A conceptual decision-making framework for the selection of food waste management approaches for the hospitality and food service sector in the UK

The UK government has been calling for action in tackling food waste (FW) generation, to which the Hospitality and Food Services (HaFS) sector contributes substantially. Decision-making tools that inform the selection of appropriate FW management (FWM) processes in the HaFS sector are lacking. This study fills this gap by offering a conceptual decision-making tool that supports se-lecting appropriate and commercially available FW processing techniques for the HaFS sector. The study initially conducted an exploratory analysis of commercially available on-site and off-site FWM options in the UK to inform the decision-making framework. A set of steering criteria was developed and refined via stakeholder consultations to create flowcharts that guide the selection of FWM options, i.e., Tier 1 of the framework. Tier 2 refines the FWM process selection using a comparative sustainability performance of FWM options, developed through a rapid systematic evidence mapping. The study offers a flexible decision-making tool that allows stakeholders to contribute to the decision-making process and facilitate the selection of tailored-based FWM processes that better suit their circumstances and needs. This approach to decision-making is more likely to enable solutions that facilitate the sustainable management of wasted resources and promote circularity

Can “Ugly Veg” Supply Chains Reduce Food Loss?

The tradition of marketing only aesthetically agreeable produce by retailers contributes to a major source of food loss through “ugly veg”, i.e., the produce that does not look “regular”. In this paper, we examine the relations between different tiers of agri-food supply chains to study the impact of marketing ugly veg on different supply chain members and the food loss in the system. We examine and compare scenarios of a centralized supply chain, a traditional supply chain without ugly veg, an ugly veg supply chain with a single retailer offering both regular produce and ugly veg, and a two-retailer supply chain where an auxiliary retailer sells the ugly veg. We characterize the equilibrium decisions in these systems and also provide analytical results and insights on the effectiveness of different supply chain designs based on a comprehensive numerical study. We demonstrate the conditions under which the supply chain can reduce overall food loss. For sufficiently high cost of effort, selling ugly veg through the single retailer reduces food loss. Nonetheless, the grower is generally better off offering the ugly veg to an auxiliary retailer. We show that the ratio of food loss per cultivated land always decreases in the two-retailer supply chain, while the total food loss might increase for sufficiently high cost of effort

Application of Additive Manufacturing for a sustainable healthcare sector: Mapping current research and establishing future research agenda

Additive manufacturing (AM), an Industry 4.0 technology, is revolutionizing healthcare continuously for the welfare of society. This study aims to perform a systematic review of AM literature in the healthcare sector to analyse the current state of the art and provide future research directions. The study provides a detailed analysis of AM applications in the sector along with key trends in literature, the benefits of AM adoption, and the barriers to its implementation. Then, using CIMO (Context, Intervention, Mechanism, Outcome) logic, the study provides an AM capabilities framework to assist the planning and decision-making of stakeholders. The study also uses the TCCM (Theory, Context, Characteristics and Methodology) framework to identify gaps in the literature and provides potential future research directions. Findings reveal that AM can provide timely and customizable healthcare solutions at affordable prices. The study has valuable theoretical, managerial, and social implications that can help improve patients' quality of life and bring social change, thus accelerating its widespread adoption.</p

Socio-technical capabilities for blockchain implementation by service providers: multiple case study of projects with transaction time reduction and quality improvement objectives

The objectives of this paper are to analyse how blockchain can help in transaction time reduction and quality improvement in supply chains. It also aims to identify the social and technical capabilities needed by the service providers for blockchain implementation and how those capabilities vary between the projects. To achieve the above mentioned objectives, a multiple case study approach is followed, and data are collected from the service providers that have implemented blockchain technology with their customers. We conduct task-technology fit (TTF) analysis to assess the suitability of blockchain to address the tasks to be completed, considering customer needs. The TTF analysis shows that some additional technological solutions related to communication support and user experience design need to be implemented together with the blockchain platform. We then identify common social and technical capabilities, such as empathising with customers and system design, to facilitate implementation and contingent capabilities that vary across different types of blockchain implementation projects. We also develop a process model, a generalisable framework for blockchain implementation and related propositions. The findings from this study will provide guidance to the blockchain service providers to emphasise social and technical capabilities for quality improvement and transaction time reduction from blockchain implementatio

Smart Closed-Loop Food Supply Chain in Circular Economy

The aim of this study is to propose a triple bottom line (TBL) framework  to determine the key metrics of environmental, social, and economic  sustainability and predict the impacts of these metrics on  sustainability in circular economy. First, TBL working framework has  been established to determine the key environmental, social, and  economic sustainability metrics. Then, the system dynamics (SD) model is  developed to estimate the effects of TBL metrics within a smart  closed-loop food chain. The proposed SD model reinforces the idea that  each metric supports more than one dimension of sustainability in that  food loss can have implications for sustainability dimensions. With the  help of the incorporated metrics, management can see the supply chain  and examine various parts of it, such as production, distribution, the  impact of buying decisions, etc. The results showed which stages of the  food supply chain need attention because of the high value-added product  losses and if the company targets are enough to reduce greenhouse gas  emissions even though the production volume will increase in the coming  years. This article contributes to the literature by determining the key  metrics of TBL sustainability in the smart closed-loop supply chain in  the food industry. No description supplied</p