Global Supply Chain Governance and the Future of Globalization

Over the past 30 years or so,globalization has been underpinned by ever-evolving supply chains.The heightened attention to supply chain issues in recent years has been due to a series of global events in the world that have had a significant and profound impact.Factors such as the COVID pandemic,the Ukraine Crisis and increased geopolitical tensions have led to supply chain crises globally or regionally.

Remanufacturing closed-loop supply chain network design based on genetic particle swarm optimization algorithm

As the huge computation and easily trapped local optimum in remanufacturing closed-loop supply chain network (RCSCN) design considered, a genetic particle swarm optimization algorithm was proposed. The total cost of closed-loop supply chain was selected as fitness function, and a unique and tidy coding mode was adopted in the proposed algorithm. Then, some mutation and crossover operators were introduced to achieve discrete optimization of RCSCN structure. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can gain global optimal solution with good convergent performance and rapidity. The computing speed is only 22.16 s, which is shorter than those of the other optimization algorithms.

Closed-loop supply chain network equilibrium strategy model with environmental protection objectives

With the increasing popularity of ecological civilization and sustainable development,enterprises should consider environmental protection measures in their operations in addition to pursue their economic interests.This paper establsihes a closed-loop supply chain network model composed of multiple suppliers,manufacturers,retailers,recyclers,and demand markets—regarding their dual goals of the profit maximization and the minimization of carbon emissions.The conditions necessary for establishing overall equilibrium and an equilibrium model of the entire closed-loop supply chain network are determined by applying variational inequality and dual theory.A modified projection contraction algorithm is used to design a model-solving program.Finally,using numerical examples,the paper conducts a comparative static analysis on important parameters such as the weight coefficients of environmental protection objectives and consumers'awareness of low-carbon environmental protection and attains some beneficial enlightenment on management.The results indicate that when the environmental protection objectives of a certain type of enterprise increases,both the economic benefits and environmental protection performance will improve;when the environmental protection objectives of all enterprises increases simultaneously,environmental protection performance improves significantly,but the changes in economic benefits of different enterprises are inconsistent and profit coordination is more complex.Although consumers’awareness of low-carbon preference could improve environmental performance,it reduces the overall profits of network members and the entire closed-loop supply chain network as a whole.The above conclusions can be used as a reference for the government in designing low-carbon environmental protection policy and in closed-loop supply chain research.

Pricing and decision of carbon emission reduction for closed-loop supply chain considering carbon trading mechanism

To determine the optimal pricing and carbon emission reduction decision, a closed-loop supply chain with a manufacturer and a retailer is investigated. In this system, the manufacturer manufactures new products and remanufactures used products while the retailer is responsible for selling new products and remanufactured products. The profit functions of the manufacturer and the retailer are developed, and the corresponding solution formulae for decision variables are given by the Stackelberg game model. Finally, a numerical example is given, and the optimal wholesale price, retail price, carbon emission reduction and others are obtained. Through the sensitivity of the unit carbon allowance price, some significant managerial insights are derived.

Comparison on global supply chain purchasing strategies based on supply contracts

In the global supply chain in a setting characterized by exchange rate uncertainties,it is quite necessary to focus on comparative research trying to find out which kind of purchasing strategy is better in different situations.The two common global purchasing strategies,risk sharing(RS)and quantity flexibility(QF),are selected to be compared.Using a real-options approach,the valuation models of RS and QF purchasing contracts are established.By means of binomial lattice technique,numerical simulation and sensitivity analysis of two stochastic dynamic programs are presented.The effects on expected discounted value by changing relative parameters are described clearly.Based on comparative analysis,it is concluded that the QF purchasing strategy is better than that of the RS especially where great volatility exists for exchange rate processes in the global supply chain.

Study on the Improvement of Performance of Global Supply Chain Based on Quantity Flexibility Revenue Sharing Contract

The main propose of this study is to manage the demand risk and the exchange rate risk at the same time. Based on a two-echelon decentralized global supply chain,combined with the model equilibrium,this paper studies the difference between the quantity flexibility contract and the revenue sharing contract. By the transmitting of exchange rate risk,it discusses the node-enterprises' optimal strategies. Hence,it designs a quantity-flexibility-revenue-sharing contract to improve the performance of this global supply chain. The result shows that both the quantity flexibility contract and the revenue sharing contract cause the exchange rate risk to transfer from one enterprise to the other; the exchange rate risk will have different impact on the quantity flexibility contract and the revenue sharing contract because of the difference in the transfer payments at the end of the sales season; by designing a hedging strategy with these two different transfer payments,the quantity-flexibility-revenue-sharing contract can manage the demand risk and the exchange rate risk at the same time.

