Citation
O'Reilly, A.P.a.S. (2014), "Guest editorial", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-03-2014-0041
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Guest editorial
Article Type: Guest editorial From: The International Journal of Logistics Management, Volume 25, Issue 1.
This issue contains three articles based on papers presented at the 17th International Symposium on Logistics (www.isl21.net) held in July 2012 in Cape Town, South Africa. The conference saw over 75 papers presented, from which a shortlist of 17 papers was drawn up and the authors invited to submit extended versions for peer review in this journal. All papers build around the conference theme of “New Horizons for Logistics and Supply Chain Management”. Two take forward current research agendas in supply chain risk and sustainable logistics. The third provides a macro level study of logistics in South Africa, the research approach and geographical context both being uncommon in logistics journals.
The first paper addresses the topical issue of supply chain complexity and puts forward a holistic conceptual model that builds on current supply chain risk management frameworks. In this paper Vilko et al. draw on a number of theories and provide a good platform for future empirical work. The second paper contributes to the growing literature on sustainable supply chains. In this context Qing et al. address a somewhat neglected area, remanufacturing, and employ real options theory to examine the impetus for both OEM and third-party involvement in this activity. They use multiple case studies to explore remanufacturing supply chain options and on this basis put forward research propositions that call for further research and contribution in this area. The third paper by Simpson and Havenga, also focused on logistics, considers the impact of high fuel costs on a national economy dependant on long haul transportation. As such this case study presents an interesting insight into the South African economy and considers various logistics options in the context of prevailing high oil prices.
A fourth article from this conference was published in volume 24, issue 3. Rigot-Muller et al. presented a method to optimize logistics-related carbon emission and illustrated this with real-life data from two case studies. This work on global end-to-end supply chains makes a useful contribution to the literature and provides an ideal platform for replication studies.
Andrew Potter
Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
Seamus O'Reilly
Department of Food Business & Development, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland