Ricardo Augusto Zimmermann

Abstract
This paper analyses how the harmonization between supply and demand uncertainty and supply chain responsiveness (SC fit) impacts business performance. The study analyses data obtained from a sample of 179 manufacturing companies from Portugal. The business performance of companies with different types of SC fit (high-high fit and low-low fit) and misfit (positive and negative) were analyzed and discussed. The results indicate that SC fit is positively related to business performance, economic and productivity, and commercial performance separately. This study advances the literature as the results indicate that SC fit positively affects both commercial and economic, and productivity performance. In contrast, previous empirical studies have mainly addressed the impact only on financial and operational performance. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Abstract
Digital transformation creates a number of barriers that need to be surpassed by companies from the technological and organizational points of view. Concurrently, the complexity and nature of current market environments often demand new products, services, processes and business models, oftentimes supported by digital technologies. The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding on the impact of a severe global crisis on the digital technologies’ adoption process (and their associate drivers and barriers), with a special look on the strategies adopted by companies in terms of supply chain resilience. Specificities of the Portuguese industry are discussed through the analysis of five case studies. © 2023, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Abstract
The increasing complexity and dynamism of business environments has led to a significant growth in the risks related to the management of supply chain relationships. Trust and visibility between supply chain partners have been increasingly considered paramount aspects to manage these relationships and reduce risks. This paper aims to analyze and discuss the role of trust and visibility in supply chains, considering the complexity of multi-tier supply chains and multi-aspects visibility. Two cases of the textile sector from Portugal have been studied. After the analysis of the level of visibility and trust, a set of recommendations is provided. © 2022, IFIP International Federation for Information Processing.

Abstract
Digital transformation is a broad description of efforts to introduce new technologies within and across organizations with the potential to revolutionize the way they function and perform. Digital transformation may be addressed at multiple levels of analysis, and this paper focuses on the enterprise level. This includes the organization, its people, systems, tools and technologies, and suppliers and partners that combined create valued outcomes that sustain the enterprise and advance its objectives. Collectively, this is a complex sociotechnical system (STS), and digital transformation is an intervention in a STS of potentially profound scope. Classical STS theory emerged from analysis of individuals and work groups and principles have been defined for the design of work systems at that level. We explore how STS design principles may be applied to the enterprise-level challenges associated with digital transformation. We present an enterprise-level framework that describes a process and methods that are consistent with STS design principles and illustrates how existing systems analysis methods and artifacts may be used to design an enterprise level STS. We review some artifacts employed in digital transformation efforts, including enterprise reference architectures, to better understand how they might function as means to foster communication and collaboration across multiple disciplines and domains in the STS design process.

Abstract
Recent studies have highlighted the potential of supply chain visibility (SCV) to improve companies' performance, support the decision-making process and increase the resilience and sustainability of supply chains (SC). However, the definition and the approaches to manage visibility are not consensual, especially when it comes to its assessment. This paper studies the influence that some characteristics of the information shared among SC partners have on SCV and provides a model that allows to assess the level of visibility. Focus group research was used to discuss the visibility assessment model with academic and practical experts and case studies were conducted to evaluate the implementation of the model in real contexts. The results support the applicability of the model in complex SCs and show that the visibility indices proposed can help managers to identify the SC partners where improvement actions are needed. This study contributes to literature and practice by means of a model to assess the visibility throughout the SC by considering different types and characteristics of the information shared.