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This study addresses a practical problem within a multi-level supply chain where a wide range of customers can be served through different strategies such as make-to-stock, make-to-order, or vendor-managed inventory. The customer demand is stochastic, and sensitive to pricing associated with different production-inventory strategies. We propose a two-stage stochastic mixed-integer non-linear programming model. In the first stage, decisions are made regarding the selection of production-inventory strategies and pricing to maximise the expected profit. The second stage involves decisions related to production, inventory, and distribution, which are used to evaluate the first-stage decisions under various scenarios with different levels of accuracy. To solve the model, a metaheuristic approach based on the Simulated Annealing algorithm is developed. To showcase the practical applicability of our model and solution approach, we use a real case study in a Canadian pulp and paper supply chain. The results revealed that both the production-inventory strategy assigned to customers and the sales price underwent changes across scenarios. Furthermore, we demonstrated that by implementing the SA algorithm, we could improve the initial profit by up to 1.43% through slight adjustments in the sales price and assigned strategies for customers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulp and paper industry has significant sustainability implications and necessarily requires a careful consideration of direct and lower-tier suppliers for effective sustainable supply chain management. This paper utilized an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews of experts in the Chinese pulp and paper industry to unearth the factors that highly influence multi-tier supply chain sustainability. A Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) and Human-Organizational-Technological (HOT-fit) based theoretical framework was employed to classify the identified factors. Then, an Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) based methodology was applied to determine the relative importance of the factors. A comparison analysis of the relative importance of the factors as determined by the experts in the focal companies, Tier-1 suppliers and Tier-2 suppliers of the Chinese pulp and paper industry is presented. The results show that institutional and technological factors are most critical to actualizing multi-tier supply chain sustainability. Thus, the study outcomes present relevant theoretical and practical implications for the managers and practitioners in the pulp and paper industry on how to facilitate multi-tier supply chain sustainability for increased competitiveness. Furthermore, this study provides guidelines for other industries as well and sets the stage for subsequent theorization and exploration of multi-tier supply chain sustainability for expected performance gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper comprehensively analyzes a company's supply chain design process in the pulp and paper industry. It focuses on the company's supply chain strategy, structure, operations, and performance and highlights the challenges and opportunities specific to the industry. The purpose of this case study is to show how effective supply chain design can improve a company's competitiveness and success. This paper also offers recommendations for improving supply chain design in the pulp and paper industry and other similar industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With growing environmental concern and supply chain uncertainty, now is a fitting time to re-evaluate solvent-free methodologies in forensic chemistry processes. Here, this paper reviews solvent-free approaches for fingermark visualisation, including chemical fuming and vapour phase treatments, dry-transfer treatments, application of heat, and thermal paper specific treatments. After providing historical context, three objectives have been emphasised: identify feasible scenarios for implementing solvent-free methods; showcase the effectiveness of solvent-free methods relative to their nearest solution-based equivalent; and estimate the technological readiness level of each method discussed. Having reviewed the literature, dry-transfer methods of developing latent fingermarks on paper were found to be the most promising and feasible solvent-free approaches for near-term implementation. Such methods make use of standard materials and equipment commonly found in forensic laboratories, are effective at fingermark visualisation, and mitigate most of the pressing issues pertaining to environmental concern and solvent scarcity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate risk propagation and resilience in the agribusiness supply chain (ASC). Design/methodology/approach: The paper undertakes a systematic literature review (SLR). Overall, 94 articles from six databases published between 2000 and 2022 underwent descriptive and thematic analysis. Findings: There is a lack of research on risk propagation and resilience in the ASC for more than two decades. Accordingly, this research fills the gap in the extant literature by advancing the construct of risk propagation and resilience in the ASC and developing a framework proposing directions in risk propagation and resilience in ASC research. Research limitations/implications: Firstly, only the Web of Science and Scopus databases were mostly used as primary sources while other databases were used as secondary sources to validate search results. Secondly, SLR is based on the peer-reviewed articles, books and conference papers; other non-academic sources relevant to the topic were not included in this