Steering supply chains from a complex systems perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to systematically review the properties of supply chains demonstrating that they are complex systems, and that the management of supply chains is best achieved by steering rather than controlling these systems toward desired outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – The research study was designed as both exploratory and explanatory. Data were collected from secondary sources using a comprehensive literature review process. In parallel with data collection, data were analyzed and synthesized. Findings – The main finding is the introduction of an inductive framework for steering supply chains from a complex systems perspective by explaining why supply chains have properties of complex systems and how to deal with their complexity while steering them toward desired outcomes. Complexity properties are summarized in four inter-dependent categories: Structural, Dynamic, Behavioral and Decision making, which together enable the assessment of supply chains as complex systems. Furthermore, five mechanisms emerged for dealing with the complexity of supply chains: classification, modeling, measurement, relational analysis and handling. Originality/value – Recognizing that supply chains are complex systems allows for a better grasp of the effect of positive feedback on change and transformation, and also interactions leading to dynamic equilibria, nonlinearity and the role of inter-organizational learning, as well as emerging capabilities, and existing tradeoffs and paradoxical tensions in decision-making. It recognizes changing dynamics and the co-evolution of supply chain phenomena in different scales and contextsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Themes and challenges in developing sustainable supply chains

Sustainable development is one of the greatest global challenges facing human beings in the 21st century. In order to tackle sustainability related problems, several global, European, and national targets for 2050 have been set. The transition of supply chains activities towards sustainability targets calls for designing new strategies and continuously identifying and tackling the challenges that can hinder the operationalization of such strategies. The purpose of this research was to explore and classify themes and challenges in developing sustainable supply chains activities in general, and freight transport and urban distribution in particular. Three research questions were defined followed by defining the scientific assumptions and research strategies. Three research studies were then designed and carried out to find trustworthy and authentic answers to the corresponding research questions. However, research design, data collection, and data analysis were mixed and overlapping as they were not completely sequentially carried out. Data were collected by triangulation of different research methods, namely, literature review, content analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data was guided by principles of content analysis, discourse analysis, analytic induction, and grounded theory. Synthesis of the analyzed data resulted in the emergence of categories of themes and challenges, the development of hypotheses, and further discussion. In total, five categories of themes were identified for making supply chains environmentally sustainable, fifteen for making freight transport sustainable, and eight for making urban freight distribution sustainable. Five categories of challenges were identified for making supply chains environmentally sustainable, five for making freight transport sustainable, and seven for making urban freight distribution sustainable. All the themes and challenges were then synthesized to determine the patterns of their association. Five major themes in developing sustainable supply chains emerged, namely, increasing sustainability awareness, closing the loop of supply chains, making supply chains energy-efficient, making supply chains environmentally responsible, and managerial issues. Five major challenges in developing sustainable supply chains emerged, namely, change of behavior, costs, implementation, corporate governance, and antagonistic effects and paradoxical conflicts. As the nature of supply chains and the challenges identified in developing them sustainably is complex, a complexity theory perspective was considered beneficial for dealing with them. Such a perspective can enable us to: take a more holistic view of available sustainability-oriented strategies and activities; analyze the antagonistic effects of strategies and activities on each other; recognize conflicts of a paradoxical character that exist in supply chains; analyze the changes influencing and influenced by the strategies and activities; appreciate enough diversity and freedom among the sub-systems rather than too much simplification of them; design and redesign the transition paths for different types of supply chains. A complexity theory perspective can also be beneficial when governing a transformative transition of supply chains towards sustainability targets. Lessons are suggested in the discussion chapter that may help policy and decision makers in designing the future strategies and in tackling the challenges. The themes identified can be beneficial for increasing the absorptive capacity of industries, practitioners, and policy makers while they design innovative strategies for transitions towards sustainability targets. The identified challenges can also be beneficial for reducing the inertia and uncertainties against operationalization of sustainable development in practice

Themes and Challenges in Making Supply Chains Socially Sustainable

Purpose Purpose of this paper is to explore and classify pattern of the currently discussed themes and challenges in making supply chains socially sustainable. Design/methodology/approach The methodology was based on a systematic review of the existing literature in order to explore what major themes and challenges have been discussed as well as the significant gaps where opportunities for further research can be found. Findings In total five categories of themes were identified, namely goods/service-centric, humancentric, organization-centric, corporate-centric, and management/governance-centric. Challenges were classified into eight categories namely, inadequate and asymmetric knowledge, shifting the values, operationalization, subjectivity in evaluation, difficulties of SMEs, governance complexity,sustainability leakage, and sustainability washing. Research limitations/implications Focus of the paper is on social pillar of sustainable development in context of supply chains. A more holistic investigation of all the three pillars/ bottom lines of sustainable development (economic, environmental, and social) can be an opportunity for further research. Practical implications Taking a more holistic view of the pattern of currently discussed themes and challenges may be beneficial in increasing the absorptive capacity of industrial and business practitioners when they design and operationalize innovative strategies in developing sustainable supply chains. Originality/value This paper may increase awareness about the social responsibilities of supply chains actors and stakeholders. It may also guide managers, decision makers, and practitioners to better understand the difficulties, obstacles, or dilemmas that can hinder sustainable development of supply chains. The discussion section provides suggestions for tackling the challenges and a section that elaborates on opportunities for further research

