Search

The study explores the impact of digital transformation on supplier relationship management, specifically within the setting of Bangladesh. As digital technologies become more essential to company operations, they have significantly transformed the methods by which firms engage with their suppliers. The study investigates the use of technologies such as cloud-based platforms, ERP systems, blockchain, and automation to promote communication, foster cooperation, establish trust, augment transparency, and maximize efficiency in supply chain operations. The research used qualitative methodologies, conducting interviews with 36 organizations from various sectors in Bangladesh, highlighting the potential and problems associated with digital transformation. Essential results underscore the role of digital technology in enabling real-time communication and information dissemination, hence promoting strategic alliances and collaborative methodologies in supply chain management. The research highlights the significance of digital technologies in enhancing transparency and accountability by increasing the tracking and monitoring of supplier performance, hence reinforcing trust among parties. Nonetheless, the report also highlights obstacles like aversion to change, insufficient technical skills, and budget limitations, especially for smaller enterprises. These obstacles impede the comprehensive use of digital solutions in supplier relationship management. The report indicates that, notwithstanding the challenges, the beneficial effects of digital transformation are unequivocal, providing substantial opportunities for firms to improve supplier relationships, save costs, and bolster resilience in a progressively competitive global marketplace. Ongoing investment in digital infrastructure and training will be crucial for firms in Bangladesh to fully capitalize on the advantages of digital transformation in their supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Second-order system-dynamics engineering (SOSDE) involves constructing and running enterprise manufacturing simulation models with new proposals for operational processes, byproducts, supply chain and/or downstream marketing designs. This paper aims to describe sustainability the principal lessons from enacting SOSDE research for achieving goals in large manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach: This study is a case research commentary in the agricultural industry that contributes abductively derives six principal lessons from SOSDE research on introducing sustainability-focused manufacturing and product innovations. Operational processes in large-scale poultry processing plants in an emerging market represent the specific industry and firm domain of this case study. Alternative SOSDE simulation models of decisions, materials flow and outcomes with versus without operational innovations were constructed following one-to-one interviews with experienced farm managers and entrepreneurs. Findings: The principles demonstrate how large farms in a developing nation (i.e. Bangladesh) go about adopting radically innovative manufacturing, supply chain and marketing operations to improve traditional operations. This study confirms and expands on the general observation that SOSDE can help achieve sustainability and environmental, social and governance goals, contribute new value outcomes by converting unused production wastes into valuable byproducts and introduce design efficiencies in production, supply chain and marketing processes. SOSDE complements, while being a revolutionary departure from, "six sigma management programs" that focus on achieving exceptional and near mistake-free manufacturing operations. Both represent distinct philosophies and sets of actions that sometimes can conflict with one another. Embracing both successfully in the same enterprise is a goal that may appear unreachable, seemingly impossible to achieve and yet represents a manufacturing/marketing epitome that is observable in exceptional enterprises. Research limitations/implications: This paper may generate controversy as well as advance interest in applying SOSDE in introductions of improved manufacturing, supply chain and marketing operations aiming to accomplish radical improvements in sustainability goals. Practical implications: This commentary describes how using SOSDE and running alternative production simulations with versus without including superior, radically new, process innovations enable the firm to find and eliminate glitches in system changes and reduce the fear associating with breakdowns and financial losses due to inadequate knowledge of operating new industrial procedures and outcomes. Social implications: Introductions of superior radically new innovations in industrial manufacturing and marketing via SOSDE frequently include manufacturing firms embracing new environment sustainability objectives and additional marketable byproducts from the firm's main productions lines. This commentary offers details on how this process is enacted in poultry manufacturing in an economically emerging nation. Originality/value: Running simulations in SOSDE research offers a low-cost, fast and in-depth method to test "what-if" impacts of enhanced and radical innovations into product/service manufacturing operations – benefits supporting the recommendation to apply systems dynamics in business and industrial marketing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish seed are important for the growth of aquaculture in Bangladesh, but there are many challenges associated with supplying quality fish seed. This review evaluated the current level of production, issues and challenges that are affecting the production of fish seed in Bangladesh. The fish hatchery was found to be the major contributor in terms of fish