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This study aims at investigating the impact of using Lego Serious Play (LSP) on the effectiveness of teaching supply chain (SC) 4.0 in higher education by going from a traditional 2D approach to a 3D one. LSP in this study is explored as a gamification pedagogical approach that taps into the connection between hands and brain to inspire and engage students to build 3D models using metaphors and storytelling.

An empirical study was conducted among 50 students (over two terms) who were enrolled in a SC 4.0 course and used LSP in their final project that focused on digital SC design. Two questionnaires were designed (one after the standard LSP workshop and the other upon completion of the project) to solicit feedback with respect to how LSP helped students to better understand SC 4.0 topics and fulfill their project. The results were analyzed using Bloom’s taxonomy as well as other pedagogical framework to understand the positive impact of LSP at the cognitive, motivation and social levels.

Results showed that using LSP can enhance the teaching of various SC principles and technologies beyond the abstract point of view (2D) through offering the students an opportunity to apply these principles and technologies in a futuristic project using a hands-on 3D approach. The LSP approach demonstrated its ability to help students navigate through both lower order thinking skills (LOTS) and higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in a meaningful and playful manner. Finally, improving the design skills for students was clear using LSP as it unleashes imagination and taps into internal knowledge together with collective inputs.

The reliance on one case study can be a limitation regarding the generalization of the proposed results. This limitation is attenuated by the representativeness of the case study analyzed. Furthermore, the presented work should encourage future analyses as well as expanding the implementation of LSP to other SC 4.0 teaching contexts and applications.

This paper contributes to the very few literatures regarding using gamification in SC education and specifically how LSP methodology can be adopted in teaching SCM 4.0.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness of role playing as an applied learning technique for enhanced classroom experiences as compared to traditional lecture methods.

This study uses the pre-test/post-test design to conduct experiments with several control and experimental groups. Subjects are graduate students in an MBA program at a private, non-profit university in a traditional classroom setting.

Students in the experimental group gained significantly more knowledge (post-test minus pre-test scores) – 45 percent higher – through participation in the role playing exercise as compared to the control group.

This study represents only a single educational discipline explored using a single role playing learning activity. Impacts on the long-term retention of the knowledge should be studied further.

Educators should enhance their classroom experience with more applied learning activities such as role playing in order to increase knowledge gain and potentially longer knowledge retention.

This study uses a customized role playing activity within a business curriculum as one of many applied learning techniques. The value to students was shown by significantly higher gain in knowledge while simultaneously enhancing their enjoyment of the classroom experience to potentially encourage further lifelong learning.

Although scholars argue that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a tool to potentially smoothen the bullwhip effect in the supply chain, only little research has examined this phenomenon. In this article, the authors conceptualize a framework that allows for a more structured management approach to examine the bullwhip effect using AI. In addition, the authors conduct a systematic literature review of this current status of how management can use AI to reduce the bullwhip effect and locate opportunities for future research.

Guided by the systematic literature review approach from Durach et al. (2017), the authors review and analyze key attributes and characteristics of both AI and the bullwhip effect from a management perspective.

The authors' findings reveal that literature examining how management can use AI to smoothen the bullwhip effect is a rather under-researched area that provides an abundance of research avenues. Based on identified AI capabilities, the authors propose three key management pillars that form the basis of the authors' Bullwhip-Smoothing-Framework (BSF): (1) digital skills, (2) leadership and (3) collaboration. The authors also critically assess current research efforts and offer suggestions for future research.

By providing a structured management approach to examine the link between AI and the bullwhip phenomena, this study offers scholars and managers a foundation for the advancement of theorizing how to smoothen the bullwhip effect along the supply chain.

Due to increasing supply chain complexity, the supply chain uncertainty has become an imperative issue, which hinders the development of modern logistics and supply chain management. The paper attempts to conceptualize reverse logistics uncertainty from supply chain uncertainty literature and present the types of reverse logistics uncertainty in a triadic model.

The concept of reverse logistics uncertainty is developed based on a triadic model of logistics uncertainty and supply chain uncertainty literature. A desk research is conducted to develop a taxonomy of reverse logistics uncertainty. To better depict the reverse logistics uncertainty, we use case studies to discuss the types of reverse logistics uncertainty in the triadic model.

The study reveals four types of supply chain uncertainties in the reverse logistics. We call them reverse logistics uncertainty. Type-A and Type-B uncertainty are new types of supply chain uncertainty in the reverse logistics.

The types of reverse logistics uncertainty have not been empirically validated in industries. Especially, the two new types including Type-A and Type-B reverse uncertainty need further exploration.

Although reverse logistics has been discussed in the past decades, very few studies have been conducted on the supply chain uncertainty in returns management arena. The paper offers valuable insights to better understand the supply chain uncertainty in the reverse logistics. This also provides suggestions for both managers and researchers to reflect on the reverse logistics uncertainty management and business sustainability.

As Finland became an associate member of the European Free Trade Association in early 1960s, the domestic brewing industry faced a new threat posed by imported beer. It was neutralized effectively with joint and individual efforts of the breweries. This paper aims to analyze the maneuvers taken by Tornion Olut Oy to brand its new product, Lapin Kulta, which ultimately became the most popular beer in Finland. In addition, the contemporary changes in the Finnish society with related social tensions are shown to have contributed to its success significantly.

Archival research focusing on primary sources complemented with biographies, historical newspaper and magazine articles as well contemporary research papers with an aim to reconstruct and better understand the historical and social context of the events.

The success of the Lapin Kulta beer in 1960s was not only based on the effective marketing, although a well-thought name, the successful participation in international beer “competitions” enhancing the brand and both improved distribution and logistics certainly contributed to it. Instead the success is shown to have depended also on seemingly odd collection of external factors. However, when put together, the success is shown to have been based on brand's capability to address the social tensions present in Finland during 1960s.

The importance of the context reconstruction in historical marketing research is underlined as developments traditionally attributed solely to product qualities and marketing may equally stem from a multitude of external factors. As a case study, the research represents a fresh take on the subject through a variety of previously neglected sources.

This paper aims to investigate the development of logistics and supply chain education through conducting comparative study between high diploma and associate degree. This study will critically review the added value of sub-degree courses of professional education. What exactly drives sub-degree students to enroll for a high diploma and associate degree program in maritime logistics and supply chain studies? How do they select to enroll such programs? Do such programs foster the students to equip in the professions? What do they look for obtaining professional status afterwards?

To address the stated queries, this study will analyze students’ evaluation of the effectiveness of sub-degree education and their motivation on enrolling these courses through a questionnaire survey.

In the context of higher education, sub-degrees of professional studies experienced tremendous growth in recent decades. Many academic institutions have recorded an upward trend in providing professional education on subjects that traditionally focused on apprentice-style, non-academic learning approach. However, the reasons behind the steady growth of the demand of sub-degree level of professional education have been under-researched.

This research is based on Hong Kong data only.

The paper not only increases the scope and depth of research area in logistics and supply chain education but also contributes theoretically to the understanding on the curriculum of sub-degree logistics and supply chain programs.