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This study seeks to explore the importance of digital platforms in restoring global supply chains interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, the research focuses on internally developed digital platforms and their potential to ensure supply chain continuity between developed and emerging markets.

Multiple comparative case studies have been selected for the research methodology. Eight cases concerning digital platform implementation for global SC management – four from developed countries and four from emerging markets – have been selected. The four pairs of cases represent four global supply chain mechanisms.

The results revealed that the use of internally developed digital platforms serves as a quick solution for immediate problems caused by ripple effects in global supply chain and negative environmental conditions. Digital platforms could therefore facilitate reciprocal monitoring and information exchanges between SC partners in different countries.

The digital platform research stream is in its early stages. Research thus far has mostly focused on externally developed digital platforms managed by an orchestrator. The platforms' usefulness in the dialogue between developed and emerging markets requires further exploration.

The purpose of this article is to develop a configurational approach based on the TOE framework (technology, organization and environment) to understand the degree of implementation of I4.0 technologies in manufacturing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Specifically, the study considers technological infrastructure and competence, I4.0 integration capabilities, organizational agility and strategic flexibility, environmental dynamism and industry-specific forces as simultaneous pre-conditions for achieving an effective implementation of I4.0 technologies.

This study uses the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methodology as it allows for asymmetric and configurational-focused testing of proposition and sound theoretical development. In total, 305 responses were collected through a survey administered to SME managers in Europe and the United Kingdom (UK).

The study examines the influence of technology, organizational and environmental aspects on I4.0 technologies implementation in SMEs. High I4.0 degree of implementation is structured around 5 configurations, while other 4 configurations are related to low levels of I4.0 implementation.

This study proposes a configurational approach for SMEs to become I4.0 ready and how they may successfully implement I4.0 technologies. Such findings represent an original and novel contribution to existing research, offering a broad view on the I4.0 implementation by manufacturing SMEs.

The aim of this research was to explore the mechanisms underpinning open innovation (OI) success and its sustainability in agrifood businesses. First, the authors explored the importance of 4.0 technologies in data collection from crowds, subsequently examining how new technologies might drive forward the development of collaborative strategies with suppliers. Reductions in resource wasting were observed. The role of 4.0 technologies in increasing supply chain sustainability overall was the main focus of the study.

This research builds on a single inductive case study method. The authors performed an in-depth analysis of data from an Italian agritech distributor. Data – aside from multiple semi-structured interviews – were collected via several different sources. The results have been summarized in an integrated holistic conceptual framework.

The findings show that 4.0 technologies allow for swift information exchanges between consumers, the agritech business and suppliers. As a result, consumers might demand new products and, consequently, the agritech business can arrange new offerings with suppliers, completing the OI and shared value creation circle. Likewise, the possibility of adopting a just-in-time approach of sorts may reduce the wasting of resources. The absorptive capacities and knowledge management capabilities of the agritech business play a fundamental role in OI performance, sustainability and success.

This research seminally explores how 4.0 technologies and knowledge management techniques can enable OI in agrifood businesses. Additionally, the ways in which OI may foster the development of sustainability-orientated supply chain strategies have been conceptualized.

The objective of the research is to explore the importance of online reputation management through some core concepts: technologies and entrepreneurship. Specifically, the research will explore how in a tourism ecosystem context, it is strategically relevant through the use of Big Data Analytics (BDA) to manage and improve online reputation management. An emphasis will also be placed on the concept of entrepreneurship and dynamic capabilities. Finally, the research also explores empowerment issue to shed some considerations on the development of tourists' online reviews.

Despite the general interest in the circular economy, organisations have difficulties in implementing circular practices. Developing absorptive capacity (ACAP) may foster circularity among organisations. The paper aims to shed light on relationship between ACAP and organisational performance.

To empirically investigate the contribution of ACAP in circular economy implementation, the authors analysed a European sample of more than 800 Eco-Management and Audit Scheme-registered organisations through partial least squares structural equation modelling.

