[APDIO] CFP: Special Issue on Applying Emerging Information and Communication Technologies to Support Service Supply Chains

["A. Ismael F. Vaz" <aivaz@dps.uminho.pt>]

 

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Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization (JIMO)

(Impact factor 0,536 according to Thomson Scientific 2013 Journal Citations Report)

Special Issue on Applying Emerging Information and Communication Technologies to Support Service Supply Chains:  New Trends and Perspectives 

Call for Papers

A supply chain (SC) can be defined as the sequence of events that cover the entire life cycle of a product or service from conception to consumption (Blanchard, 2010). These events interact and affect each other according to various relationships. The most common events or tasks in a SC are raw materials supply, production processes, storage, marketing and product distribution to customers (Chopra and Meindl, 2008). Various factors are involved in the performance of each of these events or tasks.

Supply chains are of such importance that their execution and management can be crucial for some companies. For instance, the multinational aviation company, Airbus manufactures different plane components in different countries and the integration of these components is crucial for the company to remain competitive, with similar corporations as Boeing (Tang et al., 2013). 

Nowadays, globalization has greatly influenced the development of a new type of supply chain (Tomlin, 2014). It has allowed all kinds of domestic companies – local, regional, or national – to stand out as suppliers of international supply chains despite geographical distance (Sturgeon et al., 2009; Caniato et al., 2013). Moreover, the great majority of these suppliers are companies in emerging countries. Therefore, real competition between enterprises may not only depend on production processes but also on supply chain (Ngai et al., 2011). 

The major factor that has allowed integration of emerging countries such as China, Russia, India, Brazil, and Mexico into international supply chains is their ability to adapt to the demands of the markets. Moreover, it is said that they add value to the activities of their customers through proactive, timely and innovative processes (Lorentz et al., 2010; Sánchez et al., 2011; Silvestre, 2014).

Two other elements have also supported the integration of emerging countries into global supply chains. On one hand, improved means of transportation has allowed for a more efficient interconnectivity between business operations, reducing leading time and uncertainties. On the other hand, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have helped improve the synchronization and integration of key processes of a supply chain. For instance, some examples of systems and platforms integrating ICTs are the e-procurement, B2B, ERP, B2C, and EDI (Alor et al., 2014).

It is important to mention that most research about supply chain management focuses on analyzing manufacturing systems in different industrial sectors that include the automotive sector (Matsuo, 2015; García et al., 2014; Thome et al., 2014; Günther et al., 2014), the food sector (Chen, 2015; Eksoz et al., 2014), or the textile sector (Diabat, 2014; Moon et al., 2012). However, service supply chains have not been deeply analyzed; yet, they may be a valuable field of research that can provide useful and new knowledge on supply chain performance. Moreover, a service supply chain is directly related to customer satisfaction, a key component of a company’s willingness to remain competitive. 

Service supply chains are considered important since service companies must be able to successfully plan and manage several activities, from supporting functions to delivering the service to the end-user. Among the main service companies are airlines, healthcare providers, banks, customer service functions of manufacturers as return of raw materials or components. 

The aim of this Special Issue is to investigate trends among innovative and high-quality research regarding the implementation of conceptual frameworks, strategies, techniques, methodologies, informatics platforms and models about the ICT that can help service supply chains in emerging markets.

Possible topics for research papers include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

• Service supply chain in emerging markets 

• Service supply chain design 

• Service reverse logistics

• Service supply chain management

• ICTs for service supply chain 

• Service supply chain performance indicators

• Knowledge management in service supply chain 

• Service supply chain strategies

• Quantitative models to manage service supply chains

• Service supply chain planning

• Benchmarking in service supply chain

• Mobile applications in service supply chains 

• Service supply chain security and reliability

• Service supply chains simulation 

• Disruption risks in service supply chains 

• Cloud computing in service supply chains 

• Customer relations management in service supply chains

• Lean approach in service supply chains 

• Cross-domain software innovations applied in service supply chains 

• Technological and service delivery innovations and their applications in service supply chains

• Sustainable service supply chains

• Reconciling outsourcing/sub-contracting in service supply chain

• Service supply chain in specific service sectors (e.g. healthcare, telecommunications, etc.)

• Issues of resiliency and vulnerability in service supply chains

Submission Guidelines and Other Considerations 

Papers submitted must not have been previously published or be under consideration for publication in other journals, though they may represent significant extensions of prior work. All submitted papers will undergo a rigorous peer-review process (with at least two reviewers) that will consider both programmatic relevance as well as scientific quality. 

The acceptance process will focus on papers that address original scientific contributions in the form of theoretical and experimental research and case studies applying the ICTs to Support the Service Supply Chains. Also, an abstract submission is mandatory to allow editors the assignment of the most suitable reviewers for each paper. Thus, authors willing to submit a paper to this Special Issue must contact the Lead Guest Editor before September 1, 2015 via email, specifying the title of the paper, the type of submission (regular paper or work in progress), and including the paper’s abstract.

Before submitting a paper, authors must carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, found at https://aimsciences.org/journals/home.jsp?journalID=5. 

Prospective authors must submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript to the Journal Secretary, Mrs. Sam Spinella (TeoJournals@curtin.edu.au), clearly indicating that the paper represents a potential contribution to the Special Issue. Afterwards, Mrs.  Sam Spinella will forward the papers to the Managing Editors for a preliminary screening. 

Papers to be considered for external review will then be forwarded to the Guest Editors who will handle the reviewing process. The Editorial Office will promptly inform authors whose submissions will not be considered for the Special Issue due to lack of alignment with the issue’s topic. 

Timeline 

Abstract submission: September 1, 2015 

Manuscript submission deadline: October 15, 2015 

First review to be completed (includes author notification): November 15, 2015 

Deadline for receipt of revisions: December 15, 2015 

Second review to be completed (includes author notification): December 31, 2015 

Final version: January 15, 2016 

Publication: To be Announced 

Lead Guest Editor 

Cuauhtemoc Sanchez-Ramirez, Division of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba, Oriente 9 #82 Emiliano Zapata, Orizaba, Veracruz, México. Mail: csanchez@itorizaba.edu.mx 

Guest Editors 

Jorge Luis Garcia-Alcaraz, Deparment of Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing, Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez. Av. Plutarco Elías Calles #1210, Fovissste Chamizal, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. C.P. 32310. Phone. (+52) 688 – 2100 ext. 5433. Mail: jorge.garcia@uacj.mx 

Giner Alor-Hernández, Division of Research and Postgraduate Studies, Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba, Oriente 9 #82 Emiliano Zapata, Orizaba, Veracruz, México. Mail: galor@itorizaba.edu.mx 

Aidé Aracely Maldonado-Macías, Deparment of Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing, Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez. Av. Plutarco Elías Calles #1210, Fovissste Chamizal, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. C.P. 32310. Phone. (+52) 688 – 2100. Mail: amaldona@uacj.mx

Giner Alor Hernández, Ph.D. 

Profesor Investigador 

División de Estudios de Postgrado e Investigación 

Instituto Tecnológico de Orizaba 

Avenida Oriente 9 No. 852 Col. Emiliano Zapata 

C. P. 94320 

Tel/Fax (272) 72 57056  

Orizaba, Veracruz, México 

 

 

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Dr. Rosa G. Gonzalez Ramírez
Investigador Asociado

Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso