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The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of information technology (IT) use in the supply chain. Given that the use of IT in the supply chain has been a popular topic of research it is timely to analyse the literature to identify patterns and key factors for success.

A grounded theory approach is used to build a conceptual model using peer‐reviewed journal articles. The selection criteria are derived from the literature review and these are used to extract suitable articles from the online databases. The term “supply chain” is used with all the selection key words to make the search more specific and relevant to the expected search outcome.

The drivers of IT use in the supply chain are related to three levels of complexity and organisational change. The first level (low) involves a less complex use of IT that is driven through a desire to reduce costs. The drivers are cost reduction, reduced lead and cycle times, increased operational capability and information quality improvement. The second level (medium) involves a medium level of complexity that is characterised by networking and collaboration. The drivers are better relationships and information accessibility. Level two requires the drivers for level one. The most complex level is aimed at organisational transformation. The drivers are market sharing expansion, risk sharing and reduction, high quality service and better decision making. Level three also requires the drivers for levels one and two.

The study identified that many organisations use IT in the supply chain (SC) without understanding the drivers of IT use and this impacted on their success. In addition, it found that drivers can be classified into a hierarchy of benefits.

A lack of understanding of the drivers of IT use in the SC can be overcome by using the list of specific drivers and how these relate to organisational change. The manager's increased understanding of these factors should improve the success rate of IT investment in the SC by being more aware of how requirements relate to benefits and improvement.

The study is the first of its kind to analyse a large number of research articles to determine the drivers of IT use in the supply chain.

The research aims to qualitatively explore e-marketplace service quality (EMSQ) from the perspective of an industrial buyer as a sole decision-maker. It further intends to quantitatively examine its impact on the industrial buyer's perceived value (PV), overall satisfaction (SAT), and e-loyalty (ELOY) in the context of business-to-government (B2G) e-commerce.

The research used an exploratory sequential mixed-method design. A qualitative exploratory study of EMSQ was conducted using a Straussian grounded theory (GT) technique, followed by an explanatory quantitative study using PLS-SEM to evaluate causal links between various research variables.

In the area of e-services, the investigation found that the hierarchical structure of EMSQ encompasses six broadly applicable dimensions and one B2G context-specific dimension of the e-governance process quality. The study also reinforced previous research findings in the B2C and B2B e-commerce domains, highlighting that e-service quality positively impacts online buyer's PV, SAT and ELOY.

This research contributed to the area of e-service operations by developing and validating the EMSQ model in the B2G e-commerce settings. Further, it has opened up new research avenues in B2G e-commerce.

The findings from this research highlighted that e-service operations managers should focus on usability, technological concerns, product/vendor quality concerns, customer support reliability, along with effective e-governance, ordering and logistics processes for e-business success. It also provides policymakers with guidelines for making B2G e-marketplaces sustainable.

To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study employing the GT and PLS-SEM techniques to explore EMSQ from the viewpoint of industrial buyers in B2G e-commerce. The study contributed to prior literature by proposing and validating the hierarchical EMSQ model.

The aim of this paper is to suggest a method to redesign business processes from the viewpoint of knowledge flows using a knowledge map.

Knowledge flows and business processes cannot be separated because knowledge is inputted and outputted through business processes. Knowledge flows inherit the feature and appearance of corresponding business processes; therefore, one can identify problems within business processes by analyzing corresponding knowledge flows. The methodology is composed of the following sections: knowledge mapping, knowledge profiling, knowledge flow identification, knowledge flow optimization and TO‐BE process visualization.

This paper provides a methodology for knowledge flow‐based business process redesign and ten guidelines for knowledge flow optimization. The case study demonstrates that the proposed ideas constitute knowledge‐intensified business processes.

A more formal validation method that is based on the statistical analysis must be provided to assert the proposed guidelines for knowledge flow optimization as the truly optimized ones.

This paper's idea provides the practical methodology and guidelines that can be directly applicable to performing business process redesign by introducing a real case.

This paper's ideas not only provide present companies with a practical way to enhance their business process to be more knowledge‐focused, but also promote the current economy to be more knowledge‐intensive.

The supply chain (SC) of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector in India witnessed a significant change soon after introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST). With the initiation of this tax, companies started moving from individual state-wise warehouses to consolidation warehouses model to save costs. This paper proposes a model that frames a mathematical formulation to optimize the distribution network in the downstream SC by considering the complexities of multi-product lines, multi-transport modes and consolidated warehouses.

The model is designed as mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), and an algorithm is developed that works on the feedback loop mechanism. It optimizes the transportation and warehouses rental costs simultaneously with impact analysis.

Total cost is primarily influenced by the critical factor transportation price rather than the warehouse rent. The choice of warehouses at prime locations was a trade-off between a lower distribution cost and higher rent tariffs.

The study enables FMCG firms to plan their downstream SC efficiently and to be in line with the recent trend of consolidation of warehouses. The study will help SC managers solve complexities such as multi-product categories, truck selection and consolidation warehouse selection problems and find the optimum value for each.

The issues addressed in the proposed work are transporting products with different sizes and weights, selecting consolidated warehouses, selecting suitable vehicles for transportation and optimizing distance in the distribution network by considering consolidated warehouses.

