Developing sustainable supply chains: Evidence from entrepreneurship training in Ethiopia

The goal of this paper is twofold: to comparatively analyze the social performance of global and local berry supply chains and to explore the ways in which the social dimension is embedded in the overall performance of food supply chains. To achieve this goal, the social performance of five global and local food supply chains in two countries are analyzed: wild blueberry supply chains in Latvia and cultivated raspberry supply chains in Serbia. The study addresses two research questions: (1) What is the social performance of the local and global supply chains? (2) How can references to context help improve understanding of the social dimension and social performance of food supply chains? To answer these questions, two interlinked thematic sets of indicators (attributes) are used—one describing labor relations and the other describing power relations. These lists are then contextualized by examining the micro-stories of the actors involved in these supply chains. An analysis of the chosen attributes reveals that global chains perform better than local chains. However, a context-sensitive analysis from the perspective of embedded markets and communities suggests that the social performance of food chains is highly context-dependent, relational, and affected by actors’ abilities to negotiate values, norms, and the rules embedded within these chains, both global and local. The results illustrate that the empowerment of the chains’ weakest actors can lead to a redefining of the meanings that performance assessments rely on.

Agriculture, food and global value chains: issues, methods and challenges

This chapter presents the evaluation of three organic tomato supply chains in Catalonia (Spain): the Local and Global supply chains, and a Mixed supply chain. The evaluation is based on a set of multidimensional indicators derived from different narratives: Commodity, Environmental and Livelihoods. In so doing, we identified the main challenges when implementing the supply chain approach, and propose some recommendations for its application. The supply chain approach proves to be very useful in identifying the critical points at which to intervene and/or improve the performance of food supply chains, but presents some disadvantages when it is used to compare the sustainability of food supply chains. Finally, we show that organic production is not enough to achieve a sustainable food provision system, and the context and the food supply chain in which organic food is commercialised also determine the sustainability of organic food production.

The global food supply chain plays an essential role in economic development while addressing environmental and social issues in its business system. However, this complex network is exposed to various risk factors related to sustainability that can disrupt the supply chain performance. CV. XYZ is a food manufacturer that produces jackfruit chips in Indonesia. During the supply chain process, this company needs to manage the various risks across the supplier, manufacturer, and retailer stages. By identifying and evaluating risks at each stage, mitigation and improvement strategies can be proposed. Therefore, this research aimed to analyze the supply chain risk mitigation and performance improvement strategies for maintaining supply chain stability and performance. House of Risk (HOR) was applied to analyze the mitigation strategies, while SWOT with analytical networking process (ANP) or analytical hierarchy process (AHP)/ (i.e., SWOT-ANP/AHP method)was used for analyzing performance improvement strategies by considering the weight of each factor. The result shows that twelve mitigation strategies are needed to mitigate the fourteen risk agents that focus on improving production activities and human resources. Moreover, eleven strategies have been proposed to improve sustainable supply chain performance in the future, focusing more on marketing activities and enhancing human resource capabilities.

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

Farmers are inhibited from Agri supply chains due to upfront transaction costs. There is ample evidence that farmers' participation in supply chains produce benefits for farmers. This paper analyses how blockchain might support farmers to reduce transaction costs and improve their involvement in supply chains by reviewing the literature. The study contributes some theoretical insights to our knowledge on how transaction costs can be reduced by implementing supply chain collaboration with blockchain technology. It further presents some design implications for a blockchain-enabled system that would also support collective marketing. Practitioners in the Agri domain can use this analysis as a support for developing a system that improves farmers' participation in Agri supply chains.

