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This paper aims to investigate how the extant literature on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) empirically explores the perspective of emerging economy suppliers operating in global supply chains (GSCs). It thereby explains the role of emerging economy suppliers in determining the success of SSCM.

A systematic literature review of 41 empirical papers (published between 2007 and 2021) was conducted, involving both descriptive and thematic analyses.

The findings demonstrate that emerging economy suppliers have a key role in SSCM, given their use of positive feedback loops to proactively create remedies to surpass barriers using their collaboration mechanisms, and exploit authentic sustainability outcomes as reinforcements to drive further sustainability initiatives. The authors also demonstrate that suppliers are particularly focused on the cultural and institutional dimensions of sustainability. Finally, the authors provide an explanatory analytical framework to reduce the institutional distance between buyers and their global suppliers.

This review identifies avenues for future research on the role of emerging economy suppliers in SSCM.

Recognising remedies to surpass barriers and reinforcements to drive new actions can aid SSCM in GSCs and improve understanding between buyers and suppliers.

The valorisation of cultural and institutional issues can lead to more responsible supplier interactions and improved sustainability outcomes in emerging economies.

This review only analyses the viewpoint of emerging economy suppliers, whereas prior SSCM reviews have focused on the buyer perspective. Thus, the authors reduce supplier invisibility and institutional distance between GSC participants.

This paper aims to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on supply chain (SC) sustainability learning. In particular, it focuses on the learning associated with changes in the sustainability initiatives of emerging economy suppliers.

Through studying three scenarios (pre-outbreak, buyer-centred peak and supplier-centred peak) over a nine-month period, a multi-case study strategy was used to gain an understanding of the learning of export-oriented Brazilian coffee producers, using both exploitation and exploration capabilities. Content analysis was developed after each data collection phase to investigate how sustainability initiatives had changed.

Social sustainability was observed to be the main priority by suppliers facing this unprecedented outbreak, in ways that go beyond expected sustainability certification requirements. For instance, there was evidence of outstanding contributions to the local community. Suppliers initially developed their sustainability initiatives during the outbreak without any support from global buyers, certification bodies or government. In spite of this, stronger relationships with buyers ultimately emerged facilitating greater SC sustainability. Consequently, by using both exploitation and exploration learning capabilities, multiple levels of learning were observed (i.e. individual, organisational and SC) as related to planning, new procedures and social awareness.

A greater awareness of supplier learning processes will aid buyers in developing recovery plans that are appropriate for their global SC partners.

This paper provides an understanding of how emerging economy suppliers of global SCs are coping with this unprecedented outbreak in regard to sustainability management. Moving the spotlight from buyers to suppliers, the research demonstrates that supplier learning is central to global SC sustainability.

Pressured by various stakeholder groups to improve the sustainability performance of their emerging economy suppliers, multinational firms continue to expand their supplier monitoring. Leveraging the strategy literature on alliances and the buyer-supplier relationship management literature, the authors propose that a buyer firm's efforts to proactively develop cultural sensitivity and operations cognizance to understand the operational culture and routines of its suppliers can ameliorate some shortcomings of supplier monitoring, thereby improving the performance of the buyer firm.

Using primary survey data from a sample of US manufacturing firms, combined with secondary data of supplier monitoring and financial performance, this research examines the relationship between supplier monitoring, cultural sensitivity, operations cognizance, and buyer firm performance.

Supplier monitoring was associated with positive but diminishing returns for financial and sustainability performance for the buyer. Second, increasing cultural sensitivity and operations cognizance for suppliers in emerging economies were associated with improved buyer performance. Finally, the synergistic use of supplier monitoring and operations cognizance was associated with improved buyer firm financial performance.

While the buyer-supplier relationship literature has mainly treated organizational differences between dyadic supply chain partners as exogenous to the context in which their relationship evolves, the authors posit that buyer firms' efforts to understand such differences can affect the value of buyer-directed interactions, such as supplier monitoring. This research adds to the theoretical understanding of the process of developing relational mechanisms with emerging economy suppliers. In particular, efforts of buyer firms to better understand the operational culture and routines of their suppliers can complement monitoring and are associated with a positive impact on performance.

This paper aims to examine how suppliers doing business with customers in emerging industrial markets can leverage their innovativeness to foster trust and commitment toward maximizing customer adoption behaviors.

Based on commitment-trust theory, this research uses survey data collected from a large sample of Chinese business-to-business executives, which were then analyzed using three-stage least squares simultaneous estimation models and PROCESS.

