Supply Chain Insider | ISSN: 2617-7420 (Print), 2617-7420 (Online)

Supply Chain Disruptions and Transparency: The Role of Customer Trust in Building Brand Loyalty

Sania Akther — 2026-10-14

Purpose – This research explores the disruption in supply chain and transparency level impact on brand loyalty, by a mediating factor of customer trust. It responds to the increasing fragility of supply chains under volatile conditions and examines transparency as a strategic tool to maintain consumer relations.

Design/methodology/approach – The cross-sectional survey-based quantitative research design was adopted Simple Random Sampling, a Probability Sampling Technique was used and Data were gathered from 395 consumers who are active digitally through a structured questionnaire and analyzed by Partial PLS-SEM using SmartPLS 3.

Findings – Results indicates both supply chain disruption and customer trust are strong predictors of brand loyalty, and transparency has strong positive impacts on these outcomes. Customer trust is observed is an important driver of brand loyalty and mediates the relational between disruption, transparency and loyalty. The mediation analysis showed significant indirect effects customer trust. The model revealed good explanatory power, with R² = 0.755 for brand loyalty and R² = 0.738 for customer trust.

Practical implications – Companies need to focus on transparency and building trust through communication and traceability to help mitigate the impact of disruption and maintain consumer loyalty.

Originality/value – This research fills a theoretical and empirical void by combining disruption, transparency, and trust in one model, which has practical implications for resilience and competitive advantage in volatile markets.

Bridging the Computational-Experimental Gap: A Supply Chain Management Framework for Just-in-Time Synthesis in Advanced Materials Discovery

Khalid Zaman Mumit — 2026-10-14

The fast pace of development of high-performance computing, density functional theory, and machine learning has reduced the process of screening new materials through theory from years to days. But the same pace has not been achieved in the physical supply chain of laboratory materials, thus causing a major hindrance in the pipeline of discovery of new materials. This paper focuses on the supply chain problems in advanced materials science and engineering laboratories and suggests a model for eliminating this hindrance.

The three major gaps that have been identified from a structured review of literature involving 50 papers and thematic analysis of eight stakeholders including Principal Investigators, Post-Doctoral Researchers, Lab Managers, Computational Scientists, Procurement Officers, Facility Engineers, Industry R&D Managers, and Sustainability Officers are: (1) disconnect between computational screening and procurement process, (2) lack of predictive lead-time models for laboratory chemicals, and (3) lack of closed-loop approach for R&D at circular economy. The quantitative results show that the average score for predictability of procurement lead-time is 2.0/5, whereas the average score for severity of delays is 4.4/5. The average recovery of precursors' mass is 26%. There are four main qualitative themes: "Wait-and-see Trap", "Customs and Bureaucracy Black Box", "Cost vs. Purity Dilemma", and "Desperately Predictive Need".

SynchroLabs' SCM Framework consists of four components: Predictive Procurement Engine, Lead-Time Intelligence Dashboard, Closed-Loop Recovery Engine, and Integrated Smart Inventory. Readiness for adoption was reported to be 4.4/5 on average, demonstrating high potential for implementation. Contribution to the theory of supply chain is that it applies the theory of closed-loop to laboratories and offers recommendations for laboratory managers, institution administrators, and developers of the technologies of synthesis and computational discovery.

Delivery Uncertainty, Perceived Risk, and Cash-on-Delivery Refusal in Bangladesh

Rashadoujjaman Rakib — 2026-10-14

This study examines whether last-mile delivery uncertainty increases customers' intention to refuse a cash-on-delivery (COD) parcel at the doorstep, and whether perceived delivery risk mediates this relationship in Bangladesh's e-commerce sector. Design: Survey data were collected from 176 Bangladeshi online shoppers with recent COD experience and analysed using PLS-SEM in SmartPLS 4. The analysis included discriminant-validity testing, bootstrapped hypothesis testing, mediation analysis, and out-of-sample predictive assessment. Delivery uncertainty significantly increased perceived delivery risk (β = .393, p < .001), which significantly increased COD doorstep refusal intention (β = .458, p < .001). The direct effect of delivery uncertainty on refusal intention was not significant (β = .055, p = .489), whereas the indirect effect through perceived delivery risk was significant (β = .180, p < .001), indicating indirect-only mediation. DU and PDR also showed strong discriminant validity (HTMT = .415). Managers should address customers' risk perceptions through accurate order confirmation, timely reassurance, and clear service-recovery guarantees rather than relying on tracking visibility alone. The study distinguishes delivery uncertainty from perceived delivery risk at the delivery stage and links this psychological mechanism to COD doorstep refusal and the resulting reverse-logistics burden in an emerging market.

