Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature on supply chain risk management (SCRM, including risk identification, assessment, treatment, and monitoring), developing a ...comprehensive definition and conceptual framework; to evaluate prior theory use; and to identify future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review of 354 articles (published 2000-2016) based on descriptive, thematic, and content analysis.
Findings
There has been a considerable focus on identifying risk types and proposing risk mitigation strategies. Research has emphasised organisational responses to supply chain risks and made only limited use of theory. Ten key future research directions are identified.
Research limitations/implications
A broad, contemporary understanding of SCRM is provided; and a new, comprehensive definition is presented covering the process, pathway, and objectives of SCRM, leading to a conceptual framework. The research agenda guides future work towards maturation of the discipline.
Practical implications
Managers are encouraged to adopt a holistic approach to SCRM. Guidance is provided on how to select appropriate risk treatment actions according to the probability and impact of a risk.
Originality/value
The first review to consider theory use in SCRM research and to use four SCRM stages to structure the review.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide new insight into the modern slavery threat and to enhance its detection in supply chains by understanding and addressing barriers to whistleblowing. A ...broad definition of a whistle-blower is adopted, which includes any witness internal or external to an organisation.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a viewpoint paper that includes using news reports and other secondary data sources on a recent modern slavery scandal in garment factories in Leicester, UK and the lens of the bystander effect from the social psychology literature. The core focus is on whistleblowing by members of the local community in which an operation or supply chain is embedded.
Findings
The phenomenon of modern slavery being an “open secret” within the local community is highlighted. But rather than the case being characterised by widespread whistleblowing, the problem only came into full focus when poor working conditions and forced labour during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions contributed to the spread of the virus. It is argued that overcoming this “bystander effect” can lead to the greater mobilisation of modern slavery whistleblowing.
Research limitations/implications
Two sets of propositions and a conceptual model are provided and seven future research suggestions are outlined, including extending the present study to whistleblowing by victims and other internal members of an organisation or supply chain.
Practical implications
If it can be mobilised, then whistleblowing has the potential to be an important part of detecting modern slavery, either temporarily replacing audits where they are not possible due to social distancing restrictions or directing the use of limited auditing resources to high-risk factories. In this way, combinations of practices can be effectively used to tackle the threat.
Social implications
This contributes to addressing an important societal problem and one of the grandest challenges facing modern-day supply chains. This, it has been argued, is an even bigger problem now than ever before given the economic and market conditions created by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Originality/value
This is the first paper to focus on operationalising the practice of whistleblowing as a source of greater supply chain intelligence to aid modern slavery detection. Causes of the bystander effect include the perceived low-emergency threat of modern slavery, the high-ambiguity environment, a low bystander responsibility and low assistance/intervention incentive. Countermeasures include elevating the emergency status of modern slavery, creating a shared sense of responsibility for tackling the problem, having clear reporting channels and taking swift and consistent action when instances of modern slavery are detected.
There has been considerable academic interest in recent years in supply chain resilience (SCRES). This paper presents a timely review of the available literature on SCRES based on a three-stage ...systematic search that identified 91 articles/sources. We provide a comprehensive definition of SCRES before strategies proposed for improving resilience are identified and the contributions to the literature are critiqued, e.g. in terms of research method and use of theory. We take stock of the field and identify the most important future research directions. A wide range of strategies for improving resilience are identified, but most attention has been on increasing flexibility, creating redundancy, forming collaborative supply chain relationships and improving supply chain agility. We also find that only limited research has been conducted into choosing and implementing an appropriate set of strategies for improving SCRES. Much of the literature is conceptual, theoretical and normative; the few available empirical studies are mainly cross-sectional and confined to a large firm, developed country context; and, there has been limited use of theory frames to improve understanding. We propose Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory as an appropriate lens for studying SCRES. We demonstrate that SCRES mirrors many characteristics of a CAS - including adaptation and coevolution, non-linearity, self-organisation and emergence - with implications for the direction of both future research and practice.
