Mediating effect of industry 4.0 technologies on the supply chain management practices and supply chain performance.

The ever-growing concern of sustainability and survivability attracts academicians and practitioners to develop strategies and supply chain capabilities that cater to the challenges and helps in achieving the sustainability development goals. There is a need to develop a holistic model that facilitates understanding the relationships among supply chain practices, industry 4.0 technologies, and supply chain performance measures. Thus, this study examines the mediating effect of industry 4.0 technologies on supply chain management practices and supply chain performance measures. A survey-based data was collected from manufacturing organizations across India, and 361 complete responses were obtained. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized for data analysis. This study has multiple contributions. First, the results indicate that the supply chain management practices influence the industry 4.0 technologies adoption. Second, the results also revealed that the industry 4.0 technologies significantly positively affect supply chain performance measures. Finally, industry 4.0 technologies mediated the relations between supply chain management practices and supply chain performance measures. Furthermore, the findings offer important insights into understanding the underlying mechanisms in successfully adopting and effectively using industry 4.0 technologies. The implications for theory and practices are also discussed.

Scaling up the Digitalization of the Public Distribution System: A COVID-19 Pandemic Impetus.

Food grain is an essential commodity that requires proper procurement, transportation, storage, and distribution with easy access to needy people. Therefore, The Indian government has established a Public Distribution System (PDS) to distribute the food grain across the country. This study emphasizes the need for digitalization of PDS and how the COVID-19 accelerates the digitalization of PDS. We proposed a three-layer conceptual framework: food grain supply chain network, digital processes automation and digital technologies. We collaborate the three-layer perspectives to ensure food security during the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce the food grain leakage in PDS. This study also supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and National Food Security Act aims to achieve the Zero Hunger goal. The proposed research will assist policymakers, institutions, and the government in implementing the digitalization of PDS for greater efficiency and transparency during a pandemic. Furthermore, this work may help to achieve the ambitious "Digital India" programme, which aims to improve India's online infrastructure and electronic services.