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One pertinent dynamic phenomenon in supply chains is the amplification of order variance, i.e. the bullwhip effect. Its continued significance is underscored in contemporary empirical research. While numerous publications have pinpointed various causes of the bullwhip effect, there remains a gap in their systematic consolidation. The purpose of this paper is to compile a comprehensive list of the causes of the bullwhip effect from existing literature and categorize them appropriately.

This study conducts a systematic literature review to offer a comprehensive overview of bullwhip effect causes addressed in the existing literature. The identified causes are categorized using a qualitative content analysis approach.

The study shows the diversity of the causes of the bullwhip effect and their interdependencies. In addition, this study demonstrates that, at the highest level of aggregation, causes of the bullwhip effect can be classified into four main categories: causes inherent in the system structure, causes related to uncertainty, causes related to misaligned incentives and causes related to inadequate cognition of the situation.

The work provides an extensive overview and categorization of bullwhip effect causes, offering valuable insights for both researchers and practitioners seeking a deeper understanding of this phenomenon. In addition, it underscores managerial implications and highlights future research opportunities.

In this research, we explore the adverse impact of foreign ownership on operational security, a critical operational implication of the liability of foreignness (LOF).

The empirical analysis is based on a multi-country dataset from the World Bank Enterprises Survey, which contains detailed firm-level information from over 8,902 firms in 82 emerging market countries. We perform a series of robustness checks to further confirm our findings.

We find that a high ratio of foreign ownership is associated with an increased likelihood of security breaches and higher security costs. Our results also indicate that high levels of host countries’ institutional quality and firms’ local embeddedness can mitigate such vulnerability in operational security.

This study is one of the first to uncover the critical operational implication of the LOF, indicating that a high ratio of foreign ownership exposes firms to operational security challenges.

The primary objective of this article is to examine current procurement, inventory control and management practices in modern healthcare, with a particular focus on the procurement and management of surgical supplies in a prominent public, highly specialized healthcare sector.

This study was conducted in three phases. In Phase 1, the study team interacted with various hospital management stakeholders, including the surgical hospital store, examined the current procurement process and identified challenges. Phase 2 focused on selecting items for a detailed study and collected the qualitative and quantitative details of the store department of the healthcare sector chosen. A detailed study analyzed revenue, output/demand, inventory levels, etc. In Phase 3, a decision-making framework is proposed, and inventory control systems are redesigned and demonstrated for the selected items.

It was observed that the demand for many surgical items had increased significantly over the years due to an increase in disposable/disposable items, while inventories fluctuated widely. Maximum inventory levels varied between 50 and 75%. Storage and availability were important issues for the hospital. It is assumed the hospital adopts the proposed inventory control system. In this case, the benefits can be a saving of 62% of the maximum inventory, 20% of the average stock in the system and optimal use of storage space, improving the performance and productivity of the hospital.

This study can help the healthcare sector administration to develop better systems for the procurement and delivery of common surgical items and efficient resource allocation. It can help provide adequate training to store staff. This study can help improve management/procurement policies, ordering and delivery systems, better service levels, and inventory control of items in the hospital business context. This study can serve as a pilot study to further investigate the overall hospital operations.

This study can help the healthcare sector administration develop better systems for procuring and delivering common surgical items and efficient resource allocation. It can help provide adequate training to store staff. This study can help improve management/procurement policies, ordering and delivery systems, better service levels and inventory control of items in the hospital business context. This study can serve as a pilot study to further investigate the overall hospital operations.

This study is an early attempt to develop a decision framework and inventory control system from the perspective of healthcare inventory management. The gaps identified in real hospital scenarios are investigated, and theoretically based-inventory management strategies are applied and proposed.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that are equipped with numerous features and functionalities help to improve the profitability of construction corporations around the world through enhancing the efficiency of the functions related to cost management. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of ERP systems for cost management of building construction projects in Sri Lanka.

A qualitative technique was used in this study, which comprised two-round Delphi-based semistructured interviews. Purposive sampling was used to determine the interviewees. Content analysis was used to evaluate the collected data.

The findings of this study identified the ERP system as a strategic tool for gaining a competitive advantage for an organization while confirming 14 uses of ERP systems and 16 stages of the cost management process. Eighteen issues were finalized at the end of the interview rounds while categorizing the suitable ERP applications at each stage of the cost management process.

Even though there are numerous distinct studies conducted on cost management and ERP systems, there has been a lack of studies conducted on the synergy between these two areas that can be adapted for the building projects in the Sri Lankan context. Therefore, the findings of this study can bring a new paradigm to the Sri Lankan construction sector by influencing the adaption of correct ERP systems at numerous project stages by providing a competitive edge.

This study aims to investigate the contribution of blockchain technology to supply chain risk management and its impact on performance among Indian manufacturing companies.

Drawing on a resource-based view, dynamic capability and system of systems theory, this study examines the direct relationships between blockchain, supply chain risk management and supply chain performance. The authors validate the mediating effects of three supply chain risk management components, namely supply risk management, demand risk management and cyber security management, on financial transaction reliability and information reliability. Data were collected from 204 Indian manufacturing companies that have adopted blockchain technology.

The results demonstrate that companies adopting blockchain technology have experienced positive outcomes in managing supply chain-related risks, financial transaction reliability and information reliability. These findings provide valuable guidance to managers, highlighting blockchain as a competitive advantage for supply chain management.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous research on blockchain-based risk management capabilities has been conducted.

The digital warehouse management system is an emergence that forms a critical part of the transformation of economic structure in Industry 4.0. In the present business scenario, the warehouse management system encounters a messy layout, poor damage control, unsatisfactory order management, lack of visibility and lack of technological interventions. Digital twin (DT) based warehouse system shows the ontology and knowledge graphs for competitive advantage by consolidating and transferring goods directly from an inbound supplier to an outbound customer on short notice and with no or limited storage. There remains a lack of clarity on how the DT can be implemented successfully in warehouse management.

The current literature remains largely unstructured and scattered due to a lack of a systematic approach to integrating the research implications and analysis. This paper probes the conceptualization of the DT with the help of theoretical analysis using the systematic literature analysis method.

The study explores essential concepts such as interoperability and integrability in implementing DT. Further, it analyzes the role of a supply chain control tower (SCCT) in modern supply chain management. A research framework is proposed for practitioners and academicians by incorporating the opportunities and challenges associated with DT implementation. The research findings are mainly threefold: Conceptualization of DT, Featuring SCCT and Exploration of cross-computer platform interfaces, scalability and maintenance strategies.

This study is among the first to analyze and review DT applications in warehouse management. Moreover, the study proposes a theoretical toolbox for the practitioners to successfully implement the DT in warehouse DT-based warehouse management system: A theoretical toolbox for future research and applications.

This paper aims to uncover the key enablers of an agile supply chain in the manufacturing sector amidst disruptions such as pandemics, trade wars and cross-border challenges. The study aims to assess the applicability of existing literature to manufacturing and identify additional industry-specific enablers contributing to the field of supply chain management.

The research methodology is comprehensively described, detailing the utilization of extent literature and semistructured interviews with mid- and top-level executives in a supply chain. The authors ensure the robustness of the data collection process and results interpretation.

The study identifies six essential dimensions of an agile supply chain: information availability, design robustness, external resource planning, quickness and speed, public policy influencing skills and cash flow management. The study provides valuable insights for industry professionals to develop agile supply chains capable of responding to disruptions in a rapidly changing world.

This study is limited by its focus on the manufacturing sector, and future research may explore the applicability of these findings to other industries. By focusing on these essential dimensions identified in the study, managers can develop strategies to improve the agility and responsiveness of their supply chains. In addition, further research may investigate how these enablers may vary in different regions or contexts.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced executives to reconsider their sourcing strategies and reduce dependence on suppliers from specific geographies. To ensure business continuity, companies should assess the risk associated with their suppliers and develop a business continuity plan that includes multisourcing their strategic materials. Digital transformation will revolutionize the supply chain industry, allowing for end-to-end visibility, real time insights and seamless integration of business and processes. Companies should also focus on creating a collaborative workforce ecosystem that prioritizes worker health and well-being. Maintaining trust with stakeholders is crucial, and firms must revisit their relationship management strategies. Finally, to maintain business leadership and competitiveness during volatile periods, the product portfolio needs to be diversified and marketing and sales teams must work in tandem with product teams to position new products accordingly.

This work contributes substantially to the literature on supply chain agility (SCA) by adding several new factors. The findings result in a more efficient and cost-effective supply chain during a stable situation and high service levels in a volatile situation. A less complex methodology for understanding SCA provides factors with a more straightforward method for identifying well-springs of related drivers. First, the study contributes to reestablish the factors such as quickness, responsiveness, competency, flexibility, proactiveness, collaboration and partnership, customer focus, velocity and speed, visibility, robustness, cost-effectiveness, alertness accessibility to information and decisiveness as applicable factors for SCA. Second, the study suggests a few more factors, such as liquidity management, Vendors’ economic assessment and economic diversity, that are the study’s unique contributions in extending the enablers of SCA. Finally, public policy influencing skills, local administration connects and maintaining capable vendors are the areas that were never considered essential for SCA. These factors have emerged as a vital operational factor during the lockdown, and academicians may consider these factors in the future to assess their applicability.

This study provides new insights for decision-makers looking to enhance the resilience and agility of their supply chains. The identification of unique enablers specific to the manufacturing industry contributes to the existing body of literature on agile supply chains in the face of disruptions.

