Title: Reverse logistics operations in a pharmaceutical retail environment

Authors: Haidar Abbas; Jamal A. Farooquie

Addresses: D/O Business Administration and Accounting, Al-Buraimi University College, Sultanate of Oman ' D/O Business Administration, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India

Abstract: Not all the sales/deliveries at consumers'/intermediaries' end are always final. They may return it for a number of reasons. Consumers'/intermediaries' may also often find some medicines undesirably accumulated. Retailers may have such accumulations for poor sales, unexpected customer returns, perishability, etc. Therefore, another similar flow (reverse logistics) is required to carry such medicines backward for recovering value/proper disposal. This research aims at providing a detailed account of reverse logistics management of undesired medicines, various related issues and its performance, with respect to Indian pharmaceutical retail environment. What is being done (practices), why it is being done (drivers), how it is being done (return conditions) and what inhibits (barriers) are the major issues examined. Besides, the performance of reverse logistics programs was evaluated from the retailers' perspectives. The findings of this study are expected to establish some evidence regarding the prevalent reverse logistics practices and related issues for academicians and practitioners.

Keywords: reverse logistics; reverse supply chains; returns management; recall of medicines.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLEG.2018.090496

International Journal of Logistics Economics and Globalisation, 2018 Vol.7 No.1, pp.1 - 12

Accepted: 22 May 2017
Published online: 19 Mar 2018 *

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