Search results

From a continuous improvement perspective, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the levels of maturity attained by organisations in reporting their supply chain (as well as non-supply chain) sustainability initiatives. It also investigates the extent to which supply chain sustainability (SCS) disclosure varies between different business sectors, as well as the degree of interconnection between various sustainability criteria. Subsequently, it proposes an improvement framework for reporting and implementing sustainability initiatives across the supply chain.

To carry out this investigation, corporate sustainability reports of selected companies in ten different industries are downloaded and assessed. The paper uses content analysis and principal component analysis to study the disclosure maturity levels of the different industrial sectors.

The paper's results show that the disclosure maturity level is higher in business-to-consumer industries than in business-to-business industries on both the social and environmental dimensions. The paper also shows that the highly polluting energy sector is the least advanced in disclosing SCS initiatives. Generally speaking, there is no clear pattern in the way organisations disclose sustainability information. The conclusion is that sustainability disclosure is not yet homogeneously structured across different business sectors and organisations are yet to attain the “adult” maturity age.

Very few researchers can claim to have investigated the maturity levels of SCS disclosure from a continuous improvement perspective. This is probably due to the absence of a universally accepted framework that clearly defines the scope of sustainability. The paper tries to fill this gap by proposing a framework that would not only help researchers to study SCS and stakeholders to read sustainability reports, but would also enable practitioners to improve the quality and reliability of the data disclosed, especially as they apply to the supply chain.

Today, supply chain design and management constitute a major source of competitive advantage for firms. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate, from a balanced scorecard strategy map (BSSM) perspective, the types of linkages through which supply chain management practices (SCMPs) impact on financial and non-financial performance, and consequently lead to the achievement of the firm’s strategic objectives.

This study is carried out in two stages. First, based on the survey data collected from 450 French industrial firms (with a return rate of 20.2 per cent), structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test eight hypotheses that are formulated through the discussion of previous theoretical and empirical findings in extant literature. Then, based on the framework of the BSSM, the SEM results are used to discuss the linkages between SCMPs and firm performance.

After confirming some of the relationships already observed in extant literature, the results show that there are many strategic paths (of different nature) that link SCMPs and other intangible assets to financial performance.

The results of the study constitute a practical contribution that would guide managers in the strategic alignment of their firm’s supply chain initiatives with corporate strategy. The authors argue that when implementing supply chain management initiatives, managers should pay particular attention to how intangible assets act as mediating factors in the achievement of the firm’s financial objectives. The BSC framework that the authors propose can also be used by researchers to investigate causal linkages between intangible and tangible assets.

There are few studies that adopt an extensive multidimensional approach by looking simultaneously at both upstream and downstream linkages of the supply chain whilst taking into account many performance measures. Using the BSSM framework, this paper proposes eight types of linkages that could lead to the achievement of the firm’s strategic goals.

The topic of the risk associated with innovation is being investigated through the influence of technological risk on technology adoption.

The paper analyses the dynamics of technology adoption in high technology products thanks to several regressions. The paper uses data gathered from a major European space integrator.

The paper shows that a firm may implement a reliability-based inertia strategy under a specific context. This type of inertia strategy is rational and leads a firm to limit the adoption of new technologies and favours the reuse of proven technologies. This strategy is relevant to facing a risk of decrease in technical reliability.

While the space industry displays some similarities with other capital good industries, it remains specific compared to mass production industries. The current paper should be considered as a preliminary research that aims at structuring the notion of inertia strategy.

In order to increase the commercial demand, the paper proposes that satellite manufactures adopt more intensive reliability-based inertia strategy and institutional demand asks for less experimental satellites.

This paper contributes to show that delays in technology adoption should not systematically be regarded as a weakness. Implementing a strategy that aims at slowing down technology adoption may sometimes improve firm survival. The paper also intends to provide a new insight to the paradoxical nature of change.