Business-driven social change:a systematic review of the evidence

How can companies help change people's behaviour in order to benefit society? Organizations have the resources and market influence to effect positive change. Through product labeling, supply chain management, cause marketing, corporate philanthropy, employee volunteerism and NGO (non-government organization) partnerships, companies are helping society get active, eat healthy foods, dispose of products properly, use less energy and generally live more sustainable lives. This report reveals the three conditions necessary for changing people's behaviour that create benefits for society. The report also includes 19 mechanisms companies can use to motivate people to change and to create the capabilities and opportunities for change.

An exploratory study of ICT usage in small logistics service providers

Information and communication technology (ICT) developments have strongly affected supply chain management (SCM) in recent years. ICT has had a great impact on all supply chain processes including planning, purchasing, production management, stock management, physical distribution and related integration management. Technology has become an important dimension of third party logistics (3PL) service supply as competitive advantage increasingly depends on the ability to create value for customers through the effective application of ICT. Within this process, while large 3PLs are gaining substantial benefits from technology usage and implementation, the magnitude of changes spurred by ICT dissemination in small logistics service providers remains unclear. This is reflected by the existing gap in literature where the role and competitive developing processes of small 3PLs are seriously underestimated. This gives rise to the need to develop research and investigation in this particular area. The objective of this paper is to narrow the knowledge gap in the field of ICT adoption in small 3PLs through an empirical investigation. It presents the results of a survey on a sample of small Italian 3PLs.

Purchasing green transport and logistics services:implications from the environmental sustainability attitude of 3PLs

Environmental sustainability is an area of increasing importance for third party logistics (3PL) companies. As the design and implementation of services requires interaction between buyer and 3PL, the 3PLs are in a critical position to support the efforts towards greening operations of different supply chain participants. However the literature in this field reflects a gap between the perspectives of buyers and 3PLs. This chapter attempts to fill this void through an explorative case study analysis on the environmental attitude of 3PLs in order to derive implications for buyers’ behavior. The results indicate that the buyer’s role is critical in different ways in the development of green initiatives among 3PLs. An increased orientation towards longer-term contracts and joint development would likely enhance the level of green initiatives. Indirectly, the buyer has the opportunity to influence its 3PLs through interaction with employees on different levels in the company, including top management.

The use of ICT by logistics service providers and implications for training needs:a cross-country perspective

Changes in the international economic scenario in recent years have made it necessary for both industrial and service firms to reformulate their strategies, with a strong focus on the resources required for successful implementation. In this scenario, information and communication technologies (ICT) has a potentially vital role to play both as a key resource for re-engineering business processes within a framework of direct connection between suppliers and customers, and as a source of cost optimisation. There have also been innovations in the logistics and freight transport industry in relation to ICT diffusion. The implementation of such systems by third party logistics providers (3PL) allows the real-time exchange of information between supply chain partners, thereby improving planning capability and customer service. Unlike other industries, the logistics and freight transport industry is lagging somewhat behind other sectors in ICT diffusion. This situation is to be attributed to a series of both industry-specific and other factors, such as: (a) traditional resistance to change on the part of transport and logistics service providers; (b) the small size of firms that places considerable constraints upon investment in ICT; (c) the relative shortage of user-friendly applications; (d) the diffusion of internal standards on the part of the main providers in the industry whose aim is to protect company information, preventing its dissemination among customers and suppliers; (e) the insufficient degree of professional skills for using such technologies on the part of staff in such firms. The latter point is of critical importance insofar as the adoption of ICT is making it increasingly necessary both to develop new technical skills to use different hardware and new software tools, and to be able to plan processes of communication so as to allow the optimal use of ICT. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of ICT on transport and logistics industry and to highlight how the use of such new technologies is affecting providers' training needs. The first part will provide a conceptual framework of the impact of ICT on the transport and logistics industry. In the second part the state of ICT dissemination in the Italian and Irish third party logistics industry will be outlined. In the third part, the impact of ICT on the training needs of transport and logistics service providers - based on case studies in both countries - are discussed. The implications of the foregoing for the development of appropriate training policies are considered. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.

Resource-efficient supply chains:a research framework, literature review and research agenda

Purpose: To define a research agenda for creating Resource-Efficient Supply Chains (RESC) by identifying and analysing their key characteristics as well as future research opportunities. Design/methodology/approach: We follow a systematic review method to analyse the literature and to understand RESC taking a substantive theory approach. Our approach is grounded in a specific domain, the agri-food sector, because it is an intensive user of an extensive range of resources. Findings: The review shows that literature has looked at the use of resources primarily from the environmental impact perspective. It shows a lack of understanding of the specific RESC characteristics, and concludes more research is needed on multi-disciplinary methods for resource use and impact analyses as well as assessment methods for resource sensitivity and responsiveness. There is a need to explore whether or not, and how, logistics/supply chain decisions will affect the overall configuration of future food supply chains in an era of resource scarcity and depletion and what the trade-offs will be. Research limitations/implications: The paper proposes an agenda for future research in the area of resource–efficient supply chain. The framework proposed along with the key characteristics identified for RESC can be applied to other sectors. Practical implications: Our research should facilitate further understanding of the implications and trade-offs of supply chain decisions taken on the use of resources by supply chain managers. Originality/value: The paper explores the interaction between supply chains and natural resources and also defines the key characteristics of RESC.