As global supply chains become increasingly complex, traditional systems face challenges in ensuring efficiency, transparency, and innovation. Block chain technology has emerged as a transformative force in addressing these issues, offering a decentralized and secure framework for supply chain management. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the impact of block chain on supply chains, focusing on its potential to enhance efficiency, transparency, and foster innovation. The efficiency gains facilitated by block chain in supply chain management are examined through the elimination of intermediaries, reduction of paperwork, and real-time visibility into the entire process. These improvements result in streamlined operations, reduced costs, and enhanced responsiveness to market dynamics. Moreover, block chain’s decentralized nature ensures data integrity, mitigating the risk of fraud and errors in the supply chain. Transparency is a critical aspect of modern supply chains, and block chain provides an immutable and transparent ledger that enables end-to-end visibility. The technology ensures traceability and accountability, allowing stakeholders to access real-time information about the origin, movement, and status of products. This transparency not only enhances trust among supply chain participants but also facilitates compliance with regulatory requirements. The role of block chain in fostering innovation within supply chains is explored, emphasizing its potential to enable new business models, collaborative ecosystems, and the integration of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The paper highlights case studies and pilot projects where block chain has been successfully applied to drive innovation in supply chain processes. Challenges and considerations related to the implementation of block chain in supply chain management are also discussed, including interoperability, scalability, and regulatory issues. The paper concludes by outlining future research directions and emphasizing the need for industry-wide collaboration to unlock the full potential of block chain in revolutionizing supply chain management. Overall, this review contributes to the understanding of how block chain can serve as a catalyst for efficiency, transparency, and innovation in contemporary supply chains

Chapter 6 introduces concepts of global business process, business process design, business process reengineering, and business process management, to present a process-based view of global operation strategy and to introduce the primary processes of global operation strategy. First, we discuss global supply chain strategy, including its concepts, global sourcing strategy, global internal supply chain strategy, global distribution strategy, global supply chain coordination, global supply chain strategic alliances, and global sustainable supply chain strategy. Second, we introduce concepts of global revenue management strategy, present its globally evolving process, and discuss strategies for global revenue management. Third, we discuss global technology strategy, including its concepts, global product development strategy, R&D internationalization modes, global R&D coordination and communication, global R&D sourcing strategy, and technology strategies for global sustainable operations. Finally, we discuss global risk management strategy, including its concepts, basic operational strategies, basic approaches and the operational risk management framework. In this chapter, we use case examples including Etam Distribution Center, Global Supply Chain of H&M, SkyTeam Alliance, Microsoft Research Worldwide, Mattel’s Global Risks and Supply Chains, and a case Tiffany to illustrate process-based fundamentals.KeywordsSupply ChainBusiness Process ManagementGlobal Supply ChainRevenue ManagementBullwhip EffectThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

The global environment, with its dynamic and varied changes, creates unstable and demanding conditions for the customs system of the European Union to cope with. The article aims to identify and describe the most pressing challenges to the EU customs system in the context of the customs handling of supply chain actors. The hypothesis for verification is that the EU system is not static in the face of the volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity of the environment; instead, it responds to all challenges arising, so as to ensure guarantee professional customs handling to participants in supply chains. The article is composed of two parts followed by a summary. The first part addresses the role of customs in supply chains; the second part presents the most important challenges to the EU’s customs system directly related to the customs handling of participants in international supply chains. The summary concludes the issues raised in the investigation. The study relies on traditional research methods: deductive reasoning and comparative analysis.

Contents: Introduction, James Wang, Daniel Olivier, Theo Notteboom and Brian Slack. Part 1 Conceptualization of Port-Cities and Global Supply Chains: Supply chain and supply chain management: appropriate concepts for maritime studies, Valentina Carbone and Elisabeth Gouvernal Global supply chain integration and competitiveness of port terminals, Photis M. Panayides The terminalisation of seaports, Brian Slack Re-assessing port-hinterland relationships in the context of global supply chains, Theo Notteboom and Jean-Paul Rodrigue. Part 2 Shipping Networks and Port Development: The development of global container transhipment terminals, Alfred J. Baird Mediterranean ports in the global network: how to make the hub and spoke paradigm sustainable?, Enrico Musso and Francesco Parola Northern European range: shipping line concentration and port hierarchy, Antoine Fremont and Martin Soppe Factors influencing the landward movement of containers: the cases of Halifax and Vancouver, Robert J. McCalla. Part 3 Inserting Port-Cities into Global Supply Chains: Globalization and the port-urban interface: conflicts and opportunities, Yehuda Hayuth A metageography of port-city relationships, Cesar Ducruet Chinese port-cities in the global supply chains, James Wang and Daniel Olivier The economic performance of seaport regions, Peter W. De Langen. Part 4 Corporate Perspectives on the Insertion of Ports in Global Supply Chains: The success of Asian container port operators: the role of information technology, Daniel Olivier and Francesco Parola Which link in which chain? Inserting Durban into global automotive supply chains, Peter V. Hall and Glen Robbins Sustainable development and corporate strategies of the maritime industry, Claude Comtois and Brian Slack References Index.

