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This paper focuses on multi-objective order allocation with product substitution for the vaccine supply chain under uncertainty.

The weighted-sum minimization approach is used to find a compromised solution between three objectives of minimizing inefficiently vaccinated people, postponed vaccinations, and purchasing costs. A mixed-integer formulation with substitution quantities is proposed, subject to capacity and demand constraints. The substitution ratios between vaccines are assumed to be exogenous. Besides, uncertainty in supplier reliability is formulated using optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic scenarios in the proposed optimization model.

Covid-19 vaccine supply chain process is studied for one government and three vaccine suppliers as an illustrative example. The results provide essential insights for the governments to have proper vaccine allocation and support governments to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

This paper considers the minimization of postponement in vaccination plans and inefficient vaccination and purchasing costs for order allocation among different vaccine types. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no study in the literature on order allocation of vaccine types with substitution. The analytical hierarchy process structure of the Covid-19 pandemic also contributes to the literature.

The form and content of relationship value dominates the literature. This paper contributes by studying companies’ actions based on their value perceptions, a field which has attracted less attention. Scholars advocate more studies on how companies’ value perceptions shape actions in relationships and how this leads to outcomes.

A longitudinal critical case study of a customer/supplier relationship constitutes the empirical basis of the paper. Interviews and observation studies were conducted over a period of three years, giving access to special insight into the actors’ value perceptions and related actions.

Value perceptions shape actions performed individually, jointly or in the wider network. Moreover, misperceptions of the counterparty’s value perceptions may result in a maelstrom of interactions with no specific value outcome. Acting based on value perceptions is a complex matter due to its evolving nature, which leads to development becoming a value driver.

The interdependencies between different value perceptions and their relational value drivers have special effects on actions and outcomes, also, value in actions needs to be studied.

Management needs to explore value from different perspectives to understand the counterparty’s value perceptions and communicate own perceptions. It is not sufficient to create value based on one value driver. Instead, it is vital to be able to connect value drivers to balance and prioritise relevant actions.

This paper stands out as one of the first contributions to relationship value literature that addresses and analyses value from both a customer perspective and a supplier perspective in a dyadic business relationship.

Recent advancements in information and communication technologies have led to the rapid growth of electronic commerce market. In the United States, e-commerce retail sales for 2002 reached $45.6 billion, indicating an increase of 26.9% from 2001 while total retail sales increased 3.1% during the same period. Although e-commerce sales account for only 1.4% of total sales in this country, forecasts show that the magnitude of digital economy will continue to expand. The logistical requirements of e-commerce goods that extend to each customer's address stimulate greater complexity in traditional supply chain management, potentially causing higher costs for freight supply chain participants. To harness the economic potential of e-commerce, it is important to encourage the development of a freight transportation system that will support its steady growth, while avoiding the possible negative effects from the changes in freight transportation. Due to the intrinsic nature of e-commerce goods, advances in home delivery have the potential to promote the growth of e-commerce as well as to create sustainable urban freight transportation systems. Based on the case study of the United States, this paper presents an in-depth discussion of the key challenges arising in home delivery operations, and proposes potential solution strategies that will lead to more efficient and reliable home delivery systems.

This research aims to examine the complementary impact of Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Green Manufacturing (GM) on operational and environmental performance.

A survey was conducted in the Zimbabwean manufacturing industry. A total of 302 valid responses were obtained and analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).

Both LM and GM impact environmental and operational performance; however, GM's effect on operational performance is indirect through environmental performance.

This study only focusses on the Zimbabwean manufacturing industry, and the results may not readily apply to other developing countries.

The companies that have successfully implemented LM are able to implement GM more easily because of their complementary nature.

The integration of LM and GM reduces most forms of waste, causing an improved environmental and operational performance. In addition, this will improve community relations and customer satisfaction.

This research investigates the complementary nature of LM and GM on how LM and GM impact organisational performance and whether a combined Lean-Green implementation leads to better organisational performance than when LM and GM are implemented individually. The research also examines whether being environmentally compliant leads to improved organisational performance, particularly in a developing country.

Despite large bodies of research related to the impacts of e-commerce on last-mile logistics and sustainability, there has been limited effort to evaluate urban freight using an equity lens. Therefore, this study proposes a modeling framework that enables researchers and planners to estimate the baseline equity performance of a major e-commerce platform and evaluate equity impacts of possible urban freight management strategies. The study also analyzes the sensitivity of various operational decisions to mitigate bias in the analysis.

The model adapts empirical methodologies from activity-based modeling, transport equity evaluation, and residential freight trip generation (RFTG) to estimate person- and household-level delivery demand and cargo van traffic exposure in 41 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs).

