Rupesh Kumar Pati and Prem Vrat
Demanding customers, legislation and raw materials shortages in the modern world have forced companies to minimize the system's environmental impact. The paper seeks to analyze…
Abstract
Purpose
Demanding customers, legislation and raw materials shortages in the modern world have forced companies to minimize the system's environmental impact. The paper seeks to analyze the economic impact of blending in sustainable paper industries in countries such as India.
Design/methodology/approach
A linear programming model for a paper supply chain is proposed to minimize paper manufacturing cost by optimally blending wood pulp and after‐use paper under various conventional supply chain constraints. The issues of quality, environmental concern and reusability in the paper industry have also been taken into account.
Findings
Improving quality of after‐use paper by proper recovery network reduces the manufacturing cost. Increasing proportion of wood fiber in the finished paper decreases the cost, even at the cost of degradation in the environment. Thus, it is up to the manufacturer to reflect its degree of environmental concern to the government and society by assigning appropriate environmental and quality opportunity costs in the model.
Research limitations/implications
Difficulty in obtaining the estimates of the environmental and quality cost is a major limitation of the study.
Practical implications
This research provides manufacturers with a simple mathematical model to compare the economic feasibility of blending wood pulp and after‐use paper depending on the market situation.
Originality/value
The major contribution of the model is its capability to study the economic impact of blending by considering some of the important sustainable development issues like environment, quality, shortage, and reusability under one objective function.
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Sushmita A. Narayana, Rupesh Kumar Pati and Prem Vrat
This paper aims to present a review of literature to assess the progress of research on managerial issues in the pharmaceutical industry globally.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present a review of literature to assess the progress of research on managerial issues in the pharmaceutical industry globally.
Design/methodology/approach
Literature from peer‐reviewed journals available on online databases was collected for the last decade, using the keyword search technique, and then classifying it according to major managerial issues, research methodologies used and geographical zones.
Findings
Behavioral issues at the consumer/physician level and non‐behavioral issues in pricing and medical expenses are studied the most, followed by supply chain management, research and development and manufacturing and services operations management. There is scope for conjunction of research efforts across themes and players. The studies focus on the developed nations through the application of field research and mathematical modeling techniques. The studies in the American region focus more on development and marketing while studies in Europe are aligned towards manufacturing and distribution in the industry. Studies in the developing nations are mostly exploratory in nature and require more focus on issues of research and development and marketing in addition to a substantial increase in overall research efforts. More trans‐continental studies are needed to consolidate research efforts globally.
Research limitations/implications
The review is not exhaustive of all studies available on the industry and each of the issues. Conference papers, unpublished material and lectures were excluded.
Practical implications
Identification of the present and emerging issues together provides practitioners in healthcare systems with an idea of available techniques and strategies to solve problems in healthcare/pharmaceutical management.
Originality/value
A study on research of management issues in the pharmaceutical industry across the world has perhaps not been conducted in the recent past: this paper fills part of that gap.
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Sushmita A. Narayana, Arun A. Elias and Rupesh K. Pati
The purpose of this paper is to present a systemic analysis of the complex interaction of factors affecting the reverse logistics (RL) processes in a pharmaceutical supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a systemic analysis of the complex interaction of factors affecting the reverse logistics (RL) processes in a pharmaceutical supply chain (PSC).
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a systems thinking approach. Initial problem structuring involved the analysis of behavior-over-time of main variables and incorporated stakeholder analysis. Further, a participative group model building process was used to develop a systems model.
Findings
The model was analysed to identify a set of feedback loops operating in the system responsible for the complexities of the problem. To address this, the stakeholders identified three strategic interventions. The first intervention relates to returns avoidance by alleviating market flooding of medicines, second intervention aims at improving the infrastructure for quality and performance management and the third targets balanced risk sharing between the main stakeholders involved in the supply chain. The findings suggest strong linkage between RL network design and key activities in returns management. The study lays a platform for developing a simulation model.
Research limitations/implications
Data collection was confined to stakeholders belonging to a PSC based in the South Indian state of Kerala and excluded the participation of doctors due to practical constraints. The application of systems thinking and modelling was limited to the qualitative phases of the methodology.
Practical implications
The study illustrates a participative process capable of revealing the differing viewpoints of multiple stakeholders involved in a PSC.
Originality/value
It provides a holistic approach based on the systems thinking and modelling methodology for analysing the complexities related to RL in the Indian pharmaceutical industry.
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Anil S. Dube and Rupesh S. Gawande
The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers to implement green supply chain and to understand their mutual relationship. Green supply chain management (GSCM) barriers are…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify barriers to implement green supply chain and to understand their mutual relationship. Green supply chain management (GSCM) barriers are identified using available GSCM literature and on consultations with experts from industry and academician. Interpretive structural model (ISM) was developed to identify the contextual relationship among these barriers.
Design/methodology/approach
A group of experts from industries and academics was consulted and ISM is used to develop the contextual relationship among various GSCMBs for each dimension of GSCM implementation. The results of ISM are used as an input to fuzzy matrix of cross-impact multiplications applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis, to identify the driving and dependence power of GSCMBs.
Findings
This paper has identified 14 key GSCMBs and developed an integrated model using ISM and the fuzzy MICMAC approach, which helps to identify and classify the important GSCMBs and reveal the direct and indirect effects of each GSCMB on the GSCM implementation. ISM model provides only binary relationship among GSCMBs, while fuzzy MICMAC analysis provides precise analysis related to driving and dependence power of GSCMB, to overcome this limitation, integrated approach is developed.
Research limitations/implications
ISM model development and fuzzy MICMAC analysis were obtained through the judgment of academicians and industry experts. It is the only subjective judgment and any biasing by the person who is judging the GSCMBs might influence the final result.
Originality/value
This is first kind of study to identify GSCMBs and further, to deploy ISM and fuzzy MICMAC to identify and classify the key GSCMEs that influence GSCM implementation in the organization. The results will be useful for business managers to understand the GSCMBs and overcome these GSCMBs during GSCM implementation in an organization.
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This study aims to clarify systematically the contribution of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) to green supply chain management (GSCM) by examining the coordination mechanisms.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to clarify systematically the contribution of material flow cost accounting (MFCA) to green supply chain management (GSCM) by examining the coordination mechanisms.
Design/methodology/approach
Two qualitative case studies are conducted in a major Japanese manufacturing company, which introduced MFCA in two different supply chains. The concept of coordination mechanisms in supply chain management is used to consolidate the understanding on the usefulness of MFCA in GSCM.
Findings
The study’s findings reveal the significant role played by MFCA in coordinating material flows and eliminating sub-optimization in the supply chain from both economic and environmental perspectives. Furthermore, the focal company in the chain has an important role as the MFCA leader in implementing MFCA in the chain. In particular, the environmental department can eliminate suppliers’ concerns regarding opportunistic buyer behaviors and focus on material flows across the supply chain.
Research limitations/implications
The study highlights the possibility of reviewing existing transactions by coordinating material flows. This is a new direction for the adoption of MFCA in GSCM. In addition, although the study highlights the importance of the environmental department as an MFCA leader, future research is necessary to establish this aspect with greater precision.
Practical implications
The two case studies discussed in this paper demonstrate the usefulness of MFCA expansion into the supply chain, as well as information sharing and progression, in the development of GSCM.
Social implications
This study will contribute to enhance the green supply chain by implementing MFCA.
Originality/value
This study indicates that MFCA can potentially reveal the material losses caused by sub-optimization and provide information to avoid sub-optimization in decision-making. Moreover, it highlights the importance of the environmental department as an MFCA leader.