paper. Originality/value: The paper offers a set of constructs for understanding risk propagation and resilience in the ASC, develops a framework proposing directions in risk propagation and resilience in the ASC research and recommends three key themes for future research directions, namely, keep updated with recent constructs of risk propagation and resilience in the ASC, conduct case studies based on empirical studies to determine the current risk dependency and propagation in the ASC and conduct case studies based on empirical studies to determine resilience and sustainability in the ASC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Less than 65% of wastepaper can be recycled, and the remaining wastepaper may end up polluting groundwater and generating greenhouse gas emissions if disposed improperly by using traditional approaches. The concept of circular supply chain practices, which integrates circular thinking into supply chain practices that aim to reach zero waste by exploring novel business models and supply chain functions, has been proposed to address this issue. However, previous studies implementing this concept lacked appropriate methods for structuring an influential model to guide resource allocation, which caused difficulty in developing circular supply chain practices. Thus, a hybrid method is proposed to integrate factor analysis with fuzzy synthetic and decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory methods to enable visual analysis and boost understanding. The results reveal that awareness and engagement are the most influential factors in attempts to achieve zero waste, rather than the recycling, reuse and reduction practices emphasised by previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue of the International Journal of Production Research, focuses on the 'Carbon Neutrality' and 'SCM'. Nine articles have been selected for this special issue, and they cover various aspects to understand the manifestation of 'Carbon Neutrality' in supply chains, and to further illuminate how to achieve 'Carbon Neutrality' with supply chain innovation. This editorial provides a brief overview of the research domain, then introduces each article in the context of the state-of-the-art and highlights the contributions of selected papers to the field. Finally, the research perspectives are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm. Its consequences have profoundly altered every facet of our lives, in many ways that are still ongoing. In their latest contribution to Foresight, Tonya Boone and Ram Ganeshan here take a close look at one of our most essential consumer products--toilet paper--and how crisis-driven demand has reshaped its manufacture and distribution to alter, and very possibly improve, the supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single use packaging is one of the major contributors to environmental issues linked to waste in the environment. Packaging materials often consist of several plastics, which, when combined, are difficult to recycle. One option to reduce these issues are packaging materials for which recycling infrastructure and end markets exist, such as paper. Use of paper in food packaging applications is limited due to poor barrier properties. Enhancing barrier properties without impacting recyclability can be achieved by thin polymeric coatings combined with vapour‐deposited aluminium. Water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of packaging materials is often assessed at 38°C and 90% relative humidity (RH). These conditions, not experienced in the supply chain, may not be optimal for paper as they have the potential to alter the structure of paper by inducing expansion disrupting barrier. This study aims at verifying this hypothesis by evaluating the influence of temperature and RH on the measured WVTR of high barrier paper. Results show that testing such papers at 38°C and 90% RH yields WVTR approximately 10 times higher than when tested at 23°C and 85% RH. The link between this increase and the disruption of the barrier layer is demonstrated by testing samples preconditioned at 38°C and 90% RH and tested at 23°C and 85% RH, depicting an increased WVTR as well. Results suggest that integrity of barrier layer in paper was disrupted at 38°C and 90% RH, and hence, these conditions are deemed inappropriate for testing barrier performance of paper materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increased awareness and strictly imposed legislations, Supply Chain (SC) managers are often forced to include recovery system in their SC. Recovery systems make use of 3 Rs, namely, recycling, reuse and remanufacturing which results in the transformation of traditional SC into closed-loop supply chain (CLSC). Recovery of discarded product in such forms is an effective way to deal with afterlife of product, leading to sustainable development. In this work, a bi-objective CLSC model has been developed for the paper industry under uncertain environment. The first objective of the proposed model is to maximise SC surplus, and the second objective is to incorporate sustainability through minimising carbon content by reducing the number of trucks between various echelons of CLSC network. In the proposed model, sustainability has been considered by two means: first to reduce the demand of next period by refurbishing some of the product collected from the customers and second is to reduce the raw material requirement at vendor side by using some of the recycled and usable product from the recycling centre. Further, various numerical illustrations are being performed and results are interpreted for a case paper industry which validates the application of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the recycling