Evaluating 12 measurements across varying population segments and spatial units, the study finds robust evidence for racial and socio-economic inequities in last-mile delivery for low-income and, especially, populations of color (POC). By the most conservative measurement, POC are exposed to roughly 35% more cargo van traffic than white populations on average, despite ordering less than half as many packages. The study explores the model’s utility by evaluating a simple scenario that finds marginal equity gains for urban freight management strategies that prioritize line-haul efficiency improvements over those improving intra-neighborhood circulations.

Presents a first effort in building a modeling framework for more equitable decision-making in last-mile delivery operations and broader city planning.

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.

This study examines the moderating role of information sharing on the effect of lead-time management on the performance of firms in the Zimbabwean motor industry.

Data were collected using Likert-based structured questionnaires from a sample of 105 employees in Zimbabwe. In addition, Pearson Correlation, Linear Regression and Moderation Regression analysis were employed to test the relationship between study variables.

The study found that fixed lead time, preprocessing lead time, processing lead time and postprocessing lead time significantly influence the performance of firms in the motor industry. The results also demonstrate that information sharing moderates the effect of lead-time management on firm performance in the motor industry.

Firms in the motor industry should establish long-term relationships with their suppliers and implement effective communication channels for timely and frequent information exchange regarding production schedules, inventory levels, quality standards and potential disruptions.

The current study aims to contribute to the scientific discourse on lead-time management, information sharing and performance in the motor industry. Furthermore, it extends knowledge on the performance of the motor industry in the African region.

Collaboration and operational capabilities are two strengths for managing supply chains to achieve operational performance. In this context, this study aims to analyze the mediating effect of operational capabilities on the relationship between collaborative supply chain management and operational performance.

The study design consisted of a theoretical framework to estimate the mediation paths by latent variable structural modeling methods. A survey of 138 respondents from Brazilian capital goods companies was conducted.

The study revealed that operational capabilities partially mediate the relationship between collaborative supply chain management and operational performance. The findings provide important guidance for managers to strengthen the relationship with suppliers to continuously improve operational capability.

As the sample size was made up of 138 respondents, it was impossible to revalidate the theoretical–empirical model. New data need to be collected to re-evaluate the structural model and expand them to other economic segments.

By examining the theoretical insights and empirical findings, the study expanded knowledge about collaborative management and the understanding of the importance of operational capabilities in the relationship between collaborative management and operational performance for management practices.

The study developed a theoretical–empirical measurement model, reliable and statistically validated, to test the mediating effect of operational capabilities in the relationship between collaborative management and operational performance.

This study aims to review the literature on sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics to answer the three following questions: How is the literature on sharing economy logistics structured? What are the main trends in sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics? What are the future research options?

Bibliometric analysis is used to evaluate 85 articles published over the past 12 years; it identifies the top academic journals, authors and research topics contributing to the field.

The sharing economy logistics and crowd logistics literature is structured around several disciplines and highlights that some are more scientifically advanced than others in their subject definitions, designs, modelling and innovative solutions. The main trends are organized around three clusters: Cluster 1 refers to the optimal allocation of costs, prices, distribution and supplier relationships; Cluster 2 corresponds to business related crowdsourcing and international industry practices; and Cluster 3 includes the impact of transport on last-mile delivery, crowd shipping and the environment.

The study is based on data from peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences. A broader overview could include other data sources such as books, book chapters, working papers, etc.

Future research directions are discussed in the context of the evolution from crowd logistics to crowd intelligence, and the complexities of crowd logistics such as understanding how the social crowd can be integrated into the logistics process. Our results are part of the crowd science and engineering concept and provide some answers about crowd cyber-system questions regarding crowd intelligence in logistic sector.

In Ghana, as with other developing countries, there are several health information technology (HIT) initiatives as interventions to improve healthcare delivery. HIT implementation undoubtedly results in change. However, most studies relating to HIT implementation readiness have constantly neglected the role of change in successfully implementing HIT. This study intends to identify factors affecting successful change management as part of preparation towards successfully implementing HIT in public hospital in Ghana. To carry out this study, we conducted in-depth interviews with a matrix of HIT senior managers and thematically analyzed the data. The data was transcribed and uploaded into a Nvivo 11 software for analysis using thematic analysis techniques. Five (5) themes were discovered. They are: 1) Stakeholder participation; 2) Proof of experience in similar project; 3) Availability of committed change agents/all-levels-change representatives; 4) Clearly articulated change implementation strategy; and 5) Training and improvement mechanism (post-implementation). A fresh call is made for more attention to be paid to change as part of preparatory measures towards the adoption of HIT in Ghana using the five cardinal approaches identified as a guide.