Transforming Dubai Logistics Corridor into a Global Logistics Hub

The case discusses the various factors that bolstered positioning Dubai as the ideal location for a logistics hub, located at the crossroads of international trade and commerce between the Eastern and Western worlds. Dubai is also regarded as the gateway to the world\u27s most progressive markets which include Greater Africa, Indian subcontinent and the East European countries. The case illustrates some of the critical challenges faced by the city in particular and the country as a whole, in the past decade, thereby evaluating the issues and risks that can hinder its strategic logistics developmental roadmap. The case can be taken up for subjects like Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Global Logistics Systems, Warehouse Management and Strategic Management, and to enrich concepts related but not limited to Facility Location Strategy, Logistics Network Expansion Strategy, Country Analysis, Distribution Hub Location Strategy et

System dynamics-based modelling and analysis of greening the construction industry supply chain

Increasing concern on global warming and corporate social responsibility have made environmental issues an area of importance to address for governments and businesses across the world. Among the Middle East countries, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tops the list in terms of per capita energy spending and per capita carbon footprints. The construction industry is the major contributor to environmental pollution due to its size and nature of activity. The rapid growth of construction sector has a significant environmental impact with increase in carbon footprints. This paper analyses the environmental implications of the rapidly growing construction industry in UAE using system dynamics approach. Quantitative modelling of the construction industry supply chain helps to measure the dynamic interaction between its various factors under multiple realistic scenarios. The potential carbon savings and the impact of each factor are calculated using scenario development analysis. The paper has addressed in detail the various drivers and inhibitors of carbon emission in the construction industry supply chain and ways to evaluate the carbon savings. The paper provides an analytical decision framework to assess emissions of all stages applicable to the construction industry supply chain

Study of cold chain logistics implementation strategies: insights from UAE industry

This article highlights the concept of cold chain logistics, the importance of cold chain logistics and the role and benefits of cold chain logistics among different industries. It analyses challenges of implementing the cold chain logistics by taking a case of pharmaceutical drugs Industry located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and introduces some general cost and concerns of cold supply chain practices associated to this region. Finally the paper discusses risks associated with the implementation and potential opportunities of the cold chain logistics in the UAE region

Creating a competitive advantage in the global flight catering supply chain: a case study using SCOR model

Flight catering is a complex food service industry that caters to a wide range of airlines. Meals provided to passengers are a measure of in-flight service on an airplane. In the case of the airline industry, flight catering companies are responsible for preparing the meal that flight crews serve it at a voyaging altitude. This case study examines Emirates Kitchen Flight Catering (EKFC), a jointly owned entity of Dubai Civil Aviation (10%) and the Emirates Group (90%). Based on existing literature, international archival reports, company publications and participant observations of EKFC, the paper examines how EKFC reached the top of the catering supply chain by offering the best-in-class quality services and food to its passengers. The paper addresses the persistent growth of EKFC\u27s operations and investigates relevant strategies that reinforce EKFC\u27s fundamental competencies through the application of Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) framework. Offering a combination of on-board excellence, quality, and fresh and delicious food while controlling costs across the supply chain is an important differentiator of EKFC\u27s flight catering business, thereby setting a benchmark for other businesses

The adoption of green supply chain strategy: An institutional perspective

Green supply chain has emerged as an important organizational strategy in modern business environment. While most of the current literature look at the green supply chain strategy adoption from economic and political perspective, we investigate the green supply chain strategy adoption from an institutional perspective because supply chain management involves cooperation and interactions among multiple stakeholders, and the decision to adopt this strategy may have more to do with the institutional environment in which a firm is situated. In this study, we identify key institutional determinants of green supply chain strategy adoption. A structured survey was designed to investigate critical driving forces of adoption of green supply chain strategy

An application of hybrid life cycle assessment as a decision support framework for green supply chains

In an effort to achieve sustainable operations, green supply chain management has become an important area for firms to concentrate on due to its inherent involvement with all the processes that provide foundations to successful business. Modelling methodologies of product supply chain environmental assessment are usually guided by the principles of life cycle assessment (LCA). However, a review of the extant literature suggests that LCA techniques suffer from a wide range of limitations that prevent a wider application in real-world contexts; hence, they need to be incorporated within decision support frameworks to aid environmental sustainability strategies. Thus, this paper contributes in understanding and overcoming the dichotomy between LCA model development and the emerging practical implementation to inform carbon emissions mitigation strategies within supply chains. Therefore, the paper provides both theoretical insights and a practical application to inform the process of adopting a decision support framework based on a LCA methodology in a real-world scenario. The supply chain of a product from the steel industry is considered to evaluate its environmental impact and carbon ‘hotspots’. The study helps understanding how operational strategies geared towards environmental sustainability can be informed using knowledge and information generated from supply chain environmental assessments, and for highlighting inherent challenges in this process

Sustainability as corporate culture of a brand for superior performance

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in the Journal of World Business. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.Sustainability research highlights new challenges and opportunities for businesses. This paper reviews the literature to understand the ability of sustainable green initiatives when practiced as a corporate culture to individually create new opportunities for operations, management and marketing. According to current research, business opportunities exclusively available to different functions of a firm can drive its performance. The role of marketing in the achievement of superior performance by virtue of sustainability practices is also explained by the existing literature. Branding literature, however, fails to explain the influence of a brand on sustainability-driven opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. The objective of this study is to explore if a brand can strengthen the ability of sustainability-based green initiatives of managers to drive opportunities available to a firm for superior performance. A conceptual framework grounded in the triple bottom line theory is presented based on the assumption that brand as a stimulating factor can accelerate the conversion of opportunities available to a business into superior performance. Academic and managerial perspectives have been used to draw upon the implications of the model. Both practitioners and academic researchers will benefit from future research on this topic

Comparing linear and circular supply chains: A case study from the construction industry

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. In the last decades, green and sustainable supply chain management practices have been developed in efforts to try and reduce the negative consequences of production and consumption processes on the environment. In parallel to this, the circular economy discourse has been propagated in the industrial ecology and production economics literature and, lately, in business and practice. The ideals of circular economy principles suggests that the frontiers of environmental sustainability can be pushed by emphasising the idea of transforming products in such a way that there are workable relationships between ecological systems and economic growth. By arguing for these ideals to be integrated into green supply chain management theory and practice, the paper uses a case study from the construction industry to demonstrate the environmental gains in terms of carbon emissions that can be achieved through some circular economy principles as against traditional linear production systems. The paper therefore asserts that an integration of circular economy principles within sustainable supply chain management can provide clear advantages from an environmental point view despite some external supply chain influences and scenarios. Further to this, emerging supply chain management challenges and market dynamics are also highlighted and discussed