seed production. Out of 671 metric tons of fish seed produced in 2020–2021, above 99% were from hatcheries. Freshwater finfish hatcheries have expanded over the last 30 yr, and are distributed throughout the country, but there is no commercial hatchery for coastal and marine water finfish species in the country. Shrimp and prawn hatcheries are concentrated in Cox's Bazar and the greater Jassore regions, respectively, while crab culture is entirely dependent on wild capture. Crablets are collected from nature, which has a devastating impact on biodiversity and wild stocks. The fish seed value chain is multidirectional and interlinked, and intermediaries dominate the supply chain. Disease outbreaks and indiscriminate use of chemicals are major concerns in fish seed production. Management strategies such as the introduction of certification, training programs, technology transfer, access to credit, and implementation of the law could improve the quality and productivity of fish seed in Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the operational characteristics of supply chain operations during disaster scenarios within Bangladesh and the profound impact of disruption risks due to poor operational effectiveness and structural dynamics within the supply chain network. Via the analysis of representative case studies and interviews with over 500 stakeholders, we identify and analyse the many structural and administrative complexities and subsequent disruption risks surrounding the utilisation of traditional supply chain infrastructures for emergency disaster scenarios. The findings illustrate the severe impact of poor demand estimation, inadequate selection of supply items, bureaucratic and extended chain of administration, poor central coordination among the participating organizations, absence of interoperability, poor infrastructure, and lack of information sharing. We propose a new emergency supply chain infrastructure to mitigate these threats offering contribution to the literature as well as support to disaster relief efforts within Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most low- and middle-income countries lack the regulatory capacity to contain substandard and falsified (SF) medicines. Innovations for strengthening regulatory systems are needed to protect public health. We assessed the integrity of the antimicrobial supply chain in Bangladesh. We employed qualitative methods comprising policy content analysis, and literature and database reviews. Using a framework modified from the World Health Organization's and the United States Pharmacopoeia's, the Bangladesh National Drug Policy (BNDP), was evaluated for provisions on medicines quality assurance mechanisms. We used newspaper, peer-reviewed, and post-marketing surveillance reports to assess prevalence of SF antimicrobials. The BNDP contains provisions for quality assurance. Newspaper reports identified circulation of substandard antimicrobials. We identified only six peer-review studies testing antimicrobial product quality with three studies reporting out-of-specifications products. We suggest three strategies for strengthening the regulatory system: community-based surveillance, task shifting, and technology-enabled consumer participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Supply chains' (SCs') sustainability practices and recovery strategies are attaining popularity in academia and industries to improve the resilience of the SCs and to manage large-scale disruptions. The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 has raised the question of the sustainability of essential health-care products' SCs of Bangladesh. It is an essential avenue for making the life of people safe and secure. Despite its importance, most of the health-care SCs in Bangladesh are struggling to meet the demand of its nation due to capacity shortage, technological backwardness of the manufacturers, delivery capacity shortages and less advanced forecasting capabilities. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the key performance indicators (KPIs) of a sustainable recovery strategy in the context of health-care SCs considering the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a dynamic method named graph theory and matrix approach to evaluate the most critical KPIs of a sustainable recovery strategy in the context of Bangladeshi health-care SCs. Findings: The result revealed that dynamic forecasting and planning with a smooth delivery and distribution support system, production capacity diversification and having alternative or multiple suppliers during extraordinary disruptions may aid in the sustainability of the health-care SCs in Bangladesh. Originality/value: This study is unique as no previous study has identified and examined the sustainable recovery strategy perspective KPIs considering the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of Bangladeshi health-care SCs. This study will also add value by guiding decision-makers of the health-care SCs of Bangladesh to adopt strategies toward the sustainability of SCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of countries have focused on shipbuilding public policies, as it is commonly considered a deliberate industry and influences employment levels in many regions. Establishing key performance indicators can be a challenge to shipbuilding policymakers. This paper suggests an approach to this issue, based on three different MCDM techniques: the fuzzy DEMATEL, the Fuzzy ANP, and the MOORA. This approach makes it achievable to estimate performance and competitiveness, considering 25 different variables comprising four different viewpoints of a balanced scorecard approach. These dimensions include finance, customer, internal process, and learning and growth aspects. The methodology is applied to the analysis of the