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In this case study, the alternative route designs were observed to significantly decrease transportation costs and the total distance traveled. This decrease in logistics requirements almost halved the annual number of shipments and the time needed for operation and documentation activities. In addition, reduced carbon emissions made this an environmentally friendly transportation model, in line with trends in society.

The basis for this case study was the analysis of Whirlpool Turkey’s transportation system for materials used in the production of white goods. Data obtained through fieldwork and cooperation with company consultants showed that some suppliers have high annual logistics costs. This inefficiency causes time loss and increases the total distance traveled and thus carbon emissions. In the case study, the current application created inefficiency in cost and time management, and therefore, after determining the factors that increase costs, different transportation solutions were developed accordingly.

This case is particularly designed for undergraduates in the final semester of management courses that specialize in supply chain and operation management.

Teaching notes are available for educators only.

CSS 9: Operations and logistics.

This study aims to reveal how omni-channel capability leads to customer satisfaction by examining the mediating roles of flexibility and operational logistics service quality (LSQ).

Consumers who had previously shopped from any particular retailer's both online and physical stores were surveyed to collect data on research constructs. Structural equation modelling and bootstrapping were employed to test research hypotheses.

This study shows the double mediation of flexibility and operational LSQ in the effect of omni-channel capability on customer satisfaction. Despite this indirect effect, omni-channel capability does not directly affect customer satisfaction, implying the full mediations of flexibility and operational LSQ. However, these mediating effects could not be verified for certain types of retailers (e.g. electronic retailers).

By using the theoretical lens of capability–service quality–performance triad (C-SQ-P), this study shows how omni-channel capability and flexibility affect customer satisfaction through operational LSQ. Hence, an original finding is that developing omni-channel capability may not be sufficient for customer satisfaction and that it may need to be supported by flexibility and operational LSQ. It additionally reveals that the mediations of flexibility and operational LSQ hinge on the type of retailing industry examined. Thus, this study draws on the necessity of investigating the contingent roles of flexibility and operational LSQ in omni-channel retailing for customer satisfaction.

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of omni-channel capability (OCC) and consumer empowerment (CE) on customer satisfaction (CS).

A paper-based questionnaire was employed to analyse the role of CE in omni-channel retailing (OCR) by using structural equation modelling. Based on the Stimuli-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, this research aims to explore how OCC (S) impacts CE (O) and then leads to CS (R) in consumers who had previously used both the online and physical channels of a retailer.

The findings supported the impact of OCC on CE, and in turn, the impact of CE on CS. The results reveal a partial mediation by CE in the effect of OCC on CS. Additionally, channel service transparency (CST) moderates the relationship between CE and CS.

The findings reveal partial mediator role of CE and the moderator role of CST in OCR. The study draws attention to the increasing role of CE and CST in OCR. To enhance CS, retailers should focus on OCC, CE and CST.

A new model was validated, hypothesized from S-O-R framework. This extended the knowledge on CE in OCR.

The retail sector in a lot of countries consists of many small and medium sized specialty retailers who face a high degree of dynamics and competition. Consequently, these companies also have to constantly evolve and develop resilient strategies that promise their future success. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to analyse the resource and capability bundle for operating as and transforming to a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) omni-channel specialty retailer. Therefore, the authors followed the notions of the Resource-Based-View (RBV) and of the Dynamic-Capabilities-View (DCV).

To answer the authors’ formulated research questions, they applied an exploratory research method by conducting 12 semi-structured and guideline-based expert interviews from two countries.

The findings reveal a specific bundle of transformation resources and capabilities and important drivers for the implementation of an omni-channel strategy. Thereby, the human resources factor and the market as well as customer understanding play a decisive role. In addition, the authors have identified country-specific differences in the technological, logistical, product-specific and financial areas.

The results reflect the importance of qualified and well-trained staff for SME retailers to implement omni-channel strategies in alignment with a high level of service quality. Especially in the Covid 19 era, flexible structures and quick adaptability are essential to remain competitive. Nevertheless, everything should always be in line with the company's own philosophy.

The paper provides new insights into important resources and capabilities retailers need to focus on when implementing an omni-channel strategy. The paper concentrates in particular on the groups of SMEs and niche markets as well as examines country-specific differences in a developed and a developing country.

This study aims to examine the role relational dynamics, grounded in the theories of social exchange and social capital, play within the context of geographic indication (GI) food supply chain network (FSCN) performance.

A total of 30 qualitative interviews were undertaken with key informant stakeholders across a variety of organizations within Turkish GI FSCNs. An open, axial and selective grounded theory coding process was used for the analysis, teasing out critical themes that underpinned the conceptual framework.

The findings identify the formal and informal mechanisms which govern GI FSCNs. These two forms of governance mechanisms influence network performance, which was found to comprise logistics, production, business and socio-economic performance dimensions. Transparency, GI traceability, trust and psychological contract violations were found to mediate the link between governance and network performance outcomes.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to explore GI FSCNs from the perspective of relationship marketing and through the lens of social exchange and social capital theory. Accordingly, both academics and practitioners can benefit from the study, as it unveils relevant relational factors underpinning such networks.

Drawing upon the social network theory (SNT), the aim of this study is to examine the impact of value co-creation (VCC) on retailer loyalty (RL) and omni-channel shopping frequency (OCF) from the consumer perspective.