The analysis demonstrates that ACAP and the underlying organisational activities of a firm significantly facilitate the implementation of a circular economy and the internalisation of an environmental management system (EMS), which consequently improve the overall performance of organisations. The authors found that the diffusion of the circular economy in the organisations’ environment does not affect their commitment to implement a circular economy.

The study expands the academic literature by framing the concept of the circular economy with ACAP theory, thereby highlighting the contribution of acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation. The results also provide useful insights for practitioners highlighting how organisations with an environmental certification can identify and pursue opportunities deriving from a circular economy. Finally, the research contributes to the debate on the effect of internalising EMSs and how ACAP improves economic performance, environmental performance and reputation.

Strategic flexibility (SF) has become increasingly important for firms because of the fast changes in the external environment. In line with the practical importance of SF, an emerging research field has developed around it that has attempted to understand the nature of SF and the key relationships. The aim of this study is to unveil the semantic structure of the recent literature on SF and to suggest new promising areas for future research.

The authors conduct a systematic literature review with a bibliographic analysis technique, which allows authors to identify the main recent streams in the literature, as well as offer reflections and suggestions for future research.

The authors uncover three main emerging areas in the research on SF, namely SF as a dynamic capability, the role of knowledge management for SF and the relationship between a firm SF and the external environment. The authors put forward three avenues for future research on SF: Avenue 1. SF, business model innovation (BMI) and other dynamic capabilities (DC), Avenue 2. Digital technologies and SF/organizational agility and Avenue 3. SF and sustainability. Articles included in the special issue entitled “A strategic perspective on flexibility, agility and adaptability in the digital era” contribute to Avenue 2, thus paving the way for filling some of the identified gaps regarding the relationship between SF and digitalization.

To the best of authors’ knowledge, this is the first literature review on SF that uses a bibliometric approach to draw conclusions on the findings in the literature. The review contributes to the theoretical understanding of SF by illustrating and explicating core topics that have persisted over time, as well as by presenting three main avenues for further developing authors’ knowledge around SF.

This paper explores how Industry 4.0 facilitates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets to gain and maintain organizational legitimacy from the government and market and capture value from circular economy (CE) adoption in their businesses.

The authors conduct an in-depth, multistakeholder case study in an SME in China’s hazardous waste recycling and re-utilization industry and apply a qualitative analysis.

The findings show that Industry 4.0 could facilitate SMEs to gain organizational legitimacy through two mechanisms, namely conforming and transcending. Conforming results in baseline-level outcomes to obtain legitimacy while transcending leads to ecosystem value-cocreation, which goes beyond government expectations and reinforces SMEs' legitimacy.

The authors validated the enabling role of Industry 4.0 in CE adoption in SMEs and have generated legitimation processes and strategies that facilitate SMEs to capture value from CE adoption.

This paper aims to investigate the interlinks between different forms of organisational culture (OC), supply chain (SC) integration, green supply chain management (GSCM) practices. It adopts a green human resource management (GHRM) perspective on knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) dynamics to shed light on the drivers that facilitate the implementation of green practices along with the SC.

The study adopts a quantitative approach through a survey administered to 381 formally appointed Italian SC managers, combining two methodological approaches, namely, the collection of self-reported information regarding the perceived OC, SC integration and GSCM practices in respondent’s organisations and an experimental design aimed at collecting the expected links between GHRM and the firm’s performance in different neutral conditions.

The results highlight that it is necessary to observe the disaggregated paths that link the different types of OC and dimensions of SC integration to benefit from a path-specific rationale for each GSCM practice. Insights on how different dimensions of SC integration mediate the relations between different OCs and GSCM practices, in the light of the role played by KSAs in the pursuit of the firm’s sustainable performance, reveal the relative importance of establishing strong relationships with customers and among the actors involved in the production process.

This paper provides directions for collaboration among SC and HR managers in the pursuit of GSCM.

This paper adopts an original classification of both OC and SC integration, identifying the existence of previously unrevealed nexuses. Additionally, it provides an original contribution to the extant literature by separately analysing each GSCM practice and, thus, offering detailed insights on their drivers.