Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of behaviour-based and buffer-based management mechanisms on enterprise agility using the lens of the agency theory.

This study is based on data collected from 185 manufacturing enterprises using a survey instrument. The authors employ structural equation modelling for data analysis.

The results of this study show that buffer-based mechanisms used for dealing with agency uncertainty of supplier/buyer not only have a positive impact on agility of enterprises, but are also contingent on the behavioural interventions used in the relationship with a supplier/buyer. Behaviour-based mechanisms also positively impact enterprise agility through mitigating the likelihood of supplier/buyer opportunism.

This study demonstrates that buffer- and behaviour-based management mechanisms can be used as complementary approaches against agency uncertainties for enhancing enterprise agility. Therefore, for enterprises to boost their agility, it is vital that their resources and capabilities are fairly distributed across entities responsible for creating buffers through functional flexibility, as well as individuals and teams dealing with stakeholder engagement, in particular, suppliers and buyers.

The authors use the lens of the agency theory to assimilate and model characteristic agency uncertainties and management mechanisms that enhance enterprise agility.

The purpose of this study is twofold. First, to examine the contingent role of the product life cycle on the efficacy of purchasing practices. Second, to use the results of the first investigation to explore the adequacy of the profit‐maximization framework for explaining purchasing decision making. This second investigation is motivated by growing evidence on the role of institutional factors in explaining supply chain management practices.

Survey data from a sample of North American manufacturing firms, across four standard industry sectors, are analysed using ANOVA and linear regression, to examine the hypotheses.

The results indicate that product life cycle has a contingent effect on the efficacy of some purchasing practices but not on others. Interestingly, the results suggest that the profit‐maximization framework is capable of explaining only some purchasing decisions but not others; firms adopt certain purchasing practices in certain product life cycle stages, even when these practices have no apparent effect on purchasing performance. This raises a need for an alternative framework to profit‐maximization, to better understand purchasing decision making.

The paper pioneers an empirical examination of how product life cycle moderates the relationship between purchasing practices and purchasing performance. The paper presents novel insights on the inadequacy of the rational profit‐maximization framework to explain purchasing decision making. Furthermore, the paper presents testable propositions on the role of institutional factors that are potentially driving purchasing decision making in managing the product life cycle contingency.

Just‐in‐time (JIT) has been written about since the early 1970s. Studies have investigated the growth of JIT sourcing and its implications. However, there has not been as much discussion of the issues faced by companies involved in the pursuit of JIT sourcing in a global supply chain. Undertakes a systematic review of the JIT sourcing and logistics literature and highlights key findings. Notes a number of key problems and best practice issues in the area, followed by an empirical examination of the potential benefits of adopting JIT policies in global sourcing and logistics relative to non‐JIT global buyers. Compares results attained with those of a group of buyers employing JIT sourcing and domestic suppliers. Significant differences in a number of performance areas are found in the sourcing and logistics practices between companies following JIT practices with their global suppliers, as compared to companies not doing so. Finds that some aspects of domestic JIT sourcing and logistics are applicable across borders, while others are not. Concludes with a research agenda for future investigations in the area.

Methodological consistency and rigour continue to be remaining challenges in cross‐cultural research. Scholars need to reach a degree of standardization in the choice and application of research methods in conducting research across national and cultural boundaries. Seeks to propose a general framework for conducting cross‐cultural research and to demonstrate the use of such a framework to a specific research domain ‐ global sourcing activities. In the process reviews the existing empirical work in global sourcing and illustrates the application of appropriate research procedures.

In spite of the fact that literature shows that big data analytics (BDA) pass on a distinct corporate ability, little is thought about their performance impacts, specifically logical conditions. Establishing this research in the dynamic capability view (DCV) and corporate culture and dependent on an sample of 310 Indian production industries, the purpose of this paper is to experimentally study the impacts of BDA on corporate social performance (CSP) and corporate green performance (CGP) using variance-based structural equation modeling (for example, PLS).

A questionnaire was used to accumulate data sets to examine research hypothesis. The authors pre-examined the survey with six scholastics and six directors from production firms in India. With the help of their sources of data, the authors have adjusted their wordings to improve the transparency and guarantee that length of the survey is accurate. Finally, the questionnaire was prepared for definite data collection.

The authors conclude that BDA has noteworthy effect on CSP/CGP. Notwithstanding, the authors did not find proof for directing role of flexible direction and control direction in the connections among BDA and CSP/CGP. This research offers a more nuanced comprehension of the performance ramifications of BDA, and in this way, it is tending to the critical inquiries of how and when BDA can improve in supply chains.

This investigation makes helpful commitments to the BDA research and its effect on CSP/CGP. To the authors’ best of information, this is the first hypothesis-focused approach to clarify the effect of BDA on ecological and social supportability. Second, this investigation likewise gives empirical proof that BDA impact on CSP/CGP and is free of flexible or control direction of the industry.

This paper aims to evaluate the effects of inulin (3 per cent), chitosan (1 per cent) and carrageenan (0.5 per cent) addition on the physico-chemical, sensory and textural attributes of restructured goat meat products. Health conscious consumers are much more interested in product with added health benefit. Keeping this in mind, this study was undertaken to find out effective ingredient for low fat restructured goat meat product.

Formulation for restructured goat meat blocks was optimized and four different formulation containing different ingredients, namely, control, inulin (3 per cent), chitosan (1 per cent) and carrageenan (0.5 per cent), were used to find out best ingredient for healthier goat meat product and various physicochemical and sensory properties of the product were evaluated.

