ABSTRACT
. The COVID-19 pandemic turned the spotlight on the inequalities and the vulnerability of the global supply chains. It showed the serious dependency and the asymmetrical power relations among the stakeholders of the fashion industry. The relocation tendencies - as fashion brands are trying to break up with Asia and move production closer - have already started, and the pandemic can give a boost to it. The Central-Eastern European region can be a possible destination. The shorter supply chains are not just a tool for resilience but are told to serve sustainability as well. My hypothesis is that even though the geography of fashion industry is changing, power relations are not, and the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has even increased dependency among the different players. Power relations are important among the region's production and the clients if relocation is to work out, as there is need for inclusive, fair, and decent employment, which is rarely guaranteed by fashion brands. Without it, sustainability cannot be achieved. In this paper, I focus on the examination of socio-economic processes in contemporary fashion such as the relocation tendencies and the power relations among the stakeholders, mainly fashion brands and production companies as subcontractors of the fashion industry. Especially, I examine profit and risk as factors within the relations. The critical essay uses literature review and document analysis to investigate a possible change in the current role of power relations and to examine the hypothesis.
ABSTRACT
Purpose>This research addresses the lack of project management research into social procurement by exploring the risks and opportunities of social procurement from a cross-sector collaboration perspective.Design/methodology/approach>A content analysis of five focus groups conducted with thirty-five stakeholders involved in the implementation of a unique social procurement initiative on a major Australian construction project is reported.Findings>Results show little collective understanding among project stakeholders for what social procurement policies can achieve, a focus on downside risk rather than upside opportunity and perceptions of distributive injustice about the way new social procurement risks are being managed. Also highlighted is the tension between the collaborative intent of social procurement requirements and the dynamic, fragmented and temporary project-based construction industry into which they are being introduced. Ironically, this can lead to opportunistic behaviours to the detriment of the vulnerable people these policies are meant to help.Practical implications>The paper concludes by presenting a new conceptual framework of project risk and opportunity management from a social procurement perspective. Deficiencies in the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) are also highlighted around an expanded project management role in meeting these new project management requirements.Originality/value>Social procurement is becoming increasingly popular in many countries as a collaborative mechanism to ensure construction and infrastructure projects contribute positively to the communities in which they are built. This research addresses the lack of project management research into social procurement by exploring the risks and opportunities of social procurement from a cross-sector collaboration perspective.
ABSTRACT
Sustainability of large transport infrastructure projects is directly linked with the working conditions and procedures in construction and maintenance. Furthermore, safety is one of the most crucial performance indicators for transport infrastructure operators, dealing with management priorities, policies and measures closely related to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). This issue is extremely important especially for public private partnerships (PPP), extensively adopted in transport sector in many regions, where detailed contacts and OHS provisions should be considered. By a systemic analysis, this research identifies the key management factors influence safety performance in the PPP/concession projects and the management comprehensives over those factors. The survey analysis framework for the evaluation of OHS management performance for large transport operators are breakdown, promoting the structure and the expected outcomes toward sustainable management of transport infrastructure. The application is the Greek motorways concessions projects that implemented in the last decade. The research outputs provide key messages to planners, managers, decision makers, and stakeholders over large transport infrastructure sustainable development, promoting OHS performance aspects should be taken into consideration in operation management contacts and highlighting the link between OHS, level of safety, and sustainability. The case study structure and outputs are valuable for comparisons with similar cases, provide the framework for using in other places and/or cases and stimulate the interest for further research.
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This article assesses how the reshoring of manufacturing activities by micro and small enterprises (MSEs) affects the performances of co-located subcontracting networks and the reconfiguration of global value chains (GVCs). We utilize quantitative microdata of Italian MSEs operating in the clothing and footwear industries during the 2008-2015 period. Empirically MSE reshoring does not have a significant impact on domestic subcontractors' birth rates and survival chances, whereas it is positively associated with their productivity growth. Most MSEs in our sample adopt a dual sourcing strategy, expanding their global production networks while preserving their local supply base. Local and global production networks are not two alternative paradigms of industrial organization;they can be complementary and mutually reinforce each other.
ABSTRACT
The ever-increasing impacts of the last mile delivery sector on the environment and the quality of life of the urban population, such as increased congestion, demand best practices to be incorporated by companies to reduce impacts such as emission of air pollutants and Greenhouse Gases (GHG) and depletion of natural resources, among others. However, a myriad of strategies has been developed for this purpose but there is a lack of methodologies that allow the choice of the best ones for a specific case. Therefore, this study looks for those best practices to be employed through an innovative methodology that consists of SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats), a map of strategies of the delivery service, and using the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), with the differential of considering the peculiarities of each company. The results applied in a Brazilian last mile delivery service company show that best practices such as route optimization, implementation of new infrastructure and business models for urban deliveries, and use of information systems for fleet tracking and monitoring contribute significantly to improving performance indicators and achieving the sector’s goal to become more sustainable, and especially meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 8, 9, 11, and 17.
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Purpose>This paper reviews the current literature on the major challenges faced by building contractors in the UK due to COVID-19 to create an evaluation framework.Design/methodology/approach>A PRISMA scoping review systematically maps the information published and establishes the potential challenges, as a precursor to a literature review that synthesises the data available to establish an initial COVID-19 evaluation framework to build a rationale for a future series of studies.Findings>The research identified these seven challenges: health and safety on-site, economic cost, possible legal exposures, manpower availability, instability of the supply chain and subcontractors, and the uncertainty related to the constant and unpredictable evolution of the pandemic. The magnitude of each challenge was also found to differ depending on the size of the contractor, the rigor of local regulations and the sector where the contractor works.Research limitations/implications>This research contributes to increasing understanding on the subject and provides an initial assessment framework, based on these seven parameters, so that contractors can analyse their weaknesses and plan specific priorities so that their companies can remain competitive, minimising the impact of COVID-19 and possible future waves.Originality/value>This research is timely and relevant as it produces the first academic review on how COVID-19 has affected contractors and the construction stage. This document gives a holistic view of the new scenario created by COVID-19 and creates a self-assessment system for contractors to test their resistance to COVID-19.
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PurposeThis paper aims to clarify the relationship between professional services companies and changing customer expectations. It proposes following the digital transformation process and outlines how companies can adopt agile, digital-first ways of doing business to tackle major long-term pain points.Design/methodology/approachThis paper’s author draws on the author’s deep domain expertise on delivering digital transformation projects to businesses and organisations in a variety of industries, including professional services. The author explains the crucial applications for technology to help industry leaders address key business pain points.FindingsThis paper provides insights into how companies have an opportune moment to build long-term digital foundations for greater management, process efficiency and collaboration – with data-driven reporting, end-to-end business management solutions, dedicated HR modules and greater connectivity capabilities. This paper demonstrates that a digital-first approach can help companies achieve higher levels of customer engagement and secure their place in a highly competitive market.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to explain how professional services companies can embark on digital transformation journeys to tackle outdated and manual ways of doing business.