he Impact of IOT Technology on Pharmaceutical Green Supply Chain Management.

Abstract

This research aims to explore the current state and role of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices through examination of the pharmaceutical industry. Internet of Things technology, Green Supply Chain Management practices and the pharmaceutical industry were the main topics investigated from existing works, in order to identify possible correlations, existing technology solutions and challenges. The research approach was exploratory in nature, the data was collected through interviews with three pharmaceutical companies and one public health care distributor centre. The interviews produced qualitative and quantitative data, which were analysed with a pragmatic philosophy. The dual nature of findings created a detailed and comprehensive view of IoT benefits and challenges when the technology is implemented within the organisation, and when is used to support GSCM practices. In details, the findings were analysed to summarize major drivers for IoT adoption, challenges and future possibilities. On the other side, this research investigated how IoT enables and supports GSCM practices. The combination of primary and secondary data served to uncover the positive relationship between IoT solutions, sustainability and business value, with significant benefits discussed throughout the findings. This research confirmed that IoT technology allow business growth and indirectly enables sustainable practices. The overall positive impact of IoT in pharmaceutical GSCM practices discovered in this research, confirmed that exists a strong relationship between sustainability and business value, when using IoT.