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The study examined a wide range of proactive supply chain practices to demonstrate a cross-linkage among them and to understand their effects on both practitioners of previous decision-making models, frameworks, strategies and policies. Here, six supply chain practices are empirically evaluated based on 28 constructs to investigate a comprehensive model and confirm the connections for achieving performance and competence. The study presents a conceptual model and examines the influence of many crucial factors, i.e. supply chain collaboration, knowledge, information sharing, green human resources (GHR) management and lean-green (LG) practices on supply chain performance.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) examines the conceptual model and allied relationship. A sample of 175 respondents' data was collected to test the hypothesized relations. A resource based view (RBV) was adopted, and the questionnaires-based survey was conducted on the Indian supply chain professionals to explore the effect of LG and green human resource management (GHRM) practices on supply chain performance.

The study presented five constructs for supply chain capabilities (SCCA), five constructs for supply chain collaboration and integration (SCIN), four constructs for supply chain knowledge and information sharing (SCKI), five constructs for GHR, five constructs for LG practices (LGPR) and four constructs for lean-green SCM (LG-SCM) firm performance to be utilized for validation by the specific industry, company size and operational boundaries for attaining sustainability. The outcome emphasizes that SCCA positively influence GHRM, LG practices and LG supply chain firm performance. However, LG practices do not influence LG-SCM firm performance, particularly in India.

The study exploited multiple practices in a conceptual model to provide a widespread understanding of decision-making to assist in developing a holistic approach based on different practices for attaining organizational sustainability. The study stimulates the cross-pollination of ideas between many supply chain practices to better understand SCCA, SCIN, SCKI, GHRM and LG-SCM under a single roof for retaining organization performance.

Supply chain resilience and knowledge management (KM) processes have received increasing attention from researchers and practitioners. Nevertheless, previous studies often treat the two streams of literature independently. Drawing on the knowledge-based theory, this study aims to reconcile these two different streams of literature and examine how and when KM processes influence supply chain resilience.

This research develops a conceptual model to test a sample of data from 203 Chinese manufacturing firms using a structural equation modeling method. Specifically, the current study empirically examines how KM processes affect different forms of supply chain resilience (supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery) and examines the moderating effect of blockchain technology adaptation and organizational inertia on the relationship between KM processes and supply chain resilience.

The findings show that KM processes positively affect three dimensions of supply chain resilience, i.e., supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery. Besides, the study reveals that blockchain technology adoption positively moderates the relationships between KM processes and supply chain resilience, whereas organizational inertia negatively moderates these above relationships.

This research linked the two research areas of supply chain resilience and KM processes, further bridging the gap in the research exploration of KM in the supply chain field. Next, this study contributes to supply chain resilience research by investigating how KM systems positively impact supply chain readiness, responsiveness and recovery. In addition, this study found a moderating effect of blockchain technology adaption and organizational inertia on the relationship between KM processes and supply chain resilience. These findings provide a reference for Chinese manufacturing firms to strengthen supply chain resilience, achieve secure supply chain operations and gain a competitive advantage in the supply chain. This studys’findings advance the understanding of supply chain resilience and provide practical implications for supply chain managers.

This study aims to analyse whether the presence of supply chain complexity (SCC) influences firms to improve their supply chain (SC) resilience and SC robustness capability. This study also examines an important paradox: whether investing in both exploitation and exploration practices is conflicting or complementary to enabling SC resilience and robustness in the presence of SCC.

The authors used a survey-based approach to collect 242 useful responses from SC professionals of Pakistani firms, an important emerging economy context. The data were analysed with covariance-based structural equation modelling to statistically validate the model.

The analysis reveals several key findings: the presence of SCC has a direct, positive influence on SC resilience and SC robustness; while exploitation practices only partially mediate the nexus between SCC and SC resilience, they fully mediate the relationship between SCC and SC robustness; while exploration practices partially mediate the nexus between SCC and SC resilience, they do not mediate the relationship between SCC and SC robustness and SCC has a significant influence on SC resilience and SC robustness sequentially through exploitation and exploration (i.e. one after the other).

These findings help to reconcile the exploitation versus exploration paradox in cultivating SC resilience and SC robustness in the presence of SCC. The findings assist SC managers in determining how to deploy their limited resources most effectively to enhance SC resilience and SC robustness while facing SCC.

The authors devise and empirically validate a unique framework that demonstrates how the presence of SCC works as a stimulus to build SC resilience and SC robustness.

