterns. Alterations in tariffs and trade agreements impact shipping routes, transportation costs, and the overall flow of goods. Consequently, supply chains must focus on end-to-end supply chains originating from low-cost sources to withstand unforeseen events like black swan occurrences and geopolitical and trade wars. The pandemic has underscored the critical importance of building resilient supply chains. Many firms reevaluate their supply chain strategies, emphasizing diversification to mitigate risk. This involves reassessing suppliers, exploring alternative sourcing options, and increasing safety stock levels. Geopolitical uncertainties and disruptions have prompted reconsidering global sourcing strategies, with reshoring and nearshoring gaining prominence. Companies seek to mitigate risks associated with distant and complex supply chains by bringing production closer to target markets, enhancing responsiveness, reducing lead times, and fortifying supply chain resilience amid uncertain business conditions. From the traditional supply chain model, there is a continuous effort to integrate information technology to transform value streams and increase processes' transparency. Blockchain is playing a significant role, from tracking the provenance of raw materials to reducing transaction fraud. This technology fosters a new level of trust among supply chain partners, safeguarding against potential disruptions and reinforcing the integrity of the entire supply chain ecosystem. These rapid transformations amid uncertain conditions have prompted a reevaluation of supply chain resiliency with a greater focus on risk mitigation strategies. In global logistics, owning ships and manufacturing/leasing containers for extended periods have become the guiding principles. The recent Brexit has also impacted global transport's European and UK legs. The European industry is grappling with significant shortages of resources, including drivers and trained supply chain manpower, affecting last-mile delivery and land transportation in numerous geographies. The growth of e-commerce has significantly influenced supply chains, leading to innovations in last-mile delivery solutions. Companies are investing in warehouse automation, drone deliveries, and other technologies to meet the demands of the rapidly expanding e-commerce market. x Furthermore, a seismic shift toward sustainability reshapes the global supply chain landscape. Businesses recognize the imperative to address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. Initiatives to reduce carbon footprints, optimize transportation routes, and embrace ethical sourcing practices are becoming integral components of supply chain strategies. Sustainability is no longer merely a corporate buzzword but a critical factor in ensuring long-term viability and meeting the expectations of socially conscious consumers. Overall, global supply chains are undergoing significant transformation driven by technological innovation, environmental consciousness, and a commitment to building resilient networks. Businesses that embrace these trends are not only adapting to the challenges of today but are also positioning themselves to thrive in the dynamic landscape of tomorrow. The key to success is navigating change, leveraging technology, and building sustainable businesses.