Supply Chain

Agility of the supply chain is one of the main challenges in organizations which acting in a dynamic and complex environment, which they have to be able to answer to customers quickly. But the agility of supply chain is influenced by different agents. Using the model based on agent, this study has tried to simulate the agility of supply chain in an institute of higher education. There are three impressive elements are used in this model called as: smooth, offender and fault case, which those are also categorized in two groups impressive and impressible. There is a model is designed by using NETLOGO software which examines the impression and impressibility on each other. After executing the model at the case studied university at point of Time-769, the organization’s improvement will be possible in the best estate. All offender elements are reduced at this point.

In the technology-driven industries like automotive industry, the success of the companies depends on their ability to provide new and continuous innovations to the market. In this regard, technological capabilities lead to a competitive advantage. The purpose of this study is to identify the effective factors in the technology assessment based on the dynamic capabilities of small and medium automotive supply chains. In this study, by using the principal components analysis (PCA) method, the identification of the important factors according to the views of automotive industry experts has been addressed. The results show that from the perspective of dynamic capabilities, Absorbency and learning, Innovative capability and integration capabilities are the most effective factors. In terms of technology assessment, Processes and organizational structure and level of technology development are the most important factors identified in order to assess the technology of these companies. In addition, in this study, due to the effective factors, a new technology assessment model with dynamic capabilities approach has been proposed and a relevant questionnaire has been developed. The results of reliability analysis show that the proposed questionnaire has an appropriate accuracy and reliability in technology assessment of small and medium automotive supply chain companies.

The purpose of this research is to identify factors and components that affect a trust-based cooperation in the automobile supply chain and their impact on the performance of the supply chain companies. This paper includes 2 parts. In the first part, by studying the research history and literature and interviewing academic and industrial scholars and experts, four hidden variables of trust-based cooperation in automobile industry were identified and the basic research model was designed. In the second part, using Structural Equation verification and path analysis, the impact of these variables on trust-based cooperation and the impact of trust-based cooperation on the performance of the supply chain companies were studied. Research population consisted of Iran-Khodro and Saipa’s supply chain companies including part makers, major car manufacturers and distributors. Data gathering method was questionnaires that were given to 400 companies –one questionnaire per company- 196 of which were returned and analyzed. In this phase, first, by confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis, validity and stability of the indexes that were derived from the model in the first phase, were tested, all of which were confirmed. Four hypotheses were developed based on the conceptual model of the research and tested by path analysis. According to the findings, 3 of the hypotheses were confirmed and one was rejected. Based on the results of the research, some suggestions were presented for improving the performance of companies in the automobile supply chain and for future researches. .

This study explores the use of influence strategies and social mechanisms by the manufacturer to achieve supplier flexibility. Major components of marketing research of previous studies related to influence strategies and measures flexibility in the supply chain context are used. This empirical study utilized 300 survey samples from senior management at Small Medium Enterprises (SME)s. Results show that using influence strategies has positive effects on supplier mix flexibility. Furthermore, the effects of trust on shared vision is positive on manufacturer flexibility.

Background: The paper aims to provide an integrative review of empirical literature on factors affecting knowledge sharing in supply chain, analyzing the various results of the published articles about the topic to find out critical factors. Method: A quality-quantitative mixed method has been adopted in our exploratory study. Delphi method, a qualitative approach, has been initially applied to design a conceptual model for knowledge sharing within supply chain. After this, through a review of literature, 21 articles have been analyzed based on the resulted model to present the critical factors. Finally, the resulting model has been examined and evaluated in the case study, by a quantitative approach. The main instrument of the study is a researcher-made questionnaire. The statistical population comprises all the managers of Khorasan Electricity Supply Chain in Iran (461 people). 215 of them have been selected as samples, using Stratified Random Sampling. Data analyzed by using SPSS 21 software, Z-test, Friedman test, and Studentchr('39')s t-test. Results: According to the results, a model for knowledge sharing in supply chain has been developed based on 5 dimensions and 38 factors. In addition, Communication, trust, and absorptive capacity of knowledge receiver are primary factors in a majority of articles. Also, inter-organizational trust is at average level in Khorasan Electricity Supply Chain, Iran. Conclusion: This paper will contribute to improve understanding on the role of trust as one of the most important components of professional ethics in promoting the culture of knowledge sharing among members