and remanufacturing mode and sales channel issues in the closed-loop supply chain. Specifically, this study establishes an e-commerce closed-loop supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and an e-commerce platform, and divides the recycling model into recycling by the manufacturer or recycling by the platform. Considering two common sales models in e-commerce platforms: the resale model and agency model, combined with the recycling model, four different research scenarios are formed. We use backward induction to solve the Stackelberg game problem and explore the remanufacturing and channel strategies of the manufacturer and the e-commerce platform. The research results show that for the manufacturer, under the same recycling model, when consumers' preference for remanufactured products and the sensitivity of recycling volume to recycling prices are low, he will prefer the resale model. Under the same sales model, the manufacturer always prefers the recycling model in which he is responsible for recycling. However, the choice of platform is contrary to that of the manufacturer. In the resale model, both the manufacturer and the platform will choose to recycle by themselves, which cannot achieve a win-win situation. Under the agency model, when consumers' preference for remanufactured products is high and the sensitivity coefficient of recycling volume to recycling price is low, supply chain members can achieve a win-win situation, and the scope of the win-win situation decreases as the unit production cost of new products increases. In addition, rising consumer preference for remanufactured products will lead to lower consumer surplus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - Demanding customers, legislation and raw materials shortages in the modern world have forced companies to minimize the system's environmental impact. The paper seeks to analyze the economic impact of blending in sustainable paper industries in countries such as India. Design/methodology/approach - A linear programming model for a paper supply chain is proposed to minimize paper manufacturing cost by optimally blending wood pulp and after-use paper under various conventional supply chain constraints. The issues of quality, environmental concern and reusability in the paper industry have also been taken into account. Findings - Improving quality of after-use paper by proper recovery network reduces the manufacturing cost. Increasing proportion of wood fiber in the finished paper decreases the cost, even at the cost of degradation in the environment. Thus, it is up to the manufacturer to reflect its degree of environmental concern to the government and society by assigning appropriate environmental and quality opportunity costs in the model. Research limitations/implications - Difficulty in obtaining the estimates of the environmental and quality cost is a major limitation of the study. Practical implications - This research provides manufacturers with a simple mathematical model to compare the economic feasibility of blending wood pulp and after-use paper depending on the market situation. Originality/value - The major contribution of the model is its capability to study the economic impact of blending by considering some of the important sustainable development issues like environment, quality, shortage, and reusability under one objective function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of sustainability is trending upwards more and more, and it may be related to almost anything, no matter the scale. In this case, one may speak of a sustainable way of life (Hart, 1997), so an individual perspective or a sustainable supply chain or industry (Ahi and Searcy, 2013). The present paper aims at assessing the researchers interest in the sustainability of the dairy and fruit supply chains, since they are representative food groups for the majority of the population and the globalization phenomenon has dramatically changed peoples' choices of food products, some of them requesting products that are far from them without knowing the production process or the logistic chain, which makes both the choices and the supply chains unsustainable. The papers indexed in the Web of Science data base regarding "sustainable dairy" and "sustainable fruit" are bibliometric analysed and their main concepts are exposed through the Vos Viewer software, version 1.6.7.(Van Eck and Waltman, 2014). The main results show that even if the interest in these topics is on an ascending trend, the attention given by the researchers is very low. The main concepts used in the analysed papers concern the consumer requests of sustainable products, challenges towards a sustainable farming practice and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to identify the level of maturity in environmental management in a focal company of a pulp and paper supply chain. Methodologically, it is characterized as a qualitative exploratory case study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The adoption and use of Environmental Management Supply Chain (ESCM) practices was assessed using a model based on 53 practices grouped into 8 types of practices. Qualitative data analysis software (NVivo) was used to analyse the data and support the development of findings. It was found that 85% of the ESCM practices were adopted by the company. Internal environmental management practices, waste and risk minimization and eco-design were fully adopted. Furthermore, a proactive maturity level was found, embedded in the company's strategic planning. Proactivity in environmental management encourages continuous improvement, cost reduction, cleaner production, and reuse and recycling of products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recycling