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The growing popularity of "Supply Chain Transparency" (SCT) as an idea has motivated its use as a "buzzword," leading to a lack of terminological clarity. Terms like visibility, transparency, and traceability are used colloquially or as synonyms for one another, yet often without a proper conceptual basis. We argue that the absence of a clear understanding of SCT limits the ability of scholars and practitioners to fully understand the role played by transparency in supply chains and to study its antecedents, technologies, types, and outcomes. Therefore, transparency research is at the point where a scoping review of literature on SCT is particularly useful. Our review first provides a formal conceptualization of SCT, allowing us to identify how transparency has been understood, the building blocks of SCT, and what distinguishes SCT from other concepts. In the review, we initially identify relevant concepts underlying SCT with a view to establish a unifying and nuanced framework for SCT. Second, using that unified conceptualization as a basis, primary outcomes such as the benefits and risks of SCT are determined. Third, we systematically detect and classify future research opportunities arising from the building blocks of SCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies and societies around the world and forced many industries to rethink their operations. While the ambiguity in global economies and adapted modes of operation have considerably affected small businesses in the fitness industry, few insights have been provided into the adjustments that enabled these businesses to remain operational. This study hence adopts a qualitative approach to explore the adjustments made by small fitness businesses based on transitional business models during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants from small fitness businesses that had encountered restrictions and limitations due to the pandemic. The findings indicate that small fitness businesses chose a trial-and-error approach while developing their business model that allowed transitional adjustments in their value propositions as they developed resilience during the disruptions. Nevertheless, existing customers' perceptions of service quality and loyalty served as an important buffer for ensuring customer retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A management framework (like the Business Model Canvas or SWOT) is a combination of interlinked items that support a particular approach to a specific objective. Various management frameworks are widely used even though their origins, adoption, and value remain vague. Previous research tried to decipher the adoption of these management frameworks, whereas considerably less attention was devoted to the theoretical explanation of the development and value of the frameworks. This paper investigates the nature of management frameworks in particular realms using analogical reasoning between biological and social systems, and mostly draws on memetics, intersubjective reality, and the network effect. By using memetics, the explanations on the origins of well-known frameworks are complemented. Second, the paper shows the role of the network effect in the growing value of a framework until it becomes an intersubjective reality. Finally, such a framework is explained as autopoietic within a particular realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The business model (BM) approach is making a slow, yet steady footprint in tourism research, can offer a fresh perspective and a viable level of analysis for broader networks of Internet distribution systems (IDSs). To date, the researchers have devoted limited attention to studying the daily deal (DD) providers and their position next to the online travel agencies (OTAs). More importantly, the DD providers developed a unique BM characteristics, which contrary to early predictions, enabled them to proliferate post-recession and maintain their position. The current study uses the BM approach to observe the original dimensions and BM elements, to identify distinct characteristics of generic and niche DD providers, and to benchmark them against the established OTAs. The BM approach enhances the understanding of the overlooked niche DD providers within IDSs. Further, this article provides a comparison of the BM characteristics in IDSs to help facilitate the formulation of a unique value proposition for each of them. Ultimately, the authors acknowledge limited possibilities for cooperation between the providers and discuss future directions of DD and broader IDSs BM transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daily Deal (DD) websites have established themselves as an inventory distribution channel for hotels, yet they remain a largely underexplored topic in tourism. This paper seeks to provide insights into the nature of high-end DD websites through data analysis of individual offers' attributes, obtained by direct observation of three main hotel-focused DD websites and one review website. The preliminary analysis of the data reveals that specialised DDs are a marketplace for quality hotels that can be considered as a semi-permanent form of a distribution channel. The outcomes challenge the currently established literature by offering a novel perspective and a more in-depth understanding of DDs and their use by the hoteliers as a marketing tool and inventory distribution channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]