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The positive impact of just‐in‐time (JIT) programmes on production performance is well documented. JIT programmes consist of a number of different elements including change‐over reduction, kanban methods, and preventive maintenance programmes. Some researchers have proposed lists of elements they believe are critical to JIT success. However, there is a lack of consensus among researchers as to which items should be included in the list of critical elements. Reports research, consisting of a survey of manufacturers known to be active in JIT exploration, and an in‐depth case study to improve the understanding of the critical components in JIT programmes. Results from the survey were compared with existing research to determine better the elements critical to JIT success.

The circular economy is a system that aims to conserve resources at every level for as long as possible with a minimization of waste. The core concept of the circular economy is to improve resource efficiency and prevent valuable materials from leaking out of the system. Better use of increasingly scarce resources can provide both economic and environmental benefits. When excess inventory, returned products, and end-of-life products are disposed of improperly, unnecessary waste is created, often with a detrimental impact to the environment. An effective system must exist to facilitate the proper handling of these products, and secondary markets are a crucial component in this system. In this chapter, we discuss the secondary markets’ role as an important mechanism for achieving a circular economy.

A major problem of operational control in the services industry is the integration of customers in the delivery process. The aim of this paper is to develop a method that allows service companies to evaluate the impact of customer integration on operational control in service processes.

The development of the proposed method follows a design science approach. Thus, the method is conceptualised on the basis of production, services and information systems research. A case study of loan processing in a bank serves to evaluate the applicability of the method.

As a result of this study, customer integration should be included into operational control following three steps: identification of the type of customer integration; quantification and characterisation of the impact of the integration; and identification of the appropriate mechanisms of operational control to deal with the customer integration better. The results of the case study show that customer integration has an impact on certain activities within a service process only but the results can be used to enhance operational control.

The method can be used by process managers of service companies to identify the impact of customer integration on operational control. Thus, decisions within operational control and consequently the overall productivity of a service process can be improved.

The paper delivers a new insight how customer integration and operational control can be linked in service processes. Thus, a theoretical gap in service operations literature is filled. Furthermore, the case study demonstrates how the method can be used in practice.

This paper aims to minimize the total carbon emissions and costs and also maximize the total social benefits.

The present study develops a mathematical model for a closed-loop supply chain network of perishable products so that considers the vital aspects of sustainability across the life cycle of the supply chain network. To evaluate carbon emissions, two different regulating policies are studied.

According to the obtained results, increasing the lifetime of the perishable products improves the incorporated objective function (IOF) in both the carbon cap-and-trade model and the model with a strict cap on carbon emission while the solving time increases in both models. Moreover, the computational efficiency of the carbon cap-and-trade model is higher than that of the model with a strict cap, but its value of the IOF is worse. Results indicate that efficient policies for carbon management will support planners to achieve sustainability in a cost-effectively manner.

This research proposes a mathematical model for the sustainable closed-loop supply chain of perishable products that applies the significant aspects of sustainability across the life cycle of the supply chain network. Regional economic value, regional development, unemployment rate and the number of job opportunities created in the regions are considered as the social dimension.

The circular economy grows in popularity in sustainability-oriented environments. Remanufacturing contributes to circularity though it faces challenges regarding reverse supply chains (SCs). Literature focusses on closed-loop supply chains (CLSCs) for reverse flows of products. However, alternative SCs and different market actors provide used components (cores) for remanufacturing through “open-loops”. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of independent actors on core supply and how especially middlemen implement supplier relationship management to address supply shortages in automotive remanufacturing.

The study follows a qualitative research approach to compare remanufacturing SCs in Europe and North America. The analysis aims to identify managerial leverage to reduce supply shortages.

Reduction of information asymmetries and transaction costs is crucial for “open-loop supply chains” to compete with more integrated CLSCs. The study identifies an e-procurement solution that addresses these issues and helps to increase the supply through “open-loops”. Furthermore, regulation may hinder or facilitate supply.

It needs to be further investigated to what extent e-procurement and supplier relationship management can reduce shortages. Middlemen who can collaborate with the research would provide further research opportunities.

If supplier relationship management adapts to the requirements of remanufacturing, it can increase the supply potential through “open-loop” SCs. The e-procurement solution could serve SCs beyond automotive remanufacturing. Policy makers need to revise legislation hindering these SCs.

The study provides novel findings regarding independent actors, their supplier relationship management and their potential to reduce shortages in independent SCs for remanufacturing.

Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted considerable interest among academics and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the literature, to identify missing links, to argue for the use of world class SSCM (WCSSCM) through a framework, and suggest further research directions.

In the paper the authors have undertaken an extensive review of literature and classified articles using a novel classification scheme.

Through the extensive review and identification of research gaps, the paper identifies significant differences between definitions and methodologies in the SSCM literature; and argues for “WCSSCM.” This term is elaborated on via a theoretical framework in which 18 dimensions are classified under six constructs of SSCM. Furthermore, a list of potential research directions for WCSSCM is discussed.

The research is an attempt to critically review literature, argue for WCSSCM, and develop a theoretical framework.

The paper offers a new approach to SSCM literature, arguing for WCSSCM through a framework, and providing further research directions.

The general principles of TOC can be applied to improve the performance of service organizations. A classified model is proposed for such applications based on Schmenner’s classification of service organizations. The flow of “material”, inventory and throughput is identified at various service organizations of the four quadrants of the service matrix. The definition of these terms might be dependent on the service. Since system constraint is at the heart of TOC, the recognition of the nature of organization constraint is the first step towards continuous improvement.

The purpose of this paper is to explore green packaging from the process dimension. Specifically, it focuses on understanding the behavior of costs associated with installing green packaging infrastructure.

The study used system dynamics to design the model. The model was tested on three industries employed in manufacturing glass bottles to generalize the result.

The study concludes that cost of remanufacturing which initially is higher because of recollection phases and reverse logistics costs eventually becomes lower than new manufacturing as soon as system achieves stability and continues to follow the same trend over the period of time.

The study put forwards an explanation to the concerns of manufacturers who were unwilling to install green packaging or remanufacturing infrastructure into their operations because of several cost- and risk-related dilemmas.

The study extends the academic literature by answering the queries raised by Kassaye and Holloway (2015).

This study aims to address the management of reverse flows in the context of service supply chains. The study builds on the characteristics of services production reported in literature to: identify diverse types of reverse flows in services supply chains, discuss key issues associated to the management of reverse service flows and suggest directions for research for developing the knowledge for management of reverse flows in service contexts.

This study first provides an overview of the theoretical background which supports the identification and the characterization of the flows, and the reverse flows, involved in service production. A short summary of each paper accepted in this special issue is also provided to give readers an overview of the various issues around reverse exchanges in service supply chains that authors have attempted to address.

In this study, the authors identify distinct types of reverse flows in services production building on the analysis of the characteristics of service production and delivery reported in the literature. Our discussion highlights the fact that service supply chains can be quite diverse in the type of exchanges of inputs and outputs that take place between customers and providers, showing that often there can be substantial flows of items to return. In particular, and differently from manufacturing contexts, the authors highlight that in service supply chains, providers might need to handle bi-directional reverse flows.

The lack of research on reverse service supply chains is, to a great extent, a consequence of dominant paradigms which often identify the absence of physical product flows as a key distinguishing feature of service supply chains, and therefore lead to the misbelief that in services there is nothing to return. This special issue therefore aims to clarify this misunderstanding through the limited selection of eight papers that address various issues around reverse exchanges in service supply chains.

While theoretical and empirical research in supply chain is abundant, management of reverse exchanges in service supply chain is sparse. In this special issue we aim to provide the first contribution to understand how the characteristics of service production raise new issues for the management of reverse flows in service supply chains, and to foster the development of adequate management strategies.

The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the complexities of regularly implemented as well as irregularly occurring – sometimes improvised – instore logistics processes related to products which are declared unsaleable; and second, to identify the challenges and opportunities in managing instore logistics processes related to unsaleable products in grocery stores.

The authors apply an embedded case study approach. Within each case, i.e. dominant store format, the authors investigate the instore logistics processes of 32 retail and wholesale stores and focus further on those processes related to products declared unsaleable. The case study research methodology comprises in-depth interviews with store and category managers, point of sale observations and secondary data research.

The authors identified four different specific instore logistics processes depending on the residual product value of unsaleable products. The analysis of these processes suggests that establishing more efficient return, disposal, recycling, and most importantly, redistribution processes leads to various benefits such as cost savings, more effective and efficient operations, better use of resources and waste reduction, while at the same time supporting charitable institutions and people in need.

The contribution of this research are: first, to provide a better understanding of different ways of seeing and handling unsaleable products; and second, to reveal the significant importance of focusing on instore logistics beyond the point of sale with respect to the economic, ecological and social benefits to retailers, wholesalers and their stakeholder groups.