Multiple criteria optimization of contemporary logistics distribution network problems

In the contemporary customer-driven supply chain, maximization of customer service plays an equally important role as minimization of costs for a company to retain and increase its competitiveness. This article develops a multiple-criteria optimization approach, combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and an integer linear programming (ILP) model, to aid the design of an optimal logistics distribution network. The proposed approach outperforms traditional cost-based optimization techniques because it considers both quantitative and qualitative factors and also aims at maximizing the benefits of deliverer and customers. In the approach, the AHP is used to determine the relative importance weightings or priorities of alternative warehouses with respect to some critical customer-oriented criteria. The results of AHP prioritization are utilized as the input of the ILP model, the objective of which is to select the best warehouses at the lowest possible cost. In this article, two commercial packages are used: including Expert Choice and LINDO.

Current and future uses of IT in Europe and the Far East:achieving competitive advantage with 3PL

Current and future IT applications effecting supply chains in Europe and Pacific Asia are investigated. 3PL providers increasingly use IT systems for logistics, to enhance supply chain collaboration with business partners. Advanced systems are not always immediately profi table. Most companies already implement IT systems for processing transactions but motivations vary and barriers remain since 3PL providers incompletely understand clients' IT requirements. Long-term productivity gains require sophisticated IT systems to streamline cycles and improve supply chain visibility to facilitate, plan and make decisions. RFID and advanced integration systems, including Business Process Management, are probably the next trend in IT logistics systems. Copyright © 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Consuming linked data in supply chains:enabling data visibility via linked pedigrees

The performance of a supply chain depends critically on the coordinating actions and decisions undertaken by the trading partners. The sharing of product and process information plays a central role in the coordination and is a key driver for the success of the supply chain. In this paper we propose the concept of "Linked pedigrees" - linked datasets, that enable the sharing of traceability information of products as they move along the supply chain. We present a distributed and decentralised, linked data driven architecture that consumes real time supply chain linked data to generate linked pedigrees. We then present a communication protocol to enable the exchange of linked pedigrees among trading partners. We exemplify the utility of linked pedigrees by illustrating examples from the perishable goods logistics supply chain.

Reshoring:opportunities and limits for manufacturing in the UK - the case of the auto sector

In recent years, offshoring and outsourcing have transformed fundamentally nationally based auto sectors into global networks of design, production and distribution across the global value chains coordinated by the major automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). As manufacturing activities tended to be shifted to low-labour cost locations in Asia, Africa and Latin America, high-end design, R&D, product development have stayed anchored mostly to high-cost and high knowledge-intensive home economy locations (perhaps with the except of some design and styling activities which are often located in major end markets around the world. However, very recently the weaknesses of and risks inherent in such global value chains (GVCs) have been exposed, triggering attempts to rethink their nature and also raising possibilities to reshore some manufacturing activities to home countries. A combination of a more competitive exchange rate (despite the very recent appreciation of sterling), increased transport costs, rising wages in key areas of China, and a greater awareness of supply chain resilience have all contributed to a perceived change in some business fundamentals. The potential for some supply chain relocalisation also links in with the servitisation of manufacturing including the auto sector and shift to a hybrid model where manufacturing and services are increasingly intertwined. However, there are limits as to how far this can go and these raise some important questions and issues over the possible role for industrial policy.

Strategic supplier performance evaluation:a case-based action research of a UK manufacturing organisation

The main aim of this research is to demonstrate strategic supplier performance evaluation of a UK-based manufacturing organisation using an integrated analytical framework. Developing long term relationship with strategic suppliers is common in today's industry. However, monitoring suppliers' performance all through the contractual period is important in order to ensure overall supply chain performance. Therefore, client organisations need to measure suppliers' performance dynamically and inform them on improvement measures. Although there are many studies introducing innovative supplier performance evaluation frameworks and empirical researches on identifying criteria for supplier evaluation, little has been reported on detailed application of strategic supplier performance evaluation and its implication on overall performance of organisation. Additionally, majority of the prior studies emphasise on lagging factors (quality, delivery schedule and value/cost) for supplier selection and evaluation. This research proposes both leading (organisational practices, risk management, environmental and social practices) and lagging factors for supplier evaluation and demonstrates a systematic method for identifying those factors with the involvement of relevant stakeholders and process mapping. The contribution of this article is a real-life case-based action research utilising an integrated analytical model that combines quality function deployment and the analytic hierarchy process method for suppliers' performance evaluation. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated through number of validations (e.g. focus group, business results, and statistical analysis). Additionally, the study reveals that enhanced supplier performance results positive impact on operational and business performance of client organisation.

