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The purpose of this paper is to analyse and classify the literature that contributed to three questions, namely, what are the benefits of big data analytics (BDA) in the field of supply chain management (SCM) and logistics, what are the challenges in BDA applications in the field of SCM and logistics and what are the determinants of successful applications of BDA in the field of SCM and logistics.

This paper conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) to analyse the findings of 44 selected papers published in the period from 2016 to 2020, in the area of BDA and its impact on SCM. The designed protocol is composed of 14 steps in total, following Tranfeld (2003). The selected research papers are categorized into four themes.

This paper identifies sets of benefits to be gained from the use of BDA in SCM, including benefits in data analytics capabilities, operational efficiency of logistical operations and supply chain/logistics sustainability and agility. It also documents challenges to be addressed in this application, and determinants of successful implementation.

The scope of the paper is limited to the related literature published until the beginning of Corona Virus (COVID) pandemic. Therefore, it does not cover the literature published since the COVID pandemic.

This paper contributes to the academic research by providing a roadmap for future empirical work into this field of study by summarising the findings of the recent work conducted to investigate the uses of BDA in SCM and logistics. Specifically, this paper culminates in a summary of the most relevant benefits, challenges and determinants discussed in recent research. As the field of BDA remains a newly established field with little practical application in SCM and logistics, this paper contributes by highlighting the most important developments in contemporary literature practical applications.

Rebar is the prime component of reinforced concrete structures, and rebar monitoring is a time-consuming and technical job. With the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution, the construction industry practices have evolved toward digitalization. Still, hesitation remains among stakeholders toward the adoption of advanced technologies and one of the significant reasons is the unavailability of knowledge frameworks and implementation guidelines. This study aims to investigate technical factors impacting automated monitoring of rebar for the understanding, confidence gain and effective implementation by construction industry stakeholders.

A structured study pipeline has been adopted, which includes a systematic literature collection, semistructured interviews, pilot survey, questionnaire survey and statistical analyses via merging two techniques, i.e. structural equation modeling and relative importance index.

The achieved model highlights “digital images” and “scanning” as two main categories being adopted for automated rebar monitoring. Moreover, “external influence”, “data-capturing”, “image quality”, and “environment” have been identified as the main factors under “digital images”. On the other hand, “object distance”, “rebar shape”, “occlusion” and “rebar spacing” have been highlighted as the main contributing factors under “scanning”.

The study provides a base guideline for the construction industry stakeholders to gain confidence in automated monitoring of rebar via vision-based technologies and effective implementation of the progress-monitoring processes. This study, via structured data collection, performed qualitative and quantitative analyses to investigate technical factors for effective rebar monitoring via vision-based technologies in the form of a mathematical model.

This study aims to deepen the understanding of the challenges and implications entailed by deploying mobile clinics in conflict zones to reach populations affected by violence and cut off from health-care services.

This research combines an integrated literature review and an instrumental case study. The literature review comprises two targeted reviews to provide insights: one on conflict zones and one on mobile clinics. The case study describes the process and challenges faced throughout a mobile clinic deployment during and after the Iraq War. The data was gathered using mixed methods over a two-year period (2017–2018).

Armed conflicts directly impact the populations’ health and access to health care. Mobile clinic deployments are often used and recommended to provide health-care access to vulnerable populations cut off from health-care services. However, there is a dearth of peer-reviewed literature documenting decision support tools for mobile clinic deployments.

This study highlights the gaps in the literature and provides direction for future research to support the development of valuable insights and decision support tools for practitioners.

Conflict and violence are the main drivers of globally escalating humanitarian needs. Local grassroots initiatives are pivotal in distributing humanitarian supplies in the acute response phase until more established humanitarian aid organizations can enter. Nevertheless, scant research exists regarding the role of grassroots associations in providing humanitarian assistance during a military conflict. The purpose of this paper is to understand the role of grassroots associations and identify important themes for effective operations.

This paper adopts a case-study approach of three Ukrainian grassroots associations that began operating in the immediate days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The findings are based on analyzing primary sources, including interviews with Ukrainian volunteers, and are supported by secondary sources.

Grassroots associations have local contacts and a contextual understanding of population needs and can respond more rapidly and effectively than large intergovernmental agencies. Four critical themes regarding the operations of grassroots associations emerged: information management, inventory management, coordination and performance measurement. Grassroots humanitarian response operations during conflict are challenged by personal security risks, the unpredictability of unsolicited supplies, emerging volunteer roles, dynamic transportation routes and shifting demands.

Grassroots responses are central to humanitarian responses during the acute phase of a military conflict. By examining the operations of grassroots associations in the early months of the 2022 war in Ukraine, the authors provide a unique perspective on humanitarian logistics. Nonetheless, more inclusive models of humanitarian responses are needed to harness the capacities and resilience of grassroots operations in practice.