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This paper aims to introduce a supply chain strategy for supply chain sustainability performance and explain why it is different to normal business/operations strategy.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce a supply chain strategy for supply chain sustainability performance and explain why it is different to normal business/operations strategy.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of supply chain managers and detailed case studies of three successful supply chain sustainability organisations identified four components of a supply chain sustainability strategy, the mechanisms behind them and how they interacted.
Findings
Sustainability leadership, supply chain member involvement in organisational sustainability initiatives, supply chain member involvement in supply chain sustainability strategy planning and technical competency were identified as the four components of a sustainable supply chain strategy. Sustainability leadership legitimises the objectives and involvement of the staff in supply chain-oriented sustainability initiatives and planning. Technical competency provides the capability and language necessary for the development of a supply chain sustainability strategy. This is different to business/operations strategy, however, parallels to other forms of strategy constructs support its ability to achieve performance improvement.
Research limitations/implications
The research is based on data from developed countries; the findings may be different for emerging economies. Potential hypotheses for future research are suggested.
Practical implications
The supply chain sustainability strategy will enable organisations to improve the sustainability of their supply chains. Its application is described in the paper.
Originality/value
The paper develops a strategy framework different to the approach taken in business/operational strategy. It indicates how the sustainability performance of supply chains external to the organisation is increased through their interconnectedness with the organisation.
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Adegboyega Oyedijo, Simonov Kusi-Sarpong, Muhammad Shujaat Mubarik, Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan and Kome Utulu
Implementing sustainable practices in multi-tier supply chains (MTSCs) is a difficult task. This study aims to investigate why such endeavours fail and how MTSC partners can…
Abstract
Purpose
Implementing sustainable practices in multi-tier supply chains (MTSCs) is a difficult task. This study aims to investigate why such endeavours fail and how MTSC partners can address them.
Design/methodology/approach
A single-case study of a global food retail company was used in this study. Semi-structured interviews with the case firm and its first- and second-tier suppliers were used to collect data, which were then qualitatively analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Major barriers impeding the implementation of sustainability in multi-tier food supply chains were revealed such as the cost of sustainability, knowledge gap, lack of infrastructure and supply chain complexity. Furthermore, the findings reveal five possible solutions such as multi-tier collaboration and partnership, diffusion of innovation along the chain, supply chain mapping, sustainability performance measurement and capacity building, all of which can aid in the improvement of sustainability practices.
Research limitations/implications
Future research should investigate how specific barriers and drivers affect specific aspects of sustainability, pointing practitioners to specific links between the variables that can aid in tailoring sustainability oriented investment.
Practical implications
This research supports managerial comprehension of MTSC sustainability, pointing out ways to improve sustainability performance despite the complex multi-tier system of food supply chains.
Originality/value
The research on MTSC sustainability is still growing, and this research contributes to the debate about how MTSCs can become more sustainable from the perspective of the triple bottom line, particularly food supply chains which face significant sustainability challenges.
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Paul T.M. Ingenbleek and Caspar Krampe
As corporate sustainability is systemic, it cannot be achieved without effective involvement of suppliers. This study aims to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource…
Abstract
Purpose
As corporate sustainability is systemic, it cannot be achieved without effective involvement of suppliers. This study aims to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource allocation to a sustainability issue that affects customer companies and society at large.
Design/methodology/approach
Supplier companies’ resource allocation for a sustainability issue is explained from variables at the levels of the institutional, supply chain and internal environments of a supplier company. The framework is tested with a moderated regression model on 102 supplier companies in animal-based supply chains, focussing on their resource allocation for farm animal welfare.
Findings
The findings show that supply chain factors have the strongest influence on suppliers’ resource allocation, including a strong effect of investment specificity and a U-shaped effect of chain integration. Also, significant effects from institutional variables, namely, the pressure on consumer companies, and an inverted U-shaped effect of sustainability competition are found. The innovativeness, referring to the internal environment of supplier companies, appears as another important factor for the allocation of resources to animal welfare, as a sustainability issue.
Research limitations/implications
The results have implications for consumer market companies to deal with sustainability issues that require involvement of their suppliers, for supplier companies to increase their competitive positions and strengthen their relationships within the supply chain, and for policymakers seeking solutions for sustainability issues in the market domain.
Originality/value
While existing literature focusses mostly on the corporate sustainability of highly visible and large consumer companies, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine the drivers of supplier companies’ resource allocation for a sustainability issue, namely, animal welfare. It provides insights on what drives supplier companies, usually operating outside the spotlight, to become part of a sustainability transition.
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Khaled Hussein and Dong-Wook Song
It is claimed that port supply chain integration (PSCI), thanks to its attributes, holds a potential to trigger a port to strategically sustain performance- and…
Abstract
Purpose
It is claimed that port supply chain integration (PSCI), thanks to its attributes, holds a potential to trigger a port to strategically sustain performance- and competitiveness-measures through strengthening and/or reinforcing an array of port sustainability aspects. This paper aims to empirically investigate the existent influence of PSCI on economic and environmental pillars of port sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a resource-based view, this paper hypothesises that PSCI has a certain impact on port “economic” sustainability (PECS) and port “environmental” sustainability (PENS). Measures of PSCI, PECS and PENS are refined and validated using data collected from the maritime logistics industry in Egypt, and structural equation modelling is employed to test the hypothetical relationships.
