With the development and evolution of information technology, competition has become more and more intensive on a global scale. Many companies have forecast that the future of operation and supply chain management (SCM) may change dramatically, from planning, scheduling, optimisation, to transportation, with the presence of artificial intelligence (AI). People will be more and more interested in machine learning, AI, and other intelligent technologies, in terms of SCM. Within this context, this particular research study provides an overview of the concept of AI and SCM. It then focuses on timely and critical analysis of AI-driven supply chain research and applications. In this exploratory research, the emerging AI-based business models of different case companies are analysed. Their relevant AI solutions and related values to companies are also evaluated. As a result, this research identifies several areas of value creation for the application of AI in the supply chain. It also proposes an approach to designing business models for AI supply chain applications.

Purpose: With considerable international awareness of circular economy (CE), the purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical framework, informed by institutional theory and upper echelon theory (UET), to explain how top management commitment (TMC) mediates the relationship between external pressures and supplier relationship management (SRM) practices for CE.Design/methodology/approach: The authors test the hypotheses using cross-sectional data gathered using a survey of companies involved in sustainability practices.Findings: The results of the hierarchical regression and mediating regression analyses suggest that TMC positively mediates the effect of external institutional pressures on SRM.Originality/value: The authors advance existing theory by integrating institutional theory and UET to explain SRM practices in sustainable supply networks. Furthermore, the authors offer guidance to managers who would like to engage in leveraging SRM in sustainable supply networks and outline future research directions.

One of the most important challenges faced by business managers today is the integration of sustainability into their core functions. The contemporary enterprise is forced to leap forward from the mere adoption of green practices toward rethinking, redesigning, and redeveloping business practices in a more sustainable way. Most of the initiatives in this attempt have so far emphasized primarily the economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development and overlooked the social dimension of sustainability. As more organizations commit to sustainability, there is an increasing concern to incorporate social sustainability throughout their business operations. To conceptualize and integrate the notion, some organizations use preexisting indicators to demonstrate the value and impact of sustainability, while others look beyond the measurement of impacts by constructing their own system of indicators. This paper draws on a comprehensive literature review to determine a broadly acceptable framework of social sustainability indicators to be conceptualized and integrated into the business world. Findings suggest that economic and environmental sustainability can be driven together with core social factors including fairness and equality, poverty, health, education, delinquencies, demography, culture, and employee engagement within an organization. These results offer insight into the emerging phenomenon of formulating sustainable business strategies for organizations based on social indicators to attain the ultimate sustainable outcomes. This study is among the first to identify social sustainability indicators from societal and corporate perspectives. It offers a comprehensive social sustainability framework that may be adopted by organizations in the business world.