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The purpose of this article is to compare design choices and assess the structural complexity of six manufacturing supply chains (SCs) of the Brazilian wind turbine industry.

The research method is quantitative modeling. This study adopts the social network perspective to provide a broad set of network metrics for comparative analysis and characterization of the structural configuration and complexity of SCs. Transaction costs and the risk of disruption supported the metrics employed in the study. Network size, network density, core-size and centralization metrics stem from transaction costs, whereas constraint and betweenness centrality stem from risk of disruption.

The main conclusion is that, in the Brazilian wind manufacturing industry, increasing the SC structural complexity by adding redundant ties to minimize disruption risks, even implying higher transaction costs, increases the capacity to win orders.

Only the Brazilian wind turbine industry was studied. Therefore, findings are not general, but specific, to the case.

Managers and practitioners of the Brazilian wind turbine industry should focus on increasing the complexity of their SCs, even if it increases transaction costs, to ensure due dates compliance in orders.

To the best of the available knowledge, there is no commonly accepted or shared measurement for SC complexity, and this study proposed an alternative approach to bridge this research gap, the structural perspective of social networks. Traditional measures were complemented by new metrics, and the power of the application of social network analysis to SC investigations was empirically demonstrated in different levels of analysis.

The purpose of this study is to investigate empirically whether the presence of dependence influences the strength and direction of the relationship between social capital and operational performance.

The authors tested two effects, moderator and mediator, of the dependence between social capital and operational performance in the buyer–supplier relationship in the supply chain. The authors use dependence as a dichotomous variable and empirically test the hypotheses using hierarchical linear regression from data collected from 117 industrial companies in Brazil.

The results show that although dependence does not have a mediating effect on social capital shares in operational performance, it moderates the strength of trust actions in relation to cost, delivery, flexibility and innovativeness of the buyer.

As for the practical implications, in a buyer–supplier relationship, managers may not be fully capable of decreasing dependence and thus increasing the effect of trust actions on operational performance.

For management practices in the textile and clothing industry, social capital actions contribute to strategic objectives, increasing collaboration between supply chain partners, and for operations, offering more options in managing social ties.

The purpose of this paper is to gain knowledge about the status and characteristics of the current web citations in published articles by Iranian researchers in the Science Citation Index (SCI). Besides investigating the growth in the presence of web resources in publications, the paper examines the accessibility and decay of web resources. Furthermore, the author will examine the provided information by the URLs to determine whether the cited contents by the authors signify the same information as the URLs.

The author used the survey research method. Thus, all documents by Iranian chemistry researchers recorded in the SCI database during 2006‐2009 were identified and then transferred to an Excel base. After a one‐by‐one examination, 46,762 web citations were extracted from a total number of 10,333 documents and were then analyzed, with the aid of two research assistants, in two months time (November and December of 2010), as specified in the research objectives. The citations were categorized into nine groups based on the feedback from the URLs' entries in the Internet Explorer browser.

The results showed that 46,762 citations (20 percent) of the total 187,823 available citations in the articles included web citations. The proportion percentage of web citations increased from 9 percent in 2006 to 39 percent in 2009. The average number of web citations for every article is 4.52. The most widely cited top level domains in URLs include the.org and.edu with, respectively, 31 percent and 23 percent; and when compared to other domains they reveal a greater tendency for stability. The highest percentage of inactive URLs was found to be associated with the .gov top level domain. Ultimately, 40,954 web citations were rendered accessible, of which 79 percent allowed easy and long‐term access to the authors' information intended in URLs. The decay rate for citations reveals an annual 5.2 percent increase. Long‐time inaccessibility to the authors' same intended information was shown to be mostly from URLs that returned the 404 error and also the URLs that had gone through information update. An about eight year half‐life was estimated for Iran's chemistry publications, which is rather promising in comparison with other fields of study.

The paper offers a quantitative analysis of the state of web citations application among chemistry researchers in Iran and voices concerns related to web citations in the publications in this field. The results of this study may be useful for providers of web contents, authors and editors in the field of chemistry publications.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate on the behaviour of a delaminated stiffened panel; the delamination growth is simulated via fracture elements implemented in B2000++® code based on the Modified Virtual Crack Closure Technique (MVCCT), matrix cracking and fibre failure have been also taken into account.

In order to correctly apply the MVCCT on the delamination front a very fine three-dimensional (3D) mesh is required very close to the delaminated area, while a 2D-shell model has been employed for the areas of minor interest. In order to couple the shell domain to the solid one, shell-to-solid coupling elements based on kinematic constraints have been used.

Results obtained with the global/local approach are in good correlation with those obtained with experimental results.

The global/local approach based on kinematic coupling elements in conjunction with fracture elements allows to investigate and predict the behaviour of a stiffened delaminated composite panel in an efficient and effective way.

This paper aims to analyze the influence of governance mechanisms in the generation of relational rents for supplier in short food supply chains (SFSCs).

This study used data from a survey of 181 organic producers in SFSCs, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the aid of the SmartPLS® 3 software for the analysis.

The results show the relationship between formal and informal governance mechanisms and relational rents. The predominance of informal mechanisms enabled a higher explanatory power than that provided by formal governance mechanisms. Further, the authors found that the complementary use of governance mechanisms has a stronger impact on generating relational rents. However, contextual factors such as relationship time, power asymmetry and uncertainty in demand have not shown any influence on governance mechanisms for generating relational rents.