Results showed that addition of carrageenan improved (p < 0.01) the product yield (86.0 per cent) significantly. The proximate composition, expressible water and water activity were similar. The moisture retention percentage was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced (86.0 per cent) due to addition of inulin. Carrageenan significantly (p < 0.05) increased the lightness (42.4) and yellowness (10) values. Significantly (p < 0.05) lower shear force values were observed in inulin (0.5) and chitosan (0.4) containing samples than control (0.7 kg/1.5 cm²). Hardness values were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in restructured product containing chitosan (56.1 N/cm²) and carrageenan (59.4 N/cm²). Similarly, springiness values were significantly (p < 0.05) lower (0.7 vs 0.8 cm) in carrageenan containing product. Inulin, chitosan and carrageenan did not significantly influence the sensory attributes of restructured goat meat product. It is concluded that inulin, chitosan and carrageenan could be used to improve technological and functional attributes of the healthier restructured goat meat product.

Future research may benefit from efforts to modify shelf life of the product by modifying packaging condition.

The healthier meat-based restructured goat meat product has been developed, and the effect on its quality characteristics have been extensively examined, limited research has focused on this aspect.

The purpose of this paper is to present a unique model for the production–recycling–reuse of aluminium refreshment cans. It is presumed that disposed-off 250-ml aluminium cans are collected from the retail outlet. The cans are thereafter arranged into non-tainted and tainted categories.

The current model considers all the factors, i.e. producing, recycling and remanufacturing, whereas the previous models provide emphasis only one factor. Six procedures were considered in the improvement of the mathematical model.

In this paper, a recycling–reuse model that remanufactures non-tainted aluminium beverage cans and uses regrind from damaged non-tainted aluminium beverage cans mixed with parent aluminium material in the production of new cans was developed and analysed to reduce the amount of aluminium beverage cans that are disposed off in a scrapyard. The model is assumed to have no shortcomings, and the different percentages regarding the classes of cans are taken to be deterministic.

The model incorporates several unique aspects, including accounting for the cost of land use and associated environmental damage through the calculation of a present value that is charged to the manufacturer.

Breast cancer (BC) presents a major public health challenge world-over including India. While several risk-factors, early signs and symptoms of BC are known, the knowledge and awareness of this disease remains poor among the population. The present study aimed to determine the extent of knowledge and awareness of BC, its risk factors, early signs and symptoms and breast self-examination (BSE) practice as an early detection method among Indian college-going female students.

The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey at a University in Delhi-NCR. Data on socio-demographic, knowledge and awareness of BC including BSE was collected using a pretested questionnaire. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was performed. All tests were two-sided and significance was set at p < 0.05.

A total of 866 female students participated in the study with mean age of 22.32 (±0.146) years having mean body mass index (BMI) of 21.22 (±3.52). As high as 82.1% of the participants had heard of BC but while 74.8% thought early detection is possible, 70.7% believed BC cannot be prevented. Gene mutations (60.2%) were identified as a significant risk factor, while breast pain (61.4%) was commonly recognized as a sign of BC. Only 29.8% of students ever performed BSE. Increased odds of performing BSE (OR = 3.4) was found among students who recognized gene mutations as an important BC risk factor.

Knowledge and awareness of BC including BSE among female college students were found to be below average. It is suggested that there is an urgent need for increasing BC awareness among young girls through workshops and mobile-health interventions.

This study provides new information on the level of knowledge and awareness of BC risk factors, sign and symptoms and self-examination practice among young college girls. Moreover, this study advocates the need for design and implementation of a sustainable digital health model for active population BC screening, which is not being done currently.

BC is a highly aggressive disease, which is now one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in India and world over. Although the knowledge of BC risk factors and its signs and symptoms have increased, the awareness of these elements among the general population at large is low and/or missing, especially in India. Furthermore, as a consequence of unorganized screening programs in the country, majority of women are presenting young with locally advanced disease. Understanding the existing level of knowledge and educating school, college and University students of the pertinent factors and screening practices such as BSE could drastically help in improving the self-screening and/or clinical examination rates. This could potentially lead to early detection and improved prognosis, thus ameliorating disease burden.

This study is one of the few studies conducted in India among young female college students belonging to non-medical backgrounds, delineating the level of knowledge and awareness of BC risk factors and signs and symptoms along with practice of early detection method such as BSE. The study has a considerable sample size and provides valuable evidence for a need to implement programs incorporating digital health models for accelerating awareness and screening of young girls in both rural and urban settings.

This article celebrates the 50th anniversary of IJPDLM, reflects on the contribution of IJPDLM to the field of logistics and supply chain management (LSCM) and discusses future directions for the journal.

Descriptive analysis of manuscripts received and accepted by IJPDLM during 2015–2019 is used to provide an overview of the journal. Content analysis of selected articles is used to highlight important contributions of the journal. Changes made since 2020 are highlighted to inform future directions of IJPDLM. Invited articles are discussed and used to clarify future directions.

IJPDLM has made tremendous progress in informing and shaping the field of LSCM. Key issues addressed include sustainability and reverse logistics, omni-channel, e-commerce, retail logistics, risk, resilience, volatility, and complexity and digital technology innovation. The journal has expanded the use of methods beyond the typical qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the use of design science, experiment, conjoint analysis, qualitative comparative analysis, narrative analysis. The invited articles provide (1) a historical reflection of the purpose of the journal when it was launched, (2) new guidance on how to develop theories using literature review and grounded theories and (3) understanding of startups and supply chain ecosystems.

Some exemplar articles are highlighted to explain how IJPDLM informs LSCM managers, companies and policy makers.

This article explains the recent development and sets future directions for the LSCM field.