active shipyards of the Bay of Bengal Basin countries. Our main findings indicate that shipyards which are effective in 'customer' variables perform higher performance, while variables constituting the 'learning and growth' dimension demonstrate lower impact on it. Additionally, the dimensions of 'finance' and 'customer' show uttered impacts on the other dimensions, while 'learning and growth' has no impact on the other perspectives of the balanced scorecard. Through this methodology, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers might acquire a penetrating overview into the drivers of the global shift in shipbuilding industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines workplace bullying and the intensification of labour controls in the clothing supply chain. It appears that extreme forms of bullying are deployed to intensify labour controls, including locking workers in, frequent wage cuts, setting moveable targets and carrying out intense observations. The context of this study is surplus value-starved clothing factories in Bangladesh. Global supply chains' production regimes and the absence of state protections and trade unions enable factory managers to systematically deploy bullying tactics to achieve production targets. Drawing on Burawoy's works, this article advances the debate of how workplace bullying is impacted by wider structural conditions with managerial strategies of coercion in factories. It is argued here that when the state intervenes in the factory only to protect and preserve capitalists' interests, explicitly and implicitly, coercive strategies of control turn into extreme bullying on the shopfloor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Poultry production supply chains produce substantial wastes that are transformable into favorable environmental outcomes and profitable products. While overwhelming evidence supports this conclusion, scant literature is available on how such transformations are doable. Using systems dynamics, this study addresses this research gap in a national (Bangladesh) context. This study aims to contribute an integrated model for poultry supply chains that incorporate reverse flows of wastes using system dynamics (SD) engineering with empirical simulations. Design/methodology/approach: This study applies SD and simulations of alternative supply chains with versus without reverse loops that transform wastes into viable products in poultry production and downstream marketing operations. This research reports on an in-depth case study of systems thinking and use of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology systems dynamics software. Data for the study are longitudinal and come from written operation records and extensive, repeated, one-on-one Interview from a large poultry plant operation in Bangladesh. Findings: This study finds that several current poultry waste production problems are solvable through an integrated approach that generates viable new marketable products with substantial profitable opportunities that also contributes to reductions in industrial pollution. This study confirms that forward, backward and reverse supply chains need to be under one umbrella system to achieve economic, social and environmental benefits. Research limitations/implications: This study's SD model and outputs need additional applications in poultry supply chains in multiple countries. Applying the firm-level model that this study provides is a necessary but insufficient step toward empirical confirmation through replicating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Research Journal of Business Studies is the property of Prasetiya Mulya Publishing, Universitas Prasetiya Mulya and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) is one of the leading export commodities in Bangladesh. The industry, however, is frequently beset with quality deterioration and microbial diseases owing to various reasons. Here, we analyzed the sensory and nutritional qualities of shrimp, the total bacterial count, and molecular identification of pathogenic bacteria in samples collected from different supply chain actors (SCA), including the gher (farms), depots, wholesalers, retailers, and the processing industry in Khulna, Bangladesh. While the Sensory Quality Indices (SQI) of shrimps collected from farms, depots, and processing plants were found 'excellent and highly acceptable', the rating for wholesale and retail markets were 'good and acceptable'. Nutritionally, higher protein (21.59%), lipid (1.47%), and ash (1.97%) contents were found in shrimps collected from farms than that of other SCAs. Heterotrophic bacterial count (cfu/g) differed in various SCAs: farms 3.75±0.31 (×106), depots 3.95±0.92 (×106), wholesale markets 5.03±0.35 (×106), retail markets 4.82±0.40 (×106), and the processing industry 3.78±0.25 (×106). The presence of Ralstonia spp and Pseudomonas spp, confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing were found in different SCAs. Overall, the quality of shrimp appeared better in farms than that of other SCAs, indicating that a lack of proper hygiene, sanitation, and post-harvest handling practices could be the likely impediments for quality deterioration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis that is considered endemic in Bangladesh, where cases among animals and people have been reported almost annually since 2009. Contaminated by‐products from animals are suspected to play a role in transmission to people, but minimal information is known on the supply chain of these potentially contaminated products. Between April 2013 and May 2016, we conducted a qualitative study in 17 villages located in five districts in Bangladesh, which had experienced suspected anthrax outbreaks. The study explored how by‐products from suspected animal cases were