Anass Cherrafi, Khadija Echefaj, Abdelkabir Charkaoui, Jiju Antony and Alireza Shokri
Operationnal excellence has emerged as a critical factor for organisations competitiveness. Companies in developing countries are striving to elevate their operational performance…
Abstract
Purpose
Operationnal excellence has emerged as a critical factor for organisations competitiveness. Companies in developing countries are striving to elevate their operational performance to new heights. This study aims to explore the effective best practices, drivers and challenges to operational excellence in North African business.
Design/methodology/approach
To address the objectives of this study, a qualitative approach is adopted. A total of 13 experienced professionals holding leads initiatives within North African enterprises are surveyed. Following, content analysis method is employed to extract, categorise and analyse the knowledge from the interviews.
Findings
The findings indicate that the implemented best practices include process optimisation, performance measurement, standardisation, customer-centric approach, lean manufacturing and total quality management. For a successful adoption, the results shed light on the importance of leadership commitment, upskilling, digitalisation and employee’s empowerment. However, the implementation faces several challenges incorporating unsustainable engagement, resistance to change, disconnected practices, insufficient investment, deficient improvement assessment and limited access to digitalisation.
Originality/value
This study contributes to exploring the best practices, enablers and barriers to successful implementation of operational excellence in emerging economies. Its findings can be used by scholars and decision-makers to advance knowledge around operational excellence, broaden the existing strategies to tailor specific contexts and promote operational performance.
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Khadija Echefaj, Anass Cherrafi, Abdelkabir Charkaoui, Tim Gruchmann and Dmitry Ivanov
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that preestablished contingency plans and resilience practices were insufficient to cope with long-term and global disruptions. Companies thus…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that preestablished contingency plans and resilience practices were insufficient to cope with long-term and global disruptions. Companies thus struggled to develop capabilities that ensure their survivability during similar crises. Building on the adaptation-based view (ABV) of supply chain resilience, this study aims to offer an in-depth perspective on survivability in supply chains (SCs).
Design/methodology/approach
The paper empirically tests related relationships between adaptation capabilities and practices that ensure operational continuity. Responses from 252 organisations were collected and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling.
Findings
The results empirically support the ABV’s theoretical propositions and assess the possibilities of intertwining, digitalisation, a circular economy and maturity for the survivability of SCs.
Research limitations/implications
The derived insights are attractive for managers and researchers to foster supply chain survivability and contribute to the increasing efforts of middle-range theorising in logistics and supply chain management research.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first studies to define factors enhancing the survivability of SCs through the lens of the ABV.
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Khadija Echefaj, Abdelkabir Charkaoui, Anass Cherrafi, Jose Arturo Garza-Reyes, Syed Abdul Rehman Khan and Abla Chaouni Benabdellah
Selecting the optimal supplier is a challenging managerial decision that involves several dimensions that vary over time. Despite the considerable attention devoted to this issue…
Abstract
Purpose
Selecting the optimal supplier is a challenging managerial decision that involves several dimensions that vary over time. Despite the considerable attention devoted to this issue, knowledge is required to be updated and analyzed in this field. This paper reveals new opportunities to advance supplier selection (SS) research from a multidimensional perspective. Moreover, this study aims to formalise SS knowledge to enable the appropriate selection of sustainable, resilient and circular criteria.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is developed in two stages: first, a systematic literature review is conducted to select relevant papers. Descriptive and thematic analyses are employed to analyze criteria, solving approaches and case studies. Second, a criterion knowledge-based framework is developed and validated by experts to be implemented as ontology using Protégé software.
Findings
Evaluating the viability of suppliers need further studies to integrate other criteria and to align SS objectives with research advancement. Artificial intelligence tools are needed to revolutionize and optimize the traditional techniques used to solve this problem. Literature lucks frameworks for specific sectors. The proposed ontology provides a consistent criteria knowledge base.