The Usage of Social Media and E-Reputation System in Global Supply Chain: Comparative Cases from Diamond &Automotive Industries

The last decade witnesses a heave use of social media-based information systems in different fields of business such as logistics, procurement, and supply chain management. Managing these types of information systems, could help companies to outsource their supply chain functions in a global scale and enhance their competitive advantages. However, the digital performance of these activities inherent risks of inappropriate supplier selection, lack of trust, bounded rationality and uncertainty about the supply conditions (e.g., pricing, shipping and timing). To address such challenges, this research explains how companies use e-reputation systems and social media to select their global trusted suppliers. Based on two-case evidence from British Diamond and Egyptian Automotive companies, the researchers conducted 20 interviews with purchasing and supply chain professionals. Chen & Lin’s reputation system model has been adopted to explain the process of selecting and evaluating a trusted supplier and to inform our data analysis. Our findings referred to the lack of experience among diamond professionals on how to use e-reputation systems and their lack of understanding to the role of social media-based ratings or referrals during the stages of selection suppliers’ discovery and approval. Though, automotive professionals find e-reputation system a strong tool to build goodwill, tacit credibility, competence and predictable trust. Ironically, both cases confirm that supply chain professional use these systems to re-evaluate and reselect their existing suppliers than to extend new supply networks.

Improving the Performance of Urban Waste Management Systems in the Context of a Closed-Loop Supply Chain

The saving of non-renewable energies, as well as the reduction of emissions into the environment, are two crucial objectives of industrial production. The recovery of post-consumer products associated with the use of end-of-life products is part of a context of optimization of these objectives. This recovery maximizes the use of resources from end-of-life products in a circular logic while recording the environmental footprint. This study considers a recycling strategy adapted to the need and urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by global warming. The proposed model aims to optimize the profits of the circular manufacturing strategies while minimizing operational costs (collection, sorting, recycling), transport, GHG emissions and recycling. In this paper, a compromise between the gains of CM and the costs associated with it was studied. The robustness of the designed model was tested using a case study based on real-world scenarios. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the impact of the emission cost on the overall objective, considering the two options currently offered to industries. The obtained results support companies to take the ecological aspect into account and integrate sustainable development into their strategic axes for their logistics supply chains.

An Activity in Japan for Realizing CO2-Free Hydrogen Global Supply Chains

The current basic energy plan of Japan was authorized in the Cabinet in June 2010, in which ambitious energy and environmental targets and policies giving nuclear power a pivotal role toward 2030 were described. At present, the Japanese government has been forced to review the basic energy plan in the wake of the great east Japan earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011 followed by the severe accident at the nuclear power plants in Fukushima. Before the disaster, the IAE （institute of applied energy） had realized that it was not clear how CO2-free hydrogen would contribute to solving various energy and environmental issues, or that prospects were not clear for large demand of CQ-free hydrogen other than FCVs （fuel cell vehicles）. In this connection, the authors organized a voluntary ＂Concept Study Group （in short）＂ in March 2011 and held four meetings until the end of March 2012. Through the quantitative studies using IAE＇s simulation model （GRAPE）, the common recognition was built in the concept study group that hydrogen could contribute to energy security and increase in zero-emissions electric power ratio in Japan. It was also estimated that global CO2-free hydrogen supply chains could be realized by degrees after 2020. Based on these results, the authors made a proposal that hydrogen should be added in the primary energy constitution for new basic energy plan to the Japanese government because imported hydrogen could be considered as a pseudo-primary energy like LNG （liquefied natural gas）. Now, the succeeding ＂Action Plan Study Group （in short）＂ has been held focusing on hydrogen demand in various applications, future pictures of CO2-free hydrogen chains and road maps. Activity results of the ＂Concept Study Group＂ are shown here.

