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The purpose of this study is to develop a holistic optimization model for an integrated sustainable fleet planning and closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network design problem under uncertainty.

A novel mixed-integer programming model that is able to consider interactions between vehicle fleet planning and CLSC network design problems is first developed. Uncertainties of the product demand and return fractions of the end-of-life products are handled by a chance-constrained stochastic program. Several Pareto optimal solutions are generated for the conflicting sustainability objectives via compromise and fuzzy goal programming (FGP) approaches.

The proposed model is tested on a real-life lead/acid battery recovery system. By using the proposed model, sustainable fleet plans that provide a smaller fleet size, fewer empty vehicle repositions, minimal CO₂ emissions, maximal vehicle safety ratings and minimal injury/illness incidence rate of transport accidents are generated. Furthermore, an environmentally and socially conscious CLSC network with maximal job creation in the less developed regions, minimal lost days resulting from the work's damages during manufacturing/recycling operations and maximal collection/recovery of end-of-life products is also designed.

Unlike the classical network design models, vehicle fleet planning decisions such as fleet sizing/composition, fleet assignment, vehicle inventory control, empty repositioning, etc. are also considered while designing a sustainable CLSC network. In addition to sustainability indicators in the network design, sustainability factors in fleet management are also handled. To the best of the authors' knowledge, there is no similar paper in the literature that proposes such a holistic optimization model for integrated sustainable fleet planning and CLSC network design.

This viewpoint paper focuses on the important role played by hospices in the UK in providing specialised end-of-life care for older people with complex needs – particularly for the growing number who choose to die at home. With demand for such care growing, the paper highlights the funding issues facing the independent hospice sector and the implications for hospices of receiving more state funding. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the challenges that hospices in the UK face in providing home-based palliative and end of life care for older people.

This a viewpoint paper informed by recent reports and research findings, as well as the author’s own work within the hospice sector.

The demand for specialised community-based and home-based palliative and end-of-life care is growing. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted wider discussion about what constitutes both “a good death” and good end-of-life care. This confirmed that most older people would prefer to end their lives free from pain, in familiar surroundings and not in hospital.

The specialised end-of-life care provided by hospices is rated highly by the regulator and the communities which they serve. In recent years, more attention has been given to providing “hospice at home” services, but coverage is limited largely due to lack of funding, the bulk of which comes from charitable fundraising. To provide a more equitable service, the fragility of the hospice funding model needs to be addressed.

If the state expands its funding of hospice care, it is important that charitable fundraising also continues to take place and is encouraged. This will help ensure that the good links between hospices and local stakeholders are maintained.

The funding of the hospice sector in the UK has been the subject of several reports both by governmental and non-governmental bodies, several in the last year. However, it is an issue of growing importance and the whole subject needs a fuller airing in academic circles.

This study aims to explore how green supply chain management (GSCM) strategies can be effectively implemented for business supply chain operations, relationship management and product design to gain green competitive advantages.

An exploratory in-depth case study was conducted with one of the largest Chinese electronics manufacturers that is considered a leading GSCM adopter in the industry, to understand how the company adopts green supply chain practices across its multiple product lines.

The findings show that businesses can build different green focuses across GSCM elements of green operation, green relationship management and green product design to form diverse hybrid strategic solutions. They include green control, lean, leagile, agile and clean innovation while taking consideration of supply chain type and product lifespan. A taxonomy of four key GSCM strategic combinations is proposed based on the findings. The strategies align with green demand and supply chain characteristics balancing a series of business competitive objectives in terms of reducing pollution and waste, improving green cost efficiency, enhancing green demand innovation and building green service effectiveness.

This study lends insight into the strategic alignment relationships between product supply chain types and approaches to GSCM.

The findings of this study can support industry practitioners in formulating aligned GSCM strategies based on product types to achieve optimal results.

Optimised green supply chain design, operations and relationship management incorporating product attributes can help further minimise negative impacts of business activities on the environment.

This research provides a systematic understanding of how product supply chain types can influence GSCM strategy formulation. It gives a holistic picture of how hybrid choices of strategies with green supply chain operations, relationship management and product design can be formulated based on product and supply chain characteristics.

This paper aims to highlight current finding issues relating to the provision of hospice care services which are largely provided by the independent sector and heavily reliant on charitable fund raising. The primary focus is on the UK, but it is an issue of relevance to many other countries around the world.

The paper is an opinion piece informed by contemporary reports, official publications and research findings, as well as the author’s own work within the hospice sector.

As with many other countries around the world, the bulk of hospice funding in the UK comes from charitable donations of various kinds. However, the impact of COVID-19 highlighted both the fragility of this funding model and the precarious nature of hospice sector finances currently.

This is an issue of growing importance that affects older people and their families not only in the UK but in all countries with ageing populations. Hospices play an important role in providing end-of-life care and, with demand for services steadily rising due to demographic trends, there are important questions about the sustainability of the current hospice funding model.

Issues of funding require a much higher level of engagement from policymakers if hospice care is going to continue to play a significant part in achieving a good death for people from all sections of society.

Although hotly debated within the hospice sector and in official reports, this issue has yet to be properly examined within academic circles.

Shortly before the Second World War, a woman who had never accepted her orphan status, Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, nicknamed ‘Little Coco’ by her father and known as ‘Coco’ to her relatives, became the first women in history to build a world-class industrial empire. By 1935, Coco, a fashion designer and industry captain, was employing more than 4,000 workers and had sold more than 28,000 dresses, tailored jackets and women's suits. Born into a poor family and raised in an orphanage, she enjoyed an intense social life in Paris in the 1920s, rubbing shoulders with artists, creators and the rising stars of her time.

Thanks to her entrepreneurial skills, she was able to innovate in her methods and in her trendsetting approach to fashion design and promotion. Coco Chanel was committed and creative, had the soul of an entrepreneur and went on to become a world leader in a brand new sector combining fashion, accessories and perfumes that she would help shape. By the end of her life, she had redefined French elegance and revolutionized the way people dressed.

To understand the service performance of full ceramic ball bearings under extreme working conditions and improve their service life, dynamic characteristic tests of full ceramic ball bearings under ultra-low temperature conditions were carried out by a low-temperature bearing life testing machine, and temperature rise and friction were measured under extreme low-temperature environment.

The heat-flow coupling model of bearing was established by CFD software, and the test results were further analyzed.

The results show that the temperature rise of the bearing is not obvious in the liquid nitrogen environment. With the increase of the chamber temperature, the lubrication state of the bearing changes, resulting in the temperature rise of the outer ring of the bearing. As the temperature of the test chamber increases, the friction force on the bearing increases first and then decreases under the action of multifactor coupling.

The research results provide test data and theoretical basis for the application of all-ceramic ball bearings in aerospace and other fields and have important significance for improving the service life of high-end equipment under extreme working conditions.

The research results provide test data and theoretical basis for the application of full ceramic ball bearings in aerospace and other fields and have important significance for improving the service life of high-end equipment under extreme working conditions.

The research results provide test data and theoretical basis for the application of full ceramic ball bearings in aerospace and other fields and have important significance for improving the service life of high-end equipment under extreme working conditions.

The research results provide test data and theoretical basis for the application of full ceramic ball bearings in aerospace and other fields and have important significance for improving the service life of high-end equipment under extreme working conditions.