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Abstract

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 110 no. 4/5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 3 February 2020

Laura Michelini, Cecilia Grieco, Francesca Ciulli and Alessio Di Leo

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential impact of food sharing platform business models and to identify the limits and barriers in measuring the impact. Using the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential impact of food sharing platform business models and to identify the limits and barriers in measuring the impact. Using the “theory of change” (ToC) approach, this paper develops a theoretical framework that captures the activities, outputs and outcomes of food sharing platforms and links them to indicators.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs a two-step methodology, which includes a website content analysis followed by two focus groups. The purpose of the website content analysis was to list a set of activities that are performed by food sharing platforms. The focus groups allow to design the ToC and to discuss limits and barriers in measuring the impact of food sharing platforms.

Findings

The study provides an overview of the main areas of impact of food sharing platforms (environmental, social, economic and political) and identifies the related outcomes. Furthermore, the paper highlights the need for the platform to manage the multifaceted tensions of food waste recovery vs prevention and the benefits of food recovery to helping hungry people vs the actual need to eradicate poverty by addressing social injustices and inequalities.

Research limitations/implications

The selected sample involved in the focus group comprised a wide but not comprehensive set of stakeholders. Indeed, the obtained information cannot be generalized. In addition, the ToC approach requires a certain discretion of the facilitator and introduces the potential for partiality in conducting the analysis.

Practical implications

The framework helps to unbundle the complex challenge of measuring the impact of food sharing platforms and it provides managers, practitioners and policy makers with a practical tool to direct their activities toward a better impact.

Originality/value

From a theoretical perspective the study advances the literature on (food) sharing platforms and contributes to research on the sustainability in the food sector. It indicates the impacts a novel actor relying on digital technology can have in the food sector and points out the tensions between food recovery and prevention and the impact on poverty. The proposed framework could be a useful tool to support practitioners in understanding the trade-offs among the outcomes they aim to attain, and to identify the proper strategies to manage them.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 122 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2021

Nir Kshetri

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in human resource management (HRM) in the Global South.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in human resource management (HRM) in the Global South.

Design/methodology/approach

Multiple case studies of AI tools used in HRM in these countries in recruiting and selecting as well as developing, retaining and productively utilizing employees have been used.

Findings

With AI deployment in HRM, organizations can enhance efficiency in recruitment and selection and gain access to a larger recruitment pool. With AI deployment in HRM, subjective criteria such as nepotism and favoritism are less likely to come into play in recruitment and selection of employees. AI deployment in HRM also has a potentially positive impact on the development, retainment and productive utilization of employees.

Research limitations/implications

AI is an evolving technology. Most HRM apps have not gained enough machine learning capabilities with real-world experience. Some of them lack a scientific basis. AI in HRM thus currently affects only a tiny proportion of the population in the GS.

Practical implications

The paper explores the roles of AI in expanding recruitment pools. It also advances our understanding of how AI-based HIRM tools can help reduce biases in selecting candidates, which is especially important in the Global South. It also delves into various mechanisms by which AI helps in the development, retainment and productive utilization of employees.

Originality/value

We provide details of various mechanisms by which AI brings input and output efficiencies in recruitment and selection in these countries.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 44 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 September 2014

Maria Fischl, Maike Scherrer-Rathje and Thomas Friedli

The purpose of this paper is both to provide an overview of existing knowledge pertaining to the management of price risks in manufacturing companies from an operations management…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is both to provide an overview of existing knowledge pertaining to the management of price risks in manufacturing companies from an operations management (OM) perspective and to establish an agenda for future research. Risks related to the purchase prices of industrial consumption factors (raw materials, semi-finished/finished goods, auxiliary materials and operating materials) exert an increasing influence on manufacturing companies’ business continuity and economic sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review was conducted following the literature search approach of vom Brocke et al. (2009). In total, 138 relevant articles were identified, analysed and synthesised.

Findings

The literature review reveals that the existing OM literature devotes little attention to price risks and their management in manufacturing companies. In particular, further empirical investigation is required to support decision-making in various risk contexts.