This research tries to find the blockchain-based resilience strategies that can help the supply chains of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to recover from the disruptions and work effectively in a resource-based view perspective.

Eight broad strategies and 32 sub-strategies are identified from the literature review. Delphi study was carried out, and detailed discussion with 16 experts helped in finalizing these strategies. Further, the best-worst method (BWM) prioritized these strategies.

The findings suggests that “building social capital,” improving “coordination capabilities,” “sensitivity towards market,” “flexibility in process and production,” “reduction in process and lead time,”and “having a resource efficiency and redundancy” are the top strategies on which the top management should focus to overcome the situations of disruptions and enhance performance of MSMEs.

The blockchain-based strategies will enable the companies in tracing the products from the company to customers. Further, the customers will be able to identify their manufacturers, the raw materials used in manufacturing, and the life and quality of raw used materials. Altogether the textile industry will become more sensitive toward environmental practices.

The previous research has not identified and evaluated the blockchain-based resilience strategies, and therefore this study tries to fill this gap. This study used a smaller sample from the experts, so the results may vary if the larger data set is used and hypothesis testing can be done.

This paper aims to examine lean thinking in medical commodities supply chains by considering its applications and success factors. It determines the drivers and wastes of medical commodity supply chain, and the existing lean tools and practices together with their application in the supply chain processes. The paper also examined the challenges and success factors for effective lean application in the medical commodities supply chains.

The study used qualitative approaches, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key informants to form the basis for data collection. Through thematic analysis, the collected data were analyzed by developing themes reflecting the objectives of the study.

The main drivers for waste associated with the supply chain were demand management, supplier development, institutional framework and governance. The wastes were observed at the level of inventory, operation costs, transaction costs, delays in terms of service, commodity delivery time and quality. Digitalization, information technology and standardization were the tools for medical supply chain. Poor infrastructure, unreliable internet supply, environmental uncertainty and poor management support were challenges to realizing an effective supply chain.

Although the qualitative approach used in the study provides detailed information, a quantitative study covers a larger sample for generalization.

Capacity building and professionalism should be given a priority because the philosophy of lean focuses on waste removal and continuous improvement, which highly depends on the quality of human resource (Brito et al., 2020). Limited human resource capabilities in supply chain management will, therefore, result into poor operational efficiency, which are wasted. Moreover, systems interoperability is key waste minimization and, therefore, demands interventions.

The government under the Ministry of Health and other key sector ministries such as local and regional governments should better understand the role of the waste drivers and adopt system-wide reforms to support improvements to remove waste in the medical supply chain. For example, the current institutional framework creates an administrative block and hence leads to wastes. This bureaucratic procedure should be removed to minimize wastes along the chain.

This study is among the first studies to determine applicability and implementation of lean in a resource-constrained context. The paper identifies contextual factors for lean implementation. This paper focused on a holistic view of the entire supply chains to enhance a well-functioning supply chain in delivering health commodities.

This study aims to examine the effect of Industry 4.0 technology on resilience in established cross-border supply chain(s) (SC).

A literature review provides insight into the resilience capabilities of cross-border SC. The research uses a case study of operational international SC: the producers, importers, logistics companies and UK Government (UKG) departments. Semi-structured interviews determine the resilience capabilities and approaches of participants within cross-border SC and how implementing an Industry 4.0 Internet of Things (IoT) and capitals Distributed Ledger (blockchain) based technology platform changes SC resilience capabilities and approaches.

A blockchain-based platform introduces common assured data, reducing data duplication. When combined with IoT technology, the platform improves end-to-end SC visibility and information sharing. Industry 4.0 technology builds collaboration, trust, improved agility, adaptability and integration. It enables common resilience capabilities and approaches that reduce the de-coupling between government agencies and participants of cross-border SC.

The case study presents challenges specific to UKG’s customs border operations; research needs to be repeated in different contexts to confirm findings are generalisable.

Operational SC and UKG customs and excise departments must align their resilience strategies to gain full advantage of Industry 4.0 technologies.

Case study research shows how Industry 4.0 technology reduces the de-coupling between the SC and UKG, enhancing common resilience capabilities within established cross-border operations. Improved information sharing and SC visibility provided by IoT and blockchain technologies support the development of resilience in established cross-border SC and enhance interactions with UKG at the customs border.

This study aims to provide a bibliometric analysis and systematic literature review of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) research in the supply chain (SC) area and to understand related contemporary research trends. I4.0 has the potential to change the way goods are manufactured, distributed and made available to customers through the digitalisation of SC. Although I4.0 originated in 2011 in Germany, its application in managing the SC has only recently started gaining momentum. Therefore, it is essential to understand the research progress and identify the current trends of I4.0 application in the SC field.