and recovery of materials from used products is one of the major avenues to reduce material throughput. Ideally, all materials are anticipated for being reused by the economy an infinite number of times. In reality, recovery of secondary materials may be difficult because of high costs, or because of degraded quality compared with virgin materials. The search for potential reduction of throughput in material cycles should be based on a knowledge of the limits to repeated cycles. To gain understanding of recycling limits, we developed a method to estimate the actual reduction potential for each throughput in a material's multi-cycle life. First, we investigated the material flow system of paper in Taiwan, and developed a supply chain network of paper flows. Systematic elaboration of the flows revealed where paper can be recycled and where paper can be lost. Second, we estimated the reduction potential with a material input–output Markov chain model, which maps the distribution and loss of materials on the supply chain processes. The model estimated the quantities and the life pathways of recycled materials across continuous life-cycles. An indicator was used to quantify the total performance of the material across repeated life-cycles. This method offers an opportunity to examine practices that approach the limit of reduction. This case study shows that the use and separation of paper waste after discarding may need to be reformed to extend the life-cycles of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital transformation and sustainability are both at the forefront of current supply chain developments. However, the specific mechanisms of how digital transformation and green supply chain development interact still need to be clarified, which can help supply chain business operators to enhance supply chain sustainability more effectively. This paper focuses on how the companies' organization structure and the socio-economic environment interact with digital technologies under the process of green supply chain development. Based on the "Technology–Organization–Environment" (TOE) framework, this paper analyze how digital transformation can drive green supply chain development. To test the TOE theoretical analysis framework, this paper calculates the digital transformation and green supply chain development index at the provincial level in China and conducts an empirical study. The main findings and implications of this paper can be summarized in the following aspects: First, according to the TOE theory, the external environment dimensions, such as the market and policy environments, affect the role of digital technology in promoting GSC development. Second, in the organizational dimensions, labor–capital relations, company size, and ownership factors can all affect the contribution of digital transformation to green supply chains. Third, there are differences in the impact of different types of digitization technologies on GSC development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article compares the accuracy of forecasted and actual supply chain cost and price factors in a Nordic paper mill's sales to customers in two large European countries. Empirical longitudinal research data covering the years between 2002 and 2008 were obtained from a large integrated Finnish paper mill, and consisted of sales volumes, paper prices, variable costs, and transport costs. It was expected that the mill would be able to forecast demand, prices and costs accurately, but the empirical findings showed that the forecasts for paper price, demand, and cost varied from one market to another and were not highly accurate. In addition, the forecasting of gross margins seemed to be very inexact. It is concluded that there is a need for more reliable forecasting methods in the paper industry to anticipate economic development as paper demand and costs change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic capabilities enable businesses to build a sustainable competitive advantage (Teece, 2007). This study investigates whether supply chain sensing (SCS) and supply chain agility (SCA) form a dynamic sensing and agility capability (DSAC) that enhances firm performance. Most empirical research on dynamic capabilities examines large organizations; this study investigates dynamic capabilities in small to medium enterprises (SMEs). SMEs form a significant part of the world economy and often have limited resources compared to large organizations. We utilize a survey of 139 respondents from SMEs in a single industry - the printing industry. Our analysis, both an EFA and PLS-SEM, find that SCS and SCA are different constructs that combine to form a dynamic sensing and agility capability. We found that this dynamic sensing and agility capability positively affects firm performance but not supply chain impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Closed-Loop Supply Chain Network Design (CLSCND) encourages attention to the economic and environmental issues concerning returned products. CLSCND is a significant decision issue and it is accompanied by uncertainty. Hybrid uncertainties and the flexibility of soft constraints are some of the key issues in CLSCND. There is a research gap surrounding the utilization of the uncertainties of randomness, epistemic, and soft constraints simultaneously with a robust procedure. This study focuses on the Me measure and proposes a novel flexible, probabilistic, and stochastic programming based on robust optimization. In this approach, a convex mixture of the pessimistic–optimistic views based on the Me measure is implemented. The least level of satisfaction with soft constraints is determined Optimally that the need for repetitive reviews by Decision-Maker (DM) is obviated in the proposed model. Additionally, the model controls violations of soft constraints as well as stochastic deviations, probabilistic deviations, unfulfilled demand, and capacity. A case study is conducted on the development of a stone paper considering economic, environmental, and responsive objectives by minimizing total cost and carbon emissions as well as transportation and processing time. In addition, to estimate the weight of the objectives and handle the multi-objective model, the Best–Worst method (BWM) and the interactive fuzzy programming approach are employed, respectively. Robustness analysis and sensitivity analysis for the case study are then performed and the results are simulated and evaluated using the realization model. The findings revealed that the suggested model performed well. • Considering the hybrid uncertainties and flexibility of soft constraints in modeling. • Offering robust stochastic possibilistic and flexible programming using Me criteria. • Examining economic, responsibility, and environmental issues in problem modeling. • Using the interactive fuzzy programming approach and the BWM method to solve model. • Evaluating the efficiency of the proposed model in the supply chain of stone paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses the design of a paper recycling network including external procurement, in-house recycling of paper, technology selection and selling or disposing of co-products. In contrast to the literature, we consider a combined continuous and discrete facility location problem solved by a hybrid Tabu Search approach to enhance candidate facility locations. We provide rules of thumb regarding the length of the tabu list and suggestions regarding runtime boundaries in cases where pre-evaluations are elaborate. The results based on a real-life application case show the potential savings of in-house paper recycling compared to the solely external procurement of recovered paper. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: The study seeks to examine the bibliometric characteristics, current trends, and the present status of research in the area of digital supply chain in e-commerce, during the years 2000-2023, using both the quantitative and qualitative indicators. Design/Methodology: We retrieved articles on the subject of 'Digital Supply Chain in e-Commerce', published from 2000 to March 2023, using the international Scopus database. The key players, in terms of countries, institutes, authors, and journals, were analysed with the help of MS Excel. The V.O.S. Viewer was used for diagnosing the keyword clusters. Results: A total of 515 global publications on the topic were identified. These were cited 6590 times, averaging 12.80 citations per publication. Only 71 publications (13.70 per cent), reported external funding and these together received 2096 citations, averaging 29.52, per paper. Among the 515 publications, 64 countries, 188 institution, and 241 authors participated. These were published in 143 journals. Limitations/Implications: The data was collected only from the Scopus index, which could be extended to other data sources, including the Web of Science, ProQuest, dissertations, etc. It is conceivable that the research work on the same topic might have been published using different keywords. Practical Implications: This study provides insight into current and past research on a subject of great importance. It will guide scholars to understand the research frontiers and directions in this area. Originality/Value: To the best of our knowledge, this article is the first to propose a bibliometric analysis for the digital supply chain in online business. We hope to provide scholar's insight into the current and past research status to understand research frontiers and directions in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the formulation and development of a supply-chain optimisation model for Fletcher Challenge Paper Australasia (FCPA). This model, known as Paper Industry Value Optimisation Tool (PIVOT), is a large mixed integer program that finds an optimal allocation of supplier to mill, product to paper machine, and paper machine to customer, while at the same time modelling many of the supply chain details and nuances which are peculiar to FCPA. PIVOT has assisted FCPA in solving a number of strategic and tactical decision problems, and provided significant economic benefits for the company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality and diversity of microLED display prototypes are progressing rapidly and first commercial products are coming to market. The technology however has yet to enter high volume consumer applications. This paper discusses the status of the microLED industry including how the supply chain is shaping up and how remaining technology and manufacturing roadblocks are being addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the costs of the existence of a maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) storeroom in a paper mill citing duplicated cost in the MRO supply chain which can be eliminated. Cost reduction programs, electronic procurement and other internet programs may provide levels of cost recovery for manufacturers.

