IntroductionWork carried out in the first Supply Chain Development Programme (SCDP I), together with early work in the second programme (SCDP II), has shown that in order fully to understand the different value streams [1] in which the sponsors operate, it is necessary to map these intercompany and intracompany valueadding processes. These value-adding processes make the final product or service more valuable to the end consumer than otherwise it would have been. The difference between the traditional supply or value chain and the value stream is that the former includes the complete activities of all the companies involved, whereas the latter refers only to the specific parts of the firms that actually add value to the specific product or service under consideration. As such the value stream is a far more focused and contingent view of the valueadding process.At present, however, there is an ill-defined and ill-categorized toolkit with which to understand the value stream, although several workers (e.g. [2-5]) have developed individual tools. In general these authors have viewed their creations as the answer, rather than as a part of the jigsaw. Moreover, these tools derive from functional ghettos and so, on their own, do not fit well with the more crossfunctional toolbox required by today's best companies. It is the purpose of this paper to construct a typology or total jigsaw to allow for an effective application of sub-sets of the complete suite of tools. The tools themselves can then effectively be applied, singularly or in combination, contingently to the requirements of the individual value stream. Waste removal inside companiesThe rationale underlying the collection and use of this suite of tools is to help researchers or practitioners to identify waste in individual value streams and, hence, find an appropriate route to removal, or at least reduction, of this waste. The use of such waste removal to drive competitive advantage inside organizations was pioneered by Toyota's chief engineer, Taiichi Ohno, and

Purpose – The adoption of lean operational practices and independently the uptake of business practices related to sustainability and corporate social responsibility continues to grow. Past research has hinted at relationships between these two areas – suggesting that “lean is green” (e.g. Florida, 1996). The lean mantra of waste reduction and “doing more with less” is immediately apparent as delivering environmental benefits and has formed the basis of past research (e.g. Hughes, 2012). Almost all research linking lean operations or lean supply chains to sustainability issues have focused exclusively on environmental impact. The purpose of this paper is to explore the broader sustainability benefits of lean operations. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a longitudinal multi-year (up to four years observation), multi-case analysis (n=5). Findings – The paper reports that lean operations meet a wide range of sustainability outcomes beyond environmental benefits (including supply monitoring, transparency, workforce treatment, and community engagement). The paper specifies the internal and external policies, procedures, tools, and strategies for implementation of lean and sustainable operations management (OM). This is encapsulated in the development of a stage-based theoretical model of lean-sustainability. Further, it is proposed that lean implementation and sustainability performance are in fact interlinked. Originality/value – Past research on the role of lean operations in improving sustainably has focused almost exclusively on environmental benefits accruing from toolkit/workplace level waste reduction. This paper demonstrates that lean provides more than a toolkit (a philosophy and strategic direction) and that this meets a wide range of sustainable outcomes. This finding makes major contributions to conceptualising how lean operations influence sustainability outcomes. The paper develops the first integrative stage-based model of lean and sustainable OM.

The application of lean thinking has made a significant impact both in academic and industrial circles over the last decade. Fostered by a rapid spread into many other industry sectors beyond the automotive industry, there has been a significant development of the lean concept. Despite successful applications in a range of settings however, the lean approach has been criticised on many accounts, such as the lack of human integration or its limited applicability outside high-volume repetitive manufacturing environments. The resulting lack of definition has led to confusion and fuzzy boundaries with other management concepts. Summarising the lean evolution, this paper comments on approaches that have sought to address some of the earlier gaps in lean thinking. Linking the evolution of lean thinking to the contingency and learning organisation schools of thought, the objective of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding the evolution of lean not only as a concept, but also its implementation within an organisation, and point out areas for future research.

Purpose -Service businesses are struggling with customer demands for better quality service and managerial demands for cost reduction. There is evidence to suggest that service businesses are in practice failing on both these counts, seeing increased costs and reductions in service quality. The application of lean production approaches to the service context has been suggested as a means to resolve these problems, reducing costs and improving quality. Despite the validation of lean approaches in the product-service context, the application of lean approaches in the pure service environment remains largely untested. The purpose of this paper is to assess the suitability of lean production methodologies in the pure service context. Design/methodology/approach -Three financial service companies in the UK were followed through a common programme of lean transformation. The improvements observed in each company were recorded. The change programme is evaluated to determine the "leanness" of the initiatives. The suitability of lean for the service context is discussed. Findings -The paper's findings highlight significant improvements in quality and cost positions with minimal investment through adoption of lean tools in the pure service context. The paper proposes the suitability of basic lean methodologies such as value understanding, process mapping and problem solving for the pure service context. Originality/value -The lean approach is well established in the manufacturing sector and certain product-service contexts. Evidence on lean in pure service environments is very limited. The paper addresses this shortcoming.

Due to rapid industrialization of agriculture, increased global food demand, and, increasing concerns related to food quality and safety, the concept of sustainability and supply chain transparency are becoming critically important to the agriculture and agri-food sector. The addition of sustainability performance objectives not only focuses on the effective utilization and consumption of natural resources, but also drives efforts to balance ecological, economic and societal aspects of agri-food businesses. The management of sustainability adds a new demand on business managers who often have small profits and receive stringent requirements from large powerful customers and retailers. In this paper, we recognize and analyze the key enablers in implementing sustainable initiatives for Agri-Food Supply Chains (A-FSCs). Ten important sustainability driven enablers were considered from a rigorous literature review and phase of expert consultation. The identified enablers were then analyzed using a combined Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM)-fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) based framework. The ISM approach enabled an appreciation of the contextual relationships among the enablers and to classify the enablers based on their driving and dependence potential. The fuzzy DEMATEL technique supported the determination of the influential and influenced enablers and also to categorize them into cause and effect groups. An empirical case study, drawn from a vegetable and fruit retail supply chain in India, is used to focus and test the applicability of the proposed research framework. The paper facilitates professional management practice and researchers to uncover and explore the enablers for the real execution of sustainability oriented initiatives in the agri-food business sector.