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The objective of this paper is to illustrate and examine the different flexibility strategies adopted by supply chain participants as a result of different environmental uncertainties.

An exploratory multi‐case study, involving five Chinese companies in the textile and apparel industry, was conducted.

The analysis, based on the supply chain literature, reveals that the unpredictable dynamics of the supply chain can arise from a variety of internal and external sources, including suppliers, operating systems, customers, and competitors. In response to the various environmental uncertainties and risks in the supply chain, four types of flexibility strategy are identified in our case analysis: laggard, conservative, agile, and aggressive. The results also suggest that the adoption of flexibility strategies should match a firm's business environment and that better supply chain responsiveness can be achieved in two ways: by reducing uncertainties and by improving supply chain flexibility.

The key limitation of the study is that it focuses solely on the textiles and clothing industry, which makes it difficult to generalize the results to other industries. Another difficulty arises from the subjective criteria employed in some constructs, such as the perceived aggressiveness of competition, the predictability of customer demand, and the designations of companies in the proposed strategy categories.

The proposed theoretical framework can assist managers in properly diagnosing and deploying supply chain flexibility strategies. The actions identified for promoting supply chain flexibility can also be used to assess the various options for exploiting or acquiring flexibility strategies.

Expanding on the previous research approach of examining flexibility strategies from the perspective of a single firm, this study draws on the multi‐case approach to posit a series of propositions that link the adoption of specific supply chain flexibility strategies to various environmental conditions in a supply chain context and proposes a conceptual framework to illustrate how supply chain responsiveness can be improved in today's volatile market environment.

A growing need for global sourcing of business has subjected firms to higher levels of uncertainty and increased risk of supply disruption. Differences in industry and infrastructure make it more difficult for firms to manage supply disruption risks effectively. The purpose of this paper is to extend developing research in this area by addressing gaps within existing literature related to environmental turbulence and uncertainties.

The authors test the model using data collected from 253 senior managers and directors in the Thai beverage industry using advanced statistical techniques to explore the relationship between representations of supply disruption risk and uncertainty.

The results show that both magnitude and probability of risk impact on the disruption risk, but the probability of loss is a dominant determinant. The authors also find that demand uncertainty and quality uncertainty affect the risk perception of purchasing managers, and are related to the magnitude of disruption risk, rather than the frequency of occurrence. Interestingly, the results show that quality uncertainty negatively impacts on the severity of disruption risk.

The construct validity of demand uncertainty was under the required threshold, intimating the need for further construct development.

The framework provides managers with direction on how to formulate and target their disruption risk management strategies. The work also allows practitioners to critical reflect on implicit risk management strategies they may already employ and their effectiveness.

The paper identifies key antecedents of supply disruption risk and tests them within a novel industrial context of the beverage industry and a novel national context of Thailand.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how decisions regarding organisational flexibility can be improved through targeted resource allocation, by focusing on the supply chain's level of uncertainty exposure. Specifically, the issue of where and in what ways flexibility has been incorporated across the organisation's supply chain is addressed.

A two-phase methodology design based on literature review and case study was used. Using 83 journal articles in the areas of uncertainty and flexibility an analytical process for assessing uncertainty-flexibility mismatches was developed. Furthermore, results from ten interviews with senior/middle managers within the Australian manufacturing sector were used to provide preliminary insights on the usefulness and importance of the analytical process and its relationship with organisational practice.

The paper emphasises the importance of having a systematic and encompassing view of uncertainty-flexibility mismatches across the supply chain, as well as the significance of socio-technical engagement. The paper both conceptually and empirically illustrates how, using a structured analytical process, flexibility requirements across the supply, process, control and demand segments of a supply chain might be assessed. A four-step analytical process was accordingly developed and, its application, usefulness and importance discussed using empirical data.

The analytical process presented in this paper can assist managers to obtain a comprehensive overview of supply chain flexibility when dealing with situations involving uncertainty. This can facilitate and improve their decision-making with respect to prioritising attention on identified flexibility gaps in order to ensure stability of their performance.