Keeping up with the hastily growing economy implies undergoing unremitting transformation permanently. In the field of supply chain, such progress can only be guaranteed via the exploration of new horizons and innovative solutions in response to the constraints of the global market. Emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, offer promising avenues for enhancing supply chain processes, with sustainability ascending as a critical consideration. Despite the recent surfacing of AI-driven applications, scant attention has been devoted to exploring their full potential within supply chain operations, particularly in conjunction with SDGs. Recognizing the untapped opportunities presented by the implementation of AI for a sustainable supply chain this study undertakes a bibliometric analysis of 236 research papers sourced from the Web of science database. The analysis utilizes R language BiblioShiny to examine the extracted papers, and dissect patterns, trends, and relationships among key concepts and themes as well as prominent topics, impactful authors, and leading journals and countries in this domain. The findings reveal substantial growth in research related to SCM, AI, and sustainability as the UK leads this field of study with 132 articles followed by India, China and the USA. Eventually, the National University of Singapore came first in terms of paper affiliations, followed by De La Salle University, and London Metropolitan University. These results only prove that sustainability is becoming more critical in the equation of AI-driven supply chains especially with the current socio-political and economic circumstances, constituting a solid base for further academic research and more innovations in the managerial and business-related policies in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In the big data era, where corporations commodify health data, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) present a transformative avenue for patient empowerment and control. NFTs are unique digital assets on the blockchain, representing ownership of digital objects, including health data. By minting their data as NFTs, patients can track access, monetize its use, and build secure, private health information systems. However, research on NFTs in healthcare is in its infancy, warranting a comprehensive review. Methods: This study conducted a systematic literature review and thematic analysis of NFTs in healthcare to identify use cases, design models, and key challenges. Five multidisciplinary research databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, IEEE Explore, Elsevier Science Direct) were searched. The approach involved four stages: paper collection, inclusion/exclusion criteria application, screening, full-text reading, and quality assessment. A classification and coding framework was employed. Thematic analysis followed six steps: data familiarization, initial code generation, theme searching, theme review, theme definition/naming, and report production. Results: Analysis of 19 selected papers revealed three primary use cases: patientcentric data management, supply chain management for data provenance, and digital twin development. Notably, most solutions were prototypes or frameworks without real-world implementations. Four overarching themes emerged: data governance (ownership, tracking, privacy), data monetization (commercialization, incentivization, sharing), data protection, and data storage. The focus lies on user-controlled, private, and secure health data solutions. Additionally, data commodification is explored, with mechanisms proposed to incentivize data maintenance and sharing. NFTs are also suggested for tracking medical products in supply chains, ensuring data integrity and provenance. Ethereum and similar platforms dominate NFT minting, while compact NFT storage options are being explored for faster data access. Conclusion: NFTs offer significant potential for secure, traceable, decentralized healthcare data exchange systems. However, challenges exist, including dependence on blockchain, interoperability issues, and associated costs. The review identified research gaps, such as developing dual ownership models and data pricing strategies. Building an open standard for interoperability and adoption is crucial. The scalability, security, and privacy of NFT-backed healthcare applications require further investigation. Thus, this study proposes a research agenda for adopting NFTs in healthcare, focusing on governance, storage models, and perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Supply chain includes all related parts that directly or indirectly meet the customers' demands. During disasters, the supply chain disrupts. It seems that paying attention to innovation and entrepreneurship can solve some of these disruptions. This study was conducted to extract the factors affecting the technology-oriented entrepreneurial rescue supply chain in the Red Crescent Society from experts and specialists in Iran. Materials and Methods: This qualitative content analysis was conducted in 2020. Using the content analysis method, the considered criteria were collected through open-ended questions and interviews. To determine the desired indicators, 30 people were interviewed in-depth in a purposeful manner using snowball sampling. The thematic analysis method was also used to analyze the interviews. Results: A total of 30 experts with a mean age of 46 years were interviewed, of whom 21 cases were male. Also, 16 cases had a PhD degree, and 14 had a Master's degree. After analyzing and extracting the criteria from the interviews, 123 codes were obtained. Finally, the codes were divided into two classes: supply chain management and technology indicators. The supply chain management class included subclasses of customer integration, supplier integration, internal integration, and innovative orientation. The technology indicators class included subclasses of individual characteristics, attitudinal factors, educational factors, technical factors, economic factors, environmental factors, and human and managerial factors. Conclusion: Supply chains are essential for entrepreneurship because of the involvement of different parts of the Red Crescent Organization of Iran in joint