Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is the process where the bacteria develop resistance towards the treating effect of an antibiotic drug. AMR poses an alarming threat to human health causing around 700,000 deaths per year around the globe. If appropriate measures to combat the resistance are not taken, the number of deaths globally could increase to around 10 million by the year 2050. There are various factors driving the growth of AMR of which antibiotic shortages are common. A clear insight into the pharmaceutical supply chain is necessary to understand the reasons causing antibiotic unavailability. Ensuring access to medicines is one of the major objectives of pharmaceutical supply chains. Pharmaceutical firms compete in a volatile market to increase their profits. Antibiotics render slim profit margins to pharmaceutical firms; declining profits and increasing costs of production have led to firms outsourcing their operations to suppliers in different geographical locations. This in turn forms complex supply chain structures with various actors of a single drug chain being dispersed across the globe. The complexity in these supply chains lead to antibiotic supply interruptions. National drug shortages drive the risk of AMR, and these shortages are caused when pharmaceutical supply chains are weak or fragile. Therefore, the pharmaceutical supply chains need to be thoroughly analysed. This thesis aims to explore the different possible upstream supply chain structures that could exist in pharmaceutical supply chains. The study also highlights the factors that motivate the firms to choose different supply chain structures. This research is based on the existing literature on pharmaceutical supply chains. Qualitative semi-structured interviews, reports and existing research articles guided the authors in building a typology of upstream pharmaceutical supply chains based on: how different processes are handled by the MAH, the geographical location of operations in the chain, and the sourcing strategy of the Market Authorisation Holder (MAH) who owns the license for the drug. The findings of this study outline how a pharmaceutical firm could possibly structure the upstream supply chain based on its strategies. This study is limited to conceptualizing only the actors involved in the direct supply chain of the focal firm (MAH), further research including actors in the extended supply chain needs to be performed to get deeper insights into pharmaceutical supply chains.

<p>The advent and spread of counterfeit goods in medical supply chains is an opportunistic activity by actors who take advantage of information asymmetry between themselves and the rest of the supply chain. Counterfeiters, fraudsters, and companies who intend to cut corners have asymmetric knowledge of the quality (substandard) of the products they possess and are not obligated, but have a disincentive, to share that asymmetric knowledge. This has led to a medical supply chain that is riddled with asymmetric information from consumers, all the way upstream to manufacturers. The asymmetric information present in the supply chain allows agents to take advantage of the demand and chaos in the system to act contrary to the principal’s, in this case the supply chain, best interest as described in the agent-principal theory. The problem related to information asymmetry in principal-agent relationships, including those encapsulated in supply chains, is well documented in prior literature. The missing piece of research deals with quantification of information asymmetry metrics and assessing supply chain of goods.</p> <p>This research explored current and proposed information asymmetry mitigating activities including the potential applications of technology-based methods of reducing information asymmetry within the medical supply chains including distributed ledger technology. Five data aggregation services were searched for relevant literature generating a final sample for analysis of 90 documents (ndocuments = 90). A qualitative meta-analysis methodology was conducted using Nvivo as exploratory research to analyze content in the corpus of documents and extract key themes relevant to each research question then synthesize frequencies of key themes such that information asymmetry in medical supply chains can be decomposed into agents, conditions, and contributing factors.</p>

Det finns förbättringspotential för att öka den cirkulära ekonomin i Sverige, som idag är 3,4 procent. Återbruk av byggmaterial i byggbranschen är en åtgärd, som genererar till en cirkulär förbättring. I uppsatsen belyses utmaningar och möjligheter associerade med återbruk av byggmaterial, som förekommer hos aktörer längs försörjningskedjan. En generell tanke som ofta förekommer är att återbrukat byggmaterial genererar till ökade kostnader, vilket det i uppsatsen påvisas åtskilda åsikter kring. Vidare studeras det som krävs för att lyckas implementera en cirkulär ekonomi i byggbranschen genom affärsmodeller och strategier. Genom att lyckas implementera en cirkulär ekonomi och utveckla expertis inom området, påvisar teori att även konkurrensfördelar kan frambringas. / There is potential for improvement to increase the circular economy in Sweden, which today is 3.4 percent. Reuse of building materials in the construction industry is one action, which generates a circular improvement. The study highlights challenges and opportunities associated with the reuse of building materials faced by different actors along the supply chain. A common understanding is that reused building materials generate increased costs, which the study demonstrates separate opinions about. Furthermore, the requirements to succeed in implementing a circular economy in the construction industry are studied together with business models and strategies for implementation. By succeeding in implementing a circular economy and developing expertise in the field, theory shows that competitive advantages can be generated.