The results show that supplier innovativeness can help customers build trust in a supplier. Consequently, a reciprocal commitment is forged among customers that manifest in favorable adoption decisions, including a higher willingness to pay premium prices. Notably, this approach is beneficial when robust interfirm communications are difficult to establish.

Innovation decisions in interfirm relationships are important for suppliers doing business in emerging markets. This is because customer adoptions in such settings can foster enduring relational market-based assets and other competitive advantages that can improve supplier performance. Unfortunately, the understanding of how interfirm relationships influence innovation-adoption decisions in emerging markets is lacking. The findings of this research shed light on how suppliers interested in entering emerging markets can interact with customer firms in such settings to maximize favorable adoption outcomes.

Drawing on organizational learning and dynamic capabilities literature, this study aims to explore how suppliers from traditional emerging economies (STEE) can acquire, assimilate and use new knowledge essential for the development of production and marketing capabilities. These capabilities then facilitate suppliers in climbing the value chain from B-to-B to B-to-C.

The study adopted a longitudinal and multiple case study design to examine the practices of suppliers operating in a traditional emerging economy setting. This study selected Pakistan textile industry as an empirical setting, which is a predominantly supplier market for global buyers. Data sources entail semi-structured interviews with top executives and senior-level managers in four case firms and secondary data obtained from diverse sources.

The study identified transitionary phases of capabilities development that are facilitated by boundary-spanning knowledge acquisition and transformation in a dynamic manner. These capabilities are essential for a supplier’s entry into downstream international markets (i.e. launching its own products/brands in the end consumers’ market).

The findings could help managers in STEEs to understand the strategic importance of supply chain ties in their learning and capabilities development. It also provides strategic insights on what, how and why involved parties do engage over an extended period of time. Moreover, the findings of this study could help other firms to know and adopt the right type of technology(s) and systems that can help them reduce the technological gap in producing and marketing market-winning products.

This study advances the recent academic discussion that focusses on learning by supplying and the value-chain movement of suppliers (i.e. B-to-C) from their B-to-B engagements. The findings identified the vital and beneficial role of long-term relationships with global value chain partners in learning and capabilities development that led to value creation in the traditional emerging economy.

The purpose of this paper explains how the framework on motives of foreign direct investment (FDI) needs to be rethought when analyzing emerging market multinational enterprises (EMNEs). It argues that the weak position of emerging market firms and their interdependent relationship with lead firms in global value chains (GVCs) modify the selection of internationalization motives.

The arguments are illustrated through a critical review of the literature on FDI motives and a discussion on how the literature can be extended from looking through the lens of emerging market multinationals, particularly those with early development as suppliers in global value chains.

The weak position of emerging market firms and their interdependent relationship with lead firms in global value chains modify the selection of internationalization motives on two aspects. First, internationalization decisions of EMNEs in GVCs are not undertaken in an independent manner. Rather, decisions are influenced by the initial position along the value chain and the dynamic relationships that these EMNEs have with lead firms. Second, the selection of FDI motives of these EMNEs reflects both their international expansion strategy and the upgrading effort they wish to pursue to undertake higher value-adding activities along the GVCs.

These implications addressed in this paper add more nuances to the interpretation of FDI motives. Previously viewed mainly from the perspective of lead firms, FDI decisions are considered as independent alternatives that multinational enterprises (MNEs) can undertake to fulfill their internationalization strategy. Revisiting the FDI motives from the perspective of EMNEs reveals further insights on the interdependent nature of their internationalization, particularly reflecting the weaker position of EMNEs and their interdependent relationship with lead firms in their industry.

This study aims to investigate the supplier selection criteria, relationship quality and level of collaboration in Asian food businesses, while also examining the link between these practices and business performance. The research focusses on food manufacturing and exporting companies in two emerging economies, China and Vietnam.

Food manufacturing and exporting companies in two emerging economies – China and Vietnam were surveyed and analysed to extract factors that reflect supplier management and business performance along with their relationship by factor analysis and hierarchical regression. Then, a two-step cluster analysis was applied to identify clusters based on supplier management and explore how different business performance groups manage their suppliers.

Four clusters that are distinct sets of food firms with detailed references about their typical characteristics revealing their business performance and supplier management practices. Also, the study confirms that certificates, reliability and inspection results constitute the factor of quality-related criteria for food firms. It is an interesting insight into what firms prioritise in selecting and maintaining collaboration and relationships with suppliers that reflect actual demanding specifications for supplier conformity.

The study reveals the business status of the studied companies and each group's specific references, such as the criteria they prefer to select suppliers, the relationship quality and the level of collaboration.