The diffusion of technologies from other sectors, and innovations in kitchen equipment, fueled structural changes within the foodservice industry. However, this change comes at a price of disrupting the critical step of assessing the demand forecast accuracy. This study aims to explore a surprisingly unique and elevated complexity when assessing the critically important demand forecast accuracy.

The paper develops a mathematical model to describe and explore the nature of the problem in structural biased demand forecast accuracy assessment. It then uses numerical simulation to construct a market example to gain better insights on the bias characteristics. Finally, the forecast accuracy measurement’s inherent bias is contrasted with that of other typical hospitality forecasting setups.

This paper outlines the theoretical underpinnings of how demand forecasts in the central kitchen setup are dynamic and thus produce a structural bias. More specifically, this paper discovers how, in this context of orders from a central location, the forecasts set the capacity constraints, and, consequently, generate a considerably more biased forecast accuracy measure. Relying on such forecast accuracy measures can lead to serious negative business outcomes.

To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to show that in the unique new technology enabled environment of central kitchen operation, where daily dish demand forecasts set the daily constrained capacity levels, the accuracy measure is severely biased, and consequently accuracy is likely to deteriorate, which in turn, could lead to suboptimal decisions. The major theoretical contribution of this study is a novel analytical model which explains and describes the bias in the accuracy measurement.

技术从其他行业的传播以及厨房设备的创新推动了餐饮业内的结构变化。然而, 这种变化直接影响了评估需求预测准确性。本研究探讨了在餐饮业结构改变后，评估至关重要的需求预测准确性时所面临的令人独特和复杂性。

本文自研了一个数学模型来描述和探讨评估需求预测准确性中的结构性偏差的本质。然后, 使用数值模拟构建一个市场示例, 以更好地了解上述偏差的特征。最后, 将这种预测准确性评估的系统性偏差与其他传统的餐饮业需求预测情境进行对比。

本文概述了中央厨房运营中需求预测是动态的, 因此产生了结构性偏差的理论基础。更具体地说, 在使用中央厨房并集中订单的情境下, 本文发现需求预测直接设定了容量限制, 因此产生了在需求预测准确度衡量中的结构性偏差。依赖这样的预测准确性度量可能产生严重的负面商业结果。

这项研究首次表明, 在中央厨房运营的独特的新环境中, 由于新的设定即每日菜品需求预测直接决定每日容量水平, 需求预测准确度衡量标准有着严重偏差, 长期来讲准确性可能下降, 从而导致次优的商业决策。本研究的主要理论贡献是提供一个餐饮企业在新运营环境中解释和描述需求预测准确度中结构性偏差的全新分析模型。

Despite its potential, warehouse managers still struggle to successfully assimilate autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in their operations. This paper means to identify the moderating factors of AMR assimilation for production warehouses that influence the digital transformation of their intralogistics via AMRs.

Drawing on innovation of assimilation theory (IAT), this study followed an explorative approach using the principles of the case study method in business research. The cases comprised of four AMR end users and six AMR service providers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews.

Four clusters of moderators that affect each stage of AMR assimilation were identified. These clusters include organizational attributes of end users (i.e. production warehouses), service attributes of service providers, technology attributes of AMRs and relational attributes between the AMR service providers and the AMR end users.

The authors extend the IAT framework by identifying various moderating factors between different stages of the AMR assimilation process. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to introduce the perspective of AMR end users in conjunction with AMR service providers to the “Industry 4.0” technology assimilation literature. The study propositions regarding these factors guide future intralogistics and AMR research.

This study aims to explore farmers’ perceptions of environmental impacts of dairying and their practices towards implementing environmental management accounting (EMA) techniques.

Semi-structured interviews were held with five dairy farmers in the South Island of New Zealand (NZ).

Dairy farmers perceive environmental sustainability in dairying as being able to feed people while protecting the environment so that future generations can also enjoy the natural world. Recognising the need to alter their practices to reduce environmental damage they have produced, dairy farmers use some EMA techniques, but the primary motivation is compliance with government regulations. Other motivations for using EMA techniques are high economic returns, maintaining their reputation and self-satisfaction. Barriers to implementing EMA techniques are primarily due to lack of clarity and feasibility of regulations, coercion and inadequate communication by regulators and high compliance costs.

The findings contribute to the current EMA literature by providing a better understanding of EMA practices of dairy farmers in NZ, barriers to implementing EMA and how those barriers could be reduced. It may also help NZ central and local government in developing environmental strategies and policies. Furthermore, this research is expected to help people in the dairy industry to find ways to educate farmers about how the measures that are required can help them to reduce both the environmental impacts and the costs of dairying, thus contributing to sustainable development globally.