The result sheds new light on the relevance of governance mechanisms to foster relational rents to suppliers in SFSCs. It also shows that contextual factors that affect relationships in traditional supply chains do not play a relevant role in SFSCs due to their specific characteristics.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the bird impact damage of fuselage composite stiffened structures by numerical method and to evaluate the damage and the bird impact resistance of different structures.

The deformation and damage of composite stiffened plates during bird impact are numerically analyzed by the explicit finite element software LS-DYNA. A comparative study on the numerical calculation results was conducted by using SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics)-FEM (Finite Element Method) modeling and simulation. First, the I-shaped, T-shaped, straight stiffened plates and unstiffened plate were designed. Second, the accuracy of the bird model was verified and further used to evaluate bird strikes on composite stiffened plate. Third, the results of damage modes as well as displacements of the stiffened plates were compared.

The stiffeners can increase the local stiffness of the composite panel, which can effectively inhibit the bird’s movement along the impact direction. Adding stiffeners can change the panel matrix tension damage from global distribution to local distribution mode; however, the impact damage distribution and the ability to inhibit damage propagation can differ for different stiffened panels. Especially, the I-stiffened panel exhibits a better anti-bird strike performance.

The analysis of geometric parameters of structural components by numerical methods can reduce the cost of the design phase and has been widely used in aircraft design. The present study evaluated the bird impact damage of composite stiffened plates with different structures, which provides a guideline for selecting the stiffened plate structure in the fuselage skin.

This study aims to provide a collaborative supply chain system using a combination of two already existed methods, i.e. levels of decision-making and supply chain operation reference (SCOR).

A two-phase methodology was conducted based on field analysis and survey analysis. Field analysis included a critical analysis of literature related to supply chain performance measurement and identified related indicators.

In a survey analysis, a questionnaire was developed to test the established indicators from managers and employees of manufacturing companies. It formulated a novel model for the performance measurement of the supply chain (SC) which included 4 factors (customer, efficiency, flexibility and product), with a total of 31 sub-components.

The structure provides a tied horizontal (SCOR) and vertical (progressive decision) in relation to the features that characterize the SC performance. This system enables the decision-makers to make decisions at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. It reflects the performance measures reliability, authenticity and its application in various SC. It also improves communication with the regional party while ensuring a preventive schedule for maintenance.

This article reports on research that examined internet adoption by 225 Australian wineries. Findings indicate that this new technology has been widely embraced by the industry and that numerous perceived benefits, especially associated with e‐mail marketing, are being achieved. The study found that many wineries collected e‐mail addresses for marketing purposes, whilst many engage in a high degree of direct marketing using the e‐mail medium to distribute newsletters. Smaller wineries appear to be the main proponents in using the Internet, the study concluding that this group achieved the highest proportion of Web sales. A link was established between small wineries that had a high use of e‐mail permission marketing and increased web sales.

The purpose of this paper is to align the implementation of the manufacturing execution systems (MES) functionalities with the manufacturing competitive dimensions of two companies of the metal-mechanics industry.

The research object comprises two Brazilian manufacturers that use MES. The research method is quantitative modeling. A literature review organized 24 functionalities of MES. The study prioritized the functionalities and the manufacturing competitive dimensions, evaluated the contribution and the quality of the implementation and classified the functionalities.

Two functionalities in the first and five in the second case have high contribution and quality. Three functionalities in the first and six in the second case have low contribution and quality. The first group should be more explored and updated. The second should be discontinued. The rest has intermediate graduations and should be studied case-by-case. The main contribution of the paper is the method, which can be replicated in other applications in the same or in other industries.

The study relies on two case studies of the same industry. Further research shall encompass the entire industry and cases in industries others than the metal-mechanics.

MES users and vendors may benefit from the study as they can apply the method to align the implementation with the manufacturing strategy and therefore enhance the effectivity of the system.

The authors did not find a study that associates the performance or the contribution of the MES functionalities to the competitive priorities with the quality, integrity or consistency of the implementation.

This study aims to explore manufacturing companies' environmental performance with the green supply chain management (GSCM) approach, taking into account company size, geographic region, industrial sector, target market and environmental management maturity level.

Based on the literature review, five propositions were put forward. An empirical study, using survey research, was completed. The survey questionnaire was designed with 46 items, using both the literature and industry expert input. Statistical analysis was employed to test the propositions in a sample of 116 Colombian manufacturing companies.

The test results indicate that significant environmental performance differences exist, given company sizes and target markets. However, no statistical significance was found involving the geographic region or industrial sector. Significant differences were found in maturity levels between the three clusters identified: reactive, preventive and proactive. Although the companies in the proactive group performed better, they still lagged in green practices that implied integration with suppliers and customers.

This study provides empirical evidence regarding the profile of those manufacturing companies that achieve better environmental performance. Moreover, the results yield insights for the generation of continuous improvement processes in companies with lower performance.

Few empirical studies have been carried out in GSCM that integrate specific factors in the environmental performance assessment of manufacturing companies in developing countries. On the other hand, the results permit the identification of the profile of those companies with greater maturity in their environmental practices.