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The purpose of this paper is to analyse the role of ownership characteristics in a firm’s choice of alternative seasoned equity offering (SEO) methods, offer price discounts, and market reactions to such announcements within the UK setting.

The study examines 697 SEO events of firms traded in the UK during the period 1998 to 2012 using multivariate and binomial logistic regression models. Ordinary least square models are also used to examine how ownership variables affect offer price discounts and stock market performance during the announcement of such corporate events.

The authors show that placings and open offers (OOs) are the preferred methods for issuing equity by firms with higher managerial ownership. Thus, the evidence strongly supports the prediction of the entrenched management hypothesis. Moreover, the probability of choosing a combination of placings and OOs is also found to be significantly related to issue size, offer discount, leverage, and previous stock performance. The results show that pre-issue market conditions have a significant effect on the choice of issue method with rights offers (ROs) and the combination of placings and OOs primarily utilised by firms for issuing equity during hot market periods.

Unlike prior SEOs’ studies in the UK that predominantly concentrate on the use of ROs and placings, this study examines, for the first time, the link between OOs and the combination of placings and OOs with ownership concentration. The authors also investigate how offer price discounts are related to the firms’ ownership structure, various company micro-characteristics and the wider market conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to generate quantitative managerial insights for the improvement of the energy-saving potential and the coordinated development between economic growth and environmental protection.

A novel data envelopment analysis (DEA) model, based on the classical DEA theory, is developed from the perspective of emission reduction.

The empirical results indicate that China’s overall environmental efficiency is low and that there is huge improvement space for energy saving. Under the concerns of emission reduction, the energy-saving potential of the central region exceeds that of both the eastern and western regions. With regard to water, electricity and gas consumption, the electricity-saving potential exceeds the potential for both water saving and gas saving.

Previous studies rarely focused on the energy-saving potential, while considering environmental pollution. This paper applies a novel DEA method to evaluate the energy-saving potential of 30 Chinese provinces for 2015 with a focus on emission reduction concerns. Furthermore, both regional differences and energy type differences of the saving potential were analyzed.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the drivers of manufacturing transformation and upgrading and examine their influencing paths and effects. The study also dynamically evaluates and compares the achievements of the manufacturing transformation and upgrading of various economies.

This paper establishes the mechanism model of manufacturing transformation and upgrading based on the partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. With the help of a mechanism model, the study carries out empirical analysis using panel data from the G20 for 2005–2015.

Innovation, measured by innovation input and innovation output, has the largest positive effect on manufacturing transformation and upgrading. Economic development has a negative direct effect, as well as positive indirect effects. Its total effect is positive but small. Economic openness has no significantly direct effect, but has significantly positive indirect effects. Its total effect is significantly positive, but is the smallest among drivers. Developed economies have relatively higher but decreasing achievements, whereas emerging economies have lower but increasing achievements and maintain the catch-up trend toward developed economies.

Few macro empirical studies examine the drivers and achievements of manufacturing transformation and upgrading. A need has arisen for evidence-based research and policies to guide governments in their efforts to promote manufacturing transformation and upgrading. This may be the first macro-level study to empirically analyze the drivers of manufacturing transformation and upgrading, and their influencing paths as well as achievements.

The positioning of the customer order decoupling point (CODP) is an important strategic consideration for supply chains. Recently, research has focused only on the static effects of CODP positioning. The purpose of this paper is to expand the body of knowledge by describing the dynamic consequences that arise from shifting the CODP upstream or downstream.

A generic assembly‐to‐order system dynamics simulation model is developed and used to evaluate the dynamic consequences of shifting the CODP.

Placing the CODP downstream allows for short‐term fluctuations in demand to be absorbed by the order book, leading to a stable production rate and inventory response. This benefit must, however, be weighed against any additional safety stock a CODP placed far downstream may require.

The paper demonstrates the importance of considering the dynamic aspects of CODP positioning. Further research should investigate the phenomenon for different demand scenarios and supply chain configurations.

Downstream shifting of the CODP has been identified as a powerful way to reduce variability in assembly‐to‐order systems.

This paper introduces the dynamic consequences of CODP location, providing a new perspective that should be considered when positioning the CODP.

Selection of standardized modular containers (SSMC) is counted as one of the most important driving factors that ensure the Physical Internet (PI) to realize the varieties of goals of sustainability simultaneously, thus overcoming the great challenge of modern logistics in nowadays global supply chain. However, previous research studies on SSMC seldom paid attention to freight behavior and shippers’ segment, which are described in several fundamental conceptual works as the most essential factors that should be taken into account when doing SSMC.

This paper defines two preference matrices to characterize the freight behavior and shippers’ segment, and then integrates these two matrices into a centralized multi-criteria method to determine the optimal SSMC.

The SSMC derived by the proposed methodology is found to be Pareto-optimal. A managerial implication for shippers to further improve efficiency is summarized as well.

First, the authors characterized the freight behavior and shippers’ segment by two preference matrices and then integrated them into a centralized multi-criteria method. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first SSMC-related paper that takes shippers' behaviors and preferences into consideration when making the selection. The authors’ attempt is expected to fill in the research gap that has existed until now. Second, the SSMC derived by the proposed methodology is found to be Pareto-optimal, ensuring the required sustainability. Finally, the authors summarized a managerial implication for shippers to further improve the efficiency from the aspects of production and design.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a suitable framework of sustainable urbanization performance evaluation from the view of efficiency for mitigating the unbalance between the theoretical research of sustainable urbanization and the practical need of sustainable urbanization.

