JOURNAL ARTICLE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
MBA programs around the country are starting to require their students to become more effective
writers. This is in response to industry’s urging for grad schools to improve the writing skills of graduate
students. Writing at the MBA level should be informative, colorful, and nuanced, and the writing should
include simple words vs. complicated (especially if used out of context).
As you read the journal articles for this course, remember the context of the MBA degree. The MBA is a
practitioner’s degree. The degree signifies that you can think, analyze, solve problems; and then
communicate solutions to business executives effectively and efficiently. Your analysis of the discussion
in the articles, their relationship to this course, and implications related to the each reading assignment
will prepare you to communicate in this manner.
INSTRUCTIONS
In each assigned module, you will choose 1 journal article from those provided in the course. Reviews of
substitute articles will not be accepted. Write a Journal Article Review of 900-1200 words, not including
the title page or reference page. For each Journal Article Review, you must discuss how the theoretical
model or treatment described in the article compares to the information discussed in your textbook. No
more than 20% of each Journal Article Review may be quotations. You must cite and reference the
original article, the course textbook, and one additional scholarly article.
Each Journal Article Review assignment must include these sections:
Title page
Article caption at top of first page of text (current APA style) to identify the article
Statement of the author's purpose
Background of the issue
Application of supply chain management theory relevant to article
Managerial implications of article findings (2–3 paragraphs)
Summary of the article and its context
References (Current APA style)
Students must follow this format for their review.
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Supply Chain Management for Circular Economy
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Title
Professor's Name
Date
2
Supply Chain Management for Circular Economy
Statement of the Authors Purpose
The authors seek to find particular ways in which main supply chain management
processes can promote the switch from the old production and consumption approaches to a
circular economy. In addition, the authors aim to have a deeper understanding of the supply
chain management processes and roles in order to promote a framework for stakeholders to
have a research perspective. This better understanding will help them work on ways to
integrate the existing supply chain processes to promote a circular economy. Moreover, the
authors hope to study the intersection between circular economy and supply chain
management and suggest any new areas in the supply chain market that can be applied in
various disciplines.
Background of the Issue
The author states that a circular economy is a reutilizing system in which the used
resources, waste, leakage, and emission are reduced. The author intends to separate economic
activities from the use of limited resources and develop ways to keep the items and materials
being used while restoring the natural system. The circular economy aims to restructure the
economic model to form a positive community-wide benefit. Moreover, circular economy
hopes to re-engineer the production side by investing in a futuristic product design with
maintenance and reuse procedures. However, shifting from the existing production systems to
a new circular economy will need to deal with technological, financial, and institutional
challenges. According to the authors, these barriers are the same faced by supply chain
stockholders every day, although in a different manner. In addition, the authors highlight the
five principles of the circular economy perspective, which include closing, slowing,
narrowing, intensifying, and dematerializing material.
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Application of Supply Chain Management theory to the article
Integrating the concept of supply chain management in the circular economy requires
a set of theoretical and practical discussions for better understanding. According to the
authors, supply chain management processes intersect with the circular economy perspective.
This supply chain management process supports restructuring of the existing supply chain
process to integrate with the earlier stated circular economy principles. These processes that
can be restructured to support circular economy include, first, customer relationship
management. This supply chain management deals with all of the institutions' customer-
related processes and links the customers to the institution's supply chain processes.
Customer relationship management can be restructured to promote circular economy
processes by providing it to the customers as the difference in how the firm delivers its value
to them. In addition, it can be reshaped to form a long-lasting bond with the customers and
put them at the forefront of the company as the major partners and main source of the supply
network.
The second supply chain management applied in the circular economy is supplier
relationship management. This can be reformed to include suppliers who value the
environmental perspective on their products, thus, promoting a circular economy. This
selection criteria of suppliers who care for the environment leads to a "narrow loop," one of
the circular economy principles, which tends to form a close relationship with the supplier.
