No abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to collectively measure and compare the efficiency of Brazilian and American soybean transport corridors, from farmers to export ports, using the data envelopment analysis (DEA). Design/methodology/approach This paper aims to determine routes from main producing micro-regions to main export ports, specifically using slack-based measure and variables that represent the three pillars of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental). The choice of variables was guided by literature review and analyzed through the principal component analysis. After the application of the model, the quantitative tiebreaking method of the composite index is applied. Findings The findings are coherent with a global report that compares soybean transportation in both countries (Brazil and USA). Efficient routes and corridors tend to present short distance truck trips and long distance train or barge trips. The efficiency of the inland waterway trips depends on how many barges are used in the same expedition. Routes with more than three modes tend to be inefficient which suggest that there is a limit for multimodality. Originality/value Corridor benchmarking is a rare topic in the literature and previous works normally focus on some specific and limited corridor performance characteristics, such as cost. The main contribution of this research is that it expands the discussion regarding corridor benchmarking and it focuses on efficiency as a whole. The paper also proposes a method that can be applied in different logistics contexts, like expanding the study to different countries. More specifically, this method could be used in infrastructure investments programs.

Most European countries have committed to ambitious emissions reduction goals. Energy generation in particular is responsible for more than 30% of global emissions, where significant focus has been placed on renewable energy generation, including biomass. On the one hand, there are countries, like the UK, where the biomass stock is insufficient to meet the demand; on the other hand, there are countries, like Brazil, where the stock significantly exceeds the demand. To promote a natural symbiosis, it is necessary to take on the challenge of transporting biomass through long distances in an environmentally and economically efficient manner. This paper aims to assess the efficiency of alternative pathways of international biomass supplychains. The alternatives involve different biomass origin regions, transportation modes, export ports and processing technologies, including torrefaction. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used for the first time to assess the efficiency of the alternative biomass supply chain pathways in a Latin American context, considering multiple-criteria relating to economic and environmental performance simultaneously, such as the biomass delivered cost, the environmental impact and the fossil energy consumption. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to analyse the robustness of the results under uncertainty in parameter values. The DEA approach presented can assist the process of planning biomass sourcing and improve decision-making under multiple decision criteria. The results can support medium-and longterm strategic decisions for decision-and policy-makers.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a fundamental role in the global economy. However, SMEs usually have different characteristics from larger enterprises, e.g., essential resource restrictions, lower performance, and higher environmental impacts. This requires them to search for strategies to be more competitive and sustainable. A possible solution relies on introducing Lean-Green practices. Previous research indicated that digitalization could be an enabler of Lean. Lean can also help to achieve increased environmental performance using the Lean-Green approach. In this study, this important yet under-studied area is investigated as we consider digitalization as an enabler for implementing lean in SMEs, with a focus on Lean-Green practices. A systematic literature review is executed, following a new framework based on topic modelling for extracting the papers. The topic modelling is executed through latent dirichlet allocation (LDA) which is a machine learning technique. In methodological means, this paper represents an example of the frontier of digitalization for research activities. Regarding the investigated focus, the main findings revealed that digitalization is an enabler to Lean and to Lean-Green. As digitalization supports information sharing, it consequently fosters performance measurement systems, improvements, and value chain integration.

Objective: to investigate the cost efficiency of inventory management for publicly home appliance retail companies in the Brazilian market that operate, among other channels, with B2C (Business-to-Costumer) and discuss the possible impacts of ecommerce on inventory management. Method: the first step, construction of a descriptive summary of Magazine Luiza and seven other competitors; the second step, analysis of the optimal cost efficiency of companies' inventory management, through an integrated and dynamic model of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Optimal Control Theory (OCT). Amounts declared in the Quarterly Financial Statements between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the second quarter of 2018 were considered. Main Results: the discovery of best practices and the fact that, despite its extraordinary appreciation, Magazine Luiza was not a reference in inventory management and its costs during the analyzed period as a whole. Relevance/Originality: this article is an initial step to address the lack of studies on e-commerce for emerging markets and inventory management and its costs for ecommerce. Methodological Contributions: the proposition of a methodology that can be used by other researchers to assess the cost efficiency of inventory management and the impact of e-commerce, highlighting best practices.