Creating Inclusive Global Value Chains under the BRI from the Perspective of Public Goods Supply and Demand

Supply and demand of public goods provide a brand-new theoretical framework for research on the creation of inclusive global value chains(GVCs)under the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).The supply of international public goods is an important positive variable for creating global value chains under the BRI,in which China and other developing countries involved,as well as their small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs),are microscopic entities.When the BRI’s supply of instrumental,institutional,and conceptual international public goods is in equilibrium with the demand of GVC entities for public goods,the BRI creates necessary conditions for the extension of GVCs.GVCs created under the BRI are of great value in promoting inclusiveness,fair income distribution,balanced regional development,and the restructuring of international economic governance.Under the current GVC system,some developed countries have been wary about the BRI and even developed misgivings and biases.Nevertheless,developed countries may play an active role in bridging gaps in the BRI’s development and complement their respective strengths with developing countries for win-win cooperation.

Dynamic Pricing Model for the Operation of Closed-Loop Supply Chain System

A class of closed-loop supply chain system consisting of one manufacturer and one supplier is designed, in which re-distribution, remanufacturing and reuse are considered synthetically. The manufacturer is in charge of recollecting and re-disposal the used products. Demands of ultimate products and collecting quantity of used products are described as the function of prices and reference prices. A non-linear dynamic pricing model for this closed-loop supply chain is established. A numerical example is designed, and the results of this example verified the model’s validity to price for the operation of closed-loop supply chain system.

A Research on Global Supply Chains and Networking

It is argued that networking entails complex processes and should not be seen as a neutral term, devoid of relational content. Foremost, the institutional framework and economic environment in which research is conceived, designed, implemented, and evaluated need to be explicated. The paper takes the risk possibly over contextualizing processes in order to expose strong economic and institutional forces that are intersecting in food chains. By revealing many layers of economic and institutional context, we are able to show how major actors both inside and outside the food chains are endeavoring to constrain other actors into particular trajectories, thereby remaking the local and global structure, organization, and wider territoriality of the food chains.

Characteristics of Global Automotive Supply Chain

To meet the demands of rapid development of the automotive industry, a well-built supply chain system is needed urgently under the background of globalization. The implication of Global Supply Chain（GSC） is discussed at first. Then, three characteristics of global automobile supply chain such us reversibility, complexity, and synergy are analyzed, and accordingly three apocalypses related global auto supply chain are proposed.

Decision model for closed loop supply chain with uncertain demand and price-dependent returns

A single product closed-loop supply chain that satisfies an uncertain market demand with original and remanufactured products is considered.The yield of the recovery process is random and depends on the acquisition price offered for the end-of-life products.In such a stochastic setting,a firm needs to make production and procurement decisions so that the total expected profit is maximized.Both centralized and decentralized models are established depending on the party collecting the returns.The optimal acquisition price and production quantities of original and remanufactured products are determined for the firm.The contracts to coordinate the decentralized systems are chosen and the optimal contract parameters are determined.A computational experiment is given to show the effects of recovery parameters on the system performance.Results show that the recovery parameters have a high impact on the profitability of the manufacturer in the centralized model and on that of the collection agency in the decentralized model.

Literature Review on Network Design Problems in Closed Loop and Reverse Supply Chains

The productivity of an organization is very much affected by non-value adding activity like logistics, which moves the resources from suppliers to factory, raw materials/semi-finished items within the factory and finished goods from factory to customers via a designated distribution channel called as forward logistics. In some cases, parts of the products such as automobiles, computers, cameras, mobile phones, washing machines, refrigerators, garments, footwear and empty glass bottles of beverages, etc. will be brought back to the factories as a product recovery strategy through reverse logistics network which is integrated in a sustainable closed loop supply chain network. So, it is highly essential to optimize the movement of the items in the reverse logistics network. This paper gives a comprehensive review of literature of the design of networks for the reverse logistics as well as for the reverse logistics coupled with forward logistics. The contributions of the researchers are classified into nine categories based on the methods used to design the logistics network.

