This paper considers a real case problem of supply chain network design inspired from a wheat distribution network in Iran. It generates a network with capacity acquisition and fleet management. The ...problem first is formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model. Then, a logic-based Benders decomposition algorithm is appropriately developed as the solution methodology. In the presented algorithm, the problem is decomposed into two models of master and subproblem. The master problem is improved by means of the preprocessing and valid inequalities. Moreover, three Benders cuts, one optimality and two feasibility cuts, are developed for the algorithm. The general and relative performance of the model and algorithm is experimentally evaluated. The wheat distribution system of Iran is considered here as the case study of this research. The model is developed based on Iran’s wheat distribution system. All the results show that the algorithm significantly outperforms the mathematical model of the case study. For example, the algorithm solves 95% of the tested instances to optimality, yet the model solves 29%.
Social sustainability, the social dimension of sustainable development goals (SDGs), is getting increasing attention in recent years. The issues of social sustainability are very challenging in the ...textile and clothing supply chain especially in emerging economies. This article proposes a modified fuzzy interpretive structural modelling (fuzzy ISM) for analysing the contextual relationships among the barriers of social sustainability. Twenty barriers are shortlisted based on review of literature and experts' opinion. The contextual relationships among the barriers are captured in form of linguistic ratings given by the experts. Using the modified fuzzy ISM method, an eight‐level hierarchical model is developed. The lack of consumer awareness is found to be the most important driving barrier. The other important driving barriers are lack of strict implementation of government laws and regulation, and lack of financial support from the Government and trade bodies. This study shows that the issues of social sustainability in the textile and clothing supply chain can be addressed by increasing consumer awareness, coercive pressure from the regulatory bodies, and financial aids and incentives to supply chain partners. This study contributes to the methodology by developing an improved interpretive model of decision making. The hierarchical and contextual relationships among the social sustainability barriers have been deciphered. The study also utilises organisational change management theory to address the barriers of adoption of social sustainability. Outcome of this research will be useful to frame strategies to implement social sustainability in textile and clothing supply chain.
Since the advent of blockchain technology (BT), extensive research has explored using this technology in non-financial cases. The healthcare industry is one of the non-financial sectors that BT has ...significantly impacted. In this paper, for the first time, barriers to implement BT-based platforms from a balanced scorecard perspective in the healthcare sector are introduced, and these barriers are prioritized using a structural approach based on the weighted influence non-linear gauge system. Unlike other structural models such as decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), in this approach, both strength and influence intensity of components are considered in the ranking process. The proposed approach is applied in networks that have a hierarchical structure and intertwined components. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated using the ranking of BT-based platform adoption barriers in the healthcare industry in Iran. The results show that financial issues, security issues, lack of expertise and knowledge, and uncertain government policies are the most important barriers to BT adoption in the healthcare industry.
Evidence suggests that smaller organisations find the implementation of combined operations- and environmental Sustainability improvement initiatives such as Green-Lean and Sustainability (GLS) ...challenging. This paper, therefore, develops a framework for the systematic implementation of Green-Lean and Sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to achieve long-term improvement of environmental, social and economic processes and performance. A literature assessment of theories, frameworks, and concepts was employed in the study to better comprehend the difficulties confronting the modern business world. In addition, the research employed expert perspectives from the lean, green-lean, and sustainability fields to propose, develop, test, and validate a framework for addressing business concerns. The research uncovers considerable implementation problems, such as employee motivation and integration, responsibilities, and measurements. It also underlines the success factors for the implementation process, such as management, firm- goals and strategy, reviews and audits, vision, and guidance by lean, green and sustainability frameworks. The novelty in this research lies in the approach where Green-Lean and Sustainability are combined and applied in an SME context. The presented framework offers the potential to be implemented in SMEs that operate in different sectors and contexts and are affected by different environmental and social considerations.
A systematic literature review of supply chain maturity models with sustainability concerns is presented. The objective is to give insights into methodological issues related to maturity models, ...namely the research objectives; the research methods used to develop, validate and test them; the scope; and the main characteristics associated with their design. The literature review was performed based on journal articles and conference papers from 2000 to 2015 using the SCOPUS, Emerald Insight, EBSCO and Web of Science databases. Most of the analysed papers have as main objective the development of maturity models and their validation. The case study is the methodology that is most widely used by researchers to develop and validate maturity models. From the sustainability perspective, the scope of the analysed maturity models is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) and environmental dimension, focusing on a specific process (eco-design and new product development) and without a broad SC perspective. The dominant characteristics associated with the design of the maturity models are the maturity grids and a continuous representation. In addition, results do not allow identifying a trend for a specific number of maturity levels. The comprehensive review, analysis, and synthesis of the maturity model literature represent an important contribution to the organization of this research area, making possible to clarify some confusion that exists about concepts, approaches and components of maturity models in sustainability. Various aspects associated with the maturity models (i.e., research objectives, research methods, scope and characteristics of the design of models) are explored to contribute to the evolution and significance of this multidimensional area.
•A compilation of the RL barriers is obtained from a systematic literature review process.•A novel framework is proposed to analyze the importance level of RL barriers.•The solution methodology ...includes fuzzy Delphi method and analytic hierarchy process.•The framework is explained with a case study in a Brazilian company in the EEE sector.
