Translating stakeholder pressures into environmental performance – the mediating role of green HRM practices

International audienceThis paper contributes to extant research on green human resource management (HRM) relying on the instrumental value of stakeholder theory, which implies that stakeholders impact on company decisions and their development of organizational resources and performance. Following that theory, the study conceives green HRM practices as a set of management processes that companies implement for responding to stakeholder pressures on environmental issues. Accordingly with those premises, we empirically test the distinct role that different green HRM practices (i.e. green hiring, green training and involvement, and green performance management and compensation) play in mediating the relationship between pressures on environmental issues from two specific external stakeholders (i.e. customers and regulatory stakeholders) and environmental performance. Our findings, based on a multi-respondent survey in which the respondents were Human Resource Managers and Supply Chain Managers operating in Italy, confirm the hypothesized mediation model. Our results (as well as their implications) are discussed in light of the recent calls to broaden the scope of HRM research, considering the embeddedness of the company in a socio-political context and exploring the role that actors and factors outside the company play in shaping its green HRM practices

Purchasing management in the luxury industry: organization and practices

Traditional supply chain models were developed mainly for non-luxury companies and find very little correspondence in the field of luxury, which is considered here as a business super-area including heterogeneous enterprises, belonging to different sectors, which have in common customers characterized by the “need for luxury”. The objective of this paper is to investigate, through a multiple case-study research, peculiar purchasing and supply management practices put in place by luxury firms and to provide a classification of the most recurring approaches

An empirical analysis of process-oriented supply chain performance measurement systems

The achievement of sustainable competitive advantage is no more a single company’s affair. Several other supply chain members affect the chances of process optimization. The design and implementation of performance measurement systems shared by different companies represent an attempt to drive supply chain relationships towards common strategic goals. Supply Chain Performance Measurement Systems (SCPMSs) have been the subject of a considerable and heterogeneous literature during the last fifteen years. Scholars mostly focus on the design features and often propose broad conceptual models that seem hardly applicable. Addressing at the vast operations management literature on performance measurement, this study develops a framework describing the SCPMS lifecycle, highlighting fundamental steps to follow in the design, implementation and review process. Then by means of a supply chain case study in the Italian large distribution sector, we analyze how the different actors in the chain perceive a process-oriented SCPMS and therefore highlight how to maximize the outcomes by leveraging on the design and implementation key variables

Water dynamics of ready to eat shelf stable pasta meals during storage

This work reports for the first time a study of physico-chemical changes in cooked and sterilized pasta meals (pasta 25% and sauce 75%) during 34 days of storage. Water dynamics were studied with a multi-analytical and multidimensional approach: moisture content, water activity and 1H mobility (1H T2 and T1 relaxation times and 1H self diffusion coefficient [D]) have been considered. Macroscopic structure (hardness) of pasta meals became softer during storage. Moisture content and water activity changes did not highlight a macroscopic water migration between the pasta and sauce phases.1H T2 was found to decrease in pasta and more markedly in sauce during storage while 1H T1 increased the mobility in pasta and decreased in sauce. 1H translational mobility (D) was found to decrease more significantly in sauce than in pasta during storage. A water migration between the pasta and sauce phases observable at molecular level was therefore hypothesized

Purchasing performance management systems: an empirical investigation

This article aims at further developing the purchasing performance management systems (PPMSs) body of knowledge, assuming the wider perspective of the adoption process rather than key performance indicators (KPIs) only. In particular, the research questions are focused on understanding what are the most adopted indicators, what are the key elements characterising the implementation process and what are the differences among different organisational levels and different purchasing categories. The literature provides a framework for classifying purchasing KPIs, identifying the implementation process and the PPMS architecture, thus supporting the empirical research protocol. Nine case studies of large multinationals belonging to different industries are conducted. Empirical evidence shows that companies are still adopting mainly an external perspective, by focusing on performance measurement efforts on suppliers. Widely adopted indicators mainly measure cost, time and quality. However, the purchasing department has acquired an important role within the organisation and new performance indicators have been created; flexibility, innovation and sustainability are becoming increasingly important

Designing vendor evaluation systems: An empirical analysis

Companies today are increasing efforts to develop their vendor evaluation system (VES) to qualify and select the best suppliers, monitor their performance and foster continuous improvement. VES lies at the intersection of three disciplines: purchasing management, supply chain management, and performance management. The extant literature especially focuses on vendor rating tools from a mathematical modeling standpoint, whereas firms are mostly concerned with guidelines necessary to design and implement an effective VES. The present study develops an encompassing research framework to investigate VES by means of thirteen case studies. In particular, the paper investigates VES design in terms of strategic alignment, process configuration and execution, as well as corresponding benefits and costs, exploring how the combination of the previous elements determines company satisfaction. Three groups of VESs are identified, leading to different levels of satisfaction