The paper presents a supply chain-wide discussion on the difficulties that uncertainty brings to organisations, and how organisational flexibility might serve to moderate those challenges for supply chain management. It discusses how to identify the flexibility gap and proposes an original analytical process for systematic assessment of uncertainty-flexibility mismatches.

The purpose of this paper is to present an empirical evidence of the impacts of supply chain uncertainty and risk on the logistics performance in the Australian courier industry. This study examines the impacts of supply chain and risk on the logistics performance in the Australian courier industry.

This study provides an in-depth analysis of supply chain uncertainty and risk’s impacts on the logistics performance. The structure equation modelling approach is applied to examine the relationship between supply chain uncertainty and risk and logistics performance. Company-side uncertainty and risk, customer-side uncertainty and risk, and environment uncertainty and risk are used to measure the impacts of supply chain uncertainty and risk on the industry. This paper gives attention to the supply chain uncertainty and risk in the industry.

The results indicate that supply chain uncertainty and risk have negative impacts on logistics performance. Moreover, the greatest impact of supply chain uncertainty and risk was from outside company in the Australian courier industry.

The study focuses on the Australian courier industry, this may limit the implications of findings in different industries. However, the research models may be examined and validated in the different context.

The results may provide directions in the implementation of strategies to manage supply chain uncertainty and risk and improve logistics performance. The findings may enlighten both academics and practitioners to understand and pay attention to the supply chain uncertainty and risk in the courier industry.

There is an argument whether the impacts of supply chain uncertainty and risk are positive or negative in previous studies. In addition, there are very few studies on courier industry. This study clarifies the impacts of supply chain uncertainty and risk on the logistics performance in the courier industry.

The dynamic nature of uncertainty sources in regional operations represents supply chain management (SCM) imperatives to review uncertainty management frameworks on an ongoing basis with a view to identifying and prioritising critical indices of uncertainty for effective SCM. The purpose of this study is to identify the critical indices of uncertainty for regional supply chains and analyse how SCM practitioners perceive uncertainty.

This paper presents a Delphi-based study with a panel of 70 SCM experts from the Sultanate of Oman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It applies three rounds of a Delphi exercise to identify, select and prioritise the critical indices of supply chain uncertainty perceived by panel experts. The thematic analysis also provides theorisations on the process for uncertainty perception and factors shaping perception.

A total of 39 uncertainty indices were identified from demand, supply, manufacturing, control, technology, competitive, project, transport and geological sources. The Delphi selection round captured the top 12 indices of experts. The research found an accumulative–aggregative duality that explains uncertainty perception and a cost–conformance–connection triadic set of factors underlying the perceived critical indices. Project uncertainty produced the top-ranked index in the final Delphi round.

This paper makes three main contributions. First, it offers a bottom-up based insight into supply chain uncertainty using the Delphi-based study and from a GCC perspective. Second, the research is unique in its focus on Oman and, third, it is of value for the international operations of GCC companies and for international firms with intentions of expanding, moving or outsourcing their operations to a GCC country such as Oman.

The purpose of this paper is to verify a transport uncertainty triad model taking a supply chain perspective, and determine which different forms of uncertainty impact on transport operations. The aim is to qualitatively evaluate the different types of uncertainty impacting on transport operations rather than estimating the risk that each of them involved. The literature indicates that there are many factors that influence transport operations. This paper aims to determine the key factors that impinge practice.

On the basis of a literature review, a conceptual model was developed to categorise the different factors that impact on transport operations. In order to determine the credibility of this model and assess which factors are the main barriers to effective transport operations a series of focus groups involving UK logistics practitioners and policy makers was undertaken.

The findings indicate that the main drivers impacting on transport operations are delays, delivery constraints, lack of coordination, and variable demand/poor information. The consequence of these is to reduce the efficiency of transport operations. Also, in the overall focus groups' data, unplanned road congestion represents the biggest individual issue leading to uncertainty.