Collection Cost Screening Mechanism in a Closedloop Supply Chain

Recently, the product remanufacturing has been a hot topic in the field of operational management, and more manufacturers are beginning to recover the value in their end of life （EOI.） products hy remanufacturing. This paper focuses on the closed loop supply chain where the retailer takes charge of not only retail, but also col- lection. There are two possible types of the retailer＇s collection cost as an assumption, i.e. high cost or low cost, and the retailer knows his type, whereas the manufacturer only has a prior prohability over the two possible cost types. This paper deploys the contracts with which the manufacturer can screen the type of the retailer to improve her profit under incomplete information. As a result, the pooling contract can perfectly coordinate the decentral- ized system under incomplete information, but the manufacturer obtains the lower profit; nevertheless, with the separating contracts the manufacturer obtains the larger profits though the system profit is lower.

Innovative Measures Ensuring Integrity of the Entire Supply Chain or Transport Corridor

The EWTC （East-West Transport Corridor） in the Southem part of the Baltic Sea Region includes more effective testing area of new business models for collaborative logistics flows. Since the EWTC is a corridor requiring transport mode interchanges due to crossing the Baltic Sea, development of intermodal transport solutions making different transport modes fully integrated along the corridor is a key issue for the EWTC. To meet an increased global transport demand, ports and intermodal terminals need to make sure that their facilities are prepared for growth. Thus, for ports in the EWTC it is important to offer the services necessary for handling the maritime freight services （container ships, RoRo ships, railway ferries） demanded by transporters and transport buyers. IT services are needed to support transportation activities along the corridor. This is especially important for the EWTC due to its physical nature, interchange points, multi-language and cross boarder interaction. Information on a constantly updated traffic situation and interchange status, tracking of goods, booking and confirmation services, intelligent truck parking and services opening faster border crossing routes would ensure more efficient transportation and handling thereofi It is expected that the outcomes of the recently completed eMAR project will help to develop a modem Klaipeda Seaport community system as well as effective management architecture along the EWTC based on the CSW （Corridor Single Window） approach.

Sustainable Data Analytics for Environmental Performance Monitoring in Dynamic Supply Chain Infrastructure

The increase in climate change raises the awareness of societal stakeholders to act as key-drivers in motivating and pushing corporations to monitor their sustainability data transparency, analyse their operations performance, and improve their operations related to environment, social governance, and corporate social responsibility. This paper evaluates the current importance of the societal stakeholders that impact the compliance of companies towards these environmental, social and governance practices in their supply chain operations. The latest review on the sustainability reporting and its data analytics are carried out, followed by a review of the development of a sustainability reporting and data analytics model, including sustainability software and online platforms in facilitating and supporting supply chain practitioners in their decision-making process. The model has been further developed as a dashboard and applied to a maritime supply chain firm. A case analysis has been conducted to illustrate the importance of analytics data in supporting complex decision-making process. Additional intelligent data analytics functionalities are recommended as future development for the sustainability reporting and data analytics dashboard in supply chain operations.

International Supply Chain Management （ISCM）： An Emergent Perspective on Internationalization Driven by Information and Communications Technology （ICT）

The focus of the article is on the contribution of the perspective of supply chain management （SCM） to the explanation of internationalization processes. The empirical study is based on case studies of 20 small- and medium-sized enterprises （SMEs） with international activities from China, India, New Zealand, and Singapore. All chosen firms were founded after 1980 in order to capture retrospectively the whole globalization process of each firm. All sample firms operate their supply chains （SCs） on the basis of information and communications technology （ICT）. Depending on size, strategy, business model, industry, and mindset of the managers, firms use ICT on a range from integrating individual functional areas to integrating the whole SC through enterprise resource planning （ERP） and customer relationship management （CRM） systems.

Production and Innovation in Supply Platforms:Insights from the Innovation Systems and Value Chain Approaches

This paper introduces the term ＇supply platform＇ as a tentative and open-ended concept that captures characteristics of central importance for the study of export-oriented producers. As regional concentrations of export-oriented suppliers in China and India are maturing, many firms are now striving to build up innovation capabilities. How do we study the transition from production capabilities to innovation capabilities in supply platforms？ This paper reviews the insights from the innovation systems and global value chain literatures and discusses how we may build on these approaches for empirical studies of transition. It is found that these literatures provide important hypotheses for empirical research but more conceptual work is needed in order to address adequately the question of interest.