Horizontal logistics collaboration (HLC) practices have gained much attention in recent years as innovative ways for companies to improve their performance. However, literature does not reveal which factors influence the success or failure of HLC, especially in agri-food supply chains (AFSCs) in developing countries. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate HLC in the context of AFSCs in Morocco as a case of a developing country. First, a literature review is performed to develop a conceptual model for HLC considering AFSCs characteristics. Then, indepth case studies are conducted in Morocco to refine the conceptual model based on insights from real collaboration experiences. The results show that collaboration outcomes are influenced by operational collaborative activities through the mediation of relational elements. The operational collaborative activities are impacted by AFSCs' characteristics, such as products specific handling conditions. Furthermore, the research shows that local cultural factors influence the development of trust in the relationship.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to understand the implications of outsourcing at the operational planning level, i.e. how the operational planning function is complicated owing to the strategic outsourcing decisions that have been made in the past. Design/methodology/approach -First, a literature review on outsourcing is conducted. Second, two case studies at three pharmaceutical companies are conducted to gather insights into the planning of outsourced operations. Findings -The paper finds that nothing has been documented in the literature on outsourcing at the operational planning level. Moreover, a number of implications of outsourcing at the operational planning level are discussed. One of the main insights is that in an outsourcing relationship, the order process consists of different, hierarchically connected, decisions in time, hence requiring a richer and more developed communication and ordering pattern than is commonly assumed.Research limitations/implications -The results seem to be generalizable to the pharmaceutical industry. However, future research should determine whether these results replicate in other industries. Originality/value -The literature on outsourcing has mainly focused on the strategic outsourcing decision. The paper contributes to a better understanding of the implications of outsourcing at the operational planning function, which has not been studied before.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess whether Islamic banks are transparent regarding profit (and loss) sharing to investment account holders. Another objective is to appraise whether Islamic banks' performance affects management incentives to distribute profit (and loss) to investment account holders. Design/methodology/approach – To investigate the research issue, the authors conducted an empirical study. Data of 25 global operating Islamic banks have been collected and analyzed for the period 2006-2010. The authors also developed a mathematical model based on the generalized least-squares principle. Findings – The research results showed that enhancing transparency will prevent Islamic banks from shadowing their profit allocation practices and place investment account holders in a better position to manage their invested funds. The study also showed that bettering Islamic banks’performance will induce them to manager profit-sharing investment account holders’ funds under bonafides. Research limitations/implications – The main limitation is data availability. The maximum number of Islamic banks that disclose financial data covering the period of 2006-2010 limited the scope of the study to 25 banks. Practical implications – The findings are very valuable for designing policies and standards as well as for the enforcement of these standards to improve transparency in Islamic banking. Originality/value – The study outcome is vital to many parties involved in the Islamic banking field and can be taken as a strong foundation to make appropriate actions that would help grow and sustain Islamic banking development globally.

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