The environmental consciousness of customers and the emergence of stricter environmental regulations has pushed industries to think about environmental management by means of reverse logistics (RL) implementation. In order to implement RL systems, a careful analysis of barriers that hinder the reverse flow must be taken. However, most existing research on the barriers for RL implementation is focused on developed countries. Among the most important emerging economies, Brazil, the largest Latin America economy, faces challenges such as a deficient logistics infrastructure and the recently enacted National Policy on solid waste. To bridge this gap, this paper identifies and evaluates the barriers for RL in the Brazilian context. An eleven-step research methodology is proposed. First, literature was thoroughly reviewed. fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to obtain the critical list of barriers by experts and industrial managers’ opinions. Then, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) questionnaires were answered by electrical–electronic equipment (EEE) industry sector experts in order to obtain the priority ranking of barriers. This paper contributes with a compilation of the RL barriers from a systematic literature review process, a list of most common RL barriers accepted by Brazilian organizations, and a priority ranking of RL barriers for the electrical-electronic industry sector in Brazil. The “Economic related issues” category of barriers seems to be the first priority. The financial burden of tax and the uncertainty related to economic issues appear to be major obstacles for RL implementation.
Contracts are comprehensive coordination mechanisms used in both theory and practice to coordinate various supply chain structures. By focusing on the coordination by contracts of the forward and ...reverse supply chains, the intention of this paper is to (1) present an overview of contracting literature and (2) suggest a classification of coordination contracts and contracting literature in the form of classification schemes. The criteria used for contract classification are transfer payment contractual incentives and inventory risk sharing. The classification schemes are based on the level of detail used in designing the coordination models. The paper gives a complete overview of the literature that addresses coordination by contracts, structures and classifies the existing work, and draws a parallel between the research conducted on the forward supply chain and the research on the reverse supply chain.
Due to the nature of the agricultural and food industry, the management of production, storage, transportation, waste disposal and environmental effects of their production, are of great importance. ...To deal with the sustainability issues linked to their supply chains, we propose in this study a mathematical model to design a sustainable supply chain of highly perishable agricultural product (strawberry). The model is a multiperiod, multiproduct multiobjective MINLP mathematical program that takes into consideration economic, social and environmental objectives to cover all aspects of sustainability. In addition, a G/M/S/M queuing system is developed for the transportation of harvested products between facilities for the first time. Since real‐world problems related to industries such as food and agriculture are inherently uncertain, in this model, the important parameters of the problem are considered uncertain using fuzzy sets theory and a hybrid robust possibilistic programming model is developed. In addition, the Epsilon constraint approach converts the multiobjective mathematical model into a single‐objective one and the Lagrangian relaxation method is used to effectively solve the model on a large scale. A case study in Iran is provided to investigate the results and discuss the solutions. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is performed to identify the impacts of important parameters on the solution. According to the analysis, equipping greenhouses with drip irrigation system and using solar panels in greenhouses, respectively, have the greatest impact on improving all target functions.
Recommendations for Resource Managers
Multiobjective optimization shows trade‐offs among conflicting objective function and assists decision‐making to enhance sustainable agriculture industry.
Focus on transportation system in fresh product will lead to less waste.
The use of solar panels and drip irrigation helps to minimize water and energy consumption and CO2 emission.
With growing competition in the market and dire need for sustainability, it has become imperative for companies to build long‐term relationship with their supply chain partners through sustainable ...collaboration. Among these, the supplier–manufacturer relationship is crucial for improved organizational, business and sustainable performance. Sustainable collaboration with suppliers involves crucial decision‐making processes such as continuous supplier monitoring and supplier development. Hence, a critical challenge that a company faces is to identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) for assessing the performance of a supplier for sustainable collaboration. In this regard, this study focuses on identification of KPIs for an Indian home appliance company through exhaustive discussions involving multiple decision‐makers. Further, a grey‐based decision‐making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) model is proposed in the study for analysing the importance levels among the fifteen KPIs based on multiple stakeholder perspectives. The results of the grey structural model indicate seven KPIs as influencing KPIs and eight KPIs as influenced KPIs. The KPI ‘Information disclosure’ has been identified as the most influential KPI for the evaluation of suppliers for sustainable collaboration. The implications drawn from the result analysis model can provide meaningful insights to managers for identifying strategies towards strengthening the supplier–manufacturer relationship and achieving organizational and market competence.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify and evaluate supply chain strategies (SCSs) that drive financial performance to guide practitioners, especially in liquefied natural gas (LNG) ...networks, to review and adopt SCSs that drive competitiveness and value creation for investors.
Design/methodology/approach
Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was deployed to prioritise SCSs according to their relative impact on financial performance in LNG networks. Interviews with experts were analysed using template analysis to establish latent drivers of financial performance specific to LNG networks.
Findings
Results support the significant role of SCSs in improving financial performance. Although findings prioritised collaborative strategy as the most important driver of financial performance in LNG networks, to fully optimise financial outcomes, all the SCSs should be implemented across LNG networks as no single strategy in isolation is a standalone driver of financial performance.
Practical implications
The AHP model provides a novel ranking for SCSs and measures to guide decision-makers. LNG practitioners may exploit the results to make informed decisions.
Originality/value
The study extends previous literature by proposing a framework and a new LNG empirical model that facilitates understanding of how SCSs contribute positively to financial performance and support practitioners in making strategic supply chain decisions.
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