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The aim of this study is to investigate how green supply chain management (GSCM) practices mediate the effect of Industry 4.0 technologies on operational and green innovation performances.

To explore the study, data were collected from 225 different manufacturing industries in Pakistan. Gathered data were used to test the hypotheses using SmartPLS 3 software by using structural equation modeling.

The findings reveal that operational and green innovation performances are directly affected by the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies and GSCM practices. Furthermore, the GSCM practices positively affect operational and green innovation performances. The study also investigated that the GSCM practices partially mediate the effect of Industry 4.0 on operational and green innovation performances.

This study has some limitations, the data of this study were majorly collected from large enterprises of Pakistani firms and related to the manufacturing sector only. So, there is a huge need for attention toward small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Very few researchers are focusing on SMEs, so future research can be on SMEs. It can be suggested that the relationship between digital technologies and green innovation performance can be tested through a quantitative procedure. Moreover, the effect of GSCM's aspects can be estimated on manageable execution.

Through the mediating relationship of GSCM practices, this research has made a unique contribution by investigating the influence of Industry 4.0 on operational and green innovation performances. To the author's knowledge, no research has been undertaken in this area.

Given the unprecedented rise in environmental problems today, global manufacturing businesses are strategically diverting their attention toward green sustainability. Green sustainability emphasises environmental management throughout manufacturing processes to address firms’ sustainable performance. This study investigates whether green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance, as strategic management approaches, influence manufacturers’ economic, social and environmental performances.

Using structured questionnaires, this quantitative-based explanatory research obtained a usable dataset of 385 from manufacturing firms in Ghana, a developing country. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modelling.

The study found green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance to influence manufacturers’ sustainable performance positively. Also, eco-regulatory compliance partially mediated the green sustainability-sustainable performance nexus in a developing economy, particularly Ghana.

The study’s conceptual model is limited to manufacturing industries in developing economies, particularly Ghana. It was also limited to the natural resource-based view, quantitative approach and cross-sectional design.

The study found green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance to influence manufacturers’ sustainable performance positively. Also, eco-regulatory compliance partially mediated the green sustainability-sustainable performance nexus in a developing economy, particularly Ghana.

The study raises awareness among industry players, consumers and the public about the significance of green sustainability practices in manufacturing. This will foster support and heavy investments in eco-friendly manufacturing businesses. Also, the study promotes local initiatives that advocate for sustainability, contributing to higher community involvement in environmentally conscious efforts. It contributes to waste and pollution (emission and water) minimisation while improving water, land and air quality by emphasising green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance throughout manufacturing operations.

The study contributes significantly to the growing debate on sustainability in manufacturing by unearthing how green sustainability and eco-regulatory compliance enhance firms’ sustainable performance. It also demonstrates the intervening role of eco-regulatory compliance in the green sustainability–sustainable performance interplay.

This study examines the unique effects of Industry 4.0 technologies and servitization on firm performance and explores whether servitization mediates the Industry 4.0 and firm-performance relationship.

Data were collected from 76 manufacturing firms in Pakistan using an online survey questionnaire. The partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method was used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Analysis in SmartPLS revealed significant positive effects of Industry 4.0 and servitization on firm performance and showed that servitization acts as a mediator in the relationship between Industry 4.0 and firm performance.

This study offers valuable insights for manufacturing firms, particularly in the context of Pakistan, that firms can improve their performance by adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and implementing servitization strategies.

Drawing on the practice-based view of firm, this study adds value to the body of knowledge that firms can improve their performance by adopting widely known and transferrable technological and organizational practices like Industry 4.0 and servitization.

This paper aims to systematically review the managerial literature on Industry 4.0 (I4.0) in emerging markets (EMs) through bibliometric analyses to identify incipient research streams and literature gaps and recommend avenues for future research.

