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The aim of this article is to analyse how wine and tourism operators understand the concept of a wine route, to determine the impact that definition can have on the extent to which stakeholders working within distinct, but related sectors (namely wine production, tourism, food and hospitality) collaborate with each other and share knowledge.

By adopting the theoretical lens of “boundary objects” (understood as tangible or intangible entities that allow the sharing of meaning to different groups and facilitate collaboration), this article uses a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews of 20 informants working in three different wine routes in Italy. Analysis of data is carried out to highlight the similarities and differences between the wine and tourism (including identified associated service) industries.

Wine routes can be considered boundary objects that, if clearly defined by local stakeholders, can facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration. Problems in collaboration could be explained by an initial mis-definition by stakeholders of what a wine route and its remit are.

As the theoretical lens of “boundary objects” was applied for the first time to wine routes and tourism, further research is necessary to validate its application.

It is suggested that managers of wine routes involve all stakeholders in discussions to achieve a common understanding on what a wine route is, and its role in the promotion of “place” (geographical context of the wine route). Only if this is done successfully, is it possible to achieve collaboration.

This article uses the concept of “boundary objects” (a concept traditionally applied to the study of innovation) to the analysis of wine routes and provides further theoretical and managerial insights concerning networking between wine and tourism sectors, taking a supply-side perspective.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the development of the grocery retail market in China. International retailers have been in China for more than ten years, during which period a series of profound changes has occurred in the Chinese retail sector. International retailers introduced advanced retail techniques and managerial approaches; domestic retailers grew more sophisticated in their supply chain management. Foreign‐based retailers in China can compete in hypermarket and supercentre formats because they offer higher‐quality products and achieve larger economies of scale. Domestic retailers compete by operating smaller formats and maintaining good relationships with governments and local communities. However, formerly state‐owned domestic retailers appear less competitive because they lack funds and adopt poor management styles. This study aims to make recommendations about future developments by domestic and foreign grocery retailers.

The paper takes the form of a qualitative study involving in‐depth interviews with four retailers: Wal‐Mart, Bonjour, Wu‐Mart, and Jingkelong.

The findings pertain to several different themes, including consumers, business relationships and distribution centres, product lines, store formats, quality systems, and competition.

The study's findings are based only on four retailers.

The paper presents a series of recommendations for both foreign‐based and domestic retailers.

This research is among the first to investigate operator attitudes toward competition in the grocery retail market in China.

The purpose of this study is to explore food producers' motivations and challenges whilst participating in short food supply chains (SFSCs). This paper compares findings with previous literature and investigates the topic in the context of producers' motivations.

The paper includes a literature review concerning producers' motivations to engage in SFSCs. A case study was designed to investigate motivations underlying producers' engagement in SFSCs, as well as the challenges that they face. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a farmers' market located in Mexico. Thematic analysis is used to identify the principal issues for producers'. Propositions based on findings are presented.

Findings suggest that small, large, part-time and full-time producers are willing to engage with farmers' markets for diverse primary economic and non-economic motivations. Individual and collective challenges were also identified.

This research helps to explain producers' motivations and challenges within SFSCs in an under-researched context, namely a focus on producers' and in the Global South.

This conceptual paper details the evolution of purchasing research and describes the increasing integration of purchasing with other strategic functions to identify key trends in purchasing practices together with their implications for purchasing research.

This study takes a conceptual approach and reviews prior literature to describe the field and predict future developments.

Purchasing is increasingly integrated with different business functions, such as strategy, marketing, decision-making and supply chain management. Key real-world trends include sustainable and ethical purchasing, purchasing in the digital economy, supply chain risk management and public sector purchasing. These trends suggest both avenues for further research and specific methodologies to pursue them.

By providing a comprehensive overview of the trends in purchasing practice and research, this study offers unique insights, especially for researchers who seek to continue expanding the field.