The study is a useful reference for both researchers and practitioners to have a comprehensive view of supplier management in the food industry based on the viewpoint of Asian food manufacturers.

The purpose of this research is to examine the drivers of sustainable supplier selection (SSS) and investigate the extent to which it is associated with a buyer's financial performance within an emerging economy context.

The data were collected from 235 supply chain and procurement professionals in Thailand. The structural relationship was tested using partial least squares based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and PROCESS tool.

Based on the empirical findings, firms that pursue sustainability initiatives during supplier selection process enjoy better financial performance than their competitors. The analysis suggests six hypothetical paths explain SSS. Suppliers' human rights and safety focus are the most powerful determinants of SSS. Significantly, positive support was found for the SSS and buyers' financial performance relationship. Finally, there is a significant moderating effect of resource investment on sustainability efforts.

Data for the study were collected from a single industry, so the findings are indicative but not representative of all supply chains. Due to this limitation, the findings cannot be generalized across other countries and industries. This study is a starting point in understanding the role of SSS in creating a sustainable supply chain. Future research may develop a comprehensive understanding of the nature and magnitude of the impact of SSS on sustainable supply chains.

This paper contributes toward an understanding of the determinants of SSS and its consequences for sustainable supply chains.

本研究旨在探究選擇可持續供應商的驅動因素，及探討在新興經濟的環境下選擇可持續供應商與買方的財務表現之間有多大的關係。

數據取自235名在泰國的供應鏈及採購專業人士。研究人員使用基於偏最小二乘為基礎的結構方程模型 (PLS-SEM) 及流程 (PROCESS) 工具 測試了結構的關係。

基於實證結果，在選擇供應商的程序中、奉行持續性措施的公司的財務表現會較其對手更好。分析顯示有六個假設性的途徑可闡釋可持續供應商的選擇。供應商的人權及以安全為焦點是選擇可持續供應商的最有力的決定因素。明顯地、選擇可持續供應商及買方財務表現之間的關係已找到支持的證據。最後，資源的投資對可持續性方面的努力產生重大的調節效果。

由於用來研究的數據取自單一行業，故研究結果是指示性的、而非代表所有供應鏈。因為這個局限，所以研究結果不能概括其它國家或行業。唯本研究就了解選擇可持續供應商在創造一個可持續的供應鏈上所扮演的角色方面踏出了第一步。未來的研究或會就選擇可持續供應商對可持續供應鏈予以何種影響及多大的影響提供更全面的解說。

Selection of resilient suppliers has attracted the attention of researchers in the past one decade. The devastating effect of COVID-19 in emerging economies has provided great impetus to the selection of resilient suppliers. Under volatile and uncertain business scenarios, supplier selection is often done under imprecise and incomplete information, making the traditional decision-making methods ineffective. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the application of a fuzzy decision-making method for resilient supplier selection.

A group of three decision makers was considered for evaluating various alternatives (suppliers) based on their performance under different primary, sustainability and resilience criteria. Experts' opinion about each criterion and alternative was captured in linguistic terms and was modelled using fuzzy numbers. Then, an algorithm for solving resilient supplier selection problem based on the trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TrIFTOPSIS) was introduced and demonstrated through a case study.

A closeness coefficient was used to rank the suppliers based on their distances from intuitionistic fuzzy positive-ideal solution and intuitionistic fuzzy negative-ideal solution. Finally, the proposed fuzzy decision making model was applied to a real problem of supplier selection in the clothing industry.

The presented TrIFTOPSIS model provides an effective route to prioritise and select resilient suppliers under imprecise and incomplete information. This is the first application of intuitionistic fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making for resilient supplier selection.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between sustainable supply chain collaboration (SSCC) and sustainability performance, and examine whether two types of incentives moderate this relationship. This empirical investigation of the Thai food manufacturing industry provides insight in the context of an emerging economy.

Survey data were collected from 215 food manufacturing firms in Thailand, and the hypotheses were tested by exploratory factor analysis, hierarchical regression analysis, and cluster analysis.

The results indicate that SSCC leads to better economic and social performance, but not necessarily better environmental performance; incentives provided by firms in the supply chain enhance the effects of SSCC on social performance.

The findings provide useful suggestions for supply chain managers and policy makers about effective collaboration and the use of incentives to improve the sustainability of individual firms in the supply chain. They also reveal the challenges faced by manufacturing firms in improving environmental performance in an emerging economy.

This study contributes to the literature on the implementation of sustainable supply chain management by explaining the role of incentives.