Susana Duarte and V. Cruz Machado
The purpose of this research work is to propose an assessment framework to evaluate businesses in terms of the implementation of a green and lean organization’s supply chain.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research work is to propose an assessment framework to evaluate businesses in terms of the implementation of a green and lean organization’s supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual framework was developed for the assessment of green and lean implementation. The framework was designed using key criteria to identify green and lean initiatives. This led to the development of guidelines for each criterion, and the development of a scoring method. A multiple case study of five different organizations in the automotive industry was conducted to validate the conceptual framework.
Findings
The study reveals that high scores are derived from a good interaction between green and lean implementation in these companies. The results confirm that the initiatives considered in the conceptual framework were appropriate to represent the green and lean assessment framework.
Research limitations/implications
The case study was developed in five organizations. Validation of the model is not based on quantitative techniques. The sample size is too small. More study is need in different industry sectors.
Practical implications
The proposed model can be the basis for further research on green and lean concepts, contributing to the understanding of green and lean implementation. With this assessment method, managers can evaluate their business in relation to the implementation of green and lean supply chain initiatives.
Originality/value
To the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first to provide an assessment framework to evaluate an organization’s supply chain in terms of green and lean implementation.
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Susana Duarte and V. Cruz‐Machado
The purpose of this paper is to examine how different business models, embodied in awards, standards and frameworks, can contribute to modelling a lean and green approach for an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how different business models, embodied in awards, standards and frameworks, can contribute to modelling a lean and green approach for an organization and its supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 12 business models were studied. A literature review was conducted to provide a comprehensive understanding of each model. After defining lean and green management paradigms, a number of guidelines were developed to connect and integrate lean and green principles.
Findings
The study reveals a number of categories that are common in most business models, providing adequate conditions for a lean‐green transformation. The guidelines were developed to model a lean‐green organization by applying specific principles and tools of a lean and green culture.
Research limitations/implications
The relationships identified within and between models reflect a partial view of a lean‐green transformation. The approach adopted merges the different principles, and tends to emphasize similarities and minimize differences.
Practical implications
The proposed model can be the basis for further research in lean and green paradigms, contributing to understanding when an organization and its supply chain can apply the lean and green principles and tools.
Originality/value
This study is the first attempt to understand, develop and integrate a lean and green organizational culture approach, based in standardized management business models.
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Susana Garrido Azevedo, Helena Carvalho and V. Cruz-Machado
The purpose of this paper is to suggest a lean, agile, resilient, and green (LARG) index as a benchmarking tool to assess the leanness, agility, resilience and the greenness of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to suggest a lean, agile, resilient, and green (LARG) index as a benchmarking tool to assess the leanness, agility, resilience and the greenness of the automotive companies and corresponding supply chain (SC).
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed index incorporates LARG supply chain management paradigms and corresponding practices being both weighted according to their importance for the automotive SC sustainability. The Delphi technique is used to obtain the weights for each SC paradigm and a linear aggregated method is proposed. A case study approach related to the automotive SC is chosen to illustrate the LARG index application.
Findings
The case study results confirmed the usefulness and ease of application of LARG index in a real world SC. The application of the suggested index to a set of companies, and consequently to their SC, makes possible to identify: the better and worst performer company in each paradigm, the LARG practices with higher levels of application among the companies, the LARG index for each company and also for the corresponding SC. This becomes an important benchmarking tool since comparative analysis regarding the LARG behaviours are possible to perform with the suggested index.
Research limitations/implications
More LARG practices could be considered to improve the robustness of the index. Future studies should be conducted across more companies for improving the effectiveness of the approach, and more members should be included in the panel of Delphi technique for enhancing the validity of the suggested approach.
Practical implications
SC companies will be able to assess their performance in terms of leanness, agility, resilience and greenness. A study like this could encourage all automotive companies to benchmark their organizations as regards their competitors, the best in class, and also the industry average.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to the literature by introducing a new index for measuring the leanness, agility, resilience and greenness of companies and SCs. This index can be used by managers as a benchmarking tool to identify their LARG behaviour and compare it with their SC partners and seek for improvement.