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

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complex interrelationships among the key constructs, supply chain orientation (SCO), supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain performance (SCP) in Indian manufacturing industries. These relationships have been studied using the relational view (RV) and the knowledge-based view (KBV) theoretical perspectives. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model was derived from the existing body of knowledge in the supply chain domain. The study is based on a sample size of 122 data collected via face-to-face meetings with the Indian manufacturers using well-established scales. The covariance-based structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings In Indian manufacturing and supply chains, SCO has a positive relationship with SCI and SCP. Moreover, the direct impact of SCO on SCP diminishes when SCI is used as a mediating variable. This study also observes positive impact of: i) SCO on SCP, ii) SCI on SCP and iii) discovery of mediating role of SCI on SCP under the theoretical lenses of RV and KBV. Research limitations/implications Cross-sectional survey of manufacturing firms of one country (using one response per firm) calls for validation covering other parts of the world and demands a longitudinal survey. This research will trigger more scholarly, practice and policy debate among researchers studying Indian and emerging economies context. Practical implications The notion of a holistic view of the SC with a focus on improving the customer value can enhance strategic partnerships among the SC partners (i.e. SCI) and overall SCP. Firms should make efforts to include SCI in SC designs to successfully transform SCO into SCP. Originality/value The originality of the research lies in studying the complex interrelationships among key concepts of SC in a unique Indian manufacturing context. The Indian supply chains operate in a set of unique characteristics, which have been detailed out in this paper. This paper not only establishes the mediating role of SCI for overall SCP in emerging economies but also enhances the scholarly knowledge in the SC domain. Most studies report SCO as a single-order construct, measured by scales comprising of only few items. The second-order SCO measures in this study bring credibility to the findings. Additionally, it contributes to both academicians and practitioners alike in the context of an integrated SC in emerging economies.

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

In recent years, sustainable supply and value chains for fishing have attracted the attention of many researchers. However, the existing literature lacks studies that explore different perspectives on sustainability within these fishing supply chains. This study is therefore unique because it not only addresses this gap but also examines the often-overlooked roles of power and trust in achieving sustainability. By using a quantitative approach, this study aims to provide new insights into these complex relationships. Firstly, the research aims to determine whether the perceptions of three distinct groups regarding sustainability indicators differ significantly. Secondly, it investigates the impact of institutional, collective, and bargaining power on the trust dynamics among supply chain participants. To achieve this, a comprehensive approach was employed, using structured questionnaires to collect data from 100 supply chain actors, including fishers, agents, and retailers, in Goa, India. The data were then carefully analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA in SPSS, and Partial Least Squares- Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. The study identified significant perceptual differences in four of the 19 sustainability indicators at a 10% significance level. The findings from PLS-SEM reveal important links between the power and trust dynamics among supply chain participants. These insights will help policymakers and stakeholders understand how supply chain participants perceive sustainability and clarify the relationship between power and trust. This understanding can support efforts to build trust within supply chains. Additionally, the study offers valuable insights that can directly inform policies to improve sustainability in fishing supply chains.

Amidst the renewed quest for supply chain resiliency, finance outgrows its traditional role in B2B; instead, finance position itself to become a more integrated partner in supply chain management activities. Areas such as global trade management and supply chain risk management are fluid areas for finance to flourish, coupled with increasing demands for finance to take a more active role in supply chain management. The global supply chain has experienced several disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, extreme climate change-induced events, natural disasters, conflict, financial crises, recessions, shortages of raw materials for manufacturing, and macroeconomic imbalances; however, futuristic disruptions are already projected by several stakeholders in the logistics and transport sector. Hence, companies must concentrate on building their resilience to all manner of supply chain disruptions. The initial motive of firm management to increase leverage and engage in financial goods is diminished when the economic dilemma of supply chain value is resolved; by so doing, the internal financial situations could facilitate the advancement of enterprise value. Keywords: supply chain, financial service innovations, distribution dimension, COVID-19 DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-7-01 Publication date: April 30 th 2023