A Hybrid Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Framework for Prioritizing Supply Chain Risks in Perishable Food Manufacturing

Md. Musfik Ahammed — 2026-10-14

Food-processing supply chains are severely threatened by interruptions in procurement, storage and transport due to the perishability of products and the strict delivery demands. Conventional risk models rank the importance of the factors, but do not differentiate the root causes from the downstream consequences. The study proposes a multi-method framework for assessing ten critical disruption factors with the use of expert judgments. RII used to Quantifies perceived factor importance for Maps structural dependencies and hierarchy ISM is used. Fuzzy DEMATEL Identifies direct or indirect causal drivers despite expert ambiguity. AHP Establishes priority weights for strategic intervention. (F6) was perceived as the most important (RII) = 0.9857, but (F10) was the key root-cause driver (D - R = 1.574). AHP validated F10 as the highest priority for intervention (weight: 0.2189), followed by storage violations (F7) and demand spikes (F8). Highly visible disruptions are often symptoms not root causes. Focusing interventions on underlying causal drivers such as traceability significantly enhances overall food supply-chain resilience.

Linking Supply Chain Practices to Performance and Sustainability: The Mediating Role of Operational Efficiency among Ethnic Minority Micro-Enterprises in Bangladesh

Anamul Haque Uzzol1 — 2026-10-14

Ethnic micro-enterprises often operate with limited formal support, scarce resources, and locally embedded exchange relationships, yet little is known about how their supply chain practices translate into enterprise outcomes. This study examines the relationships of supply chain practices with operational efficiency, business performance, and business sustainability among ethnic micro-enterprises in Bangladesh, and tests the mediating role of operational efficiency. Using a positivist, deductive, cross-sectional design, survey data from 330 owner-managers and knowledgeable enterprise representatives were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modelling. The findings show positive relationships between supply chain practices and all three outcomes. The strongest direct relationship concerns operational efficiency, followed by business sustainability, while the relationship with business performance is comparatively smaller. Operational efficiency also mediates the relationships of supply chain practices with business performance and business sustainability, supporting all proposed hypotheses. The study advances supply chain and capability-based research by showing that coordinated sourcing, information exchange, inventory discipline, and fulfilment routines do not create uniform value across outcomes. Their contribution depends partly on whether they are converted into efficient day-to-day execution. The findings also distinguish immediate business performance from the enterprise's longer-term capacity to remain viable and use resources responsibly. For managers and enterprise-support institutions, the evidence indicates that supply chain assistance should combine relationship coordination with practical improvements in inventory control, information flow, delivery reliability, and resource use. Because the analysis relies on cross-sectional perceptual data, the findings indicate association rather than causation.

Optimization of the Seawater-to-Hydrogen Value Chain: A Safety-Integrated Framework for Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Distribution.

Anudip Das Srijon — 2026-10-14

Increasing demand for clean energy to reduce carbon footprint and as well as to reduce fossil fuel consumption has become very important globally. Among all alternatives, hydrogen is the more reliable candidate to replace fossil fuel. seawater electrolysis is increasingly recognized as a promising technology for green hydrogen production. As to production for large scale surface water or ground water will not be enough so for large scale production of Hydrogen from sea water electrolysis is a better choice. This article will provide comprehensive analysis of recent Advancements of water electrolysis and examine an integrated seawater-to-hydrogen supply-chain framework for sustainable hydrogen production in coastal areas. This article also evaluates technical, economic and environmental factors affecting the supply-chain performance, along with solutions how to overcome these problems. And for sea water electrolysis use of renewable energy to reduce the cost of production as well as reduction of pressure on the electricity. Also hydrogen blending with fuels to minimize the dependency on fossil fuels. Particular attention is given to storage the Hydrogen fuel as liquid fuel, or convert the H2 fuel to more stable liquid ammonia or other products, as it can damage pipe lines or storage tanks, and we also give a solutions to overcome this problem. This article also addressed the transportation of hydrogen fuel problems and their solutions. Some ways of transportation are land transportation via trailer and pipeline, overseas shipping and some related commercial data, are reviewed. Nevertheless, brine management, equipment corrosion, high infrastructure investment remain key challenges. This study provides a basis for designing safe and sustainable green-hydrogen supply chains in coastal regions, including how to minimize production costs with the help of other renewable energy sources to split seawater. Moreover, this study also provides solutions to overcome the challenges of safe storage and transportation.