This study examines the ability of contracts as one of the supply chain coordination mechanisms under competitive conditions. In this study, a two-tier supply chain model with two manufacturers and two retailers is considered to develop a competitive structure when demands are uncertain. The supply chain demand is random and depends on the price of the products. Moreover, the products manufactured by market manufacturers are replaceable. Therefore, the main competitive factor is the order decisions, and due to the nature of the demand, deciding on pricing and ordering is necessary. Each retailer is faced with the issue of determining the prices of goods from two manufacturers, which consequently forms a competitive ground between retailers. Therefore, the two-tiered supply chain model is based on the contract price and is optimized, followed by coordinated analysis. The result of the study shows that to maintain the structure of the supply chain, the manufacturer can increase its wholesale price to the extent that the retailer has zero profit. The lowest price of wholesalers is equal to the cost of production, and the wholesale price can be increased to the point where the retailer's profit is zero.

Selecting suitable suppliers and assigning orders to them, is one of the most important strategic supply chain management activities. Therefore, first, in this research, a mathematical model for choosing the supplier in the supply chain in the framework of the operational research methods was proposed. Linear programming model with consideration of purchase costs and transportation costs with the meta-heuristic bee algorithm approach using MATLAB software was solved and analyzed. Therefore, the research method is applied in terms of purpose, and in terms of method is a descriptive mathematical type that was implemented in the form of a library and field studies. Information gathering tools, such as documentation tools, interviews with experts and production managers were used in relation to production. According to the nature of the research, which is modeling and solving by the algorithm, to determine the sample size were selected by cluster sampling method and random sampling method. Then to validate the mathematical model, lingo and Winqsb software was used, the solution obtained by both software, which is the optimal answer and optimal objective function, indicates the validity of the mathematical model.

Given the complexities of supply chain networks, the firms consider modern technologies as a potential factor to improve their supply chain performances. One of these technologies is the Internet of Things (IoT). Hence, the main purpose of this study has been to achieve the conceptual model of the IoT implementation in hospital supply chains. Considering the qualitative nature of the study, relevant articles were specified through library research and collecting the related literature. The outputs obtained were analyzed using the meta-synthesis method and the grounded theory. Then the selected articles were extracted and the grounded theory was used to obtain the conceptual model of the IoT implementation in hospital supply chains. The research results indicated that the model featured 7 main categories, 19 subcategories and 86 codes. The results present a conceptual model for the implementation of the IoT in hospital supply chains including an explanation of the main research category, drivers, prerequisites and enablers, environmental and contextual conditions, challenges, technology implementation strategies, and results and outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Relief organizations, especially the Red Crescent, lack any specific entrepreneurial strategy and program for production, identification, and distribution of relief supplies. These organizations mainly focus on the preparation and distribution of supplies in times of crisis. In this regard, the present study aimed to design an entrepreneurial supply chain model with an emphasis on technology in 2020 in Iran. METHODS: The present study was conducted based on a qualitative and quantitative design. In the first phase, some indicators were obtained by observing the current situation and interviewing 30 experts. Following that, the final model was achieved by considering all indicators and categorizing the topics. In the Delphi process, experts' interviews and theoretical consensus suggested some hypotheses. In other words, in the second phase, structural equation modeling was used to finalize the model. In the next stage, the final questionnaire was provided to 186 Red Crescent employees. FINDINGS: After the analysis and extraction of the criteria from the interviews, components of the model were retrieved, and two questionnaires were designed. The first questionnaire was about supply chain management encompassing four main components of customer integrity, supplier integrity, internal integrity, and innovative orientation. The second questionnaire was related to technology, including seven components: personal characteristics, attitudinal factors, educational factors, technical factors, economic factors, environmental factors, as well as human and managerial factors. Considering the KMO value (˃0.7) and the significant value of the Bartlett Sphericity test, it can be concluded that the data are suitable for factor analysis. The model fit values all exceeded 0.9, indicating that the model has a “good fit. The path coefficients were significant for seven relationships at the level of 0.05. CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the obtained results, the supply chain in disasters requires experts' comprehensive approach and innovative perspectives. The tendency of countries to take innovative measures in disasters requires macro-policies at the national and regional levels. Therefore, all dimensions and aspects of the entrepreneurial supply chain in disasters must be considered in order to attain the final goal which is effective and efficient disaster management.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to investigate communication, information exchange, cooperation, and trust networks in Iran's Humanitarian Supply Chain at both inter-organizational and interpersonal levels. METHODS: This applied research was conducted based on a descriptive survey design. The statistical population of this research included the organizations and people involved in relief operations performed in three recent disasters: the fire-induced collapse of the Plasco building, Shahran gas explosion, and the flash flood in the Tehran subway. In order to analyze networks, a questionnaire containing network analysis questions was designed. Upon the completion of the questionnaires, the data of each network were entered systematically into a matrix on an excel spreadsheet. Such indexes as degree centrality, betweenness centrality, intersection points, isolation points, and network density were calculated by Ucinet and NetDraw software packages; therefore, the networks were analyzed. FINDINGS: Based on the results obtained from the analysis of communication, information exchange, and cooperation networks, the network density was 21%, indicating a low level of organizational relationship. At this level of communication, information exchange and cooperation were obtained at 11.5% and 16.5%, respectively. The analysis of the trust network also illustrated that the density of this network was 26.6%, suggesting that out of 21% of connections, there was about a quarter of possible trust. This is suggestive of low levels of inter-organizational Trust. CONCLUSION: Building trust in Iran's humanitarian service supply chain can be very effective in the acceleration of service supply, organization, and success of relief operations

In this study, we were in search for identification and leveling the dimensions of supply chain in the Iranian religious tourism industry. In terms of purpose, this research is applicable, and in terms of implementation method is descriptive survey of correlation type. The participant team consists of 30 experts and university professors who had been selected by the purposeful method and the snowball sampling. By relatively extensive studies in the field of supply chain, we extracted the most significant factors in the religious tourism industry. Then, fuzzy Delphi method was used to identify the dimensions and parameters of supply chain in this industry. In the next step, the interpretive structural modeling was used for leveling the key factors. Data collections tools included interviews, documents and statistics, and questionnaires; the findings based on the data analysis showed ten main dimensions in the supply chain i.e. accommodation, transportation, visiting centers, reception centers,stores, environment and energy, travel agencies and tour operators, security and safety, economic management, information centers and communications that 3 dimensions reception centers,stores, and travel agencies and tour operators were in the first level; and 2 dimensions i.e. accommodation, and environment and energy were placed in second level; and visiting sites in third level; the economic management, information centers and communications in fourth level; accommodation in fifth level; finally the security and safety were put in sixth level.

Managing supply chain operations in a reliable manner is a significant concern for decision-makers in competitive industries. In recent years consumers and legislation have been pushing companies to design their activities in such a way as to reduce negative environmental impacts more and more. It is therefore important to examine the optimization of total supply chain costs and environmental impacts together. However, because of the recycling of deteriorated products, the environmental impacts of deteriorating items are more significant than those of non-deteriorating ones. The subject of supply chain of deteriorating products, simultaneously considering costs and environment has gained attention in the academia and from the industry. Particularly for deteriorating and seasonal products, such as fresh produce, the issues of timely supply and disposal of the deteriorated products are of high concerns. The objective of this paper is to develop multi objective mathematical model and to propose a new replenishment policy in a centralized supply chain for deteriorating products. In this model, the manufacturer produces a new product and delivers it to a distant market, and then the distributor buys the product and sells it to the end consumers. This study presents a new mathematical model of the location-routing problem (LRP) of facilities in supply chain network (SCN) for deteriorating products through taking environmental considerations, cost, delivery time and customer satisfaction into account across the entire network and customer satisfaction. In order to solve the model, the combination of the two red deer algorithm (RDA) and annealing simulation (AS) was proposed. We then perform the network optimization in SCN and provide some managerial insights. Finally, more promising directions are suggested for future research.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the drivers of bullwhip effect in supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry. This research is descriptive in terms of method and applied in terms of purpose. Conducting the research, first, based on the reviewing the literature on bullwhip effect in the supply chain, affecting drivers were extracted and were sent to 15 experts in form of a questionnaire. Then, using the fuzzy Delphi method, the final affecting criteria on bullwhip effect in the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry were identified. Finally, in order to examine the relationships between the 13 basic drivers, another questionnaire was designed and asked the experts to fill it, where based on their answers and using DEMATEL and fuzzy cognitive map methods, critical drivers were determined. FCMapper software was used to conduct fuzzy cognitive map method and MATLAB was used for the DEMATEL method. In terms of centrality index in fuzzy cognitive map method, structured inventory control process, delivery time, inventory storage of chain elements, inventory policy and product return rate are 5 criteria of critical importance. In addition, the indicators of the number of echelons, forecasting (method) error and up-to-date demand forecast are in the eleventh to thirteenth ranks. Based on the results of DEMATEL method, inventory policy, price fluctuations, inventory storage of chain elements, structured inventory control process, differences with the desired inventory and information transparency were identified as the main drivers of bullwhip effect in the supply chain of the pharmaceutical industry.