Perspectives of Complexity and Intelligence on Logistics and Supply Chain Management

In recent decades, millions of articles, books and journals have been written and thousandsseminars and conferences have been held to present increasing importance of supply chainmanagement both in practice and theory. Undoubtedly, nowadays, success is not tied-upjust in processes of a focal company but in processes of all its value chain and network. Inorder to survive in highly competitive markets, it sounds essential that all processes andentities of the supply and demand network be analyzed and value-adding ones be separatedfrom those which are not.One of the origins of non-value adding processes is non-value adding complexity. So, asystematic study and analysis of supply chain complexity and rendering remedies forsimplicity are essential.In this thesis, at first, some definitions as well as causes of supply chain complexity basedon its complication and complexity are mentioned. In the next step, embodiments of somethemes of complexity science in discipline of supply chains are explained. Later, a recipefor studying complexity is offered. Ingredients of this recipe are identification,classification, measurement, modeling, and simplification. Finally, implementation ofintelligent agents as assured tools for simplification of supply chains complexity isdescribed.Uppsatsnivå:

Exploring Themes and Challenges in Developing Sustainable Supply Chains - A Complexity Theory Perspective

To develop sustainable supply chains in a way that their negative environmental and social effects are minimized, shortand long-term targets should be set. The transformation of supply chains towards these targets calls for the development of innovative strategies and the need to continuously identify, classify, and tackle the challenges that can hinder the execution of such strategies. To develop innovative strategies, the patterns of current trends and themes need to be learned and the missing ones need to be identified. The purpose of this research was to explore themes and challenges in developing sustainable supply chain activities from theoretical and empirical perspectives. Six research studies (RS) were designed and carried out. Two explored the patterns of the themes and challenges in making supply chains environmentally and socially sustainable in general (RS1, RS2). One explored freight transport (RS3), one, urban freight distribution (RS4), and one, logistical services (RS5) in particular. RS6 explored a complexity theory perspective (CTP) on managing, governing, and developing sustainable supply chains activities. A CTP was chosen because of its applicability and ability to provide an understanding of the complex phenomena that sustainable development and supply chains represent. During and after the design of each research study, data were collected from a variety of sources and then analyzed by different researchers on some occasions and by different methods. Thus, the research design, data collection, and data analysis were mixed and overlapping, because they were not completely sequentially carried out. The aim of the analysis was to generate knowledge by (re)organizing and categorizing the data collected, by exploring the meaning of the data (i.e., generating information), and identifying their patterns of associations. After assessing the quality of the synthesized knowledge, the results were communicated to several target groups through several communication channels. In RS1, five major themes and challenges were identified in making supply chains environmentally sustainable. RS5 led to a deeper understanding of the insights of logistics service providers (LSPs) about the challenges identified in RS1. RS2 led to the identification of five major themes and eight major challenges in making supply chains socially sustainable. In the context of freight transport in RS3, fifteen major themes and five major challenges emerged. In the context of urban freight distribution in RS4, these numbers were eight major themes and seven major challenges. However, the results (i.e., the generated knowledge) about the themes and challenges were subjective: They were influenced by my interpretation of what had been said, observed, or scientifically written. The results were also relative (related to what had been said, observed, or scientifically written), and influenced by the different methods for collection and analysis of data. By combining the thirty-three identified themes in the research studies and classifying them based on their similarities and overlap, four central themes in making supply chains sustainable emerged out: sustainability in goods and services, sustainability in resources, sustainability in corporation, and sustainability in management and/or governance. Similarly, by combining the twenty-four identified challenges in the research studies and classifying them based on their similarities and overlap, five central challenges in making supply chains sustainable emerged out: shifting the values, difficulties of operationalization, dealing with complexity, difficulties of corporate governance, and SMEs difficulties. Taking a CTP was beneficial in understanding the complexity involved in the central themes of making supply chains sustainable. It also led to further propositions for tackling the challenges

