Interactions in sustainable supply chain management: a framework review

Purpose – This study evaluates the research conducted among the interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the stand-alone measures of economic, environmental, and social performance and the level of sustainability, as suggested in the Carter & Rogers (2008) framework. Design/methodology/approach – This paper conducts a systematic literature review based on the Tranfield et al. (2003) method of the articles published in 13 major journals in the area of supply chain management between the years of 2010 and 2016. Results were analyzed using an expert panel. Findings – The area of research between environmental and social performance is sparse and relegated to empirical investigation. As an important area of interaction, this area needs more research to answer the how and why questions. The economic activity seems to be the persistent theme among the interactions. Research implications – The literature on the “ES” interactions is lacking in both theoretical and analytical content. Studies explaining the motivations, optimal levels, and context that drive these interactions are needed. The extant research portrays economic performance as if it cannot be sacrificed for social welfare. This approach is not in line with the progressive view of SSCM but instead the binary view with an economic emphasis. Practical implications – To improve sustainability, organizations need the triple bottom line (TBL) framework that defines sustainability in isolation. However, they also need to understand how and why these interactions take place that drive sustainability in organizations. Originality/value – This is the first study to examine the literature specifically dedicated to the essential, interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the gap between stand-alone performance and the TBL that creates true sustainability. It also shows how the literature views the existence of sustainability is progressive, but many describe sustainability as binary. It is possible that economic sustainability is binary, and progressive characterizations of SSCM could be the reason behind the results favoring economic performance over environmental and social

Social sustainability in the supply chain: Construct development and measurement validation

Research on social sustainability in developing countries has recently gained importance for both academics and practitioners. Studies in the supply chain management field take either a supplier or a manufacturer perspective that address predominantly corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues referring to the internal stakeholders. Our research integrates the literature on supplier, manufacturer, and customer responsibility and proposes the concept of supply chain social sustainability (SCSS) that refers to addressing social issues within the overall (upstream and downstream) supply chain. Furthermore, we develop and empirically validate scales for measuring SCSS using in-depth interviews and a survey in the Indian manufacturing industry. Our results suggest that SCSS consists of six underlying dimensions, namely equity, safety, health and welfare, philanthropy, ethics, human rights, in a 20-item valid and reliable scale. We discuss the implications of the findings for research and practice and suggest future research avenues

Introducing social sustainability aspects in supplier selection : the role of governmental intervention

This paper aims to understand how governmental intervention can drive organisations to adopt social sustainability aspects in their supplier selection process. The successful case study of the recent introduction of the In-Country-Value program at the Oil and Gas sector of Oman is examined. A survey and interviews with supply chain, contracting and procurement managers were conducted and the primary data was analysed. Governmental intervention was found capable of driving organisations to adopt social sustainability aspects in their supplier selection process, but leads to a 'cap' bounded by governmental requirements if the motivation does not come from within the organisations

Social Responsibility in Global Supply Chain: Research Trend from 1999 to 2014

The well know term of corporate social responsibility (CSR) or simply social responsibility for business organization refers to the concept where the companies integrate social and environmental concerns into their day to day business operations. The aim of this article is to observe the social responsibility research trend within global supply chain. Based on the review of prior literature, it is easy to say that the concept of CSR has received overwhelming attention by the professional and academia of all over the global. Even though, there is debate whether the companies have any responsibility for their supplier premises, more literatures are confirming that the business organizations are considering carefully the issues of CSR within supply chain. Since the concept of CSR covering enter arena of business, it is interesting to work on literature and discover the recent research trend on CSR study within supply chain. Current study has taken an initiative to determine the drivers that influence CSR practice within the supply chain based on literature review for sixteen years Finding suggests, there are drivers influences CSR practice within supply chain

Supplier development for sustainability: contextual barriers in global supply chains