Findings
The results indicate that a port having adopted an integrative strategy into supply chains could enhance its cost and operational efficiency, financial and investment situation, while offering high-quality services to its customers. Similarly, PSCI is emphatically correlated with water and air pollution management, energy efficiency and green port management practices.
Research limitations/implications
Having identified the acute potential of PSCI for sustainable development in maritime logistics and supply chains, this line of research allows port operators and/or authorities to better understand strategic options with which they are able to improve their sustainability practices. This paper is, however, limited only to two dimensions of sustainability by not exploring the “social” aspect of port sustainability due to data-related issues.
Originality/value
This line of research could be regarded as an extended application from other industrial sectors to the port industry in a way to empirically examine the inclusive relationship of PSCI with economic and environmental parameters. The findings from this research make a due contribution to the field of port sustainability in general and Egyptian ports in particular.
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Karina A. Santos, Minelle E. Silva and Susana Carla Farias Pereira
Although the number of studies that investigate supply chain sustainability learning has increased, little is known about the way sub-suppliers build knowledge and learn…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the number of studies that investigate supply chain sustainability learning has increased, little is known about the way sub-suppliers build knowledge and learn sustainability practices. Thus, moving beyond merely investigating the accumulation of knowledge, this research explores sub-suppliers’ knowing that supports the learning of sustainability practices in a multi-tiered food supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
In the conduct of this interpretive research in South Brazil, two ethnographies were completed during 74 days of observations to understand similarities and differences between certified and non-certified sub-suppliers with respect to sustainability practices. As part of our research conducted in the context of poultry production, secondary data and data gathered through semi-structured interviews with representatives of the buyer and first-tier supplier firms were used to provide a better comprehension of the multi-tiered supply chain context. Then, we executed an interpretive textual analysis.
Findings
Our investigation explored six vignettes to reveal ways of learning sustainability practices in terms of waste management, biosecurity and animal welfare. Although the buyer firm requested these practices, we noted that the first-tier supplier was responsible for translating the practices to sub-suppliers. Moreover, we found that sustainability learning was shaped by the sub-supplier context embodied in knowledge through knowing. The ways of learning were related to sharing knowledge between experts and novices with the support of material practices; however, knowledge was also gained by unlearning some knowledge shared by the supplier. Sustainability practice learning, thus, was performed in a space of learning via knowledge creation among practitioners.
Practical implications
Recognising how sustainability learning happens in a multi-tiered supply chain context can help managers to develop plans to implement sustainability practices that will broaden their sustainability knowledge.
Originality/value
Unlike previous studies on supply chain sustainability learning, we reveal ways that sustainability practices emerge from knowledge that results from sub-suppliers’ knowing. We also explain how unlearning can consciously occur in several situations of sustainability learning.
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Michael Wang and Bin (Bill) Wang
COVID-19 has caused critical supply chain problems, especially in sustainable supply chain management, but very few empirical studies have been explored how to improve the firm…
Abstract
Purpose
COVID-19 has caused critical supply chain problems, especially in sustainable supply chain management, but very few empirical studies have been explored how to improve the firm sustainability through supply chain endeavours such as supply chain agility to manage the impacts of COVID-19. This paper aims to develop a model to incorporate supply chain agility and supply chain relationships that link firm sustainability to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted an online survey and collected 203 valid responses from businesses in the United Arab Emirates, and employed an exploratory factor analysis, mediated regression analysis and structural equation modelling methodology to test the models and hypotheses.
Findings
The authors find that the adoption of supply chain agility can improve supply chain relationships and positively impact sustainability. Meanwhile, supply chain relationships partially mediate the relationship between supply chain agility and sustainability. In addition, sustainability mitigates the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on supply chains.
Originality/value
The results provide fruitful insights and implications for the challenges and uncertainties caused by the pandemic post COVID-19 and provide several directions for further research.
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Natalia G. Vidal, Wellington Spetic, Simon Croom and Donna Marshall
This study examines the relationship between supply chain stakeholder pressure from customers and suppliers for the adoption of social and environmental sustainable supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the relationship between supply chain stakeholder pressure from customers and suppliers for the adoption of social and environmental sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices given the simultaneous conditional effects of both entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and sustainability orientation (SO).
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a survey of US firms focused on their relationship with their top supplier or buyer by spend. This study used conditional process analysis to measure the relationship between stakeholder pressure and adoption of SSCM practices as well as the double moderation effects of EO and SO on this relationship.
Findings
The results show that both EO and SO simultaneously function as moderators of the effect of supply chain stakeholder pressure on the adoption of social and environmental SSCM practices. However, EO will only get firms so far in the adoption of SSCM practices. Once a strong SO takes effect, higher practice adoption ensues but the effect of stakeholder pressure weakens.