activities. Because of the expansion of entrepreneurship issues in the supply chain, presenting a technology-oriented comprehensive model of the entrepreneurial supply chain in the Red Crescent Organization is of great importance. In today's competitive environment, supply chain management is a strategic and robust basis for the Red Crescent Organization to achieve success and competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper defines terms such as "recycling rate" that enable the characterization of flows of battery materials and expands the terminology to accommodate the description of complex product recycling. It also estimates the maximum percentage of U.S. demand for critical elements that could be satisfied by recycling as demand continues to grow, and it defines and estimates the recycling rate for lithium-ion batteries. Finally, it clarifies the role of manufacturing scrap as the domestic U.S. supply chain is built up. It concludes that recycling will be important in the long term, but growth still requires that new material be extracted to supply additional material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although participatory supply chain analysis (PSCA) is widely used to trigger action in development aid, there is very little published describing the method, its benefits and limitations. The theoretical background of participatory processes related to supply chain analysis and the related benefits and limitations found while implementing the method in Laos are presented. It is concluded that joint problem-solving in supply chains can be facilitated through PSCA as the method allows participants to evaluate their initial assumptions, investigate institutional barriers, gather new information and realise some of the interdependencies among supply chain participants. On the other hand, the lack of legitimate representatives, the failure to convince important stakeholders to participate, distances between participants, the length and breadth of the supply chain were factors limiting joint action. This method is recommended to study supply chains of niche products and local/regional products locally processed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a framework of internal and external factors that influence the adoption of eco-innovation. We studied 80 adoption processes in the Dutch brewing industry and the Dutch paper industry and analysed the relative importance of different factors. We find that internal factors were more important than external factors. The analysis also shows differences between the industries. The financial advantage was important for both industries, but especially for the paper industry. For the brewing industry, ethical responsibility and stakeholders played a more important role in the adoption. The analysis also revealed differences for small and large firms. Ethical responsibility and stakeholders are relatively more often mentioned by small firms, whereas clear objectives and regulations were mentioned more by large firms. Our study highlights that the adoption of eco-innovation is a complex process and the position in the supply chain as well as the size of a firm influence what is important in the adoption of eco-innovation. • Many different internal and external factors influence the adoption of eco-innovation. • Internal factors are more important than external factors. • Ethical considerations and stakeholders seem more important for smaller firms. • The position in the supply chain influences which factors are important. • Firms visible to consumers are influenced by ethical considerations and stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its inception in 2013, China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has become a focal issue in international transportation and global logistics because infrastructure development and economic and transport corridors have been influencing connectivity among countries along the Belt and Road. This paper aims to conduct a literature review on logistics, supply chains, and transport (LST) field in the context of the BRI since 2013. The papers for the literature review were collected from SCI/SSCI/SCIE and Chinese SSCI journals. This paper applies Text Mining to draw key research topics and research networks of the literature and then makes a comparative study between selected 190 English and 198 Chinese papers published in 2013–2020. This paper also investigates and compares the methods applied to those papers. The findings help researchers understand research trends in the LST field and contribute to highlighting research insights for further studies in the LST field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies product bundling in a duopoly supply chain network under the influence of different power-balance structures, bundling decisions and advertising efforts on total supply chain profit. Mathematical models comprising two manufacturers and a single retailer are developed to capture the impact of bundling policy and advertisement strategy under three power-balance structures, namely Manufacturer Stackelberg, Retailer Stackelberg and Vertical Nash. Following game theory models and numerical examples, the study found that the total profit of the supply chain is undifferentiated under the manufacturer Stackelberg and Vertical Nash case in the manufacturer bundling and retailer bundling strategies. However, total supply chain profit under manufacturer bundling strongly dominates under retailer bundling in Retailer Stackelberg and Vertical Nash, and remains valid under multiple settings of market size, price elasticity and advertising elasticity. It is also found that manufacturer bundling is significantly affected by advertising effort compared to retailer