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In recent years, futures study methods, especially scenario analysis, are used to plan for disaster and emergency management. Scenario method is suitable for public level policy making. Scenarios generated alternative descriptive futures in all of the development field such as disaster studies. This paper aims to systematically review the articles that generated scenarios in disaster management to attain gaps, challenges and opportunities related to use of scenario analysis in disasters.

This is a systematic review that was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The keywords that searched included “disaster,” “emergency,” “crisis,” “disruptive event,” “futures study,” “foresight,” “scenario,” “community-based scenario planning,” “participatory scenario planning,” “scenario planning” and “scenario analysis.” The Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases were searched.

A total of 981 article gathered after initial search between electronic databases. At final step, only ten articles included in the study. The selected articles compared according to many aspects. Most of the scenarios that developed in disaster management and planning concentrated on climate change and flooding related hazards. Many of studies developed three or four scenarios that it seems the number is suitable for disaster planning.

The paper serves as an original guideline for disaster planning.

The purpose is to explore how the configurations resulting from the interplay of last mile logistics practices and firm characteristics are associated with firm performance in an omni-channel context.

Drawing on configuration theory (CT), the authors use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to analyze data on 72 Swedish omni-channel retailers.

Four configurations are identified—store-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SME's), online-oriented SME's, large store-oriented retailers and large online-oriented retailers. The results show that while offering a wide range of delivery options is necessary to achieve high performance, it is not sufficient, and that returns and fulfilment should be simultaneously considered. For instance, large high-performers leverage their stores and warehouses for fulfilment and returns in an integrated way irrespective of sales channel-mix. However, SME's appear to focus on fulfilment simplicity with less-costly delivery alternatives, where store-oriented SME's leverage stores and the online-oriented counterparts leverage warehouses. Consequently, the authors develop a configurational taxonomy and discuss a set of recipes which provide insights for researchers and practitioners.

The study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the pathways to success, and potential pitfalls, in the last mile logistics context.

This study applies a novel methodology in the field, namely fsQCA, to explore the paths to competitive advantage. It covers a wide range of stages in the LM including back-end fulfilment, delivery and returns. It also provides insight into the logistics practices of both SME's and large omni-channel retailers.

The purpose of this paper is to review existing research on retail supply chain responsiveness, develop categories to be included in a retail-specific responsiveness framework, and identify future research areas within the scope of retail supply chain responsiveness.

This paper presents an inductive systematic literature review of 46 academic, peer-reviewed articles. Based around the two major review questions on retailers’ role in the creation of supply chain responsiveness and future research areas, an inductive, qualitative, content analysis was conducted. Further analysis was conducted by using the software NVivo 11.

Existing research are grouped into a framework of four categories that together span the existing research. The categories are labelled supply chain orchestration, market orientation, supply chain operations and supply management. Two to three subthemes in each category are presented. Thereafter, promising future research areas are outlined, covering methodological issues, theoretical underpinnings, inclusion of context variables and outcomes of retail supply chain responsiveness.

The conducted systematic literature review has been limited to academic, peer-reviewed articles.

The findings of the paper constitute a promising initial step towards a retail-specific framework on retail supply chain responsiveness.

The paper questions the comprehensiveness of established models in responsiveness, and argues that existing “general” literature on supply chain responsiveness gives little guidance and structure to retailers’ specific role and involvement in supply chain responsiveness. In particular, the paper focusses on the retailers’ role for creation of supply chain responsiveness, which has not previously been addressed in research.

This paper aims to examine the relationship between supply integration and firm performance by first, investigating the mediating effects of manufacturing flexibility and mass customization; and second, exploring the moderating role of innovation orientation on the link between internal capabilities and performance.

Resource orchestration and contingency theories are used to address the mediating and moderating effects. A cross-sectional data set on 242 Swedish manufacturers is used to test for the hypotheses using structural equation modeling.

The findings provide support for the mediating roles of manufacturing flexibility and mass customization in the relationship between supply integration and firm performance. However, the results point to contrasting contingent effects of innovation orientation. While innovation orientation positively moderates the association between mass customization and firm performance, it shows a negative impact on the link between flexibility and performance.

The study contributes to the literature on the integrative activities with upstream supply chain actors. Specifically, the authors highlight how specific capability configurations comprising of supply integration, manufacturing flexibility and mass customization lead to firm performance. Moreover, the authors provide insights on the contingency role of innovation, especially if firms consider flexibility or customization capabilities.

While the individual impacts of flexibility and customization on performance have been addressed previously, there is a paucity of research on how these two capabilities are integrated with supply integration. Moreover, there is little known regarding the role of innovation orientation on these integrated relationships.

In light of the recent dynamics, this paper aims to explore the last mile (LM) of e-commerce retailers. Two research questions are developed (1) What firm characteristics are critical in LM practices? and (2) How do LM practices differ based on the identified critical firm characteristics?

Data were collected via 10 interviews with e-commerce executives, as well as a survey on 200 e-commerce firms in different retail sectors in Sweden.

“Firm Size” and “Sales Channel-Mix” appear to be the top critical firm characteristics in LM practices. While last mile delivery (LMDe) was found to vary more based on sales channel mix than firm size, the opposite occurs for last mile back-end fulfilment (LMBF). Moreover, last mile consumer steering (LMCS) was found to vary only with sales channel-mix. Unexpectedly, primarily store-based retailers capitalize on their stores while offering competitive remote services; they hence compete indirectly with their existing store network.