Effect of Inclusive Leadership on Sustainable Supply Chain Performance: Mediating Roles of Psychological Safety and Green Employee Empowerment

Fariha Tasnim — 2026-10-14

While there is a general increase in organizational investment in sustainable infrastructure and technology, the connection between leader behavior and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) is not well understood and the psychological mechanisms by which organizations are able to make this connection are poorly understood. In countries like Bangladesh, a country undergoing a rapid transition to an emerging economy, the need for inclusive leadership is particularly acute and is now recognized as a key element in sustainability efforts, yet the path to achieving performance outcomes has not been proven empirically. This study investigates the relationship between inclusive leadership and sustainable supply chain performance (SSCP) by examining the role of psychological safety and green employee empowerment through the lens of social exchange theory in the product-based corporate sector in Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 300 professionals engaged in the supply chain, utilizing partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analyzed with SmartPLS 4. The results indicate that while inclusive leadership did not have a significant direct effect on SSCP, it fully mediated its effects on psychological safety and green employee empowerment. Both mediators were found to be significant and positively predictive of SSCP, and inclusive leadership significantly enhanced both. The findings build on social exchange theory by demonstrating that the psychological states created by leadership actions influence reciprocity towards sustainability outcomes, providing evidence-based recommendations for supply chain managers and policymakers to integrate leadership development into organizational sustainability strategies.

Consumer Purchase Intention and the Packaging Lifecycle: Evaluating End-of-Life Literacy for Bioplastics in Bangladesh

Sakawat Saberi Deen — 2026-10-14

Consumer awareness of bioplastic packaging is gaining significance in Bangladesh's journey towards a circular economy due to the rising amount of plastic waste generated by packaging and the scarcity of end-of-life infrastructure. This study explores the factors that influence willingness to pay a premium (WPP) for bioplastic packaging, and the intervening effect of green purchase intention (GPI) on this relationship. The study is based on cross-sectional survey data of 208 consumers in urban Bangladesh, and employs a hierarchical multiple regression analysis with heteroscedasticity-consistent robust standard errors. Bioplastic lifecycle literacy proved to be the most consistent and strongest predictor of WPP (Willingness to Pay Premium), whereas environmental concern was positively correlated with WPP (Willingness to Pay Premium) but the relationship was greatly reduced after the inclusion of GPI (Green Purchase Intention), suggesting partial mediation and an attitude–behaviour gap. GPI (Green Purchase Intention) was a significant predictor of WPP (Willingness to Pay Premium), while perceived consumer effectiveness and perceived greenwashing risk were not significant. The visual attractiveness of packaging was found to have a significant positive direct effect on WPP (Willingness to Pay Premium), but did not moderate the relationship between GPI (Green Purchase Intention) and WPP (Willingness to Pay Premium). The results highlight the need to provide clear and lifecycle-specific sustainability information and also to keep a credible and premium packaging proposition in Bangladesh.

