Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to establish what is known regarding how supply network governance leads to network outcomes, what mechanisms underlie this relationship, and how context impacts it.Design/methodology/approach: A systematic literature review identified 44 conceptual and empirical studies. Purely dyadic studies were excluded. Synthesis used the context‐intervention‐mechanism‐outcomes (CIMO) logic.Findings: From a categorization of contexts, governance instruments, mechanisms and outcomes a contingent conceptual framework is developed in the paper relating governance instruments to network outcomes dependent on the context. In general, formal instruments are adopted in dynamic and unstable circumstances defined as risky, uncertain, unpredictable or during organizational change. These instruments can result in coordination, control, viability and performance outcomes. Informal instruments tend to be adopted in contexts where prior relationships exist between actors.Research limitations/implications: Arising from the conceptual framework three robust propositions are developed. A more nuanced view of power and trust is proposed to augment the explanations provided by transaction costs and social embeddedness. This provides opportunities for further research, including longitudinal and comparative studies.Practical implications: The conceptual framework provides three propositions suggesting that in dynamic or unstable circumstances formal governance instruments can provide viability, control, coordination or performance outcomes. Informal governance instruments are more effectively used in established relationships to improve performance, control and viability.Originality/value: The synthesis reveals contingencies in the appropriate governance modes of supply networks for desired outcomes in specific contexts, resolving apparent inconsistencies between prior studies.

Purpose – Within the context of a sustainable supply chain, the purpose of this paper is to report on empirical longitudinal research on supply chain network evolution and dynamics of governance in a multi-stakeholder supply chain sustainability initiative led by Nespresso, the speciality coffee division of Nestlé. Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes a framework to study the creation and evolution of governance mechanisms over a five-year period. Data from 48 semi-structured interviews and 15 recent and historic documents were also analysed. The interviews were conducted among current and past representatives of all the organisations concerned including coffee traders, NGOs and farmers. Findings – In contrast with literature on the subject, governance mechanisms initially relied mostly on informal mechanisms. Formal governance mechanisms were incorporated into the relationships to enable the supply chain network to grow and to provide clarity to all actors. Relational quality processes that increased trust were critical elements in the early phase, and were explicitly built into a second phase of development. Research limitations/implications – Being a single case study, some caution needs to be applied to generalise findings beyond the specific context studied. An additional methodological limitation is the limited number of actors involved in the overall supply chain network. Practical implications – The paper shows the importance of treating governance mechanisms within the supply chain not as a fixed variable to be determined once and for all in the beginning of a relationship, but rather to adapt the coordination mechanisms of the relationships. Originality/value – The evolution of relationships over time has been “often called for but rarely chosen”. The case highlights the potential benefits of this type of research to develop an understanding of the evolution of relationships in a supply chain network.

The onset of germination of faba bean seeds at constant temperature was progressively delayed as that temperature diverged from an optimum of 25.5 °C. At temperatures below 10 °C, or above 28 °C, the maximum germination percentage fell to below 90%. There was no germination at 39 °C. Positive and negative linear relationships were established between the constant temperatures and the rates of progress of germination to different percentiles, at sub-optimal and supra-optimal temperatures, respectively. Like germination rates, base temperature (T_b) declined from 3.71 to −0.83 °C as the percentile value increased from 10% to 80%. Caution was urged in extrapolating beyond the experimental data set. Differences in the ceiling temperature (T_c) with percentile could not be discerned. Cumulative germination progress curves at each temperature were modelled by the Weibull, logistic, and cumulative normal distribution functions. Cardinal temperatures (T_b and T_c) calculated from these data reasonably approximated the actual data. The Weibull function demonstrated a good approximation at all percentile levels, while the logistic and cumulative normal distribution functions, as a result of their inherent symmetry, deviated at the extreme percentiles. It was concluded that the Weibull function not only accurately modelled cumulative germination but could also be used in the calculation of cardinal temperatures.

Doctoral education in the UK embraces both independent self‐directed study and collective shared learning. The extent to which individual doctoral students remain isolated, or become integrated into a network of doctoral students, is a function of the attributes of the individual and the nature of the doctorate and its mode of delivery. Using the techniques of social network analysis, this cross‐sectional study investigated the extent of the connections between doctoral students, and the purposes these connections served amongst the doctoral community, comprising full‐time and part‐time PhD and Doctor of Business Administration students at Cranfield School of Management. The study shows that ties between students served multiple purposes. Generally students were connected to others studying in the same mode and who entered at the same time. Connectivity was unaffected by nationality or gender.