The role of purchasing and supply management in diffusing sustainability in supply networks: A systematic literature review

One of the most difficult supply network challenges facing companies today is how to diffuse sustainability not only among their direct (first-tier) suppliers but also throughout their supply networks. Although a growing body of research has been dedicated to addressing this challenge, the role of purchasing and supply management (PSM) in sustainable supply network development remains underexplored. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the literature on the role of PSM in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks. We analysed 133 peer-reviewed papers published in 21 journals in the field of PSM. We scrutinized the theories, methods and levels of analysis used in sustainable PSM research, classified the practices for diffusing sustainability in supply networks and identified the role of PSM in the diffusion of sustainability. Accordingly, we put forward a set of propositions that link diffusion practices—and the role of PSM in these practices—with embedded and peripheral sustainability and suggest future research directions

THE ROLE OF MIDDLE MANAGERS IN DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENATTION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY / SUSTAINABILITY

We study the emergence of strategic ambiguity in shedding light on CSR operationalization process. We expect middle managers as crucial stakeholders to use strategic ambiguity, proposing ideas, tools and actions in order to make the ambiguity concrete. The research is carried out in one of the CSR leading organizations, operating in the energy industry using an ethnographic qualitative approach. The findings suggest a number of drivers for middle managers to be involved in operationalization of strategic ambiguity. In addition we highlight the importance of organizational culture in order for proposed drivers to be effective. We discuss our findings inline with current debates about how CSR is developed internally, as well as contributing to the practice adoption and implementation studies

Swimming against the tide: supplier bridging roles in diffusing sustainability upstream and downstream in supply networks

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the bridging role of first-tier suppliers in diffusing sustainability in supply networks and how this role is facilitated by the procurement function. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on an embedded case study of two supply networks of a coffee beans roasting company. The embedded cases focus on coffee beans and packaging supply networks. Findings: The findings reveal less than expected involvement of the focal company and its procurement function in sustainability implementation with first-tier suppliers. Instead, sustainability diffuses upstream to lower-tier suppliers but also downstream, against the tide, as a result of the various bridging roles performed by first-tier suppliers. Research limitations/implications: This paper provides two theoretical contributions. First, it contributes to the sustainable supply network management literature by providing rich insights on sustainability diffusion to lower-tier suppliers and the role of first-tier suppliers in this process. Second, the paper contributes to structural hole theory by revealing a typology of bridging roles that actors, such as suppliers, undertake in the sustainability context. Practical implications: The paper provides managers with practical insights on how sustainability can be diffused in the supply network and the different roles that first-tier suppliers can play in this direction. Originality/value: This paper shows that sustainability diffusion to lower-tier suppliers is possible in the absence of focal company procurement involvement when bridging roles are undertaken by first-tier suppliers and their procurement functions are involved in the implementation process. These bridging roles facilitate sustainability diffusion both upstream and downstream

The role of purchasing and supply management in diffusing sustainability in supply networks: A systematic literature review

One of the most difficult supply network challenges facing companies today is how to diffuse sustainability not only among their direct (first-tier) suppliers but also through- out their supply networks. Although a growing body of research has been dedicated to addressing this challenge, the role of purchasing and supply management (PSM) in sustainable supply network development remains underexplored. In this paper, we present a systematic review of the literature on the role of PSM in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks. We analysed 133 peer-reviewed papers published in 21 journals in the field of PSM. We scrutinized the theories, methods and levels of analysis used in sustainable PSM research, classified the practices for diffusing sustainability in supply networks and identified the role of PSM in the diffusion of sustainability. Accordingly, we put forward a set of propositions that link diffusion practices—and the role of PSM in these practices—with embedded and peripheral sustainability and suggest future research directions

The role of purchasing in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks: a systematic literature review

One of the most difficult challenges facing companies today is how to control and implement sustainability not only with direct first-tier suppliers but also how to extend or diffuse sustainability across entire supply networks. A growing body of research is dedicated to this challenge but the role of purchasing in sustainable supply network development remains under-researched. This paper provides a systematic literature review of the role of purchasing in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks. We identified and analyzed 55 papers published in 11 peer-reviewed journals in the field of purchasing and supply management (PSM). Based on the review, the paper classifies strategies and practices for diffusing sustainability in supply networks, identifying the role of purchasing in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks

The role of purchasing in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks

This paper explores the role of purchasing in the diffusion of sustainability in supply networks. Through a systematic literature review, we classify strategies and practices for diffusing sustainability in supply networks, focusing on the role of purchasing in the sustainability diffusion process. We report on a small set of pilot interviews conducted within the Italian fashion and food industries

What Do Unions and Employers Negotiate Under the Umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility? Comparative Evidence from the Italian Metal and Chemical Industries

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) and industrial relations (IR) studies have evolved mostly in parallel. In this paper, we integrate the IR with the CSR perspective, highlighting their similarities and differences. In particular, the study adopts a framework which includes a wide set of CSR-related issues to explore what unions and companies negotiate under the umbrella of CSR. It analyses and compares the national sectoral agreements of two key industries in the Italian economy, i.e. Metal and Chemical. We find that these two sectors exhibit differences because the CSR-related issues covered by the two contracts are formally labelled as CSR in the Chemical contract, and not labelled as CSR in the Metal contract. We also find similarities regarding the CSR-related issues covered and not covered by the national contracts, and the binding processes centrally negotiated for their implementation. We interpret the similarities in light of the specificities of the Italian IR system, and the differences in light of the negotiation traditions of the two sectors under study, which induce the actors in the Metal sector (traditionally with more conflictual IR relations) to focus more on what differentiates the CSR and IR perspectives, and the actors in the Chemical sector (traditionally with more cooperative IR relations) to focus more on what the CSR and IR perspectives share

What Do Unions and Employers Negotiate Under the Umbrella of Corporate Social Responsibility? Comparative Evidence from the Italian Metal and Chemical Industries

The corporate social responsibility (CSR) and industrial relations (IR) studies have evolved mostly in parallel. In this paper, we integrate the IR with the CSR perspective, highlighting their similarities and differences. In particular, the study adopts a framework which includes a wide set of CSR-related issues to explore what unions and companies negotiate under the umbrella of CSR. It analyses and compares the national sectoral agreements of two key industries in the Italian economy, i.e. Metal and Chemical. We find that these two sectors exhibit differences because the CSR-related issues covered by the two contracts are formally labelled as CSR in the Chemical contract, and not labelled as CSR in the Metal contract. We also find similarities regarding the CSR-related issues covered and not covered by the national contracts, and the binding processes centrally negotiated for their implementation. We interpret the similarities in light of the specificities of the Italian IR system, and the differences in light of the negotiation traditions of the two sectors under study, which induce the actors in the Metal sector (traditionally with more conflictual IR relations) to focus more on what differentiates the CSR and IR perspectives, and the actors in the Chemical sector (traditionally with more cooperative IR relations) to focus more on what the CSR and IR perspectives share