bundling. The study contributes to the literature interfacing supply chain and marketing by studying bundling policy and advertising strategy simultaneously for homogenous products, under various power-balance structures and price competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the healthcare industry has faced numerous challenges in ensuring efficient and reliable supply chain management. The emergence of novel supply chain-based frameworks has presented promising solutions to these challenges. This survey paper aims to explore and analyze the latest advancements in supply chain frameworks specifically tailored for the healthcare industry. We review the existing literature, identify key trends, and highlight the potential impact of these frameworks on improving patient care, optimizing inventory management, enhancing operational efficiency, and reducing costs. Additionally, we discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with the implementation of these frameworks and suggest future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the complexity and the magnitude of optimisation models that appeared in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), the use of meta-heuristic algorithms as competent solution approaches is being increased in recent years. Although a massive number of publications exist around SSCM, no extant paper explicitly investigates the role of meta-heuristics in the sustainable (forward) supply chain. To fill this gap, a literature review is provided on meta-heuristic algorithms applied in SSCM by analyzing 160 rigorously selected papers published by the end of 2020. Our statistical analysis ascertains a considerable growth in the number of papers in recent years and reveals the contribution of 50 journals in forming the extant literature. The results also show that in the current literature the use of hybrid meta-heuristics is overtaking pure meta-heuristics, the genetic algorithm (GA) and the non-dominated sorting GA (NSGA-II) are the most-used single- and multi-objective algorithms, the aspects of sustainability are mostly addressed in connection with product distribution and routing of vehicles as pivotal operations in supply chain management, and last but not least, the economic-environmental category of sustainability has been further noticed by the scholars. Finally, a detailed discussion of findings and recommendations for future research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse and classify the literature that contributed to three questions, namely, what are the benefits of big data analytics (BDA) in the field of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics, what are the challenges in BDA applications in the field of SCM and logistics and what are the determinants of successful applications of BDA in the field of SCM and logistics. Design/methodology/approach: This paper conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to analyse the findings of 44 selected papers published in the period from 2016 to 2020, in the area of BDA and its impact on SCM. The designed protocol is composed of 14 steps in total, following Tranfeld (2003). The selected research papers are categorized into four themes. Findings: This paper identifies sets of benefits to be gained from the use of BDA in SCM, including benefits in data analytics capabilities, operational efficiency of logistical operations and supply chain/logistics sustainability and agility. It also documents challenges to be addressed in this application, and determinants of successful implementation. Research limitations/implications: The scope of the paper is limited to the related literature published until the beginning of Corona Virus (COVID) pandemic. Therefore, it does not cover the literature published since the COVID pandemic. Originality/value: This paper contributes to the academic research by providing a roadmap for future empirical work into this field of study by summarising the findings of the recent work conducted to investigate the uses of BDA in SCM and logistics. Specifically, this paper culminates in a summary of the most relevant benefits, challenges and determinants discussed in recent research. As the field of BDA remains a newly established field with little practical application in SCM and logistics, this paper contributes by highlighting the most important developments in contemporary literature practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Revenue sharing contracts (RSCs) have gained considerable popularity over the past two decades—particularly among prominent platform distributors such as the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon— and have therefore attracted a great deal of research attention in the domain of supply-chain management. This study is the first to review the literature dealing with RSCs, a literature in which the number of articles has been growing consistently over the years. Specifically, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of the research field, and to identify potentially fruitful areas for further exploration. To this end, we have carried out a content analysis of 148 carefully selected papers that address various aspects of RSCs in the domains of operations research and operations management. Our survey classifies and discusses the reviewed papers along numerous dimensions of interest, including the types of contract they incorporate and the research questions they address. We provide mathematical formulations of the two RSC structures that are most prevalent in research and in practice: (i) a wholesale-price contract that incorporates an added revenue-sharing mechanism; and (ii) a consignment contract with revenue sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]