Grounded on SNT, the research focuses on VCC in omni-channel retailing. A paper-based questionnaire was used to examine the role of VCC on OCF and RL, and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The findings supported the impact of VCC on RL, and in turn, the impact of RL on OCF. However, the results of the analysis reveal that RL has no mediator role between VCC and OCF.

The study shows the increasing role of VCC on RL, and the important role of RL on OCF. The findings reveal that RL has a significant role for VCC and OCF separately but does not have a mediator role between VCC and OCF. Moreover, the study extends the knowledge on VCC in omni-channel retailing.

The new research model, which was hypothesized from SNT, was validated. In the omni-channel retailing context, the study revealed the consumer perspective on VCC, and also the linkages between VCC, RL and OCF.

Industry 4.0 accelerates the performance of supply chains, in particular, the reduction in supply chain cost (SCC) and improvement in supply chain flexibility (SCF). The aim of this study is to examine the role of Industry 4.0 on SCC and SCF, using network theory to explain the interrelationships.

Data were collected from 182 manufacturing firms in Turkey. The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed in testing the research hypotheses.

The results showed that Industry 4.0 positively affects SCC; however, no direct relationship was found between Industry 4.0 and SCF. Moreover, SCC was found to have a positive impact on SCF, while SCC was found to mediate the relationship between Industry 4.0 and SCF. An additional finding was that customer integration (CI) moderates the relationship between Industry 4.0 and SCC; however, CI does not moderate the relationship between Industry 4.0 and SCF.

The research validates the role of Industry 4.0 on supply chain processes and thus provides valuable insights into supply chain practitioners and decision-makers interested in Industry 4.0 for supply chain management.

In view of the limited number of studies, this study empirically contributes to the literature on the relationships among Industry 4.0, SCC, SCF and CI.

This paper introduces the term “omni-channel capability” and tests its validity. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of logistics service quality (LSQ) on omni-channel capability.

An online survey was used to evaluate the new concept of “omni-channel capability” and LSQ from the consumer’s perception. A two split sample technique was used to validate omni-channel capability and test the impact of LSQ on it through structural equation modeling. Factor analysis and structural equation modeling were performed to introduce, test and validate omni-channel capability, and test the study’s hypotheses. Consumers who had previously shopped from both the online and physical stores of a particular retailer completed a self-administered survey.

The findings supported the use of the term “omni-channel capability,” which has three elements: channel consistency, cross-channel and social media. The results also revealed the positive impact of operational LSQ on omni-channel capability.

Taking consumer perceptions as a reference point, this study reveals major issues that retailers should focus on while pursuing an omni-channel strategy. The findings also highlight the need for retailers to ensure operational LSQ to implement an omni-channel management strategy.

To improve on the limited theoretical understanding and empirical grounding of omni-channel management, this study described the three elements of omni-channel capability. The impact of operational LSQ on omni-channel capability gives empirical support for the theorized hierarchy of dynamic capabilities (zero- and first-order capabilities).

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how retailing companies use social media, local and mobile commerce in their omni-channel management strategy. This approach, also known as SO-LO-MO, encompasses customer touchpoints that offer numerous available channels to consumers. The paper provides insights from 16 retailers in two countries, thus showing geographical differences in the SO-LO-MO as well as differences depending on product segments.

In order to analyse how retailing companies implement SO-LO-MO, a conceptual framework including 48 SO-LO-MO activities was derived from literature. The empirical validation was built upon qualitative and quantitative data collection by retrieving information from the websites, social media channels and mobile applications (apps). Analyses included triangulated content analysis as well as non-parametric statistical tests.

The research findings enable a comparison of the SO-LO-MO concept between retailers operating in the two countries. The authors were able to reveal similarities and differences in the SO-LO-MO-based omni-channel management strategies. The identified SO-LO-MO practices vary according to different product segments. The authors identified slightly more SO-LO-MO implementation and integration within the German sample. Differences in local commerce between the two samples appear to be statistically significant. Although the differences in mobile and social commerce are not of statistical significance, there are variations in practical usage.

The research focusses on a small sample of retailers from different product segments in two markets.

The findings present the current state of the SO-LO-MO concept from the omni-channel perspective in Germany and Turkey.

In view of a limited theoretical understanding and empirical grounding on the SO-LO-MO concept, the findings provide empirical evidence by assessing innovative omni-channel management practices of leading retailers in various industry segments. Furthermore, the paper proposes a frame of reference for measuring the level of SO-LO-MO implementation from an omni-channel perspective.

Industry 4.0 not only impacts the manufacturing industry but also supply chain practices. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the purpose of this paper is to examine how Industry 4.0 affects supply chain integration (SCI) and supply chain performance (SCP).

The data were collected from 212 respondents in manufacturing companies. The partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of this study.

The findings reveal that Industry 4.0 has a positive impact on SCI and SCP, and SCI has a positive impact on SCP. In addition, a partial mediating role of SCI has been found between Industry 4.0 and SCP.

This study reveals the role of Industry 4.0 on supply chain practices and draws attention to SCI in the linkage between Industry 4.0 and SCP. The findings emphasise the need for Industry 4.0 and SCI to enhance SCP.

There is limited research on the impacts of Industry 4.0 on SCI and SCP. This research finds empirical evidence for these impacts and enhances knowledge of Industry 4.0 by using a sample from an emerging country.