Studien syftade till att ge en rekommendation angående hur fjärrvärmebolaget Stockholm Exergi bör utforma sin framtida strategi beträffande fasta oförädlade skogliga biobräanslen. Genom litteraturstudier och intervjuer utreddes dessa bränslens konkurrenskraft utifrån perspektiven klimatneutralitet, politiska direktiv och styrmedel, leveranssäkerhet samt lönsamhet. Resultatet visade bland annat att användningen av grenar och toppar kan medföra klimatnytta. Vidare framkom att implementeringen av EU:s nya förnybartdirektiv inte kommer att ha storskalig påverkan på Stockholm Exergis framtida användning av dessa bränslen. Gällande leveranssäkerhet och lönsamhet påvisades exempelvis en större framtida efterfrågan på skogliga restprodukter från andra sektorer. Ändock kunde slutsatsen dras att skogliga biobräanslen, under vissa förutsäattningar, har en viktig roll i Stockholm Exergis framtida fjärrvärmeproduktion. / The study aimed to give a recommendation regarding how the district heating company Stockholm Exergi should design their future strategy concerning unprocessed solid woody biofuels. Through literature studies and interviews, the competitiveness of the fuels has been assessed based on climate neutrality, political directives and instruments, security of supply as well as profitability. Among other things, the results showed that the use of tree branches and tops can imply positive climate effects. Furthermore, the implementation of EU's new renewable energy directive will only have a marginal impact on Stockholm Exergi's future use of woody biofuels. Regarding the security of supply and profitability,an increased future demand of forest residues in other sectors have been identified. However, the study concludes that, under certain circumstances, woody biofuels have an important role in Stockholm Exergi's future district heating production.

[ES] El desarrollo tecnológico, consecuencia de las revoluciones industriales, ha generado que constantemente en los procesos de manufactura se alteren y sustituyan las técnicas de producción, impactando, a su vez, la gestión de flujos de información, financieros y de materiales en las cadenas de suministro. La manufactura aditiva es considerada como una técnica de producción con alto potencial para impactar la configuración y gestión de las cadenas de suministro, dado que supone el aumento de la eficiencia y satisfacción de la demanda por medio de resultados personalizados, ajustados a las necesidades de los clientes, reduciendo tiempos y costos en el almacenamiento, transporte y empaque. Por estas razones, con la presente tesis doctoral se desarrolló un modelo matemático a través de la dinámica de sistemas que permitiera analizar el impacto en las cadenas de suministro que han apropiado el proceso de impresión 3d como uno de sus enfoques de producción. Se inició analizando el desarrollo de la manufactura aditiva (MA) a través del tiempo, para determinar las variables que describen los cambios, el estado de madurez y el nivel de penetración en los sectores económicos; para lograrlo, se realizaron revisiones de literatura y análisis bibliométrico. Posteriormente, se definió como unidad de análisis el sector salud, debido al grado de apropiación de la MA en los procesos de atención. Se realizó la caracterización del estado actual y la propuesta de escenarios que fueron analizados a partir del modelo que simulara el comportamiento de cada escenario. Para los escenarios aditivos se consideró el rol que desempeña el miembro de la cadena que implementa el proceso aditivo y cómo esto altera la estructura, los procesos de gestión y la relación entre los actores. Los resultados demuestran el alto potencial de impacto de la MA, desde los eslabones de producción hasta el acercamiento con el cliente, respecto a la literatura, está emergiendo la investigación respecto al desarrollo de granjas de impresión y estructuras atomizadas. Se describieron los procesos de gestión de la cadena y cómo el proceso aditivo permea en los roles, la dependencia y autonomía que tiene cada miembro; siendo las variables con mayor afectación los costos de producción y distribución, tiempos de espera, respuesta e intervenciones, así como los resultados satisfactorios. Se explica a través del contraste de tres escenarios, uno tradicional y dos aditivos la reducción de, al menos, el 50% del lead time de la cadena, 30% las cantidades de unidades de insumos y 20% la capacidad disponible. En contraste, todavía se evidencian grandes retos para una adecuada implementación, relacionados con el conocimiento, cobertura, poder de adquisición económica y el nivel de respuesta de la producción tradicional. Para futuras líneas de investigación, se señala la vinculación con las demás tecnologías de la industria 4.0, el análisis de cada uno de los procesos de gestión de la cadena y el desarrollo de modelos que permitan