It can be said that the mapping of processes is an intrinsic need of organizations, precisely because they are composed of a multiplicity of individuals. As soon as the number of people in an organization is higher than one, the need arises to define clearly who does what and how, and to be able to measure the effectiveness of the defined processes. This chapter aims to clarify and provide the reader with a possible method for doing this. The authors illustrate the main steps to successfully manage a process mapping project, using objective methods to guide the identification of the most important goals and processes of an organization. After the analysis and the definition, it becomes important to be able to communicate processes in a clear way. It is therefore proposed as a method for the graphical representation of the processes, more intuitive and immediate compared to the classic textual description and alternative to other techniques of BPMN.

From the theoretical perspectives of both multi-agent systems and smart business networks, empirical studies analyzing agent-based inter-organizational systems (ABIOS) in a real-life business setting are rare. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of ABIOS on the performance of business networks.

This study presents a theoretical conceptual model portraying the influence of ABIOS on clients’ coordination structure and information architecture; and the impact of those structural alterations on business network performance in terms of the coordination, agility, and informational performances. To validate the model, a cross-case analysis was conducted in three logistics cases, namely, warehousing, freight forwarding, and intermodal transportation.

The application of ABIOS requires adjustments to the information architecture or the coordination structure, or both. Subsequently, those structural adjustments will stimulate improvements in the coordination, agility, and informational performances.

The assessment of the clients’ performance improvement is done at the company level not at an aggregate network level. Moreover, the study only covers cases from the logistics sector.

This study explains the structural consequences of ABIOS applications. The adoption of an inter-organizational system is a strategic decision that requires support from multi-stakeholders. While the applications of ABIOS can offer performance improvement opportunities, adjustments must be made to the existing coordination structure or the information architecture, or both.

This study contributes to the smart business network literature and the ABIOS literature by presenting a validated conceptual model explaining the interplay among ABIOS, the coordination structure, informational structure, and business network performance, namely, the coordination, agility, and informational performances.

Supply chain practitioners have made great strides in forming collaborative partnerships, yet the end consumer is often left out of these plans. Being an important member of the supply chain, we propose that supply chains need to get closer to the end consumer ‐ forming collaborative relationships that center around demand planning. Developing subscription relationships with end consumers will lead to increased planning time, which will result in dramatic cost reductions and superior consumer value and satisfaction through lower costs, increased convenience, and improved availability of supply. Being a new and unique strategy, not all consumers will adopt subscription supply chains. However, we argue that some consumer segments will receive tremendous value and satisfaction purchasing certain types of products and services through subscriptions. Tremendous opportunities await those supply chains who target the right consumers, marketing the right products and services through a subscription supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to present the cultural results of a three year study into the concept of information fulfilment and considers the impact of culture on levels of information fulfilment.

Ethnographic studies were undertaken within higher education institutions in four countries, by examining each organization's shape and comparing it with the level of achievement of information fulfilment. The social and symbolic meanings that underpinned the culture of information in the chosen institutions are presented. The cultural frameworks are analysed and followed by a section of “raw data” from the ethnographic field.

Culture impacted significantly in all the studies, and each study had its own unique character which provided rich insights into the culture, atmosphere and contexts of the fields.

The relationships between the cultures and the levels of information fulfilment are reported with a view to helping build knowledge management systems that deliver higher levels of information fulfilment.

The purpose of this paper is to identify in what way logistics service providers are involved in the logistics operations of omnichannel retailers. Given the importance of logistics in omnichannel retail and the complexities that it brings forth, it is unclear if the current tendency towards logistics outsourcing continues, and how logistics service providers should adapt to remain relevant in the omnichannel retail environment.

The research draws on both desk and field research. The authors analysed the scientific information available on omnichannel retail logistics and conducted semi-structured expert interviews with food and non-food retailers that adopt an omnichannel model.

The research demonstrates distinct differences between food and non-food retailers. While food retailers are inclined to organise fulfilment and last mile activities in-house, non-food retailers partner closely with logistics service providers. Nonetheless, the store network of non-food retailers is attracting a growing part of logistics activities, which retailers are building themselves. To sustain their relevance in the omnichannel environment and strengthen their position for the future, the authors created a competency recommendation framework for logistics service providers, in which service differentiation is proposed as a viable direction for growth.

The research is based on insights from retailers based in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium) and requires further and wider testing in other contexts and geographical areas.

The findings have strategic importance for retailers that are developing an omnichannel retail model and logistics service providers that (aim to) serve clients and operate activities within the retail sector.

The research provides a holistic view of logistics in omnichannel retail by identifying insourcing and outsourcing mechanisms and developing competency recommendations to fulfilment, internal transport and last mile transport in omnichannel retail.

This paper aims to illustrate the use of data envelopment analysis (DEA) in measuring internal supply chain performance.

Two DEA models were developed – the technical efficiency model and the cost efficiency model. The models are further enhanced with scenario analysis to derive more meaningful business insights for managers in making resources planning decisions.

The information obtained from the DEA models helps managers to identify the inefficient operations and take the right remedial actions for continuous improvement. More importantly, the opportunity cost (forgone profit) calculated serves as a good reference to managers to make efficient decisions on resource allocations.

Results are based on the deterministic data set. Future enhancement of the study would be to look into the possibility of modeling DEA in a stochastic supply chain environment (non‐deterministic) due to the fact that supply chain operates in a dynamic environment.

The proposed DEA‐based approach provides useful managerial implications in the measurement of supply chain efficiency. The study proves the usefulness of DEA as a decision‐making tool in supply chain.

This paper provides useful insights into the use of DEA as a modeling tool to aid managerial decision making in measuring supply chain efficiency.