Data-Driven Supply Chain Practice and Sustainable RMG Performance: The Mediating Roles of Organizational Agility and Eco-Efficiency Moderated by Green Absorptive Capacity

S.K Md Anik Hassan Rabby — 2026-10-14

Amidst rapid global scaling of Bangladesh's RMG industry, achieving sustainability via effective digital transformation unlocks immense potential for accelerating SDG goal attainment progress to ensure long-term competitiveness. Grounded in the Dynamic Capabilities View and Absorptive Capacity Theory, this research examines the mechanisms where data-driven supply chain practices (DDSCP) influence sustainable RMG performance (SRP) through the mediating role of organizational agility and eco-efficiency. Employing a quantitative, cross-sectional design, data from 215 supply chain and operational managers in Bangladesh were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings challenge deterministic technological narratives where DDSCP directly affects SRP and is notably minimal. Instead, the true value of digitalization is realized through the significant mediating roles of organizational agility and eco-efficiency. Importantly, while Green Absorptive Capacity directly enhances sustainable performance, it does not moderate the DDSCP-SRP relationship, acting as an independent operational baseline rather than a digital synergist in this developing context. This research advances supply chain literature by demonstrating that digital tools alone are insufficient, they require agile organizational reconfiguration and rigorous eco-efficient routines to achieve sustainable excellence. These insights provide actionable strategies for manufacturers and policymakers navigating stringent global compliance paradigms.

An Integrated ABC–VED, Machine-Learning Forecasting, and Optimization Framework for Building a Resilient Pharmaceutical Supply Chain: Evidence from Bangladesh

admin admin — 2026-10-14

In pharmaceutical supply chain management within the context of developing economies that rely on imports, such as Bangladesh, the probability of being affected by disruptions becomes greater as over 80% of APIs come from overseas. Giving equal treatment to all medicines during the prioritization process would not only be ineffective but could even lead to stockouts of essential medicines. In this study, a framework that consists of three stages of analysis - (1) ABC–VED analysis of criticality, (2) forecasting of demand for critical APIs using machine learning algorithms, and (3) MILP (mixed-integer linear programming) model formulation – was developed to assist the pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in prioritizing investments into supply chain resilience in terms of which medicines should be considered. The dataset used consisted of simulated but methodologically realistic information on 20 medicines, 18 APIs, 4 suppliers, and 60-months' observation period (January 2021 – December 2025). An integrated ABC–VED matrix helped to determine eight medicines (40% of the portfolio) as being critical and consumed 73.25% of the annual value of APIs. Six machine learning algorithms (Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, Support Vector Regression, Artificial Neural Network, and CatBoost) were used to build a forecasting model for the six critical APIs and their performance was compared based on three primary evaluation metrics. The Artificial Neural Network algorithm showed the best performance in terms of minimizing errors in all the three evaluation metrics (MAE = 7.31%, MAPE = 7.43%, RMSE = 8.65%), beating the second one (XGBoost) by 9.7% -12.5%. The forecasts produced by the best algorithm are suggested to be used in the MILP model of procurement, inventory, and supplier allocation for further empirical investigation.

Understanding Last-Mile Delivery Challenges among E-Commerce Consumers in Dhaka: Proposing Service Improvement Strategies

Umme Habiba Moni — 2026-10-14

Due to the rapid growth of electronic business in Bangladesh, the effectiveness of last-mile delivery has become increasingly important. Moreover, issues related to conveyance can seriously impact how the clients are fulfilled by the arrangement as an entire.

This study aimed to investigate the determinants of consumer satisfaction in the last-mile delivery process and to locate a helpful procedure for the improvement of conveyance execution of the e-commerce sector. In this examination, we used a quantitative methodological approach to lead the research. Primary data were gathered through structured questionnaires from the e-commerce consumers. Here product condition, tracking accuracy and delivery delays were treated as three delivery related factors; consumer satisfaction was treated as a dependent parameter. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and multiple-regression analysis were used to analyze the relationship between those parameters. Outcome demonstrated that product condition was positively and significantly associated with consumer satisfaction. In terms of the individual effects of tracking accuracy and delivery delays, they were not statistically significant; however, when all independent variables were considered collectively, the regression model was statistically significant. These factors can also affect consumers’ purchasing decisions in business. Hence for improving delivery performance greater focus must be placed on how the product condition is maintained by the delivery personnel. Other factors can also be implemented. These include the advancement of delivery systems through the continuous usage of ICT solutions such as the development of sophisticated tracking systems, optimizing the routing, effective return process, delivery personnel’s proper coaching, improving infrastructure and other technological assistance.