la selección de la estructura más apropiada para la inclusión de la MA a partir de simulación de escenarios aditivos, entre otros. / [CA] El desenvolupament tecnològic, conseqüència de les revolucions industrials, ha generat que constantment en els processos de manufactura s'alteren i substituïsquen les tècniques de producció, impactant, a la mateixa vegada, la gestió de fluxos d'informació, financers i de materials en les cadenes de subministrament. La manufactura additiva és considerada com una tècnica de producció amb alt potencial per a impactar la configuració i gestió de les cadenes de subministrament, atés que suposa l'augment de l'eficiència i satisfacció de la demanda per mitjà de resultats personalitzats ajustats a les necessitats dels clients, reduint temps i costos en l'emmagatzematge, transport i empaquetatge. Per aquestes raons, amb la present tesi doctoral es va desenvolupar un model matemàtic a través de dinàmica de sistemes que permetera analitzar l'impacte en les cadenes de subministrament que han apropiat el procés d'impressió 3d com un dels seus enfocaments de producció. Es va iniciar analitzant el desenvolupament de la manufactura additiva (MA) a través del temps per a determinar les variables que descriuen els canvis, l'estat de maduresa i el nivell de penetració en els sectors econòmics; per a aconseguir-ho, es van realitzar revisions de literatura i anàlisi bibliomètrica. Posteriorment, es va definir com a unitat d'anàlisi el sector salut a causa del grau d'apropiació de la MA en els processos d'atenció. Es va realitzar la caracterització de l'estat actual i la proposta d'escenaris que van ser analitzats a partir del model que simulés el comportament de cada escenari. Per als escenaris additius es va considerar el rol que exerceix el membre de la cadena que implementa el procés additiu i com això altera l'estructura, els processos de gestió i la relació entre els actors. Els resultats demostren l'alt potencial d'impacte de la MA, des de les baules de producció fins a l'acostament amb el client, respecte a la literatura està emergint la investigació respecte al desenvolupament de granges d'impressió i estructures atomitzades. Es van descriure els processos de gestió de la cadena i com el procés additiu permea en els rols, la dependència i autonomia que té cada membre; essent les variables amb major afectació els costos de producció i distribució, temps d'espera, resposta i intervencions, així com els resultats satisfactoris. S'explica a través del contrast de tres escenaris, un tradicional i dos additius la reducció de, almenys, el 50% del lead time de la cadena, 30% les quantitats d'unitats d'inputs i 20% la capacitat disponible. En contrast, encara s'evidencien grans reptes per a una adequada implementació, relacionats amb el coneixement, cobertura, poder d'adquisició econòmica i el nivell de resposta de la producció tradicional. Per a futures línies d'investigació s'assenyala la vinculació amb les altres tecnologies de la indústria 4.0, l'anàlisi de cadascun dels processos de gestió de la cadena i el desenvolupament de models que permeten la selecció de l'estructura més apropiada per a la inclusió de la MA a partir de simulació d'escenaris additius, entre altres. / [EN] The technological development, as a consequence of industrial revolutions, has generate that constantly in the manufacturing process, the production techniques has alter and replace, at the same time, it impacts the information flows, the financial flows and the materials flows in the supply chain. The additive manufacturing is considerate as a production technique with a high potential to impact the setting and the management of the demand through the custom results, adjust to the client needs, reducing times and costs of storage, transport and packing. For these reasons, with the present doctoral thesis a mathematic model has been developed through the dynamic of systems, that allowed to analyze the impact of the supply chains that has appropriate the 3d print process as one of its production approaches. The first step was to analyzed the additive manufacturing (AM) development through the time to determine the variables that describes the changes, the state of maturity and the permeation levels in the economic sector, to make it, it was made literature reviews and bibliometric analysis. Later, it was defined as an analysis unit the health care sector due to the appropriation of the AM in the attention process. A characterization of the actual state was made, and the scenario proposal were analyzed from the model that simulates the behavior on each scenario. For the additive scenario, it was considered the role that is performed the member of the chain that implements the additive process and how this alter the structure, the management process and the relation between the actors. The results, show a high potential