Background and aims: During COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are using innovative technologies for fast-tracking the development to end this menace. Virtual Reality (VR) also offers an imperative role for fighting this pandemic, through audiovisual-based virtual communication. Methods: A brief study on Virtual Reality and its applications for the COVID-19 pandemic is carried out by employing keywords as Virtual reality or VR and COVID-19 from the databases of SCOPUS, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of science Academia and ResearchGate. Results: VR is beneficial for remote sites for exploring telemedicine, planning, treatment, and controlling of the infections by providing proper awareness to the people regarding this disease. Conclusions: VR technology develops a platform to reduce the face to face interaction of doctors with the infected COVID-19 patients. Through live video streaming, it helps to improve surveillance systems on the ongoing situation.

PurposePresented work gives comparative review of food supply chain (FSC) under various notions related to its conceptualisation, operationality and technological advancements in lieu with Industry 4.0 revolution. In Indian scenario, the impression of FSC seems in a scattered way that cannot be directly useful for an organisation, to overcome this scattering, a framework has been developed to consolidate the previous research works and exploration of new trends in food supply chain management (FSCM) in context to Indian scenario.Design/methodology/approachThis article encapsulates the essence of various research articles and reports retrieved from databases of Emerald and Elsevier's Science direct, clustering the various notions related to FSC in Indian context. To visualise the one-sight view of related works, a pictorial representations have also been appended.FindingsThis article explains the general aspect of FSC and its linkage in context to Indian system. Presented work outlays both empirical and theoretical approaches trending from last 15 years. As research count in context to Indian FSC is lacking, so this work will be a road map for expedition in direction of FSCM, in era of research.Practical implicationsFindings and suggestion in this work can expanded in various industries related to food, helping to turn their fortune and enrichment of Indian FSC.Social implicationsFood is binding word for all the commodities, and its effective supply chain management is a big boon for economy of country along with large employment generation for people directly/indirectly associated with this industry. This article covers a generalise approach from ground level framework to a level of advancement which fulfil technological aspects, future needs and upcoming trends in lieu to need of developing nation.Originality/valueAs limited research is done in Indian FSCM, this work to bridge this gap along with a well-defined framework which going to explore FSC. This work is going to be facilitation for researchers of this area as no major review for Indian context has not been published.

PurposeOutbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has created the catastrophic situation, it has crippled all the economic activities and seized off the operations of food supply chain (FSC). Disrupted FSC escalated the societal concerns related to food safety and security. The purpose of this study is to consolidate various issues, exploring the perspectives associated with the agricultural practices, food industries and society concerns related with the FSC performance system dynamics amid of COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachTo structure this work, a detailed research literature insight focussing on the key findings associated with the past disease outbreaks like influenza, avian flu, Ebola, bird flu, SARS, foot and mouth disease and ongoing phase of COVID-19, encompassing the perspective related with various agricultural and concerned supply chain practices is clustered. Furthermore, issues having relevancy with the notion of this work, sourced from platforms of print and electronic media have been incorporated to ground the reality associated with the impacts, for better visualisation of the perspectives.FindingsThis study outlays the key findings which are relevant with the past pandemic outbreaks from the core of the research literature. It details the impact of the current COVID-19 scenario on the various FSC operations, focussing on dimensions allied with the industry, economic and society concerns. For the same, to mitigate the effects, relief measures focussing on the short- and long-term perspectives have been incorporated. Steps ramped up by the Government of India (GOI) to safeguard masses from the threat of food security, accelerate pace of the FSC operations and upscale operating capacities of the industries and agriculture practices have incorporated.Research limitations/implicationsPresented work is persuaded amid of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions hence it outlays the theoretical perspectives only. But, these perspectives portray the ongoing scenario's impacts, extending its implication to the people coming from the industry and academia background. This study can felicitate the government bodies to make them familiar with the various impacts which indented the FSCs, food industries and added woes to the society concerns.Originality/valueIndia is the second largest populated nation of the world, and outspread of the COVID-19 has capsized the FSCs and raised the various instances, making population vulnerable to the threats of food insecurity. This study encompasses effect of the FSC disruption by incorporating its effect on the food industries practices, societal issues and extending possible relief measures to restructure the FSC dynamics. As of now, study focussing on the Indian FSC concerns, detailing of impacts due to pandemic outbreak, relief measures to sail out of the hard times are not available.

Purpose From last few decades, logistics management (LM) constitutes a global concern among organization’s supply chain (SC) to improve their business effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to uncover and analyze the critical factors (CFs) related to the implementation of effective LM concept and benchmark the SC performance. Design/methodology/approach The most common (16) CFs were identified and selected through literature and use of the Delphi method. Subsequently, the selected most common CFs were analyzed to distinguish their causal relations using the fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) technique under unclear surroundings. A case example of Indian Logistics Company is also discussed to reveal the practical applicability of the research. Findings Provision of the effective information communication and technological developments in the system and Management dedication, support and involvement CFs are found to have the top most influences in the effective implementation of LM. This paper also groups the CFs into cause and effect relationship which provides valuable insights for analyzing the factors in successful implementation of LM. Practical implications This work attempts to understand the different CFs, their relative position and the importance rating in the system, due to which, managers can differentiate the factor which greatly affects the concepts of implementing LM, and thus, improvements can be made accordingly. Originality/value First, this work offers 16 CFs to LM implementation from a SC scenario. Second, in the context of contributing to the theory, the combined Delphi and fuzzy DEMATEL-based model is provided that helps in managing the logistic related issues effectively.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a fuzzy methodology approaches based framework for carrying the risk analysis of a real industrial system of a urea fertilizer industry located in northern part of India. Design/methodology/approach Petri Net approach was applied for representing the series-parallel arrangement of the considered system. Various failure causes related to different subsystems or equipment of the considered system were listed under FMEA approach and their Risk Priority Number was tabulated. Further, to overcome the drawbacks of traditional FMEA approach in risk ranking fuzzy FMEA and grey relation analysis (GRA) approaches were applied within traditional FMEA approach and the ranking results were compared for better and effective decision making of risky components. Findings The proposed framework has overcome the drawbacks of tradition FMEA approach in an effective and efficient manner. Causes AC7, CL3, ST2, DR3 and NR3 of centrifugal compressor, hot heat exchanger, ammonia convertor reactor, cold condenser and ammonia separator have been identified as the most critical failure causes of the considered system. Originality/value The proposed framework has been tested with its application on an ammonia synthesis system of the considered process industry. The risk ranking results would be highly useful in developing a planned maintenance policy for the considered system which further results in improving the system availability.