A win-win supply chain solution using project contracts with bargaining games

For product supply chains, contractual relationships that provide win-win outcomes between the supply chain members, have been found to offer optimum results. However, for bargaining situations where time/cost is the source of the uncertainty, i.e. projects, there is limited knowledge available on how contracts can be used to establish win-win relations. This paper investigates whether cost-sharing project contracts can establish a win-win solution in project supply chains where the project manager is risk-neutral and the contractor is risk-averse. The paper examines how the theory can be extended beyond the symmetrical normal distributions to asymmetrical beta and gamma distributions that are more appropriate, and so more often used, for project completion times. Besides using the Nash bargaining approach for analyzing the bargaining process, the paper also analyzes the bargaining problems using the Kalai-Smorodinsky and Utilitarian approaches to bargaining. It was found that the solutions from cost-plus contracts dominate any other form of cost-sharing contract, and so they provide a win-win solution for both members of the supply chain for the cases of Nash and Kalai-Smorodinsky bargaining. However, this is not the case for Utilitarian bargaining. A numerical exercise was conducted to investigate the results and implications of how the models would work in practice. The research shows that from a theoretical perspective, cost-plus contracts are the optimal bargaining solution not only when using a normal distribution, but also when using more appropriate asymmetrical distributions. This optimality is robust for the Nash and Kalai-Smorodinsky bargaining approaches, but not for the Utilitarian approach whose sensitivity to noise makes it an inappropriate choice here

Improving reverse supply chain performance: The role of supply chain leadership and governance mechanisms

Recently, a growing interest has been devoted to the role of buying firms in promoting sustainability across supply chains. However, relatively little attention has been given to how the behaviour of a buying firm affects the performance of reverse supply chains. Within this context, this paper investigates the role of Supply Chain Leadership styles on suppliers' performance dimensions related to reverse product flows. Furthermore, the mediating role of two governance mechanisms (namely trust and legal-legitimate power) on this relationship is examined. This study employs structural equation modelling to analyse data collected from 190 manufacturing companies in Malaysia. The paper concludes that transformational and transactional leaderships are significant and positive contributors to suppliers’ reverse supply chain performance; trust and power significantly mediate these relationships

A multi-period model for reorganising urban household waste recycling networks

Managing waste is a crucial challenge for modern societies. Within the UK government's ambitious environmental targets, municipal Household Waste Recycling Centres represent key facilities. However, local authority budgets are under severe strain due to reductions in central government funding. Therefore, local councils often need to perform reconfigurations of the recycling centres networks, by reducing the number of sites or their opening hours while still ensuring adequate service levels. This paper describes a novel multi-period mathematical programming model for optimising reorganisational actions within Household Waste Recycling Centre networks. The model is tested on a case study based on an English local authority, in order to demonstrate its applicability to a real-world scenario, and its role in supporting decision-makers in deciding the best way to reorganise Household Waste Recycling Centres

Crowd models for last mile delivery in an emerging economy

The dramatic rise in online shopping means that the last mile delivery (LMD) task is becoming extremely important. However, last mile delivery faces many economic, social, and environmental challenges. A fast-growing innovative solution is Crowd Logistics Delivery (CLD). This study investigates how CLD is meeting these challenges in a rapidly emerging economy (Saudi Arabia). It uses semi-structured interviews to analyse CLD from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, focusing on its implementation, benefits to different stakeholders, and its limitations. While the findings of this study broadly support the work of other studies in this area, it provides several new insights. It observed three different business models being used for CLD: B2B, B2C, and C2C. It identified the internal success factors of each business model, including registration, assigning orders, compensation, and the payment model. It revealed the motivations for stakeholders to use CLD as a last mile delivery solution, such as LMD-related benefits and the social impact on society. In addition, the study highlighted the four main challenges these CLD implementations face that impede their success: legislation, availability of supply/drivers, trust, and culture. These results add to the rapidly expanding field of CLD

Circular Economy indicators for supply chains : a systematic literature review

Recently, the Circular Economy paradigm has emerged as an alternative to linear and unsustainable production and consumption systems. However, no established indicator exists to assist the transition of supply chains to a higher degree of circularity; also, most of the literature on Circular Economy indicators has focused on the firm rather than on the supply chain as the level of analysis. Through a Systematic Literature Review, this paper examines decision support tools, and related indicators, employed for assessing the performance of Circular Supply Chains in the academic literature. In parallel, a content analysis and a template technique are employed to evaluate how Multi National Enterprises measure the effect of the adoption of Circular Economy practices in their reports. Results are synthesised in two composite indicators, which aggregate the most commonly employed metrics. Findings show that both academic literature and industrial practice show a scarce consideration of social and circularity measurements, rather focusing on classical environmental impacts and economic ones. In the academic literature, the economic dimension is prevalent; practitioners seem to evaluate and communicate more often the environmental impacts of already adopted Circular Economy practices. This article also recognises the different and sometimes hidden worldview assumptions in current Circular Economy indicators, highlighting that different paths toward Circular Supply Chains are possible depending on value and methodological choices. Future contributions should explicetly state these assumptions and their idea of a Circular Economy

Supply chain leadership: A systematic literature review and a research agenda

The main purpose of this study is to improve the understanding and comprehension of the supply chain leadership concept. To this aim, the paper systematically reviews and synthesises the current academic literature in this emerging field, unveiling research gaps and discussing a future research agenda. The review was performed by selecting papers from leading journals in the operations and supply chain management field (using the Scopus and Web of Science academic search engines). Overall, 51 relevant papers were identified through the review process. After providing an overview of classical leadership theories, the paper introduces a definition for the supply chain leadership concept. The theoretical characterisation of such concept is then investigated, through the identification of dominant leadership theories employed to explain and characterise supply chain leadership. Also, the study provides a thematic analysis of supply chain leadership styles and their influence on supply chain practices. Employed research methodologies, along with geographical specificities and supply chain orientations of previous studies, are also scrutinised. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to provide a holistic systematic literature review in the supply chain leadership domain. Therefore, this contribution is an important first step in order to establish robust theoretical frameworks involving the constructs of supply chain leadership and to provide a foundation for further studies in this field

Understanding the relationship between institutional pressures, supply chain integration and the adoption of circular economy practices

This paper explores the role of institutional pressures and supply chain integration in the adoption of Circular Economy practices. Using a Delphi-like approach and leveraging on a panel of 30 experts in the field of Circular Economy, this study aims to gain additional insights into how coercive, normative, and mimetic pressures can drive the implementation of circular supply chains. The findings reveal a hierarchy of institutional pressures, with coercive market and regulatory pressures having a greater impact compared to normative and mimetic pressures. Additionally, the study identifies various responses to these pressures, illustrating different trajectories towards the implementation of Circular Economy practices. Furthermore, the research investigates the role of supply chain integration. Generally, a higher level of supply chain integration can amplify the effect of institutional pressures, promoting the adoption of incremental Circular Economy practices. However, it is noteworthy to mention that supply chain integration may also hinder the adoption of more radical Circular Economy approaches, favouring the retention of linear supply chains

Using grouped smart meter data in phase identification

Access to smart meter data will enable electricity distribution companies to have a far clearer picture of the operation of their low voltage networks. This in turn will assist in the more active management of these networks. An important current knowledge gap is knowing for certain which phase each customer is connected to. Matching the loads from the smart meter with the loads measured on different phases at the substation has the capability to fill this gap. However, in the United Kingdom at the half hourly level only the loads from groups of meters will be available to the network operators. Therefore, a method is described for using this grouped data to assist with determining each customer's phase when the phase of most meters is correctly known. The method is analysed using the load readings from a data set of 96 smart meters. It successfully ranks the mixed phase groups very highly compared with the single phase groups

Prolonged viral replication and longitudinal viral dynamic differences among respiratory syncytial virus infected infants

© 2017 2017 International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc. BackgroundLongitudinal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) dynamics have not been well studied despite the existence of factors favoring prolonged RSV replication including high mutation rates allowing rapid evolution and potential escape from immune control. We therefore measured viral load in previously RSV-naive infants over prolonged time spans.MethodsDuring 2014-2015, quantitative nasal aspirates were collected from 51 RSV-PCR+ infants. Multiple parallel assessments of viral loads were quantified at each collected time point using a well-validated real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. After observing viral load rebound phenomenon in some infants, the viral dynamics of 27 infants with sufficient longitudinal viral load data points were analyzed using the pre-defined criteria for viral rebound. Additional analyses were performed comparing age with viral rebound, viral clearance rates, and viral load area-under-the-curve (AUC VL).ResultsThe 51 infants (303 nasal aspirate samples; mean of 5.9 per patient) exhibited slower than expected viral clearance. Lower age trended toward slower viral clearance and greater AUC VL. Six infants had detectable viral loads ≥1 month after symptom onset. Ten of twenty-seven evaluable subjects exhibited viral rebound and this rebound was age-dependent (P=0.0259). All but one rebounder were rebound; likely representing viral mutational immune escape