on the impact of AM, from the production links to the approach with the client, about the literature, it is emerging the investigation of print farms development and atomized structures. The process of the chain management was described and how the additive process permeates the roles, the dependence and the autonomy that each member has; the variables with most affectation is, the production and distribution costs, the waiting times, response and interventions, also the satisfactory results. It is explaining through the contrast of three scenarios, one traditional and two additives, the reduction of, at least the 50% of the chain lead time, 30% the supplies quantity and 20% the available capacity. By contrast, it still evidences great challenges for a proper implementation, related with the knowledge, coverage, economic acquisition power and the response level of the traditional production. For future investigations, it is points out the bonding with the other technologies of the 4.0 industries, the analysis of each one of the management process of the chain and the model development, that allowed the selection of a proper structure for the inclusion of the AM from the simulation of additive scenarios, among others. / Núñez Rodríguez, J. (2021). Modelo para el análisis del impacto de la manufactura aditiva en la gestión de la cadena de suministro [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/180383

Date: 2nd June 2024 Level: Master Thesis in Product and Process Development, advanced level 30 ECTS Institution: School of Innovation, Design and Engineering at Mälardalens University Authors: Simon Westergren &amp; Andreas Rundh Andersson Title: The Role of Supply Chain Mapping in Complying to ESRS Keywords: Supply chains, Supply chain management, Risk management, Disruptions, Resilience, Visibility, Supply chain mapping, Sustainability, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, European Sustainability Reporting Standards, Sustainable supply chain mapping, Industrial electronics industry. Supervisors: Mikael Johnsson - Mälardalens University, Mikael Steinar &amp; Paulina Wilhelmsson - Case Company Aim: The aim of the study is to explore if and how acompany within the industrial electronics industry could be supported by supply chain mapping in complying with EU's ESRS regulation. Research Question: How can supply chain mapping support an industrial electronics company in complying with EU's ESRS regulation? Methodology: The methodology of this study employs a qualitative research approach, specifically using a case study to explore the implementation of supply chain mapping within an industrial electronics company for EU's ESRS compliance. Adopting an abductive framework, the research intertwines theoretical exploration and empirical data collection. Literature was reviewed from academic journals and industry reports, while empirical data was gathered through comprehensive supply chain mapping, questionnaires, and a series of interviews, including semi-structured and individual discussions. Conclusion: The study concludes that supply chain mapping is a pivotal tool for aiding an industrial electronics company in complying with the EU's ESRS regulation. It was found that comprehensive mapping of the supply chain not only helps in identifying relevant ESRS topics across the value chain but also enhances risk management and visibility. The application of supply chain mapping demonstrated significant potential for improving operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Целью работы является разработка методических основ оценки трансформации цепочек поставок с учетом концепции технологического суверенитета. В основе подхода – комбинация методов анализа цепочек поставок по следующим направлениям: выбор необходимых традиционных инструментов и их усовершенствование: SWOT-анализ, ABC-анализ, SCOR-анализ, сравнительный анализ; оценка технологической зависимости российских компаний от иностранных поставок. Разработанный методический подход позволяет определить изменения в цепочках поставок и оценить уровень зависимости от иностранных поставщиков в рамках стратегии технологического суверенитета предприятия. / The aim of the work is to develop a methodological framework for assessing the transformation of supply chains taking into account the concept of technological sovereignty. The approach is based on a combination of supply chain analysis methods in the following areas: selection of the necessary traditional tools and their improvement: SWOT-analysis, ABC-analysis, SCOR-analysis, comparative analysis; assessment of the technological dependence of Russian companies on foreign supplies. The developed methodological approach allows us to identify changes in supply chains and assess the level of dependence on foreign suppliers as part of the enterprise’s technological sovereignty strategy.