Practical implications
For those firms that have lower levels of SO, EO and supply chain stakeholder pressure are still essential drivers for the adoption of SSCM practice. The results of this study suggest that focal firms should work closely with suppliers to increase their levels of SO while also maintaining pressure for the adoption of SSCM practices.
Originality/value
This study shows the concurrent effect of two organizational level drivers on the adoption of SSCM practices, indicating that efforts in developing a strong SO are more likely to prepare firms for the adoption of SSCM practices.
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Leila Alinaghian, Jilin Qiu and Kamran Razmdoost
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and assess the current status of research on supply chain sustainability from a network structural perspective and provide an…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review and assess the current status of research on supply chain sustainability from a network structural perspective and provide an organising framework for future scholarship in this area.
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting an evidence-based approach, this study conducts a systematic review of 73 articles from 18 peer-reviewed journals published between 2000 and 2020.
Findings
Adopting a social network analysis approach, the review identifies specific node-level (i.e. degree centrality, closeness centrality and betweenness centrality) and network-level (i.e. network density, network sub-groups and network diversity) structural properties that play a role in supply chain sustainability. The results reveal that structural properties determine the extent of perception of sustainability risks, the diffusion of sustainability targets, introduction of sustainable innovations, development of sustainability capabilities, adoption of sustainability initiatives and the monitoring of sustainability performance throughout the supply chain.
Originality/value
By distinguishing between supply network and sustainable supply network types, this study extends the existing understandings of the role of network connectivity patterns in supply chain sustainability through synthesising and evaluating the extant literature. This study further clarifies the role of these network structural properties in supply chain sustainability by describing their impact on a set of sustainable supply chain management practices through which firms achieve sustainability goals across their supply chains.
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Agung Sutrisno and Vikas Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the integrated model of the Preference Selection Index (PSI) and the prospect theory as new means to appraise the impact of supply chain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the integrated model of the Preference Selection Index (PSI) and the prospect theory as new means to appraise the impact of supply chain sustainability risks based on five pillars of sustainability. Research has shown that sustainability risk assessment has a strong positive impact on improving the performance of enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a new decision support model for assessing supply chain sustainability risk based on additional failure mode and effect analysis parameters and its integration with PSI methodology and prospect theory. A case example of the supply chain small and medium enterprise (SME) producing fashion have been used in this study.
Findings
The result of this study reveals some critical supply chain sustainability risks affecting the sustainability of enterprises under study.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a limited sample is often associated as a limitation in the research studies and this study is based on findings from SMEs in the fashion retail supply chain. This preliminary study provides academics and practitioners an exemplar of supply chain sustainability risk assessment using integration of the PSI method and prospect theory.
Practical implications
The result of this study is beneficial for practitioners, particularly owner–managers of SMEs who can use this study as guidance on how to consider risk behavior to identify and select the critical sustainability risks and plan mitigating strategies accordingly.
Originality/value
Scientific studies on using the PSI and its integration with prospect theory as means to assess the criticality of supply chain sustainability risks is very rare. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that presents the integrated model of the PSI and prospect theory to rank supply chain sustainability risks based on five pillars of sustainability.
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Agung Sutrisno and Vikas Kumar
This study proposes a new model for assessing supply chain sustainability risk integrating subjectivity and objectivity of decision-maker. Research has shown the vacancy of study…
Abstract
Purpose
This study proposes a new model for assessing supply chain sustainability risk integrating subjectivity and objectivity of decision-maker. Research has shown the vacancy of study in dealing with the above issue. To fill this research gap, a new decision support model considering the subjectivity and objectivity of decision-makers in assigning the weight of the supply chain risk reprioritization criteria is presented and demonstrated using a case example.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts a new decision support model for assessing supply chain sustainability risk based on additional failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) parameters and its integration with preference selection index (PSI) methodology and the Shannon entropy. A case example of the supply chain small and medium enterprise (SME) producing handy crafts has been used in this study.
Findings
The result of the study reveals critical sustainability risk dimensions and their risk elements demanding management attention to support realization to a more sustainable business operation.
Research limitations/implications
The use of a single case study is often associated as a limitation in the research studies, and this study is based on findings from SMEs in the handy craft sector in a developing country. Nonetheless, future studies may focus on replicating this study using more samples. This preliminary study provides academics and practitioners with an exemplar of supply chain sustainability risk assessment from the SME in a developing country.
Practical implications
The result of this study is beneficial for practitioners, particularly owner-managers of SMEs who can use this study as guidance on how to identify and select the critical sustainability risks and plan mitigating strategies accordingly.
Originality/value
Scientific effort on appraising criticality of supply chain sustainability risks considering subjectivity and objectivity of decision-maker simultaneously is missing in earlier studies. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper applying the PSI and Shannon entropy method and using it for evaluating the impact of supply chain risk based on five sustainability pillars. The findings and suggestions for future research initiatives will provide new insights for scholars and practitioners in managing SME supply chain sustainability risks.
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