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Radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems are transforming hospital operations by improving care and reducing costs. However, hospital managers have some concerns about adopting RFID technologies. These are cost, return on investment, privacy and other technology issues. This study examines RFID adoption in health-care industry based on the Technology-Organization-Environment framework. This paper aims to demonstrate how US hospitals are adopting RFID technologies and make recommendations, using empirical data.

An online survey was sent to Chief Information Officers and the top information technology (IT) executives of US acute care hospitals to determine the extent to which hospitals have implemented RFID technologies including the reasons, concerns and applications of RFID technologies, and the antecedents of RFID adoption in hospitals.

The study found that a high percentage of respondents have adopted or are considering adopting RFID technology as a new management tool. Organizational and technological factors have strong positive influence on adoption, whereas environmental factors do not significantly affect the adoption decisions. The main reasons for implementing RFID technology are improved hospital operations, including inventory management, asset control, workflow and patient flow. Some of the concerns are cost of RFID tags and cost associated with implementation.

This study is limited to a small sample (n = 86) of US hospitals. This study should continue to be replicated in the future, as adoption of RFID technologies matures in the health-care sector.

This study informs health-care managers on the challenges and opportunities of RFID by identifying motivations, barriers and issues related to RFID adoption. The findings of this study will expand the emerging literature and provide direction to academicians for further research in technology adoption.

The purpose of this study is to examine the current state of sustainability efforts within the field of supply chain management, more specifically supply chain logistics operations, and to identify opportunities and provide recommendations for firms to follow sustainable operations. This study also aims to stimulate further research within the area of sustainable logistics operations.

The reasons why it is important to implement sustainability into supply chain operations is discussed. Based on a review of the extant literature, various areas within the logistics function where sustainability can be implemented are then presented. Some short‐term and long‐term recommendations for the successful implementation of sustainability in the logistics function of supply chains are provided.

There has been very little work done to understand the role and importance of logistics in an organization's quest towards sustainability. For firms to implement a sustainability strategy in their supply chain operations, the logistics function needs to play a prominent role because of the magnitude of costs involved and the opportunity to identify and eliminate inefficiencies and reduce the carbon footprint.

Firms in their quest for sustainable logistics operations must start early and start simple. A top management commitment is required for such efforts to be successful. Also, firms need to be able to visualize and map out their supply chains and benchmark their sustainability efforts with other firms in their industry.

Firms need to follow sustainable practices in their overall operations and in their logistics operations in particular because not only does it have financial and other intangible benefits, but it is also the right thing to do. Firms have a great social responsibility especially with respect to use of non‐renewable sources of energy and materials and also with respect to how their products are used and handled once they reach the end of their life cycles.

This paper is the first of its kind which examines the state of sustainability within the field of supply chain logistics operations and identifies areas and sets the agenda for future research in this field.

Large retailers and various government agencies have backed off from their earlier radio frequency identification (RFID) mandates. The RFID industry has also matured. The purpose of this paper is to examine RFID implementation in warehousing, utilizing empirical data to determine how the warehousing industry is changing with respect to RFID implementation.

An online survey was sent to Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) members at manufacturing firms, third party warehousing/logistics providers, wholesaler/distributors, and retail firms, to determine whether they are implementing RFID technology and what challenges they are facing.

Compared to an earlier study, it was found that fewer organizations are considering the technology. The respondents in general were less optimistic and concerns still exist on return on investment (ROI), potential benefits, integration, and other issues. Some items are of less concern, including cost, standards, and security, perhaps reflecting the maturity of the industry.

This study was limited to a relatively small sample of WERC members but should continue to be replicated in the future as RFID technology adoption matures.

For RFID to be widely adopted by manufacturers and other firms upstream in the supply chain, they must be convinced of a better ROI, through cost reduction or improved business processes.

RFID is not hype and continues to mature. Few companies expected a positive ROI from the technology. These experiences and opinions should be of interest to those researching or considering RFID adoption.