The model is refined based only on participants' perceptions. Therefore, further empirical‐based research is needed to quantitatively validate it, for each cluster identifying the frequency with which it occurs and the impact on economic and environmental performance. This will further strengthen understanding of the main uncertainty causes within supply chains in the UK. The model should also be tested through the investigation of real‐world situations, measuring the marginal impact of logistics disruptions, in economic and environmental terms.

The paper highlights the importance of looking at the whole of the logistics triad when dealing with uncertainty, as often there are multiple sources involving the shipper, carrier and customer. Equally, the paper highlights the importance of external factors, and managers need to consider how to deal with these issues. Although the easiest approach is to accommodate them within operational plans, there is scope for engaging with policy makers to identify ways forward.

Many researchers have developed supply chain uncertainty models focusing mainly on manufacturing. Transport has traditionally been considered as a marginal activity within supply chains and it has not been explicitly taken into account in those frameworks. It is necessary to determine the forms of supply chain uncertainty that exist and their impact on transport operations, as they will define the performance of logistics operations.

The aim of this study is to understand the effect of a firm's position in a supply chain in its industry on the attitude of the firm toward green strategies through empirical data analysis. This study aims to answer the following research questions: Do the environmental uncertainties a firm faces differ with the firm's position in the supply chain when going green?, Would the motivation of a firm for going green vary with uncertainties it faces in the supply chain? and Would green-related practices a firm accepts or executes vary with the firm's position in the supply chain?

The case study method was utilized in this study. The main objects are firms in the high-tech industry of Taiwan, and 12 firms were selected for in-depth investigation. The unit of analysis was a firm. Face-to-face in-depth interviews, approximately 90-105 minutes for each, were conducted with each of the 12 cases. The respondents were middle- to high-level managers. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. Additionally, second-hand information was acquired regarding each case through channels such as firm web sites, documents, and media reports. These integrated data were later utilized in the single-case and cross-case analysis stages.

In this study, firms of Taiwan's high-tech industry are divided into the upstream (raw material supplier), midstream (original design manufacturers/original equipment manufacturer), and downstream (brand company) categories. It is first found the uncertainties a firm encounters when implementing green practices are related to its position in the supply chain. The closer a firm is to the upstream of the supply chain, the higher the competitive uncertainty. In contrast, the closer a firm is to the downstream, the higher the demand uncertainty. Furthermore, the internal and external driving forces of firms in promoting green practices are related to the types of uncertainties the firms encounter in the supply chain. A firm's internal driving force is positively associated with the demand uncertainty it faces, however, negatively with the competition and supply uncertainties. On the other hand, a firm's external driving force is positively associated with the competition and supply uncertainties it faces, however, negatively with the demand uncertainties. Additionally, the association between firm willingness to promote green practices and its position in the supply chain is explored. It is found that, for firms located in the downstream of supply chain, it emphasizes more on the practices of green design, purchase, and internal environmental management. If a firm is located in the midstream of supply chain, it will focus more on the practice of green manufacturing and logistics.

This study has expanded the discussion of green supply chain management. It establishes the relationship between the uncertainties and the major driving forces of firms for implementing green practices. This approach is rare in previous literature. Furthermore, past literature has suggested that a specific relationship exists between driving factors and firm practices. The author believes that such a relationship must be based on the position of firms in the supply chain; thus, the author has identified the relationship between supply chain position and green practices.

Dynamic demands and constraints imposed by a rapidly changing business environment make it increasingly necessary for companies in the food supply chain to cooperate with each other. The main questions individual (food) companies face are whether, why, how and with whom they should start supply chain management activities. Presents a qualitative research method for analyzing a supply chain network and for identifying effective chain redesign strategies. Presents a generic list of supply chain redesign strategies based on a multi‐disciplinary literature review. Proposes that in order to identify the most effective strategies in a specific chain scenario one should focus on the identification and management of the sources of uncertainties in the supply chain’s decision‐making processes. The application of the research method in three food supply chains resulted in a valuable tool that can be used in supply chain redesign projects, as it indicates potentially effective redesign strategies when a specific source of uncertainty is encountered in a supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to explain why the high quality cassava flour (HQCF) value chain in Nigeria has not performed as well as expected. The specific objectives are to: analyse important sources of uncertainty influencing HQCF value chains; explore stakeholders’ strategies to respond to uncertainty; and highlight the implications of different adaptation strategies for equity and the environment in the development of the value chain.

