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For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.*Related content and download information correct at time of download. Design/methodology/approach -This research adopts a multiple case study approach with three leading UK grocery retailers as exemplars of fast-moving consumer goods retailers, conducted using multiple data collection techniques including interviews, system demonstrations, onsite observations and the use of archive information. Findings -ICT solutions have a direct positive impact on CO 2 emissions reduction but opportunities to further reduce CO 2 emissions are perceived as lying beyond retailers' own distribution networks. These opportunities are not fully utilised due to the complexities of collaborative ICT provisions and retailers' reluctance to share information with competitors.Research limitations/implications -A limitation of the study is that it is exploratory and only three cases were examined. Even though these three retailers represent over 60 per cent of the UK grocery retail sector, other retailers may deploy significantly different ICT applications. Practical implications -The research provides an overarching insight for businesses on how to leverage the existing and emerging information technologies for environmental and economic benefits. Originality/value -While sustainability issues have received increasing attention recently, the role of ICT in freight transport for CO 2 emissions reduction has not been investigated in depth and its impact is largely unknown. This research advances understanding about how ICT contributes CO 2 emissions reductions and provides a framework for further investigation.

Supply chains (SC) are increasingly complex and if the resulting complexity is not managed effectively, it could lead to adverse consequences for the firm. The effect big data analytics (BDA) can have on managing distinct types of SC complexity is not well understood in the extant literature. Based on a sample of 166 firms from Pakistan, this study empirically investigates the effects of BDA, and of structural and dynamic SC complexities, on SC resilience. The study also investigates the role of BDA as a mediator between SC complexities and SC resilience. We find that structural SC complexity positively affects SC resilience, while there doesn't seem to be a significant impact for dynamic SC complexity. We also find a mediating effect of BDA for structural and dynamic SC complexities on SC resilience. Our results contribute to the extant literature investigating BDA and SC resilience by offering a more nuanced understanding of distinct types of SC complexities. We establish a more critical understanding of the role of BDA in mediating the critical link between the two types of SC complexity and SC resilience. The proposed model highlights that there are both direct and indirect effects between structural SC complexity and SC resilience, however dynamic SC complexity only influences SC resilience via BDA. These findings provide strategic insights for SC executives as to where to invest in BDA to build much needed SC resilience.

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While blockchain technologies are gaining momentum within supply chains, academic understanding of concrete, real-life design and implementation is still lagging, hence offering very limited insights into the true implications of blockchain technology on supply chains. This paper reports a two-year design science research (DSR) study of a smart contract initiative piloted by a consortium in the UK's construction sector. We seek answers to the research question, 'How should a blockchain enabled supply chain be designed?' Guided by the theory of business model, we explore how a group of supply chain actors collectively designs and pilots a blockchain solution that addresses the supply chain transparency and provenance problem. Our research is one of the very few longitudinal empirical studies to offer in-depth evidence about how blockchain is deployed in complex multi-tier supply chain networks. In compliance with DSR research paradigm, we make contributions at three levels: designing and instantiating the blockchain architect and proving its utility in addressing the target problem; developing a set of design principles as a mid-range theory that can be applied and tested in different blockchain supply chain contexts; and refining and extending the kernel theory of business value at supply chain network level.