Summary Using a health impact assessment framework, we estimated the population health effects arising from alternative land-use and transport policy initiatives in six cities. Land-use changes were ...modelled to reflect a compact city in which land-use density and diversity were increased and distances to public transport were reduced to produce low motorised mobility, namely a modal shift from private motor vehicles to walking, cycling, and public transport. The modelled compact city scenario resulted in health gains for all cities (for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease) with overall health gains of 420–826 disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) per 100 000 population. However, for moderate to highly motorised cities, such as Melbourne, London, and Boston, the compact city scenario predicted a small increase in road trauma for cyclists and pedestrians (health loss of between 34 and 41 DALYs per 100 000 population). The findings suggest that government policies need to actively pursue land-use elements—particularly a focus towards compact cities—that support a modal shift away from private motor vehicles towards walking, cycling, and low-emission public transport. At the same time, these policies need to ensure the provision of safe walking and cycling infrastructure. The findings highlight the opportunities for policy makers to positively influence the overall health of city populations.
Summary Land-use and transport policies contribute to worldwide epidemics of injuries and non-communicable diseases through traffic exposure, noise, air pollution, social isolation, low physical ...activity, and sedentary behaviours. Motorised transport is a major cause of the greenhouse gas emissions that are threatening human health. Urban and transport planning and urban design policies in many cities do not reflect the accumulating evidence that, if policies would take health effects into account, they could benefit a wide range of common health problems. Enhanced research translation to increase the influence of health research on urban and transport planning decisions could address many global health problems. This paper illustrates the potential for such change by presenting conceptual models and case studies of research translation applied to urban and transport planning and urban design. The primary recommendation of this paper is for cities to actively pursue compact and mixed-use urban designs that encourage a transport modal shift away from private motor vehicles towards walking, cycling, and public transport. This Series concludes by urging a systematic approach to city design to enhance health and sustainability through active transport and a move towards new urban mobility. Such an approach promises to be a powerful strategy for improvements in population health on a permanent basis.
Summary Significant global health challenges are being confronted in the 21st century, prompting calls to rethink approaches to disease prevention. A key part of the solution is city planning that ...reduces non-communicable diseases and road trauma while also managing rapid urbanisation. This Series of papers considers the health impacts of city planning through transport mode choices. In this, the first paper, we identify eight integrated regional and local interventions that, when combined, encourage walking, cycling, and public transport use, while reducing private motor vehicle use. These interventions are destination accessibility, equitable distribution of employment across cities, managing demand by reducing the availability and increasing the cost of parking, designing pedestrian-friendly and cycling-friendly movement networks, achieving optimum levels of residential density, reducing distance to public transport, and enhancing the desirability of active travel modes (eg, creating safe attractive neighbourhoods and safe, affordable, and convenient public transport). Together, these interventions will create healthier and more sustainable compact cities that reduce the environmental, social, and behavioural risk factors that affect lifestyle choices, levels of traffic, environmental pollution, noise, and crime. The health sector, including health ministers, must lead in advocating for integrated multisector city planning that prioritises health, sustainability, and liveability outcomes, particularly in rapidly changing low-income and middle-income countries. We recommend establishing a set of indicators to benchmark and monitor progress towards achievement of more compact cities that promote health and reduce health inequities.
Cells can sense, signal, and organize via mechanical forces. The ability of cells to mechanically sense and respond to the presence of other cells over relatively long distances (e.g., ∼100 μm, or ...∼10 cell-diameters) across extracellular matrix (ECM) has been attributed to the strain-hardening behavior of the ECM. In this study, we explore an alternative hypothesis: the fibrous nature of the ECM makes long-range stress transmission possible and provides an important mechanism for long-range cell-cell mechanical signaling. To test this hypothesis, confocal reflectance microscopy was used to develop image-based finite-element models of stress transmission within fibroblast-seeded collagen gels. Models that account for the gel’s fibrous nature were compared with homogenous linear-elastic and strain-hardening models to investigate the mechanisms of stress propagation. Experimentally, cells were observed to compact the collagen gel and align collagen fibers between neighboring cells within 24 h. Finite-element analysis revealed that stresses generated by a centripetally contracting cell boundary are concentrated in the relatively stiff ECM fibers and are propagated farther in a fibrous matrix as compared to homogeneous linear elastic or strain-hardening materials. These results support the hypothesis that ECM fibers, especially aligned ones, play an important role in long-range stress transmission.
