ABSTRACT
This systematic review addresses a significant gap in the existing literature by examining the intricate relationship between management practices and Industry 4.0 technologies in shaping supply chain sustainability. While prior studies have explored their individual impacts, this review synthesizes and categorizes findings to identify nuanced trends that contribute to supply chain efficiency, waste reduction, and environmental footprints. To achieve the goal of the study, a rigorous search strategy was employed to select peer-reviewed journal articles focusing on total quality management, just-in-time, vendor-managed inventory, lean, manufacturer-led decentralized systems, blockchain, the internet of things, and big data in the context of supply chain sustainability. The selected studies underwent a thorough evaluation to ensure quality and relevance. The findings highlight key insights: the adoption of management practices, particularly total quality management and just-in-time, significantly contributes to reducing waste, enhancing efficiency, and minimizing environmental footprints across supply chains. Simultaneously, the integration of industry 4.0 technologies like blockchain, the Internet of things, and big data empowers data-driven decision-making, transparency, and traceability, amplifying sustainability efforts. In conclusion, this review contributes a novel perspective by synthesizing, categorizing, and analyzing the impact of management practices and Industry 4.0 technologies on supply chain sustainability. Its findings offer valuable insights for addressing contemporary challenges and advancing sustainable practices amid dynamic global scenarios.
ABSTRACT
Since the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic hit the world, many universities have used digital asynchronous learning tools such as Digital Learning Management Systems (DLMS) to continue the educational process. Despite its global usage, only a few studies have investigated its quality in the Jordanian context during the COVID-19 period from a quantitative and qualitative approach perspective. Thus, the current study aims to explore the factors that influence academic performance in Jordanian higher education institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed methods research approach was employed to evaluate the quality of the teaching-learning process for Jordanian students in higher education institutions. The triangulated data focused on three core pillars namely if students saw a difference in their grades prior to, during, and after the pandemic, the challenges faced and improvement suggestions. Accordingly, the quantitative approach with an online questionnaire and the qualitative approach with structured interviews were applied to collect the required data from Jordanian students in higher education institutions. The results of the current study revealed that the evaluation of the teaching-learning process quality during the pandemic period affected students' academic performance in different proportions based on their specialization area. In addition, the study results also identified the most important challenges that faced the students during this period and suggested procedures to overcome them and improve the distance learning process. The current study offers empirical evidence on critical success factors underlying digital learning management systems in the COVID-19 era, which can help policymakers in Jordanian universities and the ministry of higher education and scientific research to improve the quality of the teaching-learning process in the Jordanian context.