This research uses bibliographic coupling analysis (BCA) to obtain a comprehensive view of the intellectual contours within the addressed literature. The primary source utilised is the Web of Science database. A total of 345 peer-reviewed journal articles were retrieved. Complementing BCA, we use social network analysis and the content analysis of articles to study the resulting literature clusters.

The results reveal four thematic clusters: (1) Adoption of I4.0 in EMs; (2) impact of I4.0 on organisational aspects and financial performance of companies and supply chains in EMs; (3) I4.0, lean management and operational performance in EMs and (4) I4.0 and the development of sustainable practices in EMs. We supplement these results with the proposal of different future avenues of research, both general and specific, for each identified cluster.

The current study has certain limitations arising from using the bibliometric method and techniques employed in the analyses.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no comprehensive literature review article on this subject. This research is deemed valuable for future scholars as it facilitates the identification of research fronts that define the forefront of knowledge, reveals current trends and sets the stage for further exploration of key issues in the field. This, in turn, can offer valuable insights to academics, policymakers and practitioners.

Growing emphasis on long-term viability prompts researchers and industry professionals to collaborate on innovative approaches for sustainability and survival. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technology's importance drives active adoption by firms amidst evolving business dynamics. This research examines the influence of I4.0 technologies on lean, agile resilient and green practices and their impact on supply chain performance.

Survey data from Pakistani manufacturing enterprises were analyzed using SMART PLS to explore the relationship between I4.0 technology, supply chain practices and supply chain performance.

I4.0 technologies significantly impact all practices, while agile and resilient supply chain approaches partially mediate the relationship with supply chain performance.

Insights from this research guide policymakers and business experts in implementing and managing lean, agile, resilient and green practices. Integrating these principles with digital technology solutions enhances supply chain performance.

This study advances understanding of the interplay between I4.0 technologies, practices and supply chain performance, providing a basis for further research and practical implications.

The main aim of this paper is to investigate key challenges that hinder sustainable and resilient green supply chain (GSC) building in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with respect to how they interact after the COVID era.

Using a questionnaire, policymakers and industry managers from SMEs identify the main obstacles that will affect their resilience. These issues are then discussed with 50 experienced professionals from the top management field and further divided into sustainability and gresilience challenges. The Grey-DEMATEL (Grey sets and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) has been employed to assess the significance of challenges to SMEs' development of green resilience. Overall, the paper aims to build up a novel decision-making technology for the interconnectedness of green and resilience in the post-pandemic supply chain world.

The 12 sustainability and gresilience challenges highlighted by experts in the sector were analyzed. Insufficient government assistance and the handling of resources are the most significant challenges to developing a sustainable and gresilient value chain system, according to the study. The study highlights supply chain restructuring, waste reduction management, shortages of skilled manpower and insufficient knowledge of digitalization as key challenges for SMEs to prioritize.

The outcomes of this research are crucial for SMEs building resilient supply networks through the green concept. Policymakers may utilize the data to pinpoint shortcomings in the supply chain for tactical as well as strategic development and improvement.

When it comes to building green resilience and sustainability in an unpredictable business climate, the outcomes of this research will be significant for SMEs.

In industrialised economies, frugal innovation is increasingly becoming a strategic business requirement due to consumer demand for high-quality, reasonably priced and sustainable products. The present-day corporate leaders cannot afford to overlook this paradigm change. Frugal innovation enterprises are better positioned to overcome technological, financial, social and infrastructure constraints in emerging economies. However, little is known about how different actors and decision-makers perceive the challenges faced by family entrepreneurs in digitalising their entrepreneurial activities. Thus, this chapter aims to articulate the opportunities that can be potentially created for African family entrepreneurs and some challenges that can be anticipated when adopting disruptive digital technologies in their business enterprises. Using the social cognitive theory (SCT), interpretivism philosophy was adopted in this study. The authors utilised the interview guide to explore, probe and ask questions that addressed the objectives of the study. Snowball sampling was chosen for qualitative data collection, and the data were thematically presented. The population of the study was made up of family entrepreneurs in Harare Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe; the saturation level determined the sample size. Twenty (20) participants were interviewed, as guided by the saturation point. A thematic approach was used to analyse participant's feedback. This study filled a critical gap considering that few studies have so far been conducted in this emerging area of family entrepreneurship. The chapter also highlights the opportunities that adoption of digital technologies can potentially unlock for African family entrepreneurs, once the identified obstructions have been successfully addressed.