Themes and challenges in making supply chains environmentally sustainable

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to explore themes and challenges in making supply chains environmentally sustainable. Design/methodology/approach - The study began with a systematic review, and content analysis of articles in top-ranking related journals from logistics, transport, sustainability and environmental areas, and ended with research propositions contributing to the further advancement of supply chain management. Findings - The findings illustrate the major themes published in 18 journals concentrating on sustainable supply chains with special focus on environmental issues. From the systematic review five major areas of challenges for supply chain management are derived: costs, complexity, operationalisation, mindset and cultural changes, and uncertainties. From all of these areas synthesising discussions are provided and research propositions suggested. It is concluded that there is a great need for models and frameworks that consider the complexity involved, take holistic perspectives, and challenge the basic assumptions underlying most of the research published (i.e. reductionism, positivism and economic growth). Research limitations/implications - Sustainability in this article is mainly related to environmental issues. Analysis of complex interactions between environmental, social and economic aspects might provide opportunities for future research. Practical implications - The results presented in this paper provide a systematic structure for classifying issues related to logistics sustainability; something which will be beneficial for managers and policy-makers when they approach sustainable supply chain management challenges. Originality/value - This paper provides propositions for research based on the emergent outcome of challenges that can guide research, industry and policy-makers in future sustainability efforts

Themes and challenges in making freight transport sustainable

The purpose of this article is to explore themes and challenges in making freight transport sustainable out of a logistics service providers’ perspective. The approach is explorative and the main method for data collection is interviews. The study has a cross sectional design which takes advantage of nine semi-structured interviews from selected logistics service providers operating in the Scandinavian countries. Our findings illustrate the major themes of sustainable freight transport, by analyses of current as well as future activities, in perspective of nine interviewed logistics service providers. In addition, the patterns of current and probable emerging challenges for developing sustainable freight transport were discovered. It is concluded that there is great need for a holistic perspective where logistics service providers and product owners together analyse and design future freight transport set-ups. The analysis of complex interactions among LSPs and other actors of supply chains provide several opportunities for future research. The results offered in this paper provide a systematic structure for classifying issues related to sustainable freight transport; something which will be beneficial for managers and policy-makers when they approach sustainable supply chain management challenges. Syntheses and discovery of themes and challenges of making freight transport sustainable are critical for a sustainable society. This paper combines the results from interviews with a thorough review of related articles and homepages. The study ends with research propositions contributing to the further advancement of supply chain sustainability and management

A content analysis of environmentally sustainable logistics - A complexity outlook

Purpose of this paper The purpose of this article is to explore themes and challenges in making logistics environmentally sustainable with a complexity theoretical perspective. Design/methodology/approach The research is explorative and based on a cross-sectional design focusing on different entities of supply chains. The study set out with a systematic review and content analysis of articles in top-ranking related journals from logistics, transportation, sustainability and environmental areas. Findings The findings show that there is a great gap between the sustainable logistics challenges, and the models and frameworks for approaching and handle these. While the vast majority of models and solutions are based on reductionistic principles and simplified views on reality, the results indicate that obstacles in developing logistics in an environmental-friendly way are both complicated and complex as it involves paradoxes, contradictions and system-wide effects. Research limitations/implications (if applicable) Sustainability in this article is mainly related to environmental issues. Analysis of complex interactions between complex environmental pillar with complex social and economic pillars could provide opportunities for future research. Practical implications (if applicable) The offered results in this paper provides a systematic structure for classifying issues related to logistics sustainability, something that will be beneficial for managers and policy-makers when approaching sustainable logistics challenges. What is original/value of paper Identification, classification and analysis of current problems and challenges of environmental sustainability of logistics are new. This paper also presents a thorough summary of previous approaches and studies of sustainable logistics

Developing environmentally sustainable logistics : exploring themes and challenges from a logistics service providers' perspective

The purpose of this paper is to explore themes and challenges in developing environmentally sustainable logistical activities. The approach is explorative with a cross sectional design that takes advantage of ten case studies out of selected logistics service providers (LSPs) operating primarily in the Scandinavian countries The findings illustrate the major themes by analyzing current and future activities in developing environmentally sustainable logistical activities. In addition, four categories of challenges are identified: customer priorities, managerial complexity, network imbalance, and technological and legislative uncertainties. It is concluded that there is a great need for a holistic perspective where LSPs and product owners together analyze and design future logistical setups The suggested holistic and integrative model, building on a three-dimensional concurrent engineering framework, provides new opportunities for research. Further research is needed to improve the interrelationship between LSPs and their customers in the development of sustainable logistical solutions This paper puts forward recommendations for the sustainable development of logistics by combining the results from the case studies with a review of related literature. This will be beneficial for managers and policy makers when they approach sustainable logistical challenges. The emergence and synthesis of themes and challenges are critical for a sustainable society. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserve