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In this study, the authors identify how formal institutional environments in destination countries matter to franchise chains as they internationalize. The institutional environment of the destination countries of franchise chains is characterized according to three institutional dimensions necessary to attract international investment – public governance, ease of doing business and legal processes – and analyzed in the context of regional and global franchise expansion.

The descriptive quantitative study involved 625 franchise chains from Australia, Brazil, Germany, India, Russia, South Africa and the United States, with a total of 2,939 observations.

Results suggest that franchise chains from emerging markets are guided by the institutional conditions of ease of doing business and the quality of legal processes in global expansion and guided by ease of doing business, quality of legal processes and governance in regional expansion. On the other hand, franchise chains from developed markets are guided by the ease of doing business, quality of legal processes and governance in global expansion and governance and ease of doing business in regional expansion.

The sample included only franchise chains associated with organizations that represent franchises in their countries of origin, and the study does not analyze the effect of institutional distance between countries of origin and destination.

This study identifies the formal institutional characteristics that explain selection and commitment in international markets by franchise chains from different countries. The contribution is in analyzing the phenomenon through the lens of institutional theory and showing, through a global sample, that institutions matter to franchise chains from different types of countries (developed and emerging) and with different strategies for internationalization (global and regional).

The Industry 4.0 phenomenon is bringing unprecedented disruptions for all traditional business models and hastening the need for a redesign and digitisation of activities. In this context, the literature concerning the digital supply chain (DSC) and its capabilities are in the early stages. To bridge this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose a framework for digital supply chain capabilities (DSCCs).

This paper uses a narrative literature approach, based on the main Industry 4.0 elements, supply chain and the emerging literature concerning DSC disruptions, to build an integrative framework to shed light on DSCCs.

The study identifies seven basic capabilities that shape the DSCC framework and six main enabler technologies, derived from 13 propositions.

The proposed framework can bring valuable insights for future research development, although it has not been tested yet.

Managers, practitioners and all involved in the digitalisation phenomenon can utilise the framework as a starting point for other business digitalisation projects.

This study contributes to advancing the DSC literature, providing a well-articulated discussion and a framework regarding the capabilities, as well as 13 propositions that can generate valuable insights for other studies.

Recent literature has highlighted the importance of quality and governance in supply networks. Usually, the relationships between the actors are complex, comprising both formal and informal interactions. Despite recent advances in quality and governance in supply networks, extant literature highlights the lack of quality in healthcare supply-chain networks in relation to governance mechanisms. This paper aims to investigate the role of governance mechanisms and their influence on the quality of healthcare supply networks, and assumes that governance instruments can support quality performance.

A multiple-case research approach was employed. Six organisations in the Brazilian healthcare sector were analysed (four operate only with renal replacement therapy, one is a material supplier, and one operates with renal replacement therapy and collective procurement).

Findings showed that there is no formalised supply network structure in these organisations. A possible consequence of this is that the supply-network governance is dominated by informal relationships. In the quality dimension, managers' awareness is limited, but there are mechanisms in place to control the quality of the materials.

Healthcare managers can actively invest in the social aspects of the relationship between buyer and supplier, such as trust and commitment, thus increasing responsiveness in patient care. However, this informal procedure can lead to problems with tracking and reliability, ultimately leading to quality problems. Therefore, it is recommended that formal and informal governance instruments be used jointly to improve service quality.

This study suggests that the integration of formal and informal mechanisms of governance can improve the quality of supply networks. Additionally, if the administrative process is purely formal, network relationships and their efficiency will be impaired.

This paper aims to identify, analyse and organise the literature about blockchains in supply chain management (SCM) context (blockchain–SCM integration) and proposes an agenda for future research. This study aims to shed light on what the main current blockchain applications in SCM are, what the main disruptions and challenges are in SCM because of blockchain adoption and what the future of blockchains holds in SCM.

This study followed the systematic review approach to analyse and synthesise the extant literature on blockchain–SCM integration. The review analysed 27 papers between 2008 and 2018 in peer-reviewed journals.

Blockchain–SCM integration is still in its infancy. Scholars and practitioners are not fully aware of the potential of blockchain technology to disrupt traditional business models. However, the electric power industry seems to have a relatively mature understanding of blockchain–SCM integration, demonstrated by the use of smart contracts. Additionally, the disintermediation provided by blockchain applications has the potential to disrupt traditional industries (e.g. health care, transportation and retail).

The limitations of this study are represented mainly by the scarcity of studies on blockchain–SCM integration in leading journals and databases.

This study highlights examples of blockchain–SCM integration, emphasising the need to rethink business models to incorporate blockchain technology.

This study is the first attempt to synthesise existing publications about the blockchain–SCM integration, shedding light on the disruption caused by, and the necessity of, the SCM reconfigurations.

The Industry 4.0 phenomenon offers opportunities and challenges to all business models. Despite the literature advances in this field, little attention has been paid to the interplay of smart production systems (SPSs), big data analytics (BDA), cyber-physical systems (CPS), internet of things (IoT), and the potential business process management (BPM) improvements. This study aims to identify the main drivers and their implications for improved BPM.

This study employed a narrative literature review of studies concerning smart-production-systems-related issues in the context of Industry 4.0.

The study identified 26 drivers from the literature associated with SPSs that have an impact on improved BPM. These drivers are presented in an integrative framework considering BDA, CPS, and the IoT.

The framework's component integration is yet not tested. However, this study offers a significant theoretical contribution by presenting drivers that can be utilised to develop constructs, exploring critical factors related to the interplay of SPSs and improved BPM, and shading light on Industry 4.0's main elements. The study also makes suggestions for further research.

