Rethinking sustainability in cocoa supply chain in light of SDG disclosure

Publisher Copyright: © 2023, Flávio P. Martins, André C.S. Batalhão, Minna Ahokas, Lara Bartocci Liboni Amui and Luciana O. Cezarino.Purpose: This paper aims to assess how cocoa supply chain companies disclose sustainable development goals (SDGs) information in their sustainability reports. This assessment highlights strategic aspects of sustainable supply chain management and reveals leveraging sustainability points in the cocoa industry. Design/methodology/approach: The two-step qualitative approach relies on text-mining company reports and subsequent content analysis that identifies the topics disclosed and relates them to SDG targets. Findings: This study distinguishes 18 SDG targets connected to cocoa traders and 30 SDG targets to chocolate manufacturers. The following topics represent the main nexuses of connections: decent labour promotion and gender equity (social), empowering local communities and supply chain monitoring (economic) and agroforestry and climate action (environmental). Practical implications: By highlighting the interconnections between the SDGs targeted by companies in the cocoa supply chain, this paper sheds light on the strategic SDGs for this industry and their relationships, which can help to improve sustainability disclosure and transparency. One interesting input for companies is the improvement of climate crisis prevention, focusing on non-renewable sources minimisation, carbon footprint and clear indicators of ecologic materiality. Social implications: This study contributes to policymakers to enhance governance and accountability of global supply chains that are submitted to different regulation regimes. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has framed the cocoa industry from a broader SDG perspective. The interconnections identified reveal the key goals of the cocoa supply chain and point to strategic sustainability choices for companies in an important global industry.publishersversionpublishe

SUPPLY INDUSTRY DYNAMICS FOR BRAZILIAN SUGARCANE

Sugarcane industry in Brazil is highly competitive in the production of ethanol, sugar and energy. This industrial competitiveness was also achieved through the development of the equipment involved in the production processes. The industry that supplies the equipment plays an important role in the competitiveness of sugarcane sector. This study seeks to analyze the organization and configuration of the equipment supply industries for sugar, ethanol and energy mills in Brazil. The study seeks to evaluate how innovation occurs in this sector, contributing to an important discussion about maintaining competitiveness and proposing a typology for this industry. The study is based on an analysis of information obtained through a set of interviews with leaders and entrepreneurs in the industry. The results allow us to conclude that the growing modernization of the sector will require greater efforts from the equipment industry to provide plants with necessary technological innovations and possible efficiency gain

Saída de investimento de empresas brasileiras para a produção de etanol de cana-de-açúcar em países africanos

The article aims to verify the perspectives and the challenges for the direct investment with mixed Brazilian capital in the production of ethanol from sugarcane in African countries. For method were considered interviews and secondary data collection in the light of the main theories of the economic current, reasons for foreign investment, analysis of the macroeconomic environment of the company when addressing factors related to trade theories, location, balance of payments and exchange rate, as well as analysis of the aspects at the of the firm. As the main results from the answers obtained by the interviewees, there is a tendency for Brazilian companies to invest in ethanol production in other countries, including those located on the African continent, since Brazil has a consolidated demand market for ethanol, as well as other points that refer to the known regulatory environment of investors, the availability of land and labor; corporate debt and others in problem recovery caused by the 2008 international financial crisis, climatic factors, sugar in the international market and the price of gasoline in the domestic market accompanies the international market price.O artigo pretende verificar quais são as perspectivas e os desafios para o investimento direto com capital misto brasileiro na produção de etanol de cana-de-açúcar em países africanos. Para seu método foram consideradas entrevistas e coletas de dados secundários sob a luz das principais teorias da corrente econômica, motivos do investimento estrangeiro, análise do ambiente macroeconômico da empresa ao abordar fatores relacionados às teorias de comércio, localização, balança de pagamentos e taxa de câmbio, bem como análise dos aspectos no nível microeconômico da firma. Como principais resultados provenientes das respostas obtidas pelos entrevistados, tem-se que não há uma tendência de investimento de empresas brasileiras na produção de etanol em outros países, inclusive nos que estão localizados no continente africano, uma vez que o Brasil possui um mercado consolidado de demanda por etanol, bem como outros pontos que referem-se ao ambiente regulatório conhecido dos investidores, a disponibilidade de terra e mão-de-obra; endividamento de empresas e outras em recuperação de problemas causados pela crise financeira internacional de 2008, fatores climáticos, aumento do preço do açúcar no mercado internacional e do preço da gasolina no mercado doméstico que não acompanha o preço do mercado internacional

Unleashing proactive low‐carbon strategies through behavioral factors in biodiversity‐intensive sustainable supply chains: Mixed methodology

The aim of this research is to understand the complex and relatively understudied relationship between human and behavioral factors and low‐carbon management practices from the perspective of the resource‐based view (RBV). Research application is in the “biodiversity sector” and consists of a survey and multiple‐case study in Brazil, the richest country globally in terms of biodiversity but a country that also faces challenges in protecting biodiversity. The research problem considers the relationship between human critical success factors and the adoption of low‐carbon management practices. Quantitative analysis through structural equation modeling shows the three branches of hypothesis to be accepted—the first with a higher coefficient than the second and the second with a higher coefficient than the third. It was observed that human factors influence low‐carbon product management practices the most, followed by process practices and finally logistics practices. Qualitative multiple‐case study research shows that companies are at different stages of maturity in relation to low‐carbon management organizational practices, ranging from the highest stage to the lowest. It was found that the intensity of the presence of human critical success factors was higher where organizations had greater adoption of low‐carbon management practices

Strategic alliances for new product development

Um dos grandes desafios das empresas para maximizarem sua capacidade de inovação, necessidade preemente nos dias atuais, é o desenvolvimento de mecanismos que proporcionem a obtenção da complementaridade de competências entre duas ou mais empresas (MOFFAT; GERWIN; MEISTER, 1997). Entre estes mecanismos encontram-se as alianças estratégicas para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos, fenômeno relativamente recente e que já pode ser considerado como tendência nas decisões de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D). O foco do presente trabalho é a análise destas alianças estratégicas, através do estudo da teoria já existente, fazendo surgir reflexões importantes e gerando novas contribuições. O escopo do estudo é, sem dúvida, a questão organizacional, em uma visão macro, permitindo uma análise sistêmica do fenômeno. Muitos trabalhos trazem separadamente temas acerca das alianças estratégicas para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Surge com isso, como conseqüência, a oportunidade de estruturação desses elementos, aparentemente dispersos, em uma síntese teórica ou estrutura conceitual, o que possibilita uma compreensão mais profunda do tema. Além disso, é feita uma organização e estudo das variáveis existentes no fenômeno para contribuir com as decisões acerca da forma organizacional mais adequada às aliançasOne of the great challenges of the companies to maximize its capability of innovation, an urgent necessity in current days, is the development of mechanisms that allow the complementing of competences between two or more companies (MOFFAT; GERWIN; MEISTER, 1997). One of these mechanisms is the strategic alliances for new product development, a relatively recent phenomenon and one that already can be considered as a trend in research and development (R&D) decisions. The focus of the present work is the analysis of these strategic alliances, through the study of the existing theory, causing important reflections to emerge and generating new contributions. The scope of the study is, with no doubt, the organizational problem, in a macro viewpoint, which makes possible a systemic analysis of the phenomenon. Many papers separately bring subjects concerning the strategic alliances for new product development. That brings the opportunity to structure these elements, apparently dispersed, in a theoretical synthesis or conceptual structure, which makes possible a deeper understanding of the subject. Moreover, the existing variables in the phenomenon are studied and organized, so that this contributes to arrive at the decisions concerning the most suitable organizational format for the alliances

Strategic alliances for new product development

Um dos grandes desafios das empresas para maximizarem sua capacidade de inovação, necessidade preemente nos dias atuais, é o desenvolvimento de mecanismos que proporcionem a obtenção da complementaridade de competências entre duas ou mais empresas (MOFFAT; GERWIN; MEISTER, 1997). Entre estes mecanismos encontram-se as alianças estratégicas para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos, fenômeno relativamente recente e que já pode ser considerado como tendência nas decisões de pesquisa e desenvolvimento (P&D). O foco do presente trabalho é a análise destas alianças estratégicas, através do estudo da teoria já existente, fazendo surgir reflexões importantes e gerando novas contribuições. O escopo do estudo é, sem dúvida, a questão organizacional, em uma visão macro, permitindo uma análise sistêmica do fenômeno. Muitos trabalhos trazem separadamente temas acerca das alianças estratégicas para o desenvolvimento de novos produtos. Surge com isso, como conseqüência, a oportunidade de estruturação desses elementos, aparentemente dispersos, em uma síntese teórica ou estrutura conceitual, o que possibilita uma compreensão mais profunda do tema. Além disso, é feita uma organização e estudo das variáveis existentes no fenômeno para contribuir com as decisões acerca da forma organizacional mais adequada às aliançasOne of the great challenges of the companies to maximize its capability of innovation, an urgent necessity in current days, is the development of mechanisms that allow the complementing of competences between two or more companies (MOFFAT; GERWIN; MEISTER, 1997). One of these mechanisms is the strategic alliances for new product development, a relatively recent phenomenon and one that already can be considered as a trend in research and development (R&D) decisions. The focus of the present work is the analysis of these strategic alliances, through the study of the existing theory, causing important reflections to emerge and generating new contributions. The scope of the study is, with no doubt, the organizational problem, in a macro viewpoint, which makes possible a systemic analysis of the phenomenon. Many papers separately bring subjects concerning the strategic alliances for new product development. That brings the opportunity to structure these elements, apparently dispersed, in a theoretical synthesis or conceptual structure, which makes possible a deeper understanding of the subject. Moreover, the existing variables in the phenomenon are studied and organized, so that this contributes to arrive at the decisions concerning the most suitable organizational format for the alliances

Rethinking sustainability in cocoa supply chain in light of SDG disclosure

Abstract Purpose: This paper aims to assess how cocoa supply chain companies disclose sustainable development goals (SDGs) information in their sustainability reports. This assessment highlights strategic aspects of sustainable supply chain management and reveals leveraging sustainability points in the cocoa industry. Design/methodology/approach: The two-step qualitative approach relies on text-mining company reports and subsequent content analysis that identifies the topics disclosed and relates them to SDG targets. Findings: This study distinguishes 18 SDG targets connected to cocoa traders and 30 SDG targets to chocolate manufacturers. The following topics represent the main nexuses of connections: decent labour promotion and gender equity (social), empowering local communities and supply chain monitoring (economic) and agroforestry and climate action (environmental). Practical implications: By highlighting the interconnections between the SDGs targeted by companies in the cocoa supply chain, this paper sheds light on the strategic SDGs for this industry and their relationships, which can help to improve sustainability disclosure and transparency. One interesting input for companies is the improvement of climate crisis prevention, focusing on non-renewable sources minimisation, carbon footprint and clear indicators of ecologic materiality. Social implications: This study contributes to policymakers to enhance governance and accountability of global supply chains that are submitted to different regulation regimes. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no previous study has framed the cocoa industry from a broader SDG perspective. The interconnections identified reveal the key goals of the cocoa supply chain and point to strategic sustainability choices for companies in an important global industry