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James Boyer and Annemarie Kokosy
Company goals, behaviors and decision-making processes may differ depending on whether a given company decides to engage in the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm as a user or as a…
Abstract
Purpose
Company goals, behaviors and decision-making processes may differ depending on whether a given company decides to engage in the Industry 4.0 (I4.0) paradigm as a user or as a provider of I4.0-based solutions. This paper will consider this question in-depth by focusing on the extent to which the innovation ecosystem (IES) affects these two main strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors' study aims to analyze the impact of a regional information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem on the implementation of I4.0 at the company level by using an original survey of 123 companies that are already engaged in the implementation of I4.0 in the French region of Hauts-de-France and by employing two sets of logit models.
Findings
The authors' empirical study demonstrates the importance of an innovation ecosystem-based strategy for I4.0 technology provision. It reveals that engaging in R&D collaborative projects and developing links and complex relationships with heterogeneous actors within the IES positively affects the likelihood of a given firm deciding to implement I4.0 as a provider of I4.0-based solutions. This does not, however, affect the probability of a firm engaging in the I4.0 paradigm as a user of technologies and solutions.
Practical implications
From a policy standpoint, this study could encourage decision-makers to engage with I4.0 development by developing policies targeting the reinforcement of IES at a regional level. This could also help to accelerate the adoption of I4.0 technologies by manufacturing companies and foster the development of I4.0-based solutions through specific company-targeted policies. The authors' study supports the need for manufacturing company managers to evaluate and identify the best technological strategies related to the I4.0 paradigm that meet their specific needs.
Originality/value
The authors' study shows that the decision to engage in the I4.0 paradigm as providers of I4.0-based solutions is more likely to rely on an innovation ecosystem-based strategy, while the decision to engage in the I4.0 paradigm as users of I4.0-based solutions is more likely to rely on the company’s internal strategies, resources and demand-side benefits.
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Manpreet Kaur Riyat, Amit Kakkar, Avinash Rana and Dhrupad Mathur
The growing prevalence of digitalisation in economies has brought attention to the significance of digital transformation and its potential to enhance the competitiveness of…
Abstract
The growing prevalence of digitalisation in economies has brought attention to the significance of digital transformation and its potential to enhance the competitiveness of enterprises within the emerging market. Nevertheless, it is important to note that disruptive changes are not limited to the organisational level, as they also have broader implications for the environment, society and institutions. The incorporation of technology into the field of education, often known as educational technology (EdTech), has undergone a significant evolution in recent times, fundamentally transforming the methods and processes of teaching and learning. This chapter delves into the multifaceted landscape of digital transformation in the field of EdTech from the perspective of sustainable development, elucidating the wide range of opportunities and challenges that consumer, educators, institutions and technology providers and various stakeholders face when they embark on this journey. Further, this chapter also sheds light on how to overcome the challenges faced by the stakeholders in digital transformation of EdTech for quality education.
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Helena Carvalho, Susana Duarte and V. Cruz Machado
This paper aims to explore the divergences and commitments between the lean, agile, resilient and green paradigms while investigating the effect of paradigms' practices within…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the divergences and commitments between the lean, agile, resilient and green paradigms while investigating the effect of paradigms' practices within supply chain attributes.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model with lean, agile, resilient and green practices and supply chain management attributes is proposed. Causal diagrams were used to represent the relationships between paradigm practices and supply chain attributes. The four diagrams were aggregated to build the conceptual model.
Findings
The conceptual model allows for the identification of synergies and divergences resulting from the paradigms practices implementation. The synergies between paradigms are related to “information frequency” and “integration level” increasing as well as reduction of “production lead time” and “transportation lead time”. However, other supply chain attributes such as “capacity surplus”, “inventory level” and “replenishment frequency” are affected in opposite directions by some paradigms creating divergences.
Research limitations/implications
The model relationships were established using an anecdotal approach derived from the literature review, reflecting only a partial view of supply chain dynamics. More research related to other supply chain attributes and/or paradigm practices, and validation of the proposed relationships is suggested.
Practical implications
The proposed model can be the basis for further research in lean, agile, resilient and green paradigms, contributing to a more sustainable and competitive lean supply chain with the necessary agility toward a quick response, resiliency to disruptions, and harmonization with the ecologic and environmental aspects.
