PurposeThe physical internet (PI) is an emerging logistics and supply chain management (SCM) concept that draws on different technologies and areas of research, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and key performance indicators, with the purpose of revolutionizing existing logistics and SCM practices. The growing literature on the PI and its noteworthy potential to be a disruptive innovation in the logistics industry call for a systematic literature review (SLR), which we conducted that defines the current state of the literature and outlines future research directions and approaches.Design/methodology/approachThe SLR that was undertaken included journal publications, conference papers and proceedings, book excerpts, industry reports and white papers. We conducted descriptive, citation, thematic and methodological analyses to understand the evolution of PI literature.FindingsBased on the literature review and analyses, we proposed a comprehensive framework that structures the PI domain and outlines future directions for logistics and SCM researchers.Research limitations/implicationsOur research findings are limited by the relatively low number of journal publications, as the PI is a new field of inquiry that is composed primarily of conference papers and proceedings.Originality/valueThe proposed PI-based framework identifies seven PI themes, including the respective facilitators and barriers, which can inform researchers and practitioners on future potentially disruptive SC strategies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on investigating the impact of crowd participation on degree of project success, which is defined as the total amount of funds a project can obtain after it reaches its initial funding goal threshold. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the theory of crowd capital, this study develops six hypotheses about the impact of crowd capability of a fundraiser (i.e. project updates, goal setting, reward levels and social media usage) and crowd participation (i.e. namely, funds pledge and on-site communication) on degree of project success. The hypotheses are tested using data sets of successful projects collected from two popular crowdfunding websites. Findings This study finds that funds pledge has an inverse U-shaped relationship with degree of project success. Project updates, reward levels and on-site communication positively influence degree of project success, while funding goal negatively affects degree of project success. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to prior literature by investigating the degree of project success determinants using the perspectives of both fundraisers and crowds, which provides a more comprehensive understanding of what makes a crowdfunded project a success. Practical implications The empirical results of this study provide fundraisers with guidelines about how to access more funds after achieving the initial funding goals. Originality/value This work is one of the first to investigate the degree of project success and its determinants from the perspectives of both fundraisers and crowds.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand how interorganizational relationships influence information and communications technology (ICT)-enabled supply chain (SC) interactions of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developed versus developing economies through the theoretical lens of transaction cost economics and social exchange theory. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses case study data to examine SMEs operating in both a developing economy, the Republic of Macedonia, and a developed economy, the USA. Findings Insights reveal that the institutional context (i.e. environmental uncertainty) has significant indirect influence on ICT use by SMEs from rule-based and relationship-based SCs in the wine industry through contractual and relational mechanisms (i.e. contracts and social bonds). Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the body of SC knowledge by providing a comparative qualitative analysis of interorganizational factors (i.e. information sharing, collaboration, trust, contractual governance, relational governance and environmental uncertainty) that influence ICT use by SMEs in upstream wine SCs from developing and developed economies. Practical implications This paper provides valuable implications for the SC participants (e.g. grape suppliers, wineries and other suppliers) and industries (e.g. Macedonian and American wine industries) related to ICT use and non-use. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution by being the first to qualitatively explore ICT use by SMEs from the wine industry and to identify the importance of legal institutional environment in buyer–supplier exchanges from developed versus developing economies.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explain how individuals form microblogging habits and why they continue to use microblogs from the perspective of direction social networks. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the social network theory and the social presence theory, the authors develop a theoretical framework to explain how individuals form microblogging habits and why they continue to use microblogs. To test the proposed model and examine its external validity, the authors collected data from two microblogs: Twitter and Sina Weibo. Findings Satisfaction and habit have a significant influence on microblogging continuance intention. Whereas, users’ microblogging habits are developed by two key factors – satisfaction and frequency of past behavior – that are further determined by social presence and social network centrality. Research limitations/implications Larger sample size with diverse populations is highly recommended for future studies. In addition, exploring the distinct technical functionalities of microblogs when conceptualizing habit formation would be of benefit in future studies. Practical implications In this study, it was found that social presence increases both the satisfaction of users and the frequency of past use behavior. Hence, microblog designers should provide users with greater freedom to modify the form and content of their interface, and enable these modifications to be visible in real time to increase the interactivity of microblogs. Originality/value In contrast to past studies that have largely neglected the impacts of the directed social network structure, this study aims to focus on microblogging continuance intention from the directed social network perspective. The results from two independent data sets converge on the conclusion that users’ continuance intention to use is affected by both their conscious evaluations (i.e. satisfaction) and unconscious reactions (i.e. habit).

Purpose Drawing on transaction cost economics (TCE) and social exchange theory (SET), the purpose of this paper is to explain why and how external environment, governance structures and interpersonal relationships influence information and communication technology (ICT)-enabled information sharing in supply chains (SCs) of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from developing economies. Design/methodology/approach The authors adopt a theory-building approach using a multiple case study design, including four SMEs operating in SCs from two developing economies (i.e. Republic of North Macedonia and People’s Republic of China), in which the authors conduct both within-case and cross-case analyses. Findings Social bonds (known as vrski in Macedonian and guanxi in Chinese) were found to govern buyer–supplier exchanges by supporting the establishment of personal trust and the reduction of distrust. These social bonds compensate for the institutional deficiencies in developing economies and thus encourage ICT-enabled information sharing by SMEs in their SCs. Research limitations/implications By applying the theoretical perspectives of TCE and SET to the cross-case analysis, the authors develop nine propositions to explain ICT-enabled information sharing and its interdependencies with external environment, governance structures and interpersonal relationships in developing economies. Further research is recommended to refine and test the generalizability of the theoretical model. Practical implications Firms have to develop and nurture social bonds with their suppliers from developing economies to reduce risks related to the environmental uncertainty and institutional voids. This can increase trust and decrease distrust associated with ICT-enabled information sharing. Originality/value The study examines why and how external environment (environmental uncertainty and institutional environment), social bonds (vrski and guanxi) and interpersonal mechanisms (trust and distrust) influence ICT-enabled information sharing of SMEs operating in developing economies.