In reference to the offshore-wind industry, this study aims to show that innovative purchasing and supply management practices can increase both firm- and industry-level performance. This paper also includes a description of the offshore-wind supply chain, which remains understudied in academic literature, despite increasing global development of offshore-wind farms.

Offshore-wind farm projects use more and larger turbines, which greatly increase the complexity of the supply chain. Innovative purchasing and supply management practices, designed to tackle this growing complexity, could help companies achieve the key success factors that define this industry. The evidence comes from real-world, offshore-wind farm projects, with the London Array farm as a principal example.

Innovative purchasing and supply management practices include decisions to make or buy, contract forms and local-to-global sourcing. These practices affect the key success factors of the industry by increasing competition, capabilities and control.

Purchasing and supply management practices could affect industry-level performance. This paper is among the first ones to provide an analysis of the offshore-wind supply chain and its evolution.

The purpose of this article is to address the prioritisation and focus of supply chain managers subsequent to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)/severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the great lockdown of 2020.

In this article, concepts and trends on resilient and sustainable supply chains are systematized. Main trends in sustainability of supply chains in the wake of COVID-19 are presented.

Guidelines on building smarter and more resilient supply chains are provided and future tendencies, which includes the increase of a sustainable consumption perspective, are highlighted.

This is a conceptual article blended with a practical approach aiming to propose guidelines for managers and scholars on how to address supply chain management challenges after the coronavirus pandemic.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the “human factor” inherent in business‐to‐business relationships and its impact on the key phases of business relationships: relationship attraction and initiation; relationship development; and relationship dissolution.

Interpretation is made by utilising the song lyrics of the prolific English singer Morrissey as a template for interpersonal relationship structures that can be applied to interpersonal business‐to‐business relationships.

Highlighted are findings from recent case investigations into business‐to‐business relationships where the “human factor” is particularly important in maintaining business interaction. The findings show that key concepts relating to business‐to‐business relationships (the need to enter relationships, power and dependency, and relationship break‐up) are not always in the realms of corporate rational thinking. Alternatively, business decisions owe much to the less rational and more emotional world of interpersonal relations.

This paper is a combination of both theoretical and practical study, but is only a starting‐point in terms of necessary empiricism. The paper concludes with suggestions of further necessary empirical investigation.

Practical lessons include a challenge to the view that there is a “right” and correct formula to engage in business relationships and the route to relationship success. Practical reality and human nature determine that even incrementally successful relationships can break down, and gains can be quickly reversed.

This paper takes the important theme of business relationships and underpins it with a novel treatment: the use of song lyrics, in order to highlight that prior and somewhat formulaic templates for business success are not always appropriate; and business relationships are governed by a human factor that is not always positive in outlook.

The purpose of this article is twofold: first, to review the literature in order to assess the opportunities and the possible welfare effects of differentiation strategies in the food market; and second, to analyse the current structure and organisation of the fresh produce market (fruit, vegetable, and salad) in the light of new product procurement, innovation, and differentiation policies carried out by retailers at the global level.

The paper used a single dyadic case study across two countries (Italy and the UK): the primary producer is engaged in “partner” supply to a principal category management intermediary for channel leading multiple retailers.

First, equilibrium in differentiated markets is not stable, and a welfare assessment is difficult. Second, a differentiation strategy in the market for fresh produce might benefit retailers more than in other sectors, which seem to be consistent with the theoretical findings. Third, when retailers engage in product differentiation it is more likely that channel relationships shift from collaborative to competitive types, with the power imbalance becoming the disciplinary means by which vertical coordination is achieved and maintained.

This article was based on a single case study.

For suppliers it could be wise to agree to some inequity as the cost of doing business, especially when smart large retailers carry out successfully competitive strategies with positive spill‐over effects on the upstream firms.

Using the industrial economic literature on the effects of differentiation strategies (horizontal and vertical differentiation) on market structure, firms' performance, and welfare effects, this paper analyses case findings from a study in the fresh produce industry and will be of interest to those within the field.