collected, discarded, processed, distributed and used by people. We conducted open‐ended interviews, group discussions and unstructured observations of people's exposure to animal by‐products. The practice of slaughtering acutely ill domestic ruminants before they died was common. Respondents reported that moribund animals were typically butchered, and the waste products were discarded in nearby rivers, ditches, bamboo bushes, or on privately owned land. Regardless of health status before death, very few carcasses were buried, and none were incinerated or burned. The hides were reportedly used to make wallets, belts, shoes, balls and clothing. Discarded bones were often ground into granular and powder forms to produce bone meal and fertilizer. Therefore, given anthrax is endemic in the study region, livestock with acute onset of fatal disease or found dead with no known cause of death may be an anthrax case and subsequently pose a health risk to those involved in the collection and processing of the carcass, as well as the end‐user of these products. Improved bio‐security practices and safe carcass disposal measures could reduce the risk of human exposure, but resource and other constraints make implementation a challenge. Therefore, targeting at‐risk animal populations for vaccination may be the most effective strategy to reduce anthrax outbreaks, protect the supply chain and reduce the risk of exposure to B. anthracis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper explores the emergence of private sector responsibilisation for tackling governance issues in a global supply chain. The infamous case of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh is used to investigate the ways a frameshift, triggered by a manmade disaster, can potentially influence the effectiveness of the certification process in a research site characterised by the presence of a strong state-business nexus. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical work for this paper is based 24 semi-structured interviews with owners, managers, operators, independent inspectors in the ready-made garments (RMG) industry in Bangladesh between 2014 and 2018. We also analyse a range of archival materials. For the purpose of data analysis, we adopted an exploratory flexible pattern matching design with nested template analysis (Sinkovics et al., 2019). Findings: Our analysis suggests that the magnitude of the Rana Plaza collapse triggered several frameshifts in multinational corporations approach towards labour governance in Bangladesh. Subsequently, a responsibility framework for the private sector was created, resulting in significant improvements in working conditions in the sector. However, the sustainability of the labour governance mechanisms was significantly affected by the state's ability to play the role of catalyst in the process, mainly due to the presence of a significant state-business nexus. Originality/value: We find that broadening the scope of sustainability accounting and assurance process can allow social auditors to play a more meaningful role in triggering collective actions to address labour governance issues in supply chains. However, in a context defined by the presence of a state-business nexus, the sustainability of such a process largely depends on the willingness of the state to play the role of a catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evaluation and monitoring systems are perceived as an effective tool to understand and improve the contribution of business activities to the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, there is currently a lack of guidance and support on assessing the influence that the life cycle of products and services has on the SDGs. This article presents a case study where Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) is applied to understand the social performance of a textile product and its potential contribution to the SDGs. Methods: In this study, the link between the S-LCA methodology and the SDG framework was made at the indicator level, through a new classification of S-LCA indicators. This classification was aimed at indicating the positive or negative contribution of products or services into the SDGs. The method was tested with the case study of a man's shirt whose supply chain takes place across five countries, from the cotton farming in China to the retailing in The Netherlands. The social performance of the shirt's life cycle was analyzed through a social hotspot assessment (using PSILCA database) and a site-specific assessment following the UNEP/SETAC S-LCA guidelines. Primary data was collected for 6 different suppliers regarding 51 social indicators and four stakeholder categories (workers, local communities, value chain actors, and society). Results and discussion: The social hotspot assessment indicated high social risks on indicators related to the following SDGs: health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, decent work, and responsible production and consumption. These risks were mainly located in Bangladesh (shirt manufacturing) and Malaysia (fabric manufacturing). The site-specific assessment indicated different results than the social risk assessment, showing worse social performance in the spinning stage (located in China). Negative scores were obtained for every supplier in at least four indicators, including working hours, safe and healthy living conditions, and access to immaterial resources. Conclusions: The results indicated negative social performance of the supply chain in most of the SDGs and identified points of improvement for the final retailer. The linkage of the S-LCA framework with the SDGs presented methodological challenges, mainly related to the different scope of the SDG indicators and the S-LCA indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]