Originality/value
To the authors' knowledge this paper is the first to provide an understanding about the tradeoffs among lean, agile, resilient and green supply chain paradigms.
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Susana Azevedo, Helena Carvalho and V. Cruz‐Machado
The main purpose of this paper is to identify and rank a set of performance measures using the approach of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to support the evaluation of…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to identify and rank a set of performance measures using the approach of interpretive structural modelling (ISM) to support the evaluation of automotive supply chain performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper develops a framework to analyze the interactions among a suggested set of performance measures using the ISM approach. To identify the contextual relationships among the suggested measures, five experts from the automotive industry were consulted.
Findings
Using the ISM approach the performance measures were clustered according to their driving power and dependence power. Inventory level and lead time are the two performance measures at the bottom level of the hierarchy, implying higher driving power. Operational costs, business wastage, environmental costs, delivery time and customer satisfaction are identified as autonomous measures. This means that they are relatively disconnected from the other suggested performance measures. It is also observed that the cash‐to‐cash cycle is a weak driver but strongly dependent on the other performance measures.
Practical implications
The proposed approach gives managers a better understanding of the performance measures that have most influence on others (driving performance measures) and those measures which are most influenced by others (dependent performance measures). This kind of information is strategic for managers who can use it to identify which performance measures they should concentrate on, and how they can manage the trade‐offs between measures.
Originality/value
This paper highlights the deployment of ISM as a management decision support tool in the identification and ranking of a set of performance measures to make part of a system for the measurement of supply chain performance.
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Kristina M. Eriksson, Anna Karin Olsson and Linnéa Carlsson
Both technological and human-centric perspectives need to be acknowledged when combining lean production practices and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. This study aims to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
Both technological and human-centric perspectives need to be acknowledged when combining lean production practices and Industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. This study aims to explore and explain how lean production practices and I4.0 technologies may coexist to enhance the human-centric perspective of manufacturing operations in the era of Industry 5.0 (I5.0).
Design/methodology/approach
The research approach is an explorative and longitudinal case study. The qualitative data collection encompasses respondents from different job functions and organizational levels to cover the entire organization. In total, 18 interviews with 19 interviewees and five focus groups with a total of 25 participants are included.
Findings
Identified challenges bring forth that manufacturing organizations must have the ability to see beyond lean production philosophy and I4.0 to meet the demand for a human-centric perspective in socially sustainable manufacturing in the era of Industry 5.0.
Practical implications
The study suggests that while lean production practices and I4.0 practices may be considered separately, they need to be integrated as complementary approaches. This underscores the complexity of managing simultaneous organizational changes and new digital initiatives.
Social implications
The research presented illuminates the elusive phenomena comprising the combined aspects of a human-centric perspective, specifically bringing forth implications for the co-existence of lean production practices and I4.0 technologies, in the transformation towards I5.0.
Originality/value
The study contributes to new avenues of research within the field of socially sustainable manufacturing. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the human-centric perspective when transforming organizations towards Industry 5.0.
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Salih Serkan Kaleli and Mehmet Baygin
Purpose: There have been continuous developments in the production industry to meet the increasing customer demand from the past to the present. At this point, supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose: There have been continuous developments in the production industry to meet the increasing customer demand from the past to the present. At this point, supply chain management (SCM) systems emerge as an important topic. SCM is a set of systems that manages the entire process from the production of a product to its delivery to the end user. Industry 4.0 aims to improve the production industry by increasing the quality, efficiency, and performance of the production process. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors highlight the challenges, benefits, and future trends of the combination of Industry 4.0 and SCM systems.
Methodology: In this chapter, the integration of Industry 4.0 and SCM systems was investigated. For this purpose, the Industry 4.0 position of the countries and the current status of SCM systems have been examined. In addition, the key technologies in the Industry 4.0 transformation, the possible problems encountered in the transformation, the deficiencies encountered in SCM systems, and how these deficiencies can be solved with Industry 4.0 were investigated.
Findings: The results of this study show that companies that use an SCM system can separate themselves from their competitors by using Industry 4.0 technologies.
Significance: This can allow them to achieve their strategic goals and to ensure the maintenance of their competitive advantage.