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Supply Chain & Logistics System Evolutions: Achieving Innovative Industrial Platforms and Digital Ecosystem Transformation

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 9043

Special Issue Editors

Information Operations and Technology Management, John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Interests: global supply chain management; disruptive technology trends; industrial system evolution
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Guest Editor
School of Business, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: supply chain management; project management; service industry management; smart city projects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Information Operations and Technology Management, John B. and Lillian E. Neff College of Business and Innovation, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA
Interests: supply chain contract design; retailing

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Guest Editor
Department of Management and Quantitative Methods, College of Business, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
Interests: sustainable operations management; technology management in manufacturing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores Supply Chain and Logistics System Evolutions related to Industry 5.0, national industrial policy changes and digital transformation (Dwivedi et al., 2022; Jovanovic, Sjödin & Parida, 2021; Machado, Winroth & Ribeiro da Silva, 2020). Nations pursue their industrial policies according to their priorities in changing international order (Aiginger & Rodrik, 2020; Uyarra et al., 2020; Hong and Park, 2020). Industries reconfigure their supply chain and logistics strategies to achieve innovative industrial platforms and digital network transformation (Gawer & Cusumano, 2014; Kenney et al., 2019; Verhoef et al., 2021). Other relevant factors have an overall impact on the evolutions of supply chain and logistics systems including climate change, smart cities movement, and safety-security-sustainability requirements in the post pandemic world (Batty et al., 2012; Jira & Toffel, 2013; Kim et al., 2022; Pinner, Rogers & Samandari, 2020;  Nader et al., 2022).

In response to such macro-level environmental dynamics, firms use technology innovations and address competitive pressures. Therefore, sensing, searching, and choosing right types of supply chain and logistics eco-systems is becoming increasingly critical for firms of any size (Kim, Cavusgil & Calantone 2006; Park & Hong, 2022; Tiwana, Konsynski & Bush 2010; Wang et al. 2016). In the context of increasing turbulence and increasing uncertainty in global market environments, the research frontiers of supply chain and logistics are also expanding. This special issue accepts quality papers in using diverse research methods such as conceptual, case studies, empirical, analytical and experimental methods.

This special issue welcomes the recent research on innovative transition, changing practices and system transformation in supply chain and logistics industries. The research papers can be related to following but not limited to:

  • Climate change and supply chain management
  • Environmental dynamics and logistics responses
  • Evolving practices of supply chain and logistics management
  • Industry 5.0 and technology infrastructure
  • Industrial platforms and digital transformation
  • International order and global supply chain design
  • Industrial policy and firm supply chain strategy
  • Metaverse and cyber-security
  • Post pandemic world and supply chain resilience
  • Smart cities and socio-technological systems
  • Sustainable ecosystem strategy and firm competitiveness

We are looking forwards to receiving your contribution.

References

  1. Aiginger, K.; Rodrik, D. Rebirth of Industrial Policy and an Agenda for the Twenty-First Century. J. Ind. Compet. Trade 2020, 20, 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10842-019-00322-3.
  2. Batty, M.; Axhausen, K.W.; Giannotti, F. et al. Smart cities of the future. Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 2012, 214, 481–518. https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2012-01703-3
  3. Dwivedi, Y.K.; Hughes, L.; Baabdullah, A.M.; Ribeiro-Navarrete, S.; Giannakis, M.; Al-Debei, M.M.; Dennehy, D.; Metri, B.; Buhalis, D.; Cheung, C.M.; et al. Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. Int. J. Inf. Manag. 2022, 66, 102542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102542.
  4. He, W.; Yang, J.; Li, X.; Sang, X.; Xie, X. Research on the interactive relationship and the optimal adaptation degree between land use benefit and industrial structure evolution: A practical analysis of Jiangsu province. J. Clean. Prod. 2021, 303, 127016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.127016.
  5. Gawer, A.; Cusumano, M.A. Industry Platforms and Ecosystem Innovation. J. Prod. Innov. Manag. 2014, 31, 417–433. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12105.
  6. Hong, P.; Park, Y.W. Rising Asia and American Hegemony; Springer Science and Business Media LLC: Dordrecht, GX, The Netherlands, 2020; ISBN: 9789811376344.
  7. Hong, P.C.; Singh, N.P.; Elangovan, N.; Yeon, G. Responding to pandemic challenges: leadership lessons from multinational enterprises (MNEs) in India. J. Manag. Dev. 2022, 41, 205–222. https://doi.org/10.1108/jmd-11-2021-0309.
  8. Jira, C.; Toffel, M.W. Engaging Supply Chains in Climate Change. Manuf. Serv. Oper. Manag. 2013, 15, 559–577. https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.1120.0420.
  9. Jovanovic, M.; Sjödin, D.; Parida, V. Co-evolution of platform architecture, platform services, and platform governance: Expanding the platform value of industrial digital platforms. Technovation 2022, 118, 102218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2020.102218.
  10. Kenney, M.; Rouvinen, P.; Seppälä, T.; Zysman, J. Platforms and industrial change. Ind. Innov. 2019, 26, 871–879. https://doi.org/10.1080/13662716.2019.1602514.
  11. Kim, D.; Cavusgil, S.T.; Calantone, R.J. Information System Innovations and Supply Chain Management: Channel Relationships and Firm Performance. J. Acad. Mark. Sci. 2006, 34, 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070305281619.
  12. Kim, S.-C.; Hong, P.; Lee, T.; Lee, A.; Park, S.-H. Determining Strategic Priorities for Smart City Development: Case Studies of South Korean and International Smart Cities. Sustainability 2022, 14, 10001. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610001.
  13. Machado, C.G.; Winroth, M.P.; Ribeiro Da Silva, E.H.D. Sustainable manufacturing in Industry 4.0: An emerging research agenda. Int. J. Prod. Res. 2020, 58, 1462–1484. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2019.1652777.
  14. Nader, J.; El-Khalil, R.; Nassar, E.; Hong, P. Pandemic planning, sustainability practices, and organizational performance: An empirical investigation of global manufacturing firms. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2022, 246, 108419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108419.
  15. Park, Y.W.; Hong, P. A Research Framework for Sustainable Digital Innovation: Case Studies of Japanese Firms. Sustainability 2022, 14, 9218. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159218.
  16. Pinner, D.; Rogers, M.; Samandari, H. Addressing climate change in a post-pandemic world. Website online: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/addressing-climate-change-in-a-post-pandemic-world.
  17. Tiwana, A.; Konsynski, B.; Bush, A.A. Research Commentary—Platform Evolution: Coevolution of Platform Architecture, Governance, and Environmental Dynamics. Inf. Syst. Res. 2010, 21, 675–687. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1100.0323.
  18. Uyarra, E.; Zabala-Iturriagagoitia, J.M.; Flanagan, K.; Magro, E. Public procurement, innovation and industrial policy: Rationales, roles, capabilities and implementation. Res. Policy 2019, 49, 103844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2019.103844.
  19. Verhoef, P.C.; Broekhuizen, T.; Bart, Y.; Bhattacharya, A.; Dong, J.Q.; Fabian, N.; Haenlein, M. Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. J. Bus. Res. 2019, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022.
  20. Wang, G.; Gunasekaran, A.; Ngai, E.W.; Papadopoulos, T. Big data analytics in logistics and supply chain management: Certain investigations for research and applications. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 2016, 176, 98–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.03.014.

Dr. Paul Hong
Prof. Dr. Shawn S. C. Kim
Dr. Hao-Wei Chen
Dr. Sandeep Jagani
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • climate change
  • environmental dynamics
  • evolving practices of supply chain and logistics management
  • Industry 5.0
  • industrial platforms
  • digital transformation
  • metaverse
  • post pandemic world
  • smart cities