This research focussed on Fair Trade (FT) coffee supply chains in Papua New Guinea. Three research questions were asked. First, do small holders in the FT chains receive higher returns than the smallholders in the conventional chains? Secondly, if smallholders in the FT coffee chains receive higher returns from their coffee than the smallholders in the conventional chains, what are the sources of these higher returns? Finally, if smallholders in the FT chains don't receive higher returns than in the conventional chains, what are the constraints to smallholders receiving higher returns from the FT coffee chains than the conventional chains? A conceptual framework for agribusiness supply chain was developed that was used to guide the field work. A comparative case study methodology was selcted as an appropriate method for eliciting the required information. Four case study chains were selected. A paired FT and conventional coffee chains from Okapa and another paired FT and conventional chains from Kainantu districts, Eastern Highlands Province were selected for the study. The research found that smallholders in the FT chains and vonventional chains receive very similar prices for their coffee (parchment price equivalent). Hence, there was no evidence that smallholders in the FT chains received higher prices or returns from their coffee production than smallholders in conventional chains. This study also found that there was no evidence of FLO certification improving returns to smallholders in the FT chains over those returns received in the conventional chains, but the community that the FT smallholder producers come from did benefit. The sources of these community benefits lies in the shorter FT chains and the distributions of the margin that would have been otherwise made by processors to producers, exporters and the community. In addition, this study found that constraints associated with value creation are similar in all the four chains studies. However, there are some added hurdles for the FT chains in adhering to FT and organic coffee standards. Moreover, FT co-oeratives lacked capacity to trade and their only functions were to help with FLO certification and distribute the FT premium to the community. The findings of this research support some aspects of the literature, but not others. The research contribution is the finding that in this period of high conventional coffee prices, returns to smallholders from FT chains were no bettter than the returns gained in conventional chains, which leads to oppotunism and lack of loyalty by smallholders in the FT chains. The other contribution of this research is in identifying a particular type of free rider who is not a member of the FT co-operative but has right to the community benefits generated by the FT chain.

無 / Facing today’s highly competitive market and changed business environment, whether the company has the capability to implement successful inter-organizational information systems to achieve efficient supply chain management becomes a significant issue. To fulfill this need, this research aims to develop a framework for measuring the IOS capability. After company interviews, our proposed framework is simplified to measure four IOS capabilities: (1) physical assets, (2) path dependency, (3) relational intangibles (trust and complementary resources), and (4) market power. We propose that firms with these IOS resources can have higher IOS usage, which in turn creates greater IOS performance. / A general survey is then conducted in the Taiwan PC industry to validate our proposed framework. The instrument was tested for validity and reliability properties, and multiple linear regression was used for testing our hypotheses. The results indicate that physical IT assets and relational specific intangibles are positively related with IOS usage. On the other hand, path dependency and market power do not have significant impact on IOS usage. We further explore the relationships between the IOS capabilities and firm performance. The result indicates firms with more IOS usage are more likely to achieve better firm performance. These results can further be examined in a more industry-wide survey in the future. The researchers can also build upon this model to further examine the factors that are discovered.

Cette thèse propose une étude empirique des liens entre la sphère politique et la gestion des services publics locaux en France. Lorsqu'elles administrent les services publics, les administrations locales peuvent décider soit de fournir un service en régie, soit d'externaliser sa gestion, et donc de conclure des contrats avec des entités privées. Tout d'abord, ce choix de gouvernance est analysé dans le cas des cantines scolaires françaises et les moteurs politiques de ce choix sont mis en évidence. La contestation politique à l'élection municipale est considérée comme l'un des moteurs du choix organisationnel. Deuxièmement, nous avons analysé les contrats public-privé en cas d'externalisation. Nous avons constaté que ces contrats étaient plus rigides que les contrats privés purs. En outre, cette rigidité excessive peut s'expliquer par le niveau de contestation politique dans la municipalité. Enfin, les déterminants de l'approvisionnement alimentaire local sont étudiés. Nous constatons que la disponibilité des réseaux d'alimentation alternatifs est parfois motivée par des considérations politiques. Cette thèse contribue à ajouter des connaissances à la compréhension de la gestion des services publics locaux, ainsi qu'à la compréhension de la disponibilité des magasins de détail alimentaires. / This dissertation offers an empirical investigation of the links between the political sphere and the management of local public services in France. When they administer public services, local governments can decide either to provide a service in-house, or to externalize its management, and therefore conclude contracts with private entities. First, this choice of governance is analyzed in the case of French school canteens and the political drivers of this choice are highlighted. The political contestation in the municipal election is found to be one of the drivers of the organizational choice. Second, we analyzed public-private contracts in case of externalization. We found those contracts to be more rigid than pure private contracts. Besides, this excessive rigidity can be explained by the level of political contestation in the municipality. Finally, the determinants of the local food supply is studied. We find that the availability of alternative food networks is sometimes driven by political considerations. This dissertation contributes to add knowledge to the understanding of the management of local public services, as well as to the understanding of food retail stores availability.