Background: Elective surgery cancellation is considered a fundamental problem in health care services—it causes considerable disruption to patient flow, further eroding often already stretched operating capacity, and consequentially reduces both hospital performance and patient satisfaction. This research presents a systematic review (SR) of the reasons for surgery cancellation among different hospitals and countries. By highlighting these causes, we identify how to reduce cancellations, thereby improving the use of surgical capacity and resources and creating a more predicable patient flow.Methods: An SR was performed on elective surgery cancellation in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis and by assessing the methodological quality of SR with Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews guidelines.Results: There are different reasons for surgery cancellation that vary between hospitals. This SR demonstrates that hospital-related causes (e.g. unavailable operation room time, inappropriate scheduling policy and lack of beds) are the primary reason for surgery cancellation, followed by work-up related causes (e.g. medically unfit and changes in the treatment plan) and patient-related causes (e.g. absence of a patient and patient refusal).Conclusion: This review demonstrates that the main causes for surgery cancellation can be controlled by hospital managers, who can aim to improve areas such as patient flow and capacity management. Ultimately, this will improve the quality of healthcare delivered by hospitals.

Purpose: This study aims to identify and analyse the barriers to adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in inventory systems within the retail sector. Despite the critical role of these barriers in hindering the implementation of digital technologies, there is a noticeable gap in the literature regarding analytical studies that address this issue. Design/methodology/approach: To fill this gap, the study employs a hierarchical model to examine the interrelationship between various barriers. The model integrates joint interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and cross-impact matrix multiplication applied to classification (MICMAC) analysis. The research involves interviews with a group of expert participants from the Australian retail industry, focusing on 13 key barriers identified through a comprehensive literature review and expert input. The driving power and dependence power of each barrier are assessed and classified into four clusters. Findings: The study identifies 13 key barriers to the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies in retail inventory systems. Among these, four stand out as the most influential: financial constraints, lack of management, organisational inadaptability and government reluctance. Financial constraints emerge as the dominant driver, as limited profit margins restrict retailers’ ability to invest in new technologies. In contrast, skill and training requirements were found to be the least consequential, indicating that workforce limitations, while relevant, are not perceived as critical in undermining inventory system performance. These results clarify the relative influence of barriers and their role in shaping adoption outcomes. Practical implications: The study provides exploratory insights that can help retail practitioners in Australia understand and prioritise the barriers to adopting Industry 4.0 technologies in inventory systems. By mapping the driving and dependence power of each barrier, retailers can develop more targeted strategies to address the most influential challenges. While the findings are indicative and context-specific, they offer a structured basis for reflection and strategic planning, supporting the ongoing digital transformation of inventory management in the retail sector. Originality/value: The contribution of this research lies in its context-specific examination of barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption in Australian retail inventory systems. Although previous studies have investigated Industry 4.0 adoption across various sectors, few focus on retail inventory management and the interrelationships among barriers in this specific context. By applying interpretive structural modelling (ISM) and MICMAC analysis, the study provides a structured exploration of how barriers interact, offering preliminary insights for both researchers and practitioners rather than claiming a fully novel methodological or theoretical contribution.

While justice practice in the buyer–supplier relationship has been well-researched, its impact has mainly been discussed in achieving various relational outcomes (such as satisfaction, commitment, collaboration, etc.) and various firm performances (such as social, operational, financial, etc.). This study extends the application of justice practice beyond this traditional focus and investigates its role in building resilience, a critical capability to survive during a disruptive environment. The purpose of this study is not only to understand the relationships among the dimensions of supplier justice practices but also to understand the usefulness of the supplier justice practice in building buyers’ resilience through supplier flexibility practice. The contingent role of firm size and firm age is also examined with the link between supplier flexibility and buyers’ resilience. We collected data from 205 Australian firms to examine the theoretical framework. Following the PLS-SEM technique, our findings show that suppliers’ interactional justice positively influences both distributive and procedural justice. Our result further reveals that only suppliers’ procedural justice directly influences buyers’ resilience and distributive and interactional justice impacts buyers’ resilience through supplier flexibility. This confirms the presence of supplier flexibility as a mediator between distributive justice, interactional justice, and buyers’ resilience. Our findings further show that only firm size positively moderates the effect of supplier flexibility on buyers’ resilience. We also present the theoretical and managerial implications of the study based on the findings.