In the rapidly changing global business environment, it can be seen that supply chain designs based solely on efficiency and speed do not necessarily lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. According to Lee (2004), this can only be done if supply chains are designed to incorporate the Triple A: Agility, Adaptability and Alignment. Although Lee provided some examples, to date his claim has not been empirically tested, which is essential. A number of studies have looked at the three component parts of the Triple A separately, but as yet no studies have focused on all three Triple A components concurrently, or on the impact they have on business performance. The main aim of this chapter is to determine the dimensions and factors that characterize these variables, in order to empirically test the accuracy of Lee’s claim.

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In the rapidly changing global business environment, it can be seen that supply chain designs based solely on efficiency and speed do not necessarily lead to a sustainable competitive advantage. According to Lee (2004), this can only be done if supply chains are designed to incorporate the Triple A: Agility, Adaptability and Alignment. Although Lee provided some examples, to date his claim has not been empirically tested, which is essential. A number of studies have looked at the three component parts of the Triple A separately, but as yet no studies have focused on all three Triple A components concurrently, or on the impact they have on business performance. The main aim of this chapter is to determine the dimensions and factors that characterize these variables, in order to empirically test the accuracy of Lee’s claim.

ResumenObjeto: Una cadena de suministro (CS) ágil, adaptable y alineada (Triple A) parece clave para la obtención de ventajas competitivas sostenibles. Sin embargo, hay escasa investigación previa sobre el tema, observándose incluso discrepancias a nivel conceptual. Por ello, el objetivo del presente trabajo es proponer un marco de referencia que determine las dimensiones y factores que definen la agilidad, adaptabilidad y alineación en la CS y facilite a los gestores e investigadores la evaluación del estado de la misma en lo que respecta a estas variables, así como el desarrollo de investigaciones empíricas que determinen su impacto en el rendimiento. Diseño/metodología/enfoque:Se realiza una revisión sistemática de bibliografía en revistas especializadas en Dirección de Operaciones, Logística, Administración y Gestión de la Cadena de Suministro utilizando la base de datos ABI/Inform. Los artículos obtenidos fueron revisados, seleccionándose los relevantes para este estudio. Con ellos se realizó un análisis cualitativo que nos llevó a la consecución del objetivo planteado. Aportaciones y resultados: En la presente investigación se establecen y agrupan, por primera vez, las definiciones, dimensiones y factores de la triple A en la CS, ofreciendo un marco conceptual que apoyará a investigadores y gestores a evaluar el desempeño de la CS. Aunque los artículos que analizan alguna de estas variables van en aumento, siguen siendo escasos. La agilidad es la variable más estudiada, siendo la adaptabilidad la menos analizada. Intangible Capital -http://dx.doi.org/10.3926/ic.255 -93 -Limitaciones / implicaciones: Se propone un marco de referencia teórico para la triple A en la CS construido a partir de estudios previos que no evalúan de manera conjunta las tres variables. El modelo será analizado empíricamente en futuras investigaciones. Originalidad / Valor añadido: La escasez de trabajos sobre agilidad, adaptabilidad y alineación en la CS, así como la falta de consenso respecto a las dimensiones y factores que las definen, hacen necesarios estudios como el que se presenta. Palabras clave: cadena de suministro, agilidad, adaptabilidad, alineación Códigos JEL: M11, L21, L23 Title: An analysis of the variables that provide a supply chain with sustainable competitiveness Abstract Purpose: An agile, adaptable and aligned (Triple A) supply chain (SC) would seem to be key to obtaining sustainable competitive advantages.Little previous research has been done into the topic, however, and there are even discrepancies on the conceptual level. For this reason this study aims to propose a reference framework to determine the dimensions and factors that define agility, adaptability and alignment in the SC and to facilitate both the evaluation of its state by managers and researchers with respect to these variables and also the development of empirical research that determines its impact on performance.. Design/methodology: A systematic literature review was carried out of specialist Operations Management, Logistics, Management and S...

Novel digital technologies have transformed societies, organizations, and individuals in diverse aspects of daily life, elevating their competency requirements in order to successfully develop, integrate, and generate value. To remain relevant Higher education should provide students with digitally enhanced learning experiences to build their necessary competencies. To progress in this direction, this work proposes a method that can be used to develop digitally enabled experiential learning spaces (DeELS) in engineering education so as to incorporate digital technologies into engineering problem-solving and decision-making activities, as an innovative approach to Education 4.0. Two implementation cases exemplify the digital transformation of these learning spaces in the Lean Thinking Learning Space (LTLS) for undergraduate engineering courses. The exemplification shows how students, through designing, creating and integrating digital/smart kanban systems, execute their learning activities in a DeELS. The results suggest that the students were able to satisfactorily achieve their learning outcomes through the learning experiences. Moreover, new instances of learning experiences for digital transformation were identified within the LTLS. However, future work is required regarding new instances of digital transformation learning experiences in order to make any further inferences or generalizations regarding DeELS and their contribution to competency development.