Social sustainability in developing country suppliers Huq, Fahian Anisul; Stevenson, Mark; Zorzini, Marta
International journal of operations & production management,
01/2014, Letnik:
34, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate why developing country suppliers are adopting socially sustainable practices and how the implementation process is both impeded and enabled. ...Design/methodology/approach - A multi-case study approach is adopted based on four ready made garment (RMG) industry suppliers in Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi buying houses of two large UK retailers. The primary mode of data collection is exploratory face-to-face interviews with 14 senior representatives. Findings are later interpreted using the transaction cost economics (TCE) theory lens. Findings - One factor motivating implementation is labour retention - a skilled labour shortage means employees will migrate to other factories if suppliers do not improve certain social standards. Barriers to implementation include a misalignment between the requirements of western codes of conduct and the cultural and socio-economic context in Bangladesh. Enablers include a shift from auditing and monitoring to more open dialogue and trust between buyers and suppliers. The paper also reveals evidence of mock compliance, e.g. suppliers keeping two sets of timesheets, and of the complexities of social sustainability. For example, while some initiatives are unanimously positive, removing child labour from RMG industry suppliers has simply diverted it to other, less regulated and more hazardous industries such as construction. Research limitations/implications - An early, exploratory contribution is provided. The work could be extended, e.g. to other stakeholders such as third-party auditors and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Practical implications - Being aware of the motivations, barriers and enablers will help multi-national corporations (MNCs) promote good practice and anticipate the challenges they are likely to face in improving the social sustainability of their supply chains. Use of TCE leads to suggesting MNCs need to move beyond immediate suppliers and incorporate tier-two suppliers in implementation efforts. Social implications - Social sustainability improvements should benefit vulnerable workers, help suppliers develop longer term relationships with MNCs, and contribute to economic growth. Originality/value - Most prior studies have been in the context of developed countries and focused on the perspective of the buying firm only.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to determine the state-of-the-art in socially responsible sourcing (SRS) research, leading to an agenda for further work; and to evaluate the use of theory in ...this context. SRS is defined as the upstream social issues within the sustainability literature, where social issues include human rights, community development and ethical issues but exclude environmental concerns.
Design/methodology/approach
– A systematic literature review of 157 papers that include SRS published in ABS listed journals. The papers have been analysed according to their research content, with a particular focus on the use of pre-existing theories.
Findings
– Key findings for researchers and managers alike include an analytical discussion of strategies developed to date to embed SRS in an organisation; and key research gaps include a particular need to consider the supplier perspective in developing countries. In terms of the use of theory, a typology is proposed, which (in ascending order of effectiveness) is as follows: theory dressing, theory matching, theory suggesting/explaining and theory expansion.
Research limitations/implications
– The review is limited to papers published in the ABS list; and the analysis of the use of theory is limited to the SRS literature. The findings suggest that insightful papers can be written without any use of theory but that as a field develops, a greater depth of application of theory is needed to aid understanding.
Originality/value
– This is the only review that focuses exclusively on social issues SRS, excluding environmental issues, thus allowing for a greater depth of discussion on social issues; and is unique in its detailed critical analysis of the use of theory.
In manufacturing shops in practice, machine capacity is often constrained by more than one type of resource. Yet research mainly focusses on the effects of only one type of resource that constrains ...machine capacity, e.g. labour, tooling or auxiliary constraints. In response, we use simulation to assess the impact of order release, dispatching and resource assignment rules in make-to-order job shops with multiple resource constraints. The capacity wasted while a machine stands idle waiting for other resources increases with the number of constraints, and all three production planning and control functions have little impact on this waiting time. Effective production planning and control can however improve operational performance in terms of time and tardiness-related measures. In general, combining order release control with a dispatching rule that prioritises jobs for which all resources are available at dispatching and a longest queue resource assignment rule leads to the best performance. Most importantly, and rather counterintuitively, prioritising orders with the fewest missing resources worsens the performance of both the dispatching and resource assignment rule since it reduces resource utilisation during periods of high load. Results from dual resource-constrained shops are consequently not directly transferable to more complex resource-constrained shops.
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