While most prior work has focused on LMBF and LMDe for strategizing, the consumer-steering aspect seems to have been a missing link. This study develops an integrated framework for LM strategy planning, incorporating LMCS, LMBF and LMDe. New aspects such as the environment, specialization and inventory management are included. The findings provide insights for executives when strategizing, undertaking competition analysis and positioning the firm.

Chemical and electrochemical measurements were used to study the corrosion inhibition of aluminium in distilled water using one of pyridine derivatives as corrosion inhibitor.

Corrosion inhibition of aluminum in distilled water was investigated in the absence and presence of different concentrations of 2,6-di methyl pyridine (DMP). Potentiodynamic polarization, open circuit potential and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy were employed.

Inhibition efficiency of 86 per cent is reached with 0.0187 M of DMP at 25°C. Potentiodynamic polarization showed that DMP behaves as mixed type inhibitor. The inhibitor obeyed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. The value of ΔG°_ads suggests physico-chemical adsorption of the inhibitor molecule on the aluminium surface.

This paper indicates DMP could be used as corrosion inhibitor to prevent the corrosion of aluminium in in distilled water.

In this study, electrochemical deposition method which have cheaper equipment than thermal spraying methods and is available for the production of composite coatings were used.

Composite coatings were electrodeposited from a Watts's bath solution in which the suspended Cr₃C₂-NiCr particles were dispersed in the bath solution during deposition. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques have been used to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the composite coating in the 3.5 Wt.% NaCl solution.

It was found that the submicron Cr₃C₂-NiCr particles distributed uniformly in the coating and depend on the current density of deposition, different amount of particles can be incorporated in the coating. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the Ni/ Cr₃C₂-NiCr composite coatings is more comparable to the pure nickel coating.

Production of Ni-base composite coating from an electrolytic bath containing Cr₃C₂-NiCr particles is possible via electrodeposition.

Study of corrosion behaviour could benefit from quantum chemical calculation to investigate the role of adsorption of main anions such as OH⁻ and Cl⁻ on metallic surfaces. The purpose of this study is to report the quantum chemical study of aluminium immersed in NaOH, NaCl and HCl solutions and verifying the calculations by potentiodynamic and open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements.

The electrochemical evaluations based on potentiodynamic polarization and OCP experiments were carried out. For theoretical investigations, the quantum chemical calculation was performed. In this regard, the adsorption of Cl⁻, OH⁻ and H⁺ on aluminium surface was investigated. Furthermore, the natural bond orbital for the direction and magnitude of charge transfer interactions was calculated.

The calculations indicate that higher interaction energy between ions with the metallic cluster being modelled together with natural bond orbital calculations of direction and magnitude of charge transfer accurately predicts corrosion.

This paper shows that ions such as Cl⁻, OH⁻ and H⁺ cause the corrosion of aluminium in NaOH, NaCl and HCl environments. The overall theoretical data corroborate with experimental results.

The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate whether or not greening efforts are dependent on a higher level company-wide sustainability strategy to be carried out and whether or not greening efforts lead to any changes in logistics effectiveness and logistics efficiency.

The paper is based on empirical data collected via a survey sent to logistics managers and transport purchasers at Nordic multinationals. The results were analysed using structural equation model as to validate the anticipated relationships between the designed constructs.

Within this research, the authors have tried to validate the existence of relationships between a company's sustainability strategy, its transportation greening efforts and logistics performance.

The paper investigates the possible effect the sustainability strategy of the firm will have on its decision to green its transportation, and the possible effect these measures will have on logistics efficiency and effectiveness. The empirical data gathered for this research are regionally restricted to the Nordic region. Further research could empirically test these relationships with empirical data from other countries or industries, perhaps using other performance constructs, to see if the results hold true.

It is shown that companies with a sustainability strategy are focusing on greening their transportation both from purchasing and operations perspectives to improve their entire environmental performance. The results from this paper fail to support the assumption that company-wide sustainability strategies are imperative for supply chain greening.

The paper is among the first attempts in analysing the relationships between a company's sustainable strategy and its logistics performance through greening the transportation activities.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how postponement is applied in retailing and how such application is connected to logistics flexibility.

An overview of the established typological classifications of postponement and logistics flexibility is presented followed by empirical results from three case studies of retailers of electronics, furniture, and grocery in Sweden. The study relies on primary qualitative data gathered on the retailers as well as secondary material on some suppliers including logistics providers for further insight.

The results of the study show that retailers have different practices when it comes to postponement and speculation; however, there is a growing tendency toward postponement among retailers by exploring new means of applying postponement. The results reveal that retailers that have higher application of postponement seem to be more flexible in their logistics operations.

The paper provides direction for further empirical research of the topic, by indicating the application of postponement is not constrained to the point of purchase and could be extended by involving consumers as well as capitalizing on suppliers’ competences and capabilities. Especially, sales services, software, and upgrades could provide opportunity for further expanding the concept.

The paper contributes to the existing literature on logistics practices of postponement and speculation, as well as logistics flexibility by focussing on retail firms in Sweden. Most of the prior scholarly work on postponement and flexibility is on the manufacturing context.