The proposed framework, with its 26 drivers, provides insights for practitioners and decision-makers interested in gaining an in-depth understanding of the complexities of SPSs and improved BPM.

This study integrates BDA, CPS, and IoT into a framework with 26 drivers associated with SPSs to improve BPM.

The purpose of this paper is to present a conceptual framework for performance measurement (PM) for the integration of supply chain management (SCM) and quality management (QM).

A systematic literature review on SCM and QM was conducted to develop key performance measures related to six areas of integration between QM and SCM: leadership; continuous improvement and innovation; sustainability performance; stakeholders; information system; and management and strategic planning.

Supported by the literature concerning to supply chain quality management (SCQM) integration, a set of nine propositions about performance measures, that contribute to the integration of SCQM, were developed.

This study contributes to QM practices within a supply chain environment from an integrated perspective. Additionally, the propositions have significant implications from both managerial and theoretical perspectives. This study also extends the concept of supply chain quality integration by focusing on key aspects of PM that may help to improve the overall performance of the supply chain.

This paper aims to explore the formal (i.e. contracts, standards, processes, and structure) and informal (i.e. social structure, norms, information sharing, and value system and culture) governance instruments used in supply networks and their influence on quality.

This research is qualitative-exploratory in nature, involving semi-structured interviews with 20 managers from three essential layers in the dairy industry's supply chain: companies that supply essential inputs to milk producers; milk producers; and milk cooperatives.

Analysis of the generated data show that formal governance instruments have a strong and/or weak influence on products' and operations' quality in the dairy industry context; informal instruments have a strong and/or weak influence on quality, as a counterpart to formal instruments; and the integration of verified governance instruments positively influences the quality of products and operations.

This paper offers several managerial and practical implications. The first is to encourage suppliers of primary inputs and milk producers to invest in the formal structure, primarily in formal contracts with each other. The second implication suggests the relevance of creating different training and qualification courses with members from all organizational levels. Third, there is a need for cooperatives, encompassing all industries, to consider several informal instruments, complementary to contracts and standards currently used for processes.

Governance instruments can lead to desired supply chain outcomes, including those related to quality. Although previous supply chain studies have investigated the relationship between governance instruments and the supply chain, and quality management and the supply chain, studies on governance instruments' influence on supply chain quality are limited.

The purpose of this paper is to recognise the current state of big data analytics (BDA) on different organisational and supply chain management (SCM) levels in Brazilian firms. Specifically, the paper focuses on understanding BDA awareness in Brazilian firms and proposes a framework to analyse firms’ maturity in implementing BDA projects in logistics/SCM.

A survey on SCM levels of 1,000 firms was conducted via questionnaires. Of the 272 questionnaires received, 155 were considered valid, representing a 15.5 per cent response rate.

The knowledge of Brazilian firms regarding BDA, the difficulties and barriers to BDA project adoption, and the relationship between supply chain levels and BDA knowledge were identified. A framework was proposed for the adoption of BDA projects in SCM.

This study does not offer external validity due to restrictions for the generalisation of the results even in the Brazilian context, which stems from the conducted sampling. Future studies should improve the comprehension in this research field and focus on the impact of big data on supply chains or networks in emerging world regions, such as Latin America.

This paper provides insights for practitioners to develop activities involving big data and SCM, and proposes functional and consistent guidance through the BDA-SCM triangle framework as an additional tool in the implementation of BDA projects in the SCM context.

This study is the first to analyse BDA on different organisational and SCM levels in emerging countries, offering instrumentalisation for BDA-SCM projects.

The purpose of this paper is to understand the relationship between franchisee support and brand value in micro-franchise chains. This study aims to understand the importance of value delivery in support to the micro-franchisee aiming at increasing brand value.

The sample was composed of 148 micro-franchisees belonging to 70 chains located in Brazil. The questionnaire aimed to verify the franchisee’s degree of concordance with the support and brand value provided by the franchisor through a Likert scale. The questionnaire structure comprised of ten metrics associated with franchisee support, four metrics associated with the brand value perception and four potentially intervenient metrics. A regression analysis was carried out to confirm the results for the factor analysis, assuming that the three factors associated with support as independent variables and the brand factor as a dependent variable.

The three factors related to franchisee support were found to be significant predictors of brand value. Based on the values of the coefficients, it is possible to infer the positive nature of the association. An increase in franchisee support leads to an increase in the franchisee perception about brand value. The positive effect of training and franchisor’s support in prospection and installation improvement on the brand value evaluation by franchisees was supported by the statistical analyses conducted.

This research complements the studies on brand citizenship behavior and franchisee brand commitment; the greater the support provided to the micro-franchisee, the greater its commitment to the brand values of the chain. This contribution is critical because we deal with micro-enterprises in a business environment with an intense resource scarcity. These aspects place restrictions on the delivery of support and brand value in these franchise chains.

Structured support plans and greater approximation with franchisees seem to be alternatives for this perception of value to be increased in micro-franchise chains. The attractiveness of a micro-franchise chain can be enhanced if the franchisor is able to show to its potential micro-franchisees that it offers adequate support for its business; and also for the capture of new micro-franchisees.

The social implications aimed at entrepreneurs with low financial expenditure. The sustainability of these businesses is highly relevant in the case of emerging markets given the high rates of unemployment and informality. Hence, micro-franchises become one of the means for micro-entrepreneurs to enter the job market.

When dealing with micro-franchises, there is an intensification of this scarcity of resources due to the smaller amount captured by the franchisor, as well as the lower technical level found in the franchisees. The relationship between brand value and the perceived level of support and the consequent franchise satisfaction with the chain in franchises, symbolized by brand citizenship behavior, is still little studied, and there are promising new studies, especially on the different types of franchises.