yes / Purpose: The aim of this research is to evaluate if the Complex Adaptive Systems theory can be used to explain resilience strategies within the pharmaceutical supply chain Research Approach: An in depth review of literature surrounding resilience in the pharmaceutical supply chain. In order to pursue this study agenda, data was collected from Scopus, the largest peer review journal as well as EBSCOhost. The PRISMA guideline was adopted in the systematic review process where 34 peer reviewed papers in the field of CAS, supply chain and supply chain resilience were identified with respect to methodologies employed, location of the study and approaches. Findings and Originality: The systematic review of literature shows that there are inherent similarities between the concept of resilience and the CAS theory. The CAS theory explains that PSC’s are dynamic, have emergent behaviours complex, adaptive, interconnected as well as possess schemas that regulate their operations. Hence if resilience strategies are to be employed to mitigate disruptive events they need to be harnessed in a manner to fit this particular supply chain. This work is innovative as it provides a new insight into the contemporary discourse on resilience strategy creation and deployment, examining the use of this theory in the PSC, and thus provides original contribution. Research Impact: This study contributes to the existing literature base, by providing theoretical underpinnings in the area of resilience and the pharmaceutical supply chain. This furthers the CAS agenda, SCR agenda and also presents an innovative output which warrants more detailed analysis and feasibility testing. Practical Impact: Complexity principles are multi-scaled and multi-domain and as such the suggestions put forward in this theoretical framework can be adopted in various supply chain networks as well as disruptive events. It provides new insights with regards to structures for managers seeking to design and improve resilience supply chains, a key element of which is the adoption of a holistic analysis by SC managers when developing resilience strategies. This is critical if disruptions are to be identified and mitigated before their impact is felt.

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The retail industry has faced many developments over recent decades as a result of digitalisation including the E-commerce and multichannel retailing phases. Consumers have seen the progression of new and digitised channels as well as solutions such as marketplaces, social media touchpoint and augmented reality tools. During the Covid-19 pandemic more consumers engaged on digital channels as the physical bricks and mortar stores were forced into lockdowns. However, the customer experience has not been seamless even in the era of digital retailing. Retailers have also experienced emerging dilemmas as a result of digitalisation. Despite the decades of retail digitalisation, the customer experience and industry remain somewhat tumultuous. Digitalisation has produced positive developments in retail. In parallel it has been challenged to adapt to the changes. The multichannel era has created a disjointed value chain and infrastructure that is impacting the customer experience. Furthermore, consumer behaviour has also changed. The current objective in the industry is to meet the new customer demands. To make it seamless for them, but also for the industry. This concept is omnichannel retailing - the current transformation objective in the industry. It remains novel and emerging. Many have started the transformation and evident in literature. However, this research domain remains minute in comparison to the knowledge in the E-commerce and multichannel domains. Those who have entered the journey are larger organisations and are experiencing the complexity of this digital transformation. This poses the question if  omnichannel transformation of small retail businesses is plausible, which also happens to represent the majority of the industry.  This qualitative case study’s objective is to gather and contribute to the limited knowledge in omnichannel retailing, and specifically for small business retailers. The business model concept and Complex Adaptive Systems theory, both associated to digitalisation of complex change has been combined as an omnichannel theoretical framework to assess the participants of this study. This study gathered empirical findings on business model changes and adaptive capabilities through in-depth interviews. The findings demonstrated small business retailers having the capacity to execute complex changes in their business models through adaptive behaviours. The study also highlighted areas in their business models and adaptive capabilities needing more consideration and development to support the ongoing omnichannel transformation.

Global projects have a high failure rate, with many project failures attributed to lack of effective leadership. A knowledge gap about leadership requirements and complexities in a global project management environment has increased the risks in global projects. The problem is evident in the increasing project failure rate and the struggling national strategies in the oil and gas industry in the Arabian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The purpose of this study was to explore the role of leadership in project success and adaptation complexities in GCC. The conceptual framework consisted of complex adaptive systems and contingency theories. A qualitative approach was used to capture common understandings of project leaders' role and the opportunities and challenges in a multicultural global project environment. Personal interviews were conducted with 25 participants from the oil and gas industry in GCC who were selected using a purposive sampling method. Six themes emerged from an exploratory and comparative analysis, including: adaptable project structure with team and environment dynamics; leadership role and the impermanent multicultural environment; project success definition and the success criteria; aligned performance and governance systems; changing organizational strategy; and team building and the project complexity management. Based on study findings, a framework was created for leading 4 organizational processes in global projects, which includes the environment, team building, leadership selection, and setting of project success criteria. Higher efficiency in leading these processes may contribute to positive social change and support practitioners to promote a project environment for active knowledge integration.