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Many studies have developed the corporate sustainability topic. The United Nations has implemented the 2030 Agenda and has brought “quality education” and “industry, innovation, and infrastructure” as two of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The educational processes in higher education can be focused on adding brand value and social value, and they can be promoting the social inclusion. In this sense, the purpose of this study is to answer some questions related to the corporate sustainability practices under the 2030 Agenda lenses in the Latin American higher educational scenario. After the literature review analysis, a conceptual framework was developed.

This exploratory research study proposes an educational conceptual framework, improving the corporate sustainability under the 2030 Agenda lenses. A literature review was developed, involving the seven variables: “Latin America,” “higher education,” corporate social responsibility,” “personal social responsibility,” “corporate sustainability,” “governance” and “sustainability.” A matrix was developed with 25 variable combinations, connecting the seven variables. Three questions have been proposed and answered: “How much research has been developed in the Latin American higher education?” “How can the corporate social sustainability be applied in higher education?” and “Which perspectives can be considered?”

The results of the literature review are presented through the number of papers found with the analysis of the year of publication and the conceptual background. A total of 524 papers were found. Of these studies, 49 addressed the Latin American panorama, 33 had a general approach and 16 promoted interactions between Latin American and European countries, as well as between regions and continents. Six topics emerged from the literature analysis: digital inclusion, internationalization, innovation, research, servitization and social inclusion. These topics are connected in the “discussion” section, and the educational conceptual framework shows the corporative perspectives on sustainability in higher education.

This research study presents “A conceptual framework for the corporate sustainability higher education in Latin America” and it brings some discussion topics: digital inclusion, internationalization, innovation, research, servitization and social inclusion. These topics were identified through the literature analysis, and they were applied in the conceptual framework to improve the quality of education. The implications of this study are connected with the conceptual framework to promote the discussion topics. The implications involved the public and private governance spheres, third sector, as well as the professors, students and other stakeholders of higher educational institutions. These implications can represent an agent of positive change in the Latin American scenario.

This systematic literature review integrates the findings of existing studies regarding technical efficiency (TE) in dairy farms. The purpose of this paper is to offer a research framework that assembles TE descriptors, a classification of previous literature that provides the basis for the synthesis and research agenda.

This paper systematically reviews 86 survey research studies using rigorous and reproducible procedures. The review is applied to published survey research.

The framework relates context, inputs, outputs and metrics of TE. There is no agreement among the authors on the context and determinants of TE. The main determinants of TE are geographical location, farm size, investments in veterinary care, feeding and milking practice, TE model estimation techniques, public policy, and management-related variables. This paper offers ten propositions for future research on the controversial results on the determinants of TE. The authors also explore the reasons for the discrepant results based on the Debreu-Farrell’s definition of TE, the contingency theory and the resource-based view of the firm, elucidating the literature and serving as a basis for future investigation. Implications for dairy farmers and researchers close the review.

Meta-analysis and meta-regression studies were long at the forefront of reviews in the TE of dairy farms. This paper offers a novel qualitative research synthesis with frameworks and the classification of previous literature and a research agenda, which provides a new and different perspective for analysis, by innovating over the available quantitative procedures to combine statistical results.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the determinants of technical efficiency (TE) in dairy farms located in the South of Brazil, aiming for a better understanding of the topic for academics, dairy farmers and policymakers to improve the productivity and competitiveness of dairy farms.

This study was developed using a two-stage approach. Data envelopment analysis was used to estimate the TE level and regression models to understand the factors affecting TE in dairy farms. The sample size is 253 dairy farms in the South of Brazil.

The variation in the mean TE indexes reported in the literature can be explained by the attributes of the analysed studies, including the education of the farm operator, farm size (number of cows and milk), feed and labour costs, and use of services. Additionally, the results suggest that dairy farmers in the sample could increase milk output by 50.1 per cent (level of inefficiency) on average if they improve their TE.

This study makes three important contributions: first, it formulates hypotheses from the previous literature’s propositions on the estimation of TE in dairy farms; second, it tests the hypotheses in an empirical study to understand the main factors affecting the TE in dairy farms of the selected municipalities in the South of Brazil; and third, it compares previous findings on the determinants of TE in dairy farms serving different stakeholders, such as researchers, farmers and government representatives, to improve the productivity and competitiveness of dairy farms.

