## 4 Discussion
### Managerial Considerations  
This study not only signal vulnerabilities but also provides insights that can support managerial decisions in different areas of the supply chain. The LARG framework, assessed through the implementation of the tool, highlights how each dimension (lean, agile, resilient and green) is perceived and implemented in practice, offering indications on where to strengthen and/or improve strategic efforts.  
Given the consistently high performance, lean practices appear to be well integrated and standardized. In production, however, where performance is relatively lower, there  
Figure 3: Final results—fuzzy mean and linguistic judgments of each dimension.  
may be the necessity to strengthen lean initiatives through increased standardization, reduced variability and continuous improvement practices.  
The heterogeneous performance of the agile dimension suggests that agility is not uniformly embedded across the supply chain. While agility in reverse logistics and production is strong, its limited presence in procurement and distribution means that the company may not be able to adapt in time when the market changes suddenly or when supply issues arise. Managers should consider investing in digital tools (e.g., real-time monitoring, demand forecasting) and flexible sourcing strategies to improve agility, especially in procurement and distribution.  
High performance in procurement and manufacturing highlights that upstream resilience has become a structural priority, likely in response to recent global crises. Managers should maintain this focus by developing strong supplier relationships; at the same time, efforts should be made to extend resilience downstream, particularly in distribution, where the capacity to handle disruptions appears relatively weaker.  
The green dimension shows a clear distinction between internal (i.e., production and reverse logistics) and external (i.e., procurement and distribution) operations. Managers should leverage positive results in production and reverse logistics, using these successes as a basis for spreading more sustainable practices through the company. However, low scores in procurement and distribution signal a need for greater involvement of green suppliers and more sustainable solutions, such as sustainability criteria in supplier selection [29] and partnerships with green logistics providers.  
Based on these findings, the following managerial considerations can be drawn:  
* Maintain lean practices as standardized routines and extend them to production activities, for which the current performance is lower.
* Invest in standardization, value stream mapping and continuous improvement to strengthen lean performance in production.
* Invest in flexible transport options or demand forecasting technologies to enhance agile distribution performance.
* Enhance supply chain responsiveness by adopting flexible procurement policies, improving demand sensing and integrating real-time monitoring tools.
* Develop downstream resilience through improved distribution flexibility, last-mile risk mitigation and crisis response planning.
* Promote green supplier development, introduce sustainability criteria in procurement and partner with green logistics providers to close the internal-external performance gap.