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 627 KiB  
Article
The Dynamics of Fine-Grained Firm–Stakeholder Contentions and Synergies in the Process of Sustainable Development: The Case of Cassava-Based Beer Production in Africa
by Naomi Jane Wakayama and Young Won Park
Sustainability 2024, 16(4), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16041618 - 15 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 960
Abstract
Sustainable development (SD) involves a massive variety of stakeholders with differing objectives and values, and consequently comes with tensions and tradeoffs among such stakeholders. Yet, at the same time, these stakeholders often manage to create win–wins and synergies. Prior studies have not fully [...] Read more.
Sustainable development (SD) involves a massive variety of stakeholders with differing objectives and values, and consequently comes with tensions and tradeoffs among such stakeholders. Yet, at the same time, these stakeholders often manage to create win–wins and synergies. Prior studies have not fully addressed the question of how stakeholders manage conflicts while creating synergies in the process of sustainable development. Focusing on the socioeconomic dimensions of sustainable development, we offer an empirical study on the tension-managing and synergy-creating process of sustainable development in the setting of SABMiller’s cassava-based beer production project in Africa. The key approach in our study is to systematically capture fine-grained firm-stakeholder synergistic and contentious interactions that took place in specific situations over time throughout the production project. We then weave those fine-grained interactions together to create a process view of the project. Based on the process view through the contention–synergy lens, our study reveals some key insights on the internal dynamics of the process of sustainable development along socioeconomic dimensions, contributing to the current literature on socioeconomic sustainable development. Full article
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22 pages, 2362 KiB  
Article
A Modular IoT-Based Architecture for Logistics Service Performance Assessment and Real-Time Scheduling towards a Synchromodal Transport System
by Ângela F. Brochado, Eugénio M. Rocha and Diogo Costa
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020742 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1871
Abstract
Logistics is significantly impacted by quality/quantity issues associated with data collection and data sharing restrictions. Nonetheless, public data from national entities and internet-of-things (IoT) solutions enable the development of integrated tools for performance analysis and real-time optimization of logistics networks. This study proposes [...] Read more.
Logistics is significantly impacted by quality/quantity issues associated with data collection and data sharing restrictions. Nonetheless, public data from national entities and internet-of-things (IoT) solutions enable the development of integrated tools for performance analysis and real-time optimization of logistics networks. This study proposes a three-module data-driven system architecture that covers (a) logistics data collection tools, (b) logistics services performance evaluation, and (c) the transition to synchromodal systems. Module 1 integrates multisource data from national logistics platforms and embedded devices placed within intermodal containers. A multigraph representation of the problem is conceived. Environmental, economic, and operational data are generated and injected into a digital twin. Thus, key performance indicators (KPIs) are computed by simulation or direct transformation of the collected data. Module 2 uses Multi-directional Efficiency Analysis, an optimization algorithm that benchmarks multimodal transportation routes of containers using prior KPIs. Outputs are a technical performance index relevant to logistics clients and improvement measures for logistics service providers. A real case study application of the solution proposed for Module 2 is presented. Module 3 provides real-time scheduling and assignment models using CP-sat solvers, accommodating varying system dynamics and resource availability, minimizing makespan and operational costs. Full article
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22 pages, 768 KiB  
Article
Challenges and Opportunities of Altasia: A National Benchmarking Assessment
by Paul Hong, Hao-Wei Chen, Fred Ahrens, Young Soo Park and Young Sik Cho
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14507; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914507 - 5 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1574
Abstract
As global pressures mount to diversify supply chain strategies beyond China, the concept of “Altasia” has emerged, encompassing 14 alternative countries. This study offers a comprehensive framework describing the historical context, driving factors, and theoretical underpinnings motivating the global shift away from China. [...] Read more.
As global pressures mount to diversify supply chain strategies beyond China, the concept of “Altasia” has emerged, encompassing 14 alternative countries. This study offers a comprehensive framework describing the historical context, driving factors, and theoretical underpinnings motivating the global shift away from China. Our research model delineates the strategic pathways employed by multinational corporations to navigate the decoupling process, particularly in identifying alternative manufacturing hubs across the Altasia region. This article critically examines the multifaceted challenges and opportunities inherent in Altasia as a collective entity comprising these 14 alternative countries. Furthermore, it explores the transformative implications of this paradigm shift on the broader global supply chain ecosystem. In conclusion, we highlight the forward-looking significance of these findings, shedding light on avenues for future research endeavors in this evolving landscape. Full article
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11 pages, 1335 KiB  
Article
Leveraging Drone Technology for Last-Mile Deliveries in the e-Tailing Ecosystem
by Hokey Min
Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11588; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511588 - 27 Jul 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3347
Abstract
The extended lockdown and limited in-person interactions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have radically changed many consumers’ shopping behavior. These changes include a rapid rise in online shopping, leading to the fast growth of e-logistics. As the popularity of e-logistics has spread worldwide, [...] Read more.
The extended lockdown and limited in-person interactions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have radically changed many consumers’ shopping behavior. These changes include a rapid rise in online shopping, leading to the fast growth of e-logistics. As the popularity of e-logistics has spread worldwide, many retailers’ success hinges on their ability to deliver products to their consumers’ doorsteps. This ability cannot be nurtured without handling last-mile delivery services in a cost-efficient and sustainable way. However, last-mile delivery services pose unique and complex challenges since they require individual, door-to-door services that limit the opportunity to consolidate small shipments into large ones and thus increase cost burdens for retailers selling products online. These challenges call for new, innovative ways of managing last-mile delivery services. Such practices include utilizing emerging drone technology that allows retailers to deliver products from point to point ubiquitously without a pilot, driver, or vehicle consuming too much fossil fuel. This paper is one of the first studies to develop viable strategic plans for commercializing drone technology in the e-tailing ecosystem using visual decision-aid tools and performance management systems. Full article
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