Social implications

This paper emphasises that in addition to existing national resource funds and inter-company alliances, alternative concepts are required to secure both stable prices and access to natural resources. Otherwise, in the future, small- and medium-sized companies, along with companies based in countries lacking available resource funds, will not have an opportunity to engage in fair competition.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first literature review to focus on price as a specific supply risk.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 19 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 January 2019

Bob Doherty, Jonathan Ensor, Tony Heron and Patricia Prado

In this article, we offer a contribution to the ongoing study of food by advancing a conceptual framework and interdisciplinary research agenda – what we term “food system…

Abstract

In this article, we offer a contribution to the ongoing study of food by advancing a conceptual framework and interdisciplinary research agenda – what we term “food system resilience”. In recent years, the concept of resilience has been extensively used in a variety of fields, but not always consistently or holistically. Here we aim to theorise systematically resilience as an analytical concept as it applies to food systems research. To do this, we engage with and seek to extend current understandings of resilience across different disciplines. Accordingly, we begin by exploring the different ways in which the concept of resilience is understood and used in current academic and practitioner literatures – both as a general concept and as applied specifically to food systems research. We show that the social-ecological perspective, rooted in an appreciation of the complexity of systems, carries significant analytical potential. We first underline what we mean by the food system and relate our understanding of this term to those commonly found in the extant food studies literature. We then apply our conception to the specific case of the UK. Here we distinguish between four subsystems at which our “resilient food systems” can be applied. These are, namely, the agro-food system; the value chain; the retail-consumption nexus; and the governance and regulatory framework. On the basis of this conceptualisation we provide an interdisciplinary research agenda, using the case of the UK to illustrate the sorts of research questions and innovative methodologies that our food systems resilience approach is designed to promote.

Details

Emerald Open Research, vol. 1 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-3952

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 January 2021

Hamida Skandrani, Kaouther Kooli and Nadia Doudech

Tunisia has been living a decade of democratic transition since 2011. In this new context, the civil society has been fervently expressing claims for democracy and social justice…

Abstract

Purpose

Tunisia has been living a decade of democratic transition since 2011. In this new context, the civil society has been fervently expressing claims for democracy and social justice through creating thousands of non-for-profit organisations (NPOs) (23,456 NPOs in 2020 against 9,000 established in 30 years up to 2010). However, this shift seems to be misleading, as only 3,000 NPOs are actually active, indicating that NPOs are struggling to sustain their activities and ensure their survival. The purpose of this study is to uncover the factors hindering NPOs’ activities and survival.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews were carried out using a purposive sample of 32 NPOs members in two main economic and touristic cities – Tunis and Sousse – selected using the snowball method. A considerable amount of qualitative data was produced (400 pages of text). This seems representative of Tunisian citizens’ inclination to protest in the new prevailing political and social context. The data collection benefited from the freedom of speech gained after the 2011 civilian uprising as interviewees were enthusiastic in voicing their opinions.

Findings

Two main categories of inhibitors were identified. First, endogenous inhibitors including inhibitors under the control of the NPO (i.e. use of illegal and foreign sources of funding, limited financial resources, unavailability of NPOs’ members, short term planning, conflicts between managers, autocratic leadership, organisational support, activities diversification and organisational justice, leadership and communication skills, “NPO culture”, members’ opportunistic behaviour and generation gap), inhibitors related to NPOs inter-relationships: stiff competition, unfair and dishonest competition, lack of collaboration, trust and communication between NPOs. Second, exogenous inhibitors i.e. perceived unethical practices and image transfer, economic crisis, foreign funding sources and the media.

Research limitations/implications

This study has some limitations mainly due to the sample size and characteristics of the selected interviewees. In addition, data was collected in only two regions (Tunis and Sousse). Therefore, the results may lack generalisability.

Practical implications

The findings highlight the critical impact of the inhibitors under the control of NPOs compared to those out of their control. NPOs in a crisis context could overcome these inhibitors by ensuring congruence between the NPOs’ mission, objectives and activities and designing suitable marketing strategies.

Originality/value

This study contributes to elucidating this complex circular system of exchange and its inhibitors in a challenging and understudied context. It offers support to Bagozzi’s (1974, 1975, 1994, 2011) calls for uncovering the factors constraining or facilitating exchanges that have an impact going beyond the relationship between three or more partners and the conditions that govern these exchanges. Moreover, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical attempt to support Bagozzi’s (1994) conceptualisation. It also brings an update to NPOs’ data and marketing strategy in a region near the crossroads of Middle Eastern, North African and Western influences.