To address the absence of Lean in transportation logistics in the digital era, this study aims to investigate the application of Lean transportation (LT) tools to reduce waste and facilitate the digital transformation of dedicated road transportation in the offshore industry.

The study adopts action research with a multimethod approach, including a scoping review, focus groups (FG) and participant observation. The research is conducted within the offshore supply chain of a major oil and gas company.

Implementing LT’s continuous improvement tools, particularly value stream mapping (VSM), reduces offshore transportation waste and provides empirical evidence about the intersection of Lean and digital technologies. Applying techniques drawn from organisational learning theory (OLT), stakeholders involved in VSM mapping and FGs engage in problem-solving and develop action plans, driving digital transformation. Waste reduction in loading and unloading stages leads to control actions, automation and process improvements, significantly reducing downtime. This results in an annual monetary gain of US$1.3m. The study also identifies waste related to human effort and underutilised digital resources.

This study contributes to theory and practice by using action research and LT techniques in a real intervention case. From the lens of OLT, it highlights the potential of LT tools for digital transformation and demonstrates the convergence of waste reduction through Lean and Industry 4.0 technologies in the offshore supply chain. Practical outputs, including a benchmarking questionnaire and a plan-do-check-act cycle, are provided for other companies in the same industry segment.

This paper provides a five-step Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) approach to systematically guide the development and implementation of contextualised Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) designs.

A case study is conducted at a European chemical manufacturer. The research applies the five-step approach, embracing the descriptive and prescriptive EAM functions combined with the lens of contingency theory.

The research findings demonstrate the suitability of the proposed EAM approach for the contextualisation of S&OP designs from a contingency theory perspective. Its descriptive EAM function serves to assess context-specific S&OP challenges and enables to analyse the contextual fit of S&OP designs. Its prescriptive EAM function guides the development and implementation of context-specific S&OP designs towards increasing the S&OP effectiveness. EAM's integrated view onto people, process and information technology served to analyse current practices on the dynamics of S&OP contextualisation in innovation- and quality-driven contexts. Thereby, the paper contributes to a better S&OP contingency understanding.

The EAM approach offered in this paper provides a concrete and practically applicable guidance to support managers to face their context-specific challenges and guide the contextualisation of their S&OP designs to increase the S&OP effectiveness. Moreover, practitioners can improve their understanding regarding the need for S&OP design adjustments to reflect changes in their companies' contingencies.

The research introduces a novel EAM approach for S&OP contextualisation, particularly reflecting contingency theory's dynamic view of structural adjustments to regain fit (SARFIT).

This paper aims to offer evidence-based findings on the under-researched role of finance in the sales and operations planning (S&OP) process, aiming to guide academics and practitioners towards successful S&OP implementations.

The research builds upon a multiple case study, embracing five Latin American subsidiaries of four global manufacturing corporations from the consumer goods, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Following an exploratory approach, the case study results are analysed in within- and cross-case analyses.

The research findings are synthesised into a framework, demonstrating relevant benefits from the engagement of finance along the S&OP process and the implications of its interactions with traditional S&OP functions as sales, marketing and operations. The paper shows how finance adds value in supporting the process, enabling decisions on costs, margins, capital expenditures and return on investments. Finance strengthens S&OP when assessing demand- and supply-related risks and facilitates comparing the functional business areas' plans to budget. While finance participation is highlighted as necessary for supporting successful S&OP implementations, it also receives valuable inputs in return, characterising a two-way communication role that benefits the entire organisation.

This is the first research paper focusing on empirically exploring the role of finance within S&OP, going beyond initial insights from practice and academia. It provides practitioners and scholars with an in-depth, evidence-based view of finance's integration along the S&OP process.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a product variety multi‐market study in the auto industry and to conduct a benchmarking analysis of the practical findings against the theoretical ones obtained in a European Community Research Project (Intelligent Logistics for Innovative Product Technologies – ILIPT) that aims to rethink the automotive supply chain.

The authors conduct an exploratory research including an empirical multi‐market study, which embraces many significant passenger car models from a global vehicle manufacturer in relevant automotive markets. To provide a rich dataset, the authors utilize a combination of data collection techniques including interviews, contextual performance data and a detailed analysis of product offerings available from the vehicle manufacturer's regional web sites. This paper also shares the experience of a European Community Research Project benchmarking the results for the automobile industry.