Nowadays, supply chains are highly vulnerable and prone to various risks due to geographical expansion and the complexity of communication networks. Sustainability in supply chains is increasingly seen as part of supply chain management. Sustainability has become a necessity, and every supply chain needs sustainability. However, the supply chain has a breadth and complexity of indicators. This paper aims to provide a model for evaluating the impact of the sustainable supply chain on organizational performance and efficiency in the National Iranian South Petroleum Company (NISOC). This study consists of two quantitative studies and a qualitative stage by designing several questions and using a mixed research method. The qualitative stage uses grounded theory methods following a systematic review of the literature on sustainable supply chain management and its adaptation to the local needs of the sustainable supply chain in one of the country’s largest oil companies. The statistical population of the research includes all employees of the NISOC with an unlimited number, of which 384 subjects are randomly selected as samples. In this study, a questionnaire is used as the data collection tool. The questionnaire designed in this research is based on a 5-point Likert scale. Options range from strongly agree to disagree strongly. The research hypotheses are tested using SmartPLS software. According to the results, the organizational performance and efficiency in the NISOC are affected by the green supply chain, industry supply chain, macro policies, socioeconomic factors, organizational factors, political factors, technology, manufactured products, customers, and supply chain failures. As shown in this study, using sustainable approaches to the supply chain of the petroleum company improves the situation of this organization and increases its effectiveness and efficiency. Further, the performance of individual components of organizations increases due to the sustainability model in this company

INTRODUCTION: Identifying and classifying hospital suppliers and choosing the right hospital supplier are based on some criteria, such as price, quality, timely product delivery, and after-sales service. METHODS: The research method was to select a suitable supplier through multi-criteria decision-making methods, including fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy Delphi. This research analyzed the selection criteria of hospital suppliers using fuzzy TOPSIS and fuzzy Delphi methods. The weight of the selected criteria and their importance were determined by holding interviews with hospital experts. In the next stage, the suppliers were evaluated, and finally, they were ranked using the TOPSIS fuzzy method. FINDINGS: In this research, the criteria for selecting suppliers were based on the criteria determined by Dickson. According to the fuzzy Delphi method, 7 criteria of product quality, timely delivery, final product price, after-sales service, technical ability, product position among competitors, and easy-to-use product were selected for supplier evaluation. CONCLUSION: The selection of a reliable supplier is becoming increasingly crucial given the critical role played by the healthcare sector, which includes hospitals and the Red Crescent as its constituents, the expanding development of technology, and the growing variety of medical equipment. According to the results obtained by the fuzzy Delphi method, the criterion of product quality with a score of 0.88 was chosen as the most important criterion, while the ease-to-use product index with a score of 0.7 was chosen as the least important criterion. The selection and evaluation of suppliers were accomplished through several different quantitative and qualitative indicators, such as cost, quality, timely delivery, and after-sales service. As a result, companies must choose key indicators and suitable suppliers because the right supplier leads to a reduction in purchase costs, as well as an increase in the quality of the products and ultimately the success of the organization in reaching its goals.

One of the important issues in the supply chain is the selection of reliable and efficient suppliers, which improves performance and competitive advantage. Therefore, the aim of this research is to implement two evaluation models based on failure rate and NDEA with the approach of choosing the right supplier in 7 separate supply chains of an electrical appliance manufacturing company in Shiraz. In this direction, a series-parallel system was used to evaluate based on the failure rate, which at the first level examines the reliability of the suppliers and at the second level examines the reliability of the devices required for the production of electrical appliances. And in order to calculate the efficiency of suppliers, the NDEA model was also used. The results showed that both presented approaches are suitable for evaluating the performance of the supply chain, because the performance rating of both models has high resolution.

Purpose: The present research has been done with a view to evaluation and ranking of production and management of digital resources in the supply chain of digital libraries. Methodology: The present research is essentially an applied one and the method employed, has been descriptive survey based on Shanon Entropy and Fuzzy TOPSIS methods. Findings: According to our findings, the risks of “Collection development strategy of digital resources” with highest rate of Proximity Coefficient(PC)=%731 stand in the first place and then the other ones in order include: risks of “Management strategy of digital resources at libraries” with PC=%7186, “The high cost of technological changes of information carriers and storage formats” with PC=711 and “Competence of library software in detecting repetitious copies” with PC=%651. Conclusion: 26 risks for production and management of digital resources in the supply chain of digital libraries have been identified and amidst production and management risks of digital resources in the supply chain of digital libraries the risk of” Collection development strategy of digital resources” stands in the first place.