Edward Elgar Publishing Configured by Consumption: How Consumption–Demand Will Reshape Supply Chain Operations

With the paradigm shift in consumption habits during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating the digital transformation of supply chain operations, Configured by Consumption offers a timely reflection on the technological evolution of production-consumption cycles since the genesis of industrialization. Digging deeper into the theoretical underpinnings of Industry 4.0, chapters explore consumerism, consumption on demand, consumer connectivity, omnichannel retailing and social commerce to develop a general theory of supply chain operations. The book examines how logistics and supply chain operations have evolved as a discipline and practice through the combined lens of accommodating technological advancement and supporting consumption. Looking to the future of global industry, it concludes by anticipating further technological advancement and contemplates the vision, possibilities, realities and challenges of where logistics and supply chain operations will go beyond automation, robotics and artificial intelligence to meet evolving consumer demand. Giving meaning to the coalescence of the physical supply chain and digital commerce, it will prove invaluable to students and scholars of both economics and organizational and technology studies. It also offers significant insights for decision-makers working at all levels of supply chain and operations management, revealing digital transformations at both the firm (micro) and industry and country (macro) levels.