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore contextual barriers to supplier development for sustainability (SDS) in global supply chains and managerial remedies to mitigate such barriers. Design/methodology/approach – A dyadic case study design was adopted with a Western European buyer and six of its Chinese suppliers. The database consists of 41 interviews and 81 documents. Findings – Contextual barriers to SDS in global supply chains derive from complexities in the sustainability concept, socio-economic differences, spatial and linguistic distance, as well as cultural differences between buyers and suppliers. Partial remedies include effective joint communications, an open organizational culture, and the fostering of cross-contextual understanding. Research limitations/implications – The findings contribute to theory development at the intersection of sustainable and global supply chain management research. They help to explain why scarce sustainability-related progress in global supply chains has occurred in recent years. Practical implications – The identified barriers facilitate managerial decision making that will expedite SDS progress in global contexts. Social implications – By diffusing knowledge regarding available remedies, the study contributes to improving SDS effectiveness, thereby fostering sustainability capabilities and performance of suppliers. Originality/value – This research highlights the criticality of contextual barriers to SDS. The barrier effects that stem from differing real-world conceptions of sustainability may inform future sustainable supply chain management research within and beyond SDS

Consumers\u27 Perceptions Towards Sustainability: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

Sustainability has become a subject of increasing concern to academics and practitioners in recent years. Increasing consumer demand for socially responsible products encouraged supply chains to put increasing emphasis on sustainability. In adapting sustainability practices consumers play a very important role for supply chains. Thus this dissertation examines consumers’ perceptions towards sustainability practices. Although most previous research has examined environmental sustainability practices, the social dimension of sustainability has received little attention. This dissertation attempts to explore both environmental and social sustainability and their effects on consumer perceptions in different cultural contexts and price levels. Two scenario based experiments are utilized. Experiment One examines the effect of environmental sustainability practices on consumer behavior. Experiment Two examines the effect of social sustainability practices on consumer behavior. Data was collected from one individual and one collectivist country to explore if there was a culture effect. Social Exchange Theory (SET) is presented as the theoretical lens for this dissertation. Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) is also discussed as a supporting theory. The findings suggest that high environmental sustainability or social sustainability and a low price strategy will lead to an increase in consumers’ commitment, satisfaction, and loyalty levels. The results also showed that high prices have a more negative effect on consumer satisfaction and consumer loyalty in collectivist countries

Sustainable global sourcing: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis

Sustainable Global Sourcing (SGS) is a rapidly emerging field with a geometric growth that is evidenced by the number of articles published within this field. The aim of this paper is to develop a systematic study quantitatively depicting the knowledge structure of the SGS field. A bibliometric analysis in conjunction with citation analysis and co-citation analysis is adopted to evaluate a total of 287 journal articles identified from systematic selection of influential work. A further content analysis is performed to obtain the detailed insights on the results of bibliometric analysis. Findings show five research clusters that constitute the SGS field, i.e., (i) Global Sourcing (GS) practice and environmental performance; (ii) Social sustainability/ethical sourcing practice in GS; (iii) Environmental evaluation criteria and certification; (iv) Fuzzy modelling of environmental practice in GS; (v) Effects of environmental and social sustainability practice on economic performance. On this basis, eight research directions are outlined for future research. This study provides an innovative method for systematic literature review work and robust indications for future investigations in the SGS field

A REPRISE OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN CONSANGUINITY TO THE INDUSTRY OF TEXTILE

This study investigates supply chain management (SCM) literature to categorize it as well as this study particularly explores studies of SCM for textile industry. An analysis is provided for SCM in connection to textile industry. Science Direct, ABI/INFORM Global, EBSCO Host, and Emerald scholarly databases are inspected for SCM studies. It is found that there is lack of agreement for a sole definition of SCM; moreover, textile industry is being neglected for investigation of SCM. However, categories of SCM are described in a descending order from most studied categories to least studied categories. There is a void of a sole definition for SCM; therefore, a comprehensive definition of SCM is suggested from pertinent literature. Moreover, research gaps are identified for future research of SCM particularly for textile industry.supply chain management, textile industry, categories of SCM