Sustainable procurement: Building legitimacy in the supply network

a b s t r a c t The challenges introduced by sustainable development deeply affect purchasing and supply management practices and therefore foster a change in the firm's supply network. After a literature review on supply network management, sustainable sourcing and legitimacy, this paper presents the results of an in-depth case study of a gardening distributor which adopted a sustainable strategy. The analysis illustrates how the firm conquers its legitimacy in sustainable development through the evolution of its supply network. The paper highlights three types of legitimacy -product legitimacy, corporate legitimacy and cause legitimacy -and reveals the different roles of business and non-business actors in the firm's extended sustainable supply network

Abréviations

A ACP — Afrique – Caraïbes – PacifiqueADPIC — Aspects des droits de propriété intellectuelle qui touchent au commerceAELE — Association européenne de libre-échangeAFF — Administration fédérale des financesAGCS — Accord général sur le commerce des servicesAID — Association internationale de développementALENA — Accord de libre-échange nord-américainAMGI — Agence multilatérale de garantie des investissementsAP — Aide publiqueAPD — Aide publique au développementASC — Corps suisse d’aide en cas d..

BIM in Europe: innovation networks in the construction sectors of Sweden, France and the UK

European countries are developing or implementing policies that promote or require the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and give BIM a central role in strategies for national sector-level transformation. It is necessary to understand BIM as a systemic innovation that is enacted and adopted by firms, projects and users but also by national actors. The Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) approach has shown how the evolution of innovations can be understood in terms of networks in which actors mobilise and combine technical and social resources in order to perform activities – the Actors-Activities-Resources (ARA) model. A comparative study of BIM adoption in France, Sweden and the UK was undertaken using data from independent country-specific research projects and a pooled desktop study. A grid was developed based on the ARA model that provided a framework to inform data collection and analysis salient for explaining the extent, processes and type of adoption of BIM in each country. Similarities between countries included: the importance of large and international firms in the innovation network; and project types (non-residential public buildings and either complex or repetitive building types). Differences were found in, for example, the activities and national institutions of architecture and the policy positions and mechanisms of government actors. The analysis highlights both the value and some limitations of a country-level focus and provides a basis for thoroughgoing network analysis

Time to get real: the case for critical action research in purchasing and supply management

In fragile and often complex supply chains, PSM failures continue to be reported in the media, often with severe economic, social and environmental consequences. To encourage organisations to engage in responsible PSM, we need engaged research. In this paper we argue that Action Research (AR) is an influential, participative method to challenge the more dominant versions of PSM impacts, which tend to focus only on the positive, and often only monetised elements of what is valued. AR places change at the core of the research process, requiring critical reflexive practice of the impact of assumptions, values and actions on others. We argue that PSM research has more potential for influence if it starts from a ‘real’ problem anchored in practice, and that crucially, the problem itself should be challenged dialogically by scholars, practitioners and diverse stakeholders. Critical AR can reframe performance from a technical, company-centric notion to explore broader relationships between inputs and outputs over a longer time frame. We explore the risks and rewards of Critical AR for PSM scholars and draw conclusions on our role as engaged advocates of change

Procuring sustainably in social housing: The role of social capital

In order to explore its many complexities, scholars have called for a move beyond, descriptions of sustainable procurement. This study responds by seeking insights into sustainable procurement through the lens of social capital theory. Social capital is conceptualized as comprising cognitive, social and relational elements. Sustainable procurement is seen as a means of pursuing environmental, economic and social goals through the purchasing and supply process. The study, proposes and empirically tests the operational measures of social capital and their relationship with, sustainable procurement activity on a sample of 135 procurement professionals in organizations, providing social housing. The results indicate partial support for the study proposition; structural, social capital, rather than structural, social and relational taken together, is found to be the most robust predictor of sustainable procurement. The results highlight the importance of broadening, collaboration models for sustainable procurement beyond an exclusive focus on dyadic relations. It, also demonstrates that this broader engagement with other stakeholders focused on knowledge creation, as well as knowledge sharing, is a significant contributor to sustainable procurement activity. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Organizing Open Innovation in Networks : the role of boundary relations

International audienceThis paper investigates the organizational determinants favoring Open Innovation (OI) processes. Three organizational determinants derived from the Innovation Network and the Communities of Practice theories, are analyzed: network configuration, actors’ position in the network and resource interfaces. A case study highlights that OI performance is favored by the preexistence of Communities of Practice in partner firms as well as collective brokering relations (boundary objects, brokers). The paper distinguishes two types of brokers: knowledge brokers and qualification brokers whose role is conditioned by their network legitimacy.<br/

The co-development of innovative projects in CoPS activities

International audienceWhile CoPS literature extensively covers how suppliers use modularity and systems integration to innovate, it fails at providing insights on the marketing and sales processes supporting innovation. We aim to contribute at filling this gap by comparing the contrasted approaches developed by two suppliers to integrate an innovative sustainable demand related to a tramway project. Based on analytical grid derived from CoPS, project marketing and solutions literature, our in-depth case analysis enables to propose a preliminary model for the co-development of innovative projects in CoPS activities. Our findings capitalize on these complementary research streams and contribute an integrated model of the marketing and sales processes supporting CoPS innovation

Organizing Open Innovation in Networks : the role of boundary relations

International audienceThis paper investigates the organizational determinants favoring Open Innovation (OI) processes. Three organizational determinants derived from the Innovation Network and the Communities of Practice theories, are analyzed: network configuration, actors’ position in the network and resource interfaces. A case study highlights that OI performance is favored by the preexistence of Communities of Practice in partner firms as well as collective brokering relations (boundary objects, brokers). The paper distinguishes two types of brokers: knowledge brokers and qualification brokers whose role is conditioned by their network legitimacy.<br/