Article
Publication date: 10 August 2018

Cigdem Gonul Kochan and David R. Nowicki

The study of supply chain resilience (SCRES) continues to gain interest in the academic and practitioner communities. The purpose of this paper is to present a focused review of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The study of supply chain resilience (SCRES) continues to gain interest in the academic and practitioner communities. The purpose of this paper is to present a focused review of the SCRES literature by investigating supply chain (SC) capabilities, their relationship to SCRES outcomes and the underpinning theoretical mechanisms of this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses the systematic literature review approach to examine 383 articles published between 2000 and 2017, ultimately down selecting to the most relevant 228 peer-reviewed studies. Context-interventions-mechanisms-outcomes (CIMO) logic is applied to organize and synthesize these peer-reviewed studies. A typological framework is developed from the CIMO-based classification of the SCRES literature.

Findings

The findings of this study outline the gaps in the SCRES literature and present an agenda for future research.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents an exploratory research; therefore, the typological model presented is just one of the possible perspectives.

Practical implications

The typology of SCRES literature can help practitioners to understand SCRES and to measure and assess the resilience of SCs.

Originality/value

The paper provides clear definitions of SCRES constructs, develops a typological framework to further understand SCRES and identifies SCRES measures and assessment techniques.

Details

International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, vol. 48 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0960-0035

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 February 2018

David Eriksson and Göran Svensson

This paper aims to conceptualize managers’ psychological challenges with respect to implementing corporate responsibility throughout supply chains.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to conceptualize managers’ psychological challenges with respect to implementing corporate responsibility throughout supply chains.

Design/methodology/approach

Four areas of psychological theory are introduced to expand the understanding of the challenges involved in implementing corporate responsibility in supply chains, namely, relationship and humanization theory; the number-of-people-suffering theory; superficial-identification theory; and the bystander effect theory.

Findings

The common denominator between the introduced areas of psychological theory is that all consider the expected degree of corporate responsibility in supply chains to extend beyond managers’ ability to cope so that failure is probable.

Research limitations/implications

Supply chain management research needs to consider various psychological challenges to effectively address corporate responsibility in supply chains. This research shows that it is important to include theory from psychology to truly understand the challenges faced by managers, although only a few theories are presented here. More comprehensive reviews are needed in the future.

Practical implications

Managers require guidelines based on psychological theory to assist them in overcoming their inabilities in this context.

Originality/value

SCM research advocates responsibility for all those affected by this phenomenon, but the lack of theoretical grounding to meet the prevailing psychological challenges hampers the efficacy of putting the current recommendations into business practice. The paper is one of only a few to address managers’ psychological challenges in dealing with corporate responsibility across organizational borders and judicial boundaries in supply chains.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2016

David Eriksson and Göran Svensson

This paper aims to describe and discuss a balance model of theoretical business sustainability, to leverage the inferior side, so as to enhance performance.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to describe and discuss a balance model of theoretical business sustainability, to leverage the inferior side, so as to enhance performance.

Design/methodology/approach

A conceptual description and discussion are provided, along with an empirical depiction.

Findings

The empirical illustration presents one organization that embodies the goals of theoretical business sustainability in the marketplace and society.

Research limitations/implications

Further research is needed to enhance our understanding of the phenomenon and performance of business sustainability in supply chains.

Practical implications

Findings highlight that there is no justification for practitioners to strive consistently for anything other than theoretical business sustainability, and stakeholders need to push organizations in that direction.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to our understanding of what should be done and why business sustainability performance should be improved in supply chains.

Details

Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, vol. 16 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

David Eriksson and Per Hilletofth

This study aims to explore how the flow of moral responsibility in supply chains can be understood through an analysis of material, monetary and information flows.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to explore how the flow of moral responsibility in supply chains can be understood through an analysis of material, monetary and information flows.

Design/methodology/approach

Social responsibility, foliated networks and morality are used to present a conceptual framework that suggests responsibility links in supply chains.

Findings

By understanding the flows of material, money and information, it is possible to see how different types (liable and political) of responsibility can be identified. Conventional supply chain flows are thus connected with moral responsibility.

Research limitations/implications

Responsibility issues in supply chain management need to include supply chain links created by monetary and information flows, as well as material flows.

Practical implications

Supply chain actors need to consider responsibility across their entire supply chain, which includes material, monetary and information flows.

Originality/value

Foliated transportation networks, moral disengagement and different types of responsibility are combined in a novel way to facilitate a better understanding of responsibility in supply chains.

Details

European Business Review, vol. 29 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-534X

Keywords

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