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Circular economy denotes future sustainability that allows optimum utilization of resources. In the present era of technology, plenty of innovations are happening across the world, and digital manufacturing is one of such innovations. However, there are several barriers which are impeding adoption of digital manufacturing in circular economy environment. The study explores the barriers of digital manufacturing initiatives in a circular economy and develops a methodological model to prioritize the identified challenges for automotive parts manufacturing industry.

Seven categories of challenges namely process, human resources, financial, collaboration, technological, security and leadership challenges were identified from literature and further validated with subsequent discussions with experts from the industry. The study is conducted in two phases, where in the first phase, the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique is used to define the priority and importance of seven categories of challenges. In second phase, the barriers are ranked using a Fuzzy Performance Important Index (FPII), taking into account contextual factors associated with the challenges and linked barriers, to determine the extent to which they impede the adoption of digital manufacturing in the sample automotive parts manufacturing company.

The “risk of data security and information privacy in connection with use of external data and protecting customer data” appeared as the most significant barrier to digital manufacturing in circular economy. Furthermore, technological challenges emerged as the most significant category of challenges followed by financial challenges in adoption of digital manufacturing in circular economy.

Identification of the identified barriers and understanding the interrelationships will lead to easier adoption of digital manufacturing in circular economy.

Despite all the potential benefits of implementing Industry 4.0 technologies in manufacturing industries, the adoption thereof is still in nascent phase with significant challenges yet to be overcome to accelerate the pace of adoption. Hence, this study explores the barriers preventing companies from adopting and benefiting from digital manufacturing initiatives and further develops a methodological model.

Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).

It is possible to say that an expert in any field of knowledge can be expected to know particular things and techniques. This can be said of a stone mason, a physicist or a midwife. The expertise consists of a notional core of knowledge and skills (i.e. applied knowledge). Such expertise arguably can be found in other experts in the same field, although there will be idiosyncrasies of approach and valuation and quite probably divergencies in what is considered “right” and “wrong”.

In 1984, Local P‐9 of the United Food and Commercial Worker's Union (UFCW) launched a publicity campaign to protest wage cuts at the George A. Hormel Company of Austin, Minnesota. This corporate campaign was followed in August, 1985, by a bitter strike. After P‐9 had been striking for nearly a year, the international officers of the UFCW placed the local P‐9 union in trusteeship, replaced its officers, and negotiated a new labor contract.

COVID-19 pandemic has exposed that even the best of the developed nations have surrendered to the devastations imposed on the global supply chains. The purpose of this study is to explore how COVID-19 has exaggerated the supply chain of production and distribution of Taiwan-based face masks and also investigate the conscientious factors and subfactors for it.

In this study, an analytical hierarchy processes (AHP)-based approach has been used to assign the criterion weights and to prioritize the responsible factors. Initially, based on 26 decision-makers, successful factors were categorized into five main categories, and then main categories and their subcategories factors were prioritized through individual and group decision-maker’s contexts by using the AHP approach.

The results of this AHP model suggest that “Safety” is the most important and top-ranked factor, followed by production, price, work environment and distribution. The key informers in this study are stakeholders which consist of managers, volunteers, associations and non-governmental organizations. The results showed that good behavior of the employees under the “Safety” category is the top positioned responsible factor for successful production and distribution of face masks to the other countries with the highest global percentage of 15.7% and using sanitizers to protect health is the second most successful factor with the global percentage of 11.7%.

The limitations faced in this study were limited to only Taiwan-based mask manufacturing companies, and it was dependent on the decisions of the limited company’s decision-makers.

The novelty of this study is that the empirical analysis of this study has been based on a successful Taiwan masks manufacturing company and evaluates the responsible factors for the production and distribution of Taiwan masks to other countries during COVID-19.

The study examined a wide range of proactive supply chain practices to demonstrate a cross-linkage among them and to understand their effects on both practitioners of previous decision-making models, frameworks, strategies and policies. Here, six supply chain practices are empirically evaluated based on 28 constructs to investigate a comprehensive model and confirm the connections for achieving performance and competence. The study presents a conceptual model and examines the influence of many crucial factors, i.e. supply chain collaboration, knowledge, information sharing, green human resources (GHR) management and lean-green (LG) practices on supply chain performance.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) examines the conceptual model and allied relationship. A sample of 175 respondents' data was collected to test the hypothesized relations. A resource based view (RBV) was adopted, and the questionnaires-based survey was conducted on the Indian supply chain professionals to explore the effect of LG and green human resource management (GHRM) practices on supply chain performance.

The study presented five constructs for supply chain capabilities (SCCA), five constructs for supply chain collaboration and integration (SCIN), four constructs for supply chain knowledge and information sharing (SCKI), five constructs for GHR, five constructs for LG practices (LGPR) and four constructs for lean-green SCM (LG-SCM) firm performance to be utilized for validation by the specific industry, company size and operational boundaries for attaining sustainability. The outcome emphasizes that SCCA positively influence GHRM, LG practices and LG supply chain firm performance. However, LG practices do not influence LG-SCM firm performance, particularly in India.

The study exploited multiple practices in a conceptual model to provide a widespread understanding of decision-making to assist in developing a holistic approach based on different practices for attaining organizational sustainability. The study stimulates the cross-pollination of ideas between many supply chain practices to better understand SCCA, SCIN, SCKI, GHRM and LG-SCM under a single roof for retaining organization performance.