Circular economy (CE) is a sustainable substitute for the current linear model of economy, and its adoption within the Omani built environment is increasing due to resource depletion and increased waste generation. The construction industry in Oman is one of the first among countries in the Arab states to pursue sustainable development. However, understanding the implementation challenges associated with CE is important to this region, as it attempts to diversify its economies beyond oil and gas, which is vital to the success of the country. The main challenges identified within the literature in relation to CE include a lack of knowledge of the concept, unclear financial implications, misaligned regulations and a lack of transparent technical data. The aim of this study was to explore such challenges within the context of Oman, and an exploratory study consisting of ten interviews and 80 survey responses was undertaken. Factor analysis results revealed that the critical challenges of CE ultimately begin with government barriers such as the absence of a clear vision and legislation supporting CE. This was followed by a lack of government funding for research, innovation and investment, as well as technical barriers such as a lack of qualified professionals in the field.
Purpose
The dynamic nature of uncertainty sources in regional operations represents supply chain management (SCM) imperatives to review uncertainty management frameworks on an ongoing basis with a view to identifying and prioritising critical indices of uncertainty for effective SCM. The purpose of this study is to identify the critical indices of uncertainty for regional supply chains and analyse how SCM practitioners perceive uncertainty.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a Delphi-based study with a panel of 70 SCM experts from the Sultanate of Oman in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It applies three rounds of a Delphi exercise to identify, select and prioritise the critical indices of supply chain uncertainty perceived by panel experts. The thematic analysis also provides theorisations on the process for uncertainty perception and factors shaping perception.
Findings
A total of 39 uncertainty indices were identified from demand, supply, manufacturing, control, technology, competitive, project, transport and geological sources. The Delphi selection round captured the top 12 indices of experts. The research found an accumulative–aggregative duality that explains uncertainty perception and a cost–conformance–connection triadic set of factors underlying the perceived critical indices. Project uncertainty produced the top-ranked index in the final Delphi round.
Originality/value
This paper makes three main contributions. First, it offers a bottom-up based insight into supply chain uncertainty using the Delphi-based study and from a GCC perspective. Second, the research is unique in its focus on Oman and, third, it is of value for the international operations of GCC companies and for international firms with intentions of expanding, moving or outsourcing their operations to a GCC country such as Oman.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.