Browsing by Author "Creazza, Alessandro"

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    Blurred lines: the timeline of supply chain resilience strategies in the grocery industry in the time of Covid-19
    (Springer, 2022-06-02) Carissimi, Maria Concetta; Prataviera, Lorenzo Bruno; Creazza, Alessandro; Melacini, Marco; Dallari, Fabrizio
    To anticipate, adapt and respond to, and recover from disruptions, firms need to enhance supply chain (SC) resilience. The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 represented a unique opportunity to investigate it empirically. This study focuses on the exploration of the resilience strategies adopted to deepen their temporal characteristics and contribute to developing the current understanding of proactivity and reactivity, something that needs to be further investigated. Multiple-case study research was conducted considering 21 Italian companies in the grocery industry. Results show that with the outbreak of the pandemic, companies adopted a set of 21 strategies that spanned five resilience categories: redundancy, flexibility, agility, collaboration, and innovation. To explain the temporal characteristics of the identified resilience strategies we propose an original taxonomy that elaborates the previous theory by introducing two new dimensions related to the strategies’ timing (“when?” and “how long?”). Each dimension can be complemented with other sub-dimensions that explain the design and activation of resilience strategies, and their utilisation and availability. The proposed taxonomy broadens the narrow view offered by existing research on the temporal dimension of resilience, as multiple layers are needed to disentangle the temporal characteristics of different strategies. It also provides an original viewpoint on interpreting the strategies’ proactivity or reactivity as their boundary is increasingly blurred. Lastly, the study opens up to future investigations of the antecedents of the design and utilisation/activation of resilience strategies, as companies could rethink their managerial decisions based on the continuous evolution of their operating environment.
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    A call to action: a stakeholder analysis of green logistics practices
    (Emerald, 2023-07-06) Prataviera, Lorenzo Bruno; Creazza, Alessandro; Perotti, Sara
    Purpose – There is a growing body of literature discussing the green logistics practices (GLPs) that companies could introduce to reduce the logistics environmental impact. Current approaches also identify several influencing factors within firms that could serve as barriers to, or enablers of, GLPs. However, less is known about the role of extra-firm stakeholders, even though these are crucial to operationalizing green logistics effectively. This study merges current theoretical understanding with empirical evidence to provide a detailed stakeholder analysis of GLPs. Design/methodology/approach – Using stakeholder theory as a theoretical lens, we aimed at offering a mid-range contribution by conducting multiple embedded case studies examining Italian logistics service providers and shippers. GLPs and the related influencing factors were examined as sub-units of analysis within broader companies’ environmental sustainability strategies. Findings – We identified cascading effects among factors influencing the adoption of GLPs (e.g., key economic factors are affected by external factors which also influence organizational and collaboration factors). These effects are moderated by interdependencies between primary and secondary stakeholders, and the study highlights the prominent involvement of secondary stakeholders, such as final consumers. Originality/value – Our paper contributes to better understanding how and why companies adopt GLPs, emphasizing the wide set of stakeholders involved and illustrating how different stakeholders impact on GLPs adoption by affecting a set of influencing factors. By combining insights from the available literature with contemporary empirical data, we emphasize how Logistics Service Providers and shippers can no longer address the adoption of GLPs as “focal companies”, but only as part of a “focal network of interconnected stakeholders”, all of them influencing GLPs adoption.
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    Heading for tomorrow: resilience strategies for post Covid-19 grocery supply chains
    (MDPI, 2022-02-09) Prataviera, Lorenzo Bruno; Creazza, Alessandro; Melacini, Marco; Dallari, Fabrizio
    Supply chain resilience is a critical capability needed to compete in the current turbulent and unpredictable business environment, but many companies still tend to underestimate its relevance. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, understanding which supply chain impacts influence the policies and actions undertaken when resilience is concerned is important. This study investigated the relationships between the impacts experienced at the different supply chain tiers during the pandemic, and explored which impacts could drive perceptions towards developing resilience strategies in the future. A survey instrument was developed adopting a mid-range approach, targeting manufacturers active in the Italian grocery supply chain. Data were analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that source-related impacts deeply affect make- and delivery-related impacts, and make-related impacts mainly influence the perceptions about future resilience strategies. In fact, manufacturers appear to be primarily interested in those strategies ensuring the continuity of their intrinsic operations. The study could inform theory and practice about companies’ decisions towards the adoption of certain approaches. Also, it highlights promising research avenues related to deepening understanding of how perceptions could predict future intentions to engage in protective actions to adequately cope with potential future disruptions.
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    How can logistics service providers foster supply chain collaboration in logistics triads? insights from the Italian grocery industry
    (Emerald, 2021-12-21) Prataviera, Lorenzo Bruno; Creazza, Alessandro; Dallari, Fabrizio; Melacini, Marco
    Purpose: Collaborative solutions are increasingly being proposed to generate value in supply chains. Concurrently, firms have progressively outsourced logistics operations to logistics service providers (LSPs). However, many questions remain unsolved regarding the role played by LSPs in supporting supply chain collaboration (SCC) in triadic rather than dyadic contexts. This study aims to explore the relational mechanisms that LSPs can leverage to foster value creation through collaboration, elaborating on an existing theory about SCC by focussing on logistics triads. Design/methodology/approach: By leveraging the view of the network theory, a multiple case study approach was adopted. Seven cases having logistics triads as units of analysis were identified and analysed within the Italian grocery supply chain, allowing for empirical investigation with a middle-range approach to extend the previous theory. Findings: LSPs are pivotal actors that can actively promote SCC. LSPs can exploit large volumes and asset availability to increase efficiency while improving logistics flexibility and developing regular and trustworthy relationships with the other triad members. Building upon their logistics capabilities and the relational mechanisms in place, LSPs can help manufacturers collaborate with retailers by improving mutual trust and communication, acting as trust builders or trust conductors within the triad. Originality/value: The study explores the role of LSPs in logistics triads, extending the previous literature. It highlights that LSPs facilitate not only supply and demand integration but also relational integration between firms. Trust emerges as a fundamental building block for SCC, as LSPs can look beyond economic benefits to foster partnerships that empower the co-development of original collaborative solutions.
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    How to align logistics environmental sustainability with corporate strategy? An Italian perspective
    (Taylor and Francis, 2023-07-02) Prataviera, Lorenzo Bruno; Creazza, Alessandro; Perotti, Sara; Rodrigues, Vasco Sanchez
    Logistics environmental sustainability is a priority for practitioners and policymakers, but companies lack clarity about how to align it with strategic purposes. As this prevents them from coherently turning sustainability into action, this paper focuses on how companies can align logistics environmental sustainability with corporate strategies. We conducted multiple embedded case research involving logistics service providers (LSPs) and shippers operating in the Italian context. We selected 13 companies (6 LSPs and 7 shippers) and conducted semi-structured interviews to contextualise and elaborate the extant theory. Results highlight that companies seem more motivated by the need to comply with regulations or to protect their environmental reputation than by a genuine understanding of the actual need for sustainability. A framework is proposed to foster the alignment of logistics environmental sustainability with corporate strategy, underpinned by five main dimensions: degree of awareness, degree of formalisation, measurement systems, governance and accountability, and budget allocation.