World Class Sustainable Supply Chain Management: critical review and further research directions

Purpose Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has attracted considerable interest among academics and practitioners. The purpose of this paper is to present a critical review of the literature, to identify missing links, to argue for the use of world class SSCM (WCSSCM) through a framework, and suggest further research directions. Design/methodology/approach In the paper the authors have undertaken an extensive review of literature and classified articles using a novel classification scheme. Findings Through the extensive review and identification of research gaps, the paper identifies significant differences between definitions and methodologies in the SSCM literature; and argues for “WCSSCM.” This term is elaborated on via a theoretical framework in which 18 dimensions are classified under six constructs of SSCM. Furthermore, a list of potential research directions for WCSSCM is discussed. Research limitations/implications The research is an attempt to critically review literature, argue for WCSSCM, and develop a theoretical framework. Originality/value The paper offers a new approach to SSCM literature, arguing for WCSSCM through a framework, and providing further research directions

Using RFID to Overcome Inventory Control Challenges: A Proof of Concept

Using a Proof of Concept approach, this paper examines RFID’s impact on inventory control of a small-to-medium retailer. Results indicate that RFID technology can function effectively in a small-to-medium hardware environment. Also, the majority of the simulations recorded reasonable read rates even though the simulations were set up over a short period of time without a great deal of fine-tuning. Moreover, RFID could have a positive impact on the inventory-related processes of the organisation by either streamlining or formalizing them and facilitate the electronic storage of information captured in real-time, relating to the movement of stock and the amount of stock held, providing visibility to members of the organisation. Despite these encouraging findings in relation to using RFID for inventory control purposes within the small-to-medium retailer, it is recommended that other alternatives aimed at improving the inventory control practices of the organisation be investigated before committing to the implementation of RFID

MADNESS: A Multiresolution, Adaptive Numerical Environment for Scientific Simulation

MADNESS (multiresolution adaptive numerical environment for scientific simulation) is a high-level software environment for solving integral and differential equations in many dimensions that uses adaptive and fast harmonic analysis methods with guaranteed precision based on multiresolution analysis and separated representations. Underpinning the numerical capabilities is a powerful petascale parallel programming environment that aims to increase both programmer productivity and code scalability. This paper describes the features and capabilities of MADNESS and briefly discusses some current applications in chemistry and several areas of physics

Big Data and Predictive Analytics for Supply Chain and Organizational Performance

Scholars acknowledge the importance of big data and predictive analytics (BDPA) in achieving business value and firm performance. However, the impact of BDPA assimilation on supply chain (SCP) and organizational performance (OP) has not been thoroughly investigated. To address this gap, this paper draws on resource-based view. It conceptualizes assimilation as a three stage process (acceptance, routinization, and assimilation) and identifies the influence of resources (connectivity and information sharing) under the mediation effect of top management commitment on big data assimilation (capability), SCP and OP. The findings suggest that connectivity and information sharing under the mediation effect of top management commitment are positively related to BDPA acceptance, which is positively related to BDPA assimilation under the mediation effect of BDPA routinization, and positively related to SCP and OP. Limitations and future research directions are provided

Social media and sensemaking patterns in new product development: demystifying the customer sentiment

Artificial intelligence by principle is developed to assist but also support decision making processes. In our study, we explore how information retrieved from social media can assist decision-making processes for new product development (NPD). We focus on consumers’ emotions that are expressed through social media and analyse the variations of their sentiments in all the stages of NPD. We collect data from Twitter that reveal consumers’ appreciation of aspects of the design of a newly launched model of an innovative automotive company. We adopt the sensemaking approach coupled with the use of fuzzy logic for text mining. This combinatory methodological approach enables us to retrieve consensus from the data and to explore the variations of sentiments of the customers about the product and define the polarity of these emotions for each of the NPD stages. The analysis identifies sensemaking patterns in Twitter data and explains the NPD process and the associated steps where the social interactions from customers can have an iterative role. We conclude the paper by outlining an agenda for future research in the NPD process and the role of the customer opinion through sensemaking mechanisms

HIV/AIDS, Food Supplementation and Livelihood Programs in Uganda: A Way Forward?

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade, health, nutrition and policy experts have become increasingly aware of the many ways in which food insecurity and HIV infection negatively impact and reinforce one another. In response, many organizations providing HIV care began supplying food aid to clients in need. Food supplementation, however, was quickly recognized as an unsustainable and incomplete intervention. Many HIV care organizations therefore developed integrated HIV and livelihood programs (IHLPs) to target the root causes of food insecurity. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with 21 key informants who worked at seven organizations providing HIV care, food aid, or IHLPs in Kampala, Uganda in 2007-2008 to better understand the impact of IHLPs on the well-being of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) and the challenges in transitioning clients from food aid to IHLPs. There was strong consensus among those interviewed that IHLPs are an important intervention in addressing food insecurity and its adverse health consequences among PLWHAs. Key informants identified three main challenges in transitioning PLWHAs from food supplementation programs to IHLPs: (1) lack of resources (2) timing of the transition and (3) logistical considerations including geography and weather. Factors seen as contributing to the success of programs included: (1) close involvement of community leaders (2) close ties with local and national government (3) diversification of IHLP activities and (4) close integration with food supplementation programs, all linked through a central program of HIV care. CONCLUSION: Health, policy and development experts should continue to strengthen IHLPs for participants in need. Further research is needed to determine when and how participants should be transitioned from food supplementation to IHLPs, and to determine how to better correlate measures of food insecurity with objective clinical outcomes so as to better evaluate program results

Complexity and dynamics of the winemaking bacterial communities in berries, musts, and wines from apulian grape cultivars through time and space

Currently, there is very little information available regarding the microbiome associated with the wine production chain. Here, we used an amplicon sequencing approach based on high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to obtain a comprehensive assessment of the bacterial community associated with the production of three Apulian red wines, from grape to final product. The relationships among grape variety, the microbial community, and fermentation was investigated. Moreover, the winery microbiota was evaluated compared to the autochthonous species in vineyards that persist until the end of the winemaking process. The analysis highlighted the remarkable dynamics within the microbial communities during fermentation. A common microbial core shared among the examined wine varieties was observed, and the unique taxonomic signature of each wine appellation was revealed. New species belonging to the genus Halomonas were also reported. This study demonstrates the potential of this metagenomic approach, supported by optimized protocols, for identifying the biodiversity of the wine supply chain. The developed experimental pipeline offers new prospects for other research fields in which a comprehensive view of microbial community complexity and dynamics is desirable.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A Very High-Order Accurate Staggered Finite Volume Scheme for the Stationary Incompressible Navier–Stokes and Euler Equations on Unstructured Meshes

International audienceWe propose a sixth-order staggered finite volume scheme based on polynomial reconstructions to achieve high accurate numerical solutions for the incompressible Navier-Stokes and Euler equations. The scheme is equipped with a fixed-point algorithm with solution relaxation to speed-up the convergence and reduce the computation time. Numerical tests are provided to assess the effectiveness of the method to achieve up to sixth-order con-2 Ricardo Costa et al. vergence rates. Simulations for the benchmark lid-driven cavity problem are also provided to highlight the benefit of the proposed high-order scheme