The authors used a conceptual framework based on complex adaptive systems to analyse the slow development of the value chain for HQCF in Nigeria, with a specific focus on how key stakeholders have adapted to uncertainty. The paper is based on information from secondary sources and grey literature. In particular, the authors have drawn heavily on project documents of the Cassava: Adding Value for Africa project (2008 to present), which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and on the authors’ experience with this project.

Policy changes; demand and supply of HQCF; availability and price of cassava roots; supply and cost of energy are major sources of uncertainty in the chain. Researchers and government have shaped the chain through technology development and policy initiatives. Farmers adapted by selling cassava to rival chains, while processors adapted by switching to rival cassava products, reducing energy costs and vertical integration. However, with uncertainties in HQCF supply, the milling industry has reserved the right to play. Vertical integration offers millers a potential solution to uncertainty in HQCF supply, but raises questions about social and environmental outcomes in the chain.

The use of the framework of complex adaptive systems helped to explain the development of the HQCF value chain in Nigeria. The authors identified sources of uncertainty that have been pivotal in restricting value chain development, including changes in policy environment, the demand for and supply of HQCF, the availability and price of cassava roots, and the availability and cost of energy for flour processing. Value chain actors have responded to these uncertainties in different ways. Analysing these responses in terms of adaptation provides useful insights into why the value chain for HQCF in Nigeria has been so slow to develop.

Recent developments suggest that the most effective strategy for the milling industry to reduce uncertainty in the HQCF value chain is through vertical integration, producing their own cassava roots and flour. This raises concerns about equity. Until now, it has been assumed that the development of the value chain for HQCF can combine both growth and equity objectives. The validity of this assumption now seems to be open to question. The extent to which these developments of HQCF value chains can combine economic growth, equity and environmental objectives, as set out in the sustainable development goals, is an open question.

The originality lies in the analysis of the development of HQCF value chains in Nigeria through the lens of complex adaptive systems, with a particular focus on uncertainty and adaptation. In order to explore adaptation, the authors employ Courtney et al.’s (1997) conceptualization of business strategy under conditions of uncertainty. They argue that organisations can assume three strategic postures in response to uncertainty and three types of actions to implement that strategy. This combination of frameworks provides a fresh means of understanding the importance of uncertainty and different actors’ strategies in the development of value chains in a developing country context.

Due to increasing supply chain complexity, the supply chain uncertainty has become an imperative issue, which hinders the development of modern logistics and supply chain management. The paper attempts to conceptualize reverse logistics uncertainty from supply chain uncertainty literature and present the types of reverse logistics uncertainty in a triadic model.

The concept of reverse logistics uncertainty is developed based on a triadic model of logistics uncertainty and supply chain uncertainty literature. A desk research is conducted to develop a taxonomy of reverse logistics uncertainty. To better depict the reverse logistics uncertainty, we use case studies to discuss the types of reverse logistics uncertainty in the triadic model.

The study reveals four types of supply chain uncertainties in the reverse logistics. We call them reverse logistics uncertainty. Type-A and Type-B uncertainty are new types of supply chain uncertainty in the reverse logistics.

The types of reverse logistics uncertainty have not been empirically validated in industries. Especially, the two new types including Type-A and Type-B reverse uncertainty need further exploration.

Although reverse logistics has been discussed in the past decades, very few studies have been conducted on the supply chain uncertainty in returns management arena. The paper offers valuable insights to better understand the supply chain uncertainty in the reverse logistics. This also provides suggestions for both managers and researchers to reflect on the reverse logistics uncertainty management and business sustainability.