1,721,119 research outputs found
Does blockchain technology need to be introduced in the closed-loop supply chain based on product lifecycle management?
No full textResource wastage, prevalent in all industries, hinders sustainable economic and social development. Inspired by the application of blockchain technology in product traceability, we find that government investment in blockchain technology platforms (BTP) can facilitate the recycling of waste products. We develop a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) model consisting of a single manufacturer and a single retailer, examining the impact of BTP on the CLSC and its potential benefits to the government. The results show that BTP increases retail prices and market demand within the CLSC but has a non-monotonic impact on wholesale prices. Interestingly, we find that even when the BTP unit cost is moderate, BTP can still enhance CLSC profits if the recycling rate falls below a certain threshold. Furthermore, in scenarios with a high service elasticity coefficient, CLSC can leverage BTP to boost profits, even when the unit usage cost is substantial. Under specific conditions, timely investments in BTP can augment social welfare for the government. Notably, government investment in BTP becomes imperative when the recycling rate is relatively low, and the environmental burden is significant. Finally, this paper explores the conditions conducive to collaborative implementation of BTP by the government and CLSC, providing a valuable reference for their effective BTP implementation.</p
Three is a crowd? : on the benefits of involving contract manufacturers in collaborative planning for three-echelon supply chains
No full textAbstract In today’s network economy, multi-echelon supply networks have become the dominant life form. The question of how to coordinate goods flows in such multi-echelon settings has become paramount. This study investigates the effectiveness of collaboration and information sharing in a three-echelon supply network, whereas academic research so far has focused on collaboration in twoechelon supply chains. The starting point for this study is a published and prizewinning
real-world case of collaborative planning (CP) in the high-clockspeed industry of electronics. In particular, this research zooms in on the role played by the middle echelon, that of the contract manufacturers (CM), whose strategic interests typically are less aligned with the OEM than those of the key component suppliers. A system dynamics simulation model is developed and calibrated from
this three-echelon supply network setting. Simulation analysis suggests that, when the CM is actively engaged in the joint CP process, the benefits are higher for all three echelons involved. On the other hand, if the CM does not collaborate, then collaboration between the two other echelons still yields significant benefits for all supply network members. In short, in goods flow information sharing in threeechelon supply network settings, three is not a crowd , but two is company
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Multinational enterprise buyers’ choices for extending corporate social responsibility practices to suppliers in emerging countries: A multi-method study
Full text linkWhen managing a global supply chain, one critical challenge encountered by multinational enterprises (MNEs) is the extension of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices to suppliers in emerging countries. In this study, we use a multi-method approach to explore 1) the nature of suppliers’ CSR heterogeneity based on the various components of CSR in emerging countries, and 2) the choices of MNEs for extending CSR to different types of suppliers in dynamic environments. We begin with a survey of Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) servicing MNEs to examine how these suppliers vary in CSR implementation based on cluster analysis results. To understand the choices made by MNE buyers for extending CSR to their OEM suppliers, we conduct an agent-based simulation study considering the dynamics of a system with multiple agents (i.e., MNE buyers, OEM suppliers, and the government). The cluster analysis results show that CSR practices implemented by Chinese OEMs differ significantly from one another and can be classified into three clusters (i.e., Leader, Follower, and Laggard). The simulation results provide insights into how the adaption costs (e.g., upgrade cost and cost saved by downgrading) and punitive (inspection with possible penalties) and supportive (subsidies) tactics adopted by the government affect the choices made by MNE buyers for extending CSR practices to suppliers in emerging countries. Moreover, we demonstrate when supportive tactics are more effective than punitive tactics under varying conditions and extend the model to investigate the consequences of switching between these two types of tactics in a sequential simulation
Bioenergy Systems and Supply Chains in Europe: Conditions, Coordination and Capacity
No full textThere are considerable biomass resources in the European Union and mature conversion technologies to exploit the potentials of bioenergy. A challenge confronting the European Union and Member States is how to accelerate the implementation of bioenergy systems and related supply chains. This chapter contributes to the identification, analysis, and discussion of constraints for bioenergy in the European Union. Adopting a combination of research methods and different informants from 6 case studies across Europe, this chapter identifies economic conditions, institutional capacity, and supply coordination as the key constraints obstructing the expansion of bioenergy. Furthermore, the case studies expose 4 points about constraints for bioenergy. First, there are no absolute constraints to realising the potentials of bioenergy in the European Union. Second, it is non-technical challenges that are hindering bioenergy rather than technical issues. Third, constraints for bioenergy are dynamic and depend on the context. Fourth, there are consistent strategies observed in the case studies to overcome constraints
Three is a crowd? On the benefits of involving contract manufacturers in collaborative planning for Three-Echelon Supply Networks
No full textIn today’s network economy, multi-echelon supply networks have become the dominant life form. The question of how to coordinate goods flows in such multi-echelon settings has become paramount. This study investigates the effectiveness of collaboration and information sharing in a three-echelon supply network, whereas academic research so far has focused on collaboration in two-echelon supply chains. The starting point for this study is a published and prize-winning real-world case of collaborative planning (CP) in the high-clockspeed industry of electronics. In particular, this research zooms in on the role played by the middle echelon, that of the contract manufacturers (CM), whose strategic interests typically are less aligned with the OEM than those of the key component suppliers. A system dynamics simulation model is developed and calibrated from this three-echelon supply network setting. Simulation analysis suggests that, when the CM is actively engaged in the joint CP process, the benefits are higher for all three echelons involved. On the other hand, if the CM does not collaborate, then collaboration between the two other echelons still yields significant benefits for all supply network members. In short, in goods flow information sharing in three-echelon supply network settings, “three is not a crowd”, but “two is company”
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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