The close relationship makes it easy to push and propose circular economy projects. The third
supply chain management applicable to a circular economy is the manufacturing flow and
product development management. This two are closely related since they deal with the
products directly. Manufacturing flow deals with the movement of the products from the
industry, while product development is involved in creating new products with the help of the
customers and suppliers (Hugos, 2018). Manufacturing flow can shift from saving resources
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to resource reutilization, promoting a circular economy. In contrast, product development
management can promote a circular economy by forming a coalition with other scientific
fields to advance resource utilization and reduction.
Finally, demand management is another supply chain management that can promote a
circular economy. Demand management involves preparation and managing demand for
items and services (Hugos, 2018). Demand management can lead to a "narrow loop" and
"slow loop" by considering reutilization and recycling activities as a key part of management
and planning systems.
Managerial Actions of Article Findings
The authors highlight that to promote a circular economy on all supply chain
management, slowing, narrowing, dematerializing, and closing resource loops must be
utilized. Thus, in summary, observing these resource loops will promote a sense of minimal
wastage and reuse of resources. Closing loops deal with reusing the materials by recycling,
and for the supply chain to be successful, firms must change how they deal with customer
perceptions and behaviors. They should redesign their processes to factor in the customer's
desires. This will ensure the customers purchase the products since they will value reused
goods meant to promote the environment.
In slowing the loop, the authors state that it helps in designing long-lasting products.
When businesses slow loops, they ensure the company deals with long-lasting goods,
strengthening their customer's loyalty to their goods. Thirdly, the narrowing loop involves
reducing resource usage and bettering the efficiency of the product. The authors believe that
one of the key aspects in increasing efficiency is digitization since it ensures a timely
response and production of goods. However, according to the authors, more research is
needed to help managers know when to implement these technologies. Fourthly, the
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dematerializing loop revolves around using substitute products with services and software to
increase its lasting ability. The authors state that this is the key principle in the circular
economy since it deals with an efficient way to produce goods. Thus, companies should
restructure their supply chain to ensure the best materials are used in production.
Summary of the Article
The article dealt with circular economy highlighting its key principles and intersection
with various supply chain management. Furthermore, the article provided ways in which the
main supply chain processes can promote better integration of circular economy initiatives.
The article, in addition, highlights the areas that researchers and scholars in supply chain
management and circular economy can dive deeper to collaborate among themselves for a
better understanding of the intersection of the two aspects. For example, most supply chain
management features need to be restructured and reimagined for circular economy initiatives
to succeed. Furthermore, the supply chain management must accept that the world is
evolving, and the way products are produced, delivered, and reclaimed needs to change.
Therefore, the article provides a basis for collaboration between the circular economy and
supply chain management in areas that require a cooperative initiative. Lastly, the theoretical
aspect in the article provides a support system from which future queries into how supply
chain management helped revolutionize the circular economy.
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References
Hazen, B. T., Russo, I., Confente, I., & Pellathy, D. (2020). Supply chain management for a
circular economy: conceptual framework and research agenda. International Journal
of Logistics Management, The.
Hugos, M. H. (2018). Essentials of supply chain management. John Wiley & Sons.
Outline of Supply Chain Management for Circular Economy
The authors seek to find particular ways in which main supply chain management
processes can promote the switch from the old production and consumption approaches
to a circular economy.
The author states that a circular economy is a reutilizing system in which the used
resources, waste, leakage, and emission are reduced.
The author intends to separate economic activities from the use of limited resources and
develop ways to keep the items and materials being used while restoring the natural
system. The circular economy aims to restructure the economic model to form a positive
community-wide benefit.
Integrating the concept of supply chain management in the circular economy requires a
set of theoretical and practical discussions for better understanding.
The second supply chain management applied in the circular economy is supplier
relationship management.
Demand management is another supply chain management that can promote a circular
economy.
The authors highlight that to promote a circular economy on all supply chain
management, slowing, narrowing, dematerializing, and closing resource loops must be
utilized.
The article dealt with circular economy highlighting its key principles and intersection
with various supply chain management.