In this paper, product variety in the auto industry is classified into four general categories. The empirical results suggest that the platform (most aggregated form of variety) follows the same logic worldwide while all the other product variety categories (in particular variants) are restricted in emerging markets and very refined in Europe. The benchmarking shows that the European variety offered exceeds the “appropriate” level of variety considered best in class by the ILIPT project while the emerging countries variety offered is below this level. This fact points to space for improvement in the product variety management of both supply chains.

This is a valuable empirical research study that examines the current behaviour of the auto product variety in significant markets and gives an overview where the variety is created world wide. A benchmarking analysis is also offered, which gives an idea of how far vehicle manufacturers are in terms of providing the “appropriate” level of variety.

This paper aims to improve upon the highly dispersed sales and operations planning (S&OP) research by integrating the findings of existing studies to identify and measure the size of the effect of S&OP on firm performance.

The methodology adopted was a systematic literature review of 271 abstracts and 55 papers. Three databases were selected for the search – Emerald, EBSCO, and ScienceDirect.

Although empirical evidence of the effects of S&OP in the supply chain is described, relatively few of the 55 papers reviewed estimate the effect of S&OP on firm performance. The research findings indicate a lack of unifying frameworks for the measurement of S&OP and constructs related to firm performance. The review offers partial evidence of the effect of S&OP on firm performance, suggesting the need for additional scientifically sound survey or case study research on S&OP.

Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the intermediate role of S&OP in mediating the effects of structural changes on firm performance. There is at least partial evidence that cross‐functional planning processes can mitigate the negative effect of misaligned organisational structures and contradictory incentives schemes on firm performance. Formal and informal communications between functions, networking and internal integrating roles can boost performance. Furthermore, internal alignment seems to facilitate supply chain integration with both suppliers and customers, particularly when inter‐organisational information systems favour supply chain integration.

This paper contributes to providing a better understanding of the role of S&OP as a determinant of firm performance in the supply chain.

The purpose of this paper is to complement and extend previous literature reviews on Technical Efficiency (TE) in dairy farms, analysing the effects of different methodologies and study-specific characteristics on Mean TE (MTE).

The researchers independently conducted a systematic review of more than 400 abstracts and 85 full-text papers. Original keywords were applied to seven key electronic databases. Results from a meta-regression analysis of 85 published papers totalling 443 TE distributions in dairy farms worldwide are discussed.

The variation in the MTE indexes reported in the literature can be explained by the methodology of estimations (method of estimation, functional form of frontier models, model dimensionality), the farms geographical location and farm size. Additionally, the results suggest that, given the state of technology prevailing in each country at the time that the studies on TE were conducted, dairy farmers in the sample could increase milk output by 20.9 per cent (level of inefficiency), on average, if they produce on their frontiers.

This study makes two important contributions: first, it updates and compares previous works on frontier estimation of TE in dairy farms; and second, it adds two dimensions of dairy farms, size (herd and land area) and economic development, to the known differentials of TE measurement.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the literature on Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). The review emphasises the descriptors of CPFR implementation and models, as well as the impact of CPFR and other supply chain collaboration (SCC) initiatives on supply chain (SC) performance.

The systematic review includes 50 full-text papers retrieved from four databases: Emerald, EBSCO, ScienceDirect and Wiley. Rigorous and verifiable keywords, review steps and selection criteria were applied to the database and inter-coders agreement was systematically checked.

There is no consensus regarding the breadth and scope of CPFR configurations. CPFR is context-dependent and varies according to the configuration of the SC. Trust, information-communication technology and the quality of information sharing are main enablers and inhibitors of implementation.

Practitioners will benefit from insights related to the choice of SCC configurations (e.g. number of partners, nature of products and spatial complexity), the importance of trust and empowerment for SCC and the need to outweigh carefully the costs and benefits of specific SCC before implementation.

CPFR, which is considered by many to be the most advanced and the most comprehensive SCC process and has a direct impact upon SC performance. Nonetheless, efforts to synthesise the overall state of the art in CPFR have been rather limited to date. As an effort to fill this gap, this paper provides a better understanding of the role of CPFR as a determinant of SC performance. As an effort to contribute to complete the cycle of theory building based on the literature review, seven propositions for CPFR research are put forward.