A slack-restricted slack-based measure data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and two sustainable urbanization benchmarking methods with individual and centralized view, respectively, are developed based upon the classical DEA theory.

The empirical results show that China is now suffering a relatively low level of sustainable urbanization. Too much waste water emission, too small an urban population proportion, and too much resource wastage are the major factors that drive China’s urbanization away from sustainability.

Having the overall aim of practical urbanization, the proposed framework can help stakeholders recognize different sustainable urbanization performance levels by offering them accurate sustainable urbanization performance scores. The framework can also direct governments to improve the sustainable urbanization performance. The empirical analysis of China’s provincial region sustainable urbanization performance with the proposed framework further demonstrates the theoretical and practical value of this research.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new framework to optimise the design of halal food supply chains, called the “Halal Supply Chain Model”. In this research the main logistics business processes are defined, which are the determinants for the halal supply chain performance.

Next to an extensive literature review, a large discussion group and various focus group sessions conducted in Malaysia, The Netherlands and China have been used to identify halal control activities and assurance activities in logistics business processes, with a focus on transportation, warehousing and terminal operations.

The findings show that product characteristics (bulk versus unitised, ambient versus cool chain) and market requirements (Muslim or non‐Muslim country) determine the supply chain vulnerability to halal contamination, for which halal control activities and assurance activities are put in place to reduce supply chain vulnerability. More empirical research is needed to further refine the Halal Supply Chain Model for different product–market combinations. Second, qualitative research is recommended for halal cosmetics and pharmaceutical supply chains.

This study shows that halal supply chain management is different from conventional supply chain management, which requires a halal policy and specific design parameters for supply chain objectives, logistics control, supply chain network structure, supply chain business processes, supply chain resources and supply chain performance metrics.

The Halal Supply Chain Model can be an important instrument to design and manage halal food supply chains in extending halal integrity from source to point of consumer purchase. As there is an evident lack of academic research in the field of halal supply chain management, it provides an important reference for halal logistics and supply chain management. The large discussion group and focus group sessions resulted in the publication of the International Halal Logistics Standard (IHIAS 0100:2010) by IHI Alliance in 2010.

The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability and collaboration in supply chain (SC) management designs and to develop a sustainable supply chain design (SCD) model.

First, a literature review of the principal theories and SC management approaches is discussed. Second, the development of a sustainable SCD model is described and explained. Third, the results and the operationalization of the model, which incorporates sustainable procurement elements based on the results of interviews from a case study, are outlined.

A framework is proposed to provide managers, practitioners and academics with a practical solution to make sustainable SC decisions in a more structured and consistent manner.

The paper presents a currently discussed problem about the design of differentiated supply chains to avoid or offset the effects of allocation issues in the electronic marketplace. Although past literature reviews provide valuable results, they were based upon the assessment of supply chain decisions failing to consider the sustainable corporate social responsibility and the interaction criteria. The findings from this study highlight the importance of addressing supply chain decisions in a structured manner and prioritize the development of dynamic capabilities to improve the firm’s ability to reconfigure internal and external competences to address rapidly changing environments and reinforce a collaborative SC management system with third parties.

Granular materials possess multiscale structures, i.e. micro-scales involving atoms and molecules in a solid particle, meso-scales involving individual particles and their correlated structure, and macroscopic assembly. Strong and abundant dissipations are exhibited due to mesoscopic unsteady motion of individual grains, and evolution of underlying structures (e.g. force chains, vortex, etc.), which defines the key differences between granular materials and ordinary objects. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the major studies have been conducted in recent two decades.

The main properties at individual scale are introduced, including the coordination number, pair-correlation function, force and mean stress distribution functions, and the dynamic correlation function. The relationship between meso- and macro-scales is analyzed, such as between contact force and stress, the elastic modulus, and bulk friction in granular flows. At macroscales, conventional engineering models (i.e. elasto-plastic and hypo-plastic ones) are introduced. In particular, the so-called granular hydrodynamics theory, derived from thermodynamics principles, is explained.

On the basis of recent study the authors conducted, the multiscales (both spatial and temporal) in granular materials are first explained, and a multiscale framework is presented for the mechanics of granular materials.

It would provide a paramount view on the multiscale studies of granular materials.

The Internet of Things (IoT) platform empowers the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry by providing information technology services. Simultaneously, it enters the market by offering smart products to consumers. In light of different service fee scenarios, this article explores the optimal decision-making for the platform. It investigates the pricing models and entry decisions of IoT platforms.

In this study, we have formulated a game-theoretic model to scrutinize the influence of the IoT platform ventured into the smart device market on the pre-existing suppliers operating under subscription-based and usage-based pricing agreements.

Our outcome shows that introducing an IoT platform’s smart device has a differential effect on manufacturers depending on their contract type. Notably, our research indicates that introducing the platform’s own smart device within the subscription-based model does not negatively impact the profitability of incumbent manufacturers, so long as there is a noticeable discrepancy in the quality of the smart devices. However, our findings within the usage-based model demonstrate that despite the variance in smart device quality differentiation, the platform’s resolution to launch their device and impose their pricing agreements adversely affects established manufacturers. Additionally, we obtain valuable Intel regarding the platform’s entry strategies and contractual inclinations. We demonstrate that the platform is incentivized to present its smart device when reasonable entry costs remain. Furthermore, the platform prefers subscription-based contracts when the subscription fee is relatively high in non-platform entry and entry cases.

These findings hold significant practical implications for firms operating in an IoT-based supply chain.