A bibliometric analysis was conducted to empirically analyse the literature related to I4.0 implementation in the SC. This study retrieved papers from the Scopus database, reviewing 1,155 articles from the period 2016 to 2023 (November) for bibliometric analysis. Bibliometrix, using R software, was used for the bibliometric analysis, and VOSviewer was used for network analysis.

The findings provide an overview of the most relevant journals, most productive scholars, top academic institutions and top countries contributing to I4.0 research in the SC context. The results show that the most recent research contributions are related to the topics of SC performance, sustainability, digitalisation and digital transformation. Furthermore, a detailed review of articles published in the three and above-rated journals in the Chartered Association of Business Schools list is presented.

The novelty of this study lies in identifying the current research trends and themes of I4.0 research in the SC area. This research benefits researchers by identifying potential research areas for I4.0 implementation in the SC and providing directions for future research.

This study aims to identify the driving factors that influence blockchain technology adoption in the context of a supply chain (SC), considering three dimensions: technology, transactions and collaboration.

An integrative systematic literature review of previous studies was conducted. Using three main dimensions: technology, transactions and SC collaboration, supported by the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, transaction cost economics (TCE) and concepts of SC collaboration, the authors categorized factors that contributed to blockchain technology in SC in the extant literature and proposed a theoretical model that covers these three dimensions.

The findings reveal that the information sharing category – related to the SC collaboration dimension – is the category with the greatest number of motivating factors for blockchain adoption in the SC context, followed by performance expectancy and behavioral uncertainty.

The review considers papers published until 2021 obtained from a specific database.

This study focuses on filling the research gap concerning technology adoption as it considers the interconnection formed by two organizations, interorganizational transactions and SC collaboration, using complementary theories to explain the phenomenon.

Supply chain (SC) management is more challenging than ever. Significantly, the pandemic has provoked global and economic destruction that appeared in the manufacturing industry as a “black swan.” Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of information processing and digital supply chain in supply chain resilience through supply chain risk management.

This study examines SC risk management and resilience from an information processing theory perspective. The authors used data collected from 251 SC professionals in the manufacturing industry, and the authors used a quantitative method to analyze the data. The data was analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. To confirm the higher-order measurement model, the authors used SmartPLS version 4 software.

This study found that information processing capability (disruptive orientation and visibility in high-order) and digital SC significantly and positively affect SC risk management and resilience. Similarly, SC risk management positively mediates the relationship between information processing capability and digital SC. However, information processing capability was found to have a more substantial effect on SC risk management than the digital SC.

This study has both academic and practical contributions. It contributed to existing information processing theory, and manufacturing firms can improve their performance by proactively responding to SC disruptions by recognizing the pivotal role of study variables in risk management for a resilient SC.

The conceptual model of this study is based on information processing theory, which asserts that synchronizing information processing capabilities and digital SCs allows a firm to deal with unplanned events. SC disruption orientation and visibility are considered risk controllers as they allow the firms to be more proactive. An integrated model of conceptualizing the disruption orientation, visibility (higher-order) and digital SC with information processing theory makes this research novel.

In the supply chain performance measurement (SCPM) there seems to be no consensus about measures for performance evaluation and suitable criteria from resilience and sustainability paradigms. In this way, this research aims to identify the attributes that a supply chain (SC) should follow to be resilient and sustainable, and then to evaluate their importance according to industry experts.

This study suggests a hybrid approach. The authors identified the most commonly used criteria using literature review, and then applied fuzzy Delphi technique (FDT) with the objective of surveying experts to find the attributes used in practice and asked to assess their relevance.

The resilient-sustainable supply chain (RSSC) is formed by four dimensions: resiliency, economic, environmental and social. A total of 15 criteria are identified, and the most important are visibility, flexibility, supply chain risk management (SCRM) culture, work conditions and communication.

This study used a literature review, so it is subject to a time frame, and the criteria could no longer be relevant as the time and business conditions change. Also, the findings may not be completely applicable throughout different industries, and therefore the finding cannot be replicated to other businesses.

This study will assist decision-makers among other interested parties to construct and/or strengthen an integrated SC that mixes resiliency and sustainability.

This study contributes to the state-of-art by producing a characterization of the resilient and sustainable supply chain for the automotive industry. Also, this research produces a new and holistic framework for resilient and sustainable SCPM supporting the decision-making process.