Enhancing visibility in EPCIS governing agri-food supply chains via linked pedigrees

Data integration for the purposes of tracking, tracing and transparency are important challenges in the agri-food supply chain. The Electronic Product Code Information Services (EPCIS) is an event-oriented GS1 standard that aims to enable tracking and tracing of products through the sharing of event-based datasets that encapsulate the Electronic Product Code (EPC). In this paper, the authors propose a framework that utilises events and EPCs in the generation of "linked pedigrees" - linked datasets that enable the sharing of traceability information about products as they move along the supply chain. The authors exploit two ontology based information models, EEM and CBVVocab within a distributed and decentralised framework that consumes real time EPCIS events as linked data to generate the linked pedigrees. The authors exemplify the usage of linked pedigrees within the fresh fruit and vegetables supply chain in the agri-food sector.

Proceedings of the 6th CIRP-Sponsored International Conference on Digital Enterprise Technology

This Proceedings volume contains articles presented at the CIRP-Sponsored International Conference on Digital Enterprise Technology (DET2009) that takes place 14-16 December 2009 in Hong Kong. This is the 6th DET conference in the series and the first to be held in Asia. Professor Paul Maropoulos initiated, hosted and chaired the 1st International DET Conference held in 2002 at the University of Durham. Since this inaugural first DET conference, DET conference series has been successfully held in 2004 at Seattle, Washington USA, in 2006 at Setubal Portugal, in 2007 at Bath England, and in 2008 at Nantes France. The DET2009 conference continues to bring together International expertise from the academic and industrial fields, pushing forward the boundaries of research knowledge and best practice in digital enterprise technology for design and manufacturing, and logistics and supply chain management. Over 120 papers from over 10 countries have been accepted for presentation at DET2009 and inclusion in this Proceedings volume after stringent refereeing process.

Analysis and comparative study of different converter modes in modular second life hybrid battery energy storage systems

The use of ex-transportation battery system (i.e. second life EV/HEV batteries) in grid applications is an emerging field of study. A hybrid battery scheme offers a more practical approach in second life battery energy storage systems because battery modules could be from different sources/ vehicle manufacturers depending on the second life supply chain and have different characteristics e.g. voltage levels, maximum capacity and also different levels of degradations. Recent research studies have suggested a dc-side modular multilevel converter topology to integrate these hybrid batteries to a grid-tie inverter. Depending on the battery module characteristics, the dc-side modular converter can adopt different modes such as boost, buck or boost-buck to suitably transfer the power from battery to the grid. These modes have different switching techniques, control range, different efficiencies, which give a system designer choice on operational mode. This paper presents an analysis and comparative study of all the modes of the converter along with their switching performances in detail to understand the relative advantages and disadvantages of each mode to help to select the suitable converter mode. Detailed study of all the converter modes and thorough experimental results based on a multi-modular converter prototype based on hybrid batteries has been presented to validate the analysis.

Maximising the efficiency of logistics operations with radio frequency identification technology

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has gained increasing popularity in businesses to improve operational efficiency and maximise costs saving. However, there is a gap in the literature exploring the enhanced use of RFID to substantially add values to the supply chain operations, especially beyond what the RFID vendors could offer. This paper presents a multi-agent system, incorporating RFID technology, aimed at fulfilling the gap. The system is developed to model supply chain activities (in particular, logistics operations) and is comprised of autonomous and intelligent agents representing the key entities in the supply chain. With the advanced characteristics of RFID incorporated, the agent system examines ways logistics operations (i.e. distribution network) particular) can be efficiently reconfigured and optimised in response to dynamic changes in the market, production and at any stage in the supply chain. © 2012 IEEE.

Investigating the current and future use of it by 3PL providers in europe and the far east

The paper investigates the role of current and future IT applications in 3PL services in Europe and the Far East. For clients' competitive advantage, 3PL providers increasingly contribute IT systems to logistics, helping 3PL providers to enhance supply chain collaboration with business partners. Through qualitative interviews, questionnaires and secondary data analysis, common attributes of both regions' IT systems are identified which enable supply chain partners to collaborate and share information. Most companies already implement IT systems for processing transactions, but recognized motivations and barriers remain, since 3PL providers incompletely understand clients' IT requirements. Long-term productivity gains require sophisticated IT systems to streamline cycles and improve supply chain visibility, thus facilitating planning and decision-making.