Institutional pressures, increased competition and environmental changes demand sustainable business performance. Using the lens of stakeholder theory, this study aims to explore the simultaneous relationships of corporate social responsibility (CSR), green practices and perceived organizational politics (POP) with sustainable business performance, incorporating employee pro-environmental behavior (EPB) as a moderator.

Using a cross-sectional research design, data were collected via a survey of employees (n = 422) from across industries.

Based on hierarchical regression analyses, the findings support stakeholder theory by showing that CSR and green practices positively affect sustainable business performance. The findings also extend stakeholder theory by showing that the CSR-sustainable business performance relationship is moderated by EPB.

The study has practical implications for leaders, managers and supervisors in managing CSR and green practices for sustainable business performance and managing EPB to capitalize on the benefits of CSR.

This study assesses the previously untested simultaneous effects of CSR, green practices and POP on sustainable company performance and the moderating effect of EPB.

This paper explores whether fintech paves the way for the transition to carbon neutrality in the context of China’s climate policy uncertainty (CCPU) and the influence of the ocean carbon sink market.

We apply a novel wavelet analysis technique to investigate the time-frequency dependence between the CCPU index, the CSI (China Securities Index) Fintech Theme Index (CFTI) and the Carbon Neutral Concept Index (CNCI).

The empirical results show that CCPU and CFTI have a detrimental effect on CNCI in high-frequency bands. Furthermore, in low-frequency domains, the development of CFTI can effectively promote the realization of carbon neutrality.

Our findings show that information from the CCPU and CFTI can be utilized to forecast the movement of CNCI. Therefore, the government should strike a balance between fintech development and environmental regulation and, hence, promote the use of renewable energy to reduce carbon emissions, facilitating the orderly and regular development of the ocean carbon sink market.

The development of high-quality fintech and positive climate policy reforms are crucial for achieving carbon neutrality targets and promoting the growth of the marine carbon sink market.

Supply chains need to be made viable in this volatile and competitive market, which could be possible through digitalization. This study is an attempt to explore the role of Industry 4.0, smart supply chain, supply chain agility and supply chain resilience on sustainable business performance from the lens of natural resource-based view.

The study tests the proposed model using a covariance-based structural equation modelling and further investigates the ranking of each construct using the artificial neural networks approach in AMOS and SPSS respectively. A total of 234 respondents selected using purposive sampling aided in capturing the industry practices across supply chains in the UK. The full collinearity test was carried out to study the common method bias and the content validity was carried out using the item content validity index and scale content validity index. The convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs and mediation study was carried out in SPSS and AMOS V.23.

The results are overtly inferring the significant impact of Industry 4.0 practices on creating smart and ultimately sustainable supply chains. A partial relationship is established between Industry 4.0 and supply chain agility through a smart supply chain. This work empirically reinstates the combined significance of green practices, Industry 4.0, smart supply chain, supply chain agility and supply chain resilience on sustainable business value. The study also uses the ANN approach to determine the relative importance of each significant variable found in SEM analysis. ANN determines the ranking among the significant variables, i.e. supply chain resilience > green practices > Industry 4.0> smart supply chain > supply chain agility presented in descending order.

This study is a novel attempt to establish the role of digitalization in SCs for attaining sustainable business value, providing empirical support to the mediating role of supply chain agility, supply chain resilience and smart supply chain and manifests a significant integrated framework. This work reinforces the integrated model that combines all the constructs dealt with in silos so far in prior literature.