Practical implications
For academics, the results of this study highlight opportunities to improve the viable SS process. From a managerial perspective, the proposed ontology can assist managers in selecting the appropriate criteria. Future works can enrich the proposed ontology and integrate this knowledge base into an information system.
Originality/value
This study contributes to promoting knowledge about viable SS. Capitalizing the knowledge base of criteria in a computer-interpretable manner supports the digitalization of this critical decision.
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Khadija Echefaj, Abdelkabir Charkaoui, Anass Cherrafi, Anil Kumar and Sunil Luthra
The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize capabilities and practices to ensure a resilient supply chain during an unexpected disruption. In addition, this study…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify and prioritize capabilities and practices to ensure a resilient supply chain during an unexpected disruption. In addition, this study ranks maturity factors that influence the main capabilities identified.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is conducted in three stages. First, capabilities and practices are extracted through a literature review. Second, capabilities and practices are ranked using the analytical hierarchical process method. Third, a gray technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution method is used to rank maturity factors influencing capabilities.
Findings
The findings indicate that responsiveness, readiness, flexibility and adaptability are the most important capabilities for supply chain resilience. Also, commitment and communication are the highest maturity factors influencing resilience capabilities.
Research limitations/implications
The findings provide a hierarchical vision of capabilities and practices for industries to increase resilience. Limitations of the paper are related to capabilities, practices and number of experts consulted.
Practical implications
This paper highlights the importance of high-maturity practices in resilience capability adoption. The findings of this study will encourage decisions-makers to increase maturity practices to build resilience against disruption.
Originality/value
The paper reveals that developing powerful capabilities, good practices and a high level of maturity improve supply chain resilience.
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Khadija Echefaj, Abdelkabir Charkaoui and Anass Cherrafi
Aligning industrial operations with sustainable development has become a pressing need for organizations, as they recognize the mounting environmental challenges, social…
Abstract
Aligning industrial operations with sustainable development has become a pressing need for organizations, as they recognize the mounting environmental challenges, social inequalities and resources scarcity. The transformations brought by the industry 4.0 have revolutionized supply chain operations to achieve sustainability and circularity. The aim of this chapter is to explore and map the supply chain 4.0 opportunities for sustainability. An extensive literature review of theoretical and empirical studies linking the supply chain 4.0 technologies and sustainability is conducted. Descriptive and content analysis are employed to scrutinize and categorize the knowledge extracted from the literature. Then, a conceptual framework is developed to highlight the role that each technology plays in promoting sustainability and circularity in the context of supply chain. This study provides new perspectives for theoretical researches and guide decision-makers to implement sustainability-based technologies in the supply chain 4.0. Future research can investigate the opportunities of supply chain 5.0 for social sustainability and circular business model.
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Rachid Benmoussa, Charkaoui Abdelkabir, Achraf Abd and Marouane Hassou
The purpose of this paper is to study how a general standardized processes assessment capability/maturity model, such as Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), can be…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study how a general standardized processes assessment capability/maturity model, such as Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), can be combined to a standardized benchmark of logistics processes best practices, such as FD X50-604, to propose a new approach that evaluates logistics processes capability/maturity.
Design/methodology/approach
First, an analysis study of CMMI model and X50-604 standard is performed. In order to prove their coherence, a deep comparative analysis of CMMI and X50-604 practices is conducted. As illustration, the paper focuses on a particular application of this approach to evaluate capability/maturity of distribution logistics activities. An industrial case study that aims the validation of this particular application is finally conducted in a furniture company.
Findings
The authors estimate that the paper findings provide an operational guide for industrials to evaluate their distribution processes that is a practical, verifiable, repeatable and extensible to other logistics process areas and an interesting opportunity to evolve the standard FD X50-604 regarding CMMI requirements to assess capability/maturity of logistics processes.
Originality/value
In general, the few capability/maturity-driven models analyzed in literature present some limits that do not allow their diffusion in the industrial level, especially in logistics. This study proposes a new approach based on standards that provide an operational guide for industrials to evaluate their distribution processes based on capability/maturity concept.