Smart Technologies for a Sustainable Service Supply Chain: A Prospective Perspective

Abstract

This paper aims to present new smart technologies and their implications for the sustainability of the service supply chain. Our objective is to show the opportunities offered by smart technologies in the future of service supply chains. The article develops a prospective analysis of the opportunities offered by smart technologies regarding the sustainability of the service supply chain. A prospective analysis of the possible alternatives in terms of technological and commercial opportunities but also terms of barriers to the development of technologies is proposed. This approach is guided by a literature review, interviews with experts, and a quantitative study. The prospective vision obtained traces strong development opportunities in artificial intelligence and Big-Data and exposes the strong presence of financial limits and technological risks inherent to sustainable and digital service logistics. This article proposes an original approach in terms of prospective methodology based on the PRODIN method integrating a literary study, semi-directive interviews, and a quantitative questionnaire.