A Relational, Transformative and engaged approach to sustainable supply chain management: The potential of action research

This article describes how action research can advance sustainable supply chain management research. Most sustainable supply chain management research is empirical and little attention has been paid to reflecting upon how research is conducted in the field. Current research fails to make links with ideas of relationality, change and engagement proposed in broader sustainability research. We propose to address this gap by discussing how action research could help address current challenges in sustainable supply chain management. The article explores the proponents and application of action research as a relevant methodology for knowledge development in the field, based upon a critical analysis of sustainable supply chain management and action research, including a review of previous action research studies and insights from a research project in which action research was applied. Particular emphasis is put on exploring the links between the sustainability dimension of sustainable supply chain management and the foundations and practice of action research. The article does not reject other methodological approaches, but it shows that the pragmatic orientation of action research is particularly suitable for an applied field such as sustainable supply chain management where problems are often messy, cross-disciplinary and essentially concerned with the flourishing of individuals and organizations. Our article has broader implications for inter-organizational research

Love me, love me not: A nuanced view on collaboration in sustainable supply chains

In this paper we investigate the collaborative paradigm in Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). The depth and quality of the relationship between a firm and its suppliers is widely recognised as a critical facilitator of SSCM. Many authors in the field have argued that a collaborative approach to SC relationship management was likely to be more fruitful in achieving sustainable development goals. However, little research has offered a more nuanced perspective on collaborative SSCM and specifically assessed its feasibility outside the context of large companies collaborating on environmental activities. In this paper, we explore collaboration in SSCs through a qualitative study of a large multinational in the food sector working with small agricultural suppliers. We show that there are both supporting and hindering factors to collaborative SSCM. The study reveals the dynamic nature of SC relationships for sustainability and that collaboration can be developed through time thanks to investment in both formal relationship building mechanisms and more relational aspects. The main contributions of the paper lie in its nuanced view of collaboration for SSCM and systematic application of relational theory (Dyer & Singh, 1998) in SSCM

Exploring how to manage supply chain relationships for sustainability: an action research project with PepsiCo and their agricultural suppliers in the UK

This thesis is the result of the work conducted in collaboration with PepsiCo UK and their UK based growers between October 2010 and October 2013. The research project has been funded by an ESRC-CASE studentship and has provided the opportunity to explore the relationships between PepsiCo, as a large customer, and their small agricultural suppliers on their journey to address the sustainability challenge. The research is framed within the field of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which can be defined as the integration and coordination of economic, environmental and social goals in the management of inter-organisational business processes (Carter & Rogers, 2008). Although there has been a growing amount of research in the field in the last decade, little research has offered insights into the actual implementation process of sustainability practices in supply chains (SC). This research addresses the qualitative knowledge gap around the relationship aspects of implementing SSC practices, and particularly relationships between a large buyer and small suppliers. The research adopts an Action Research (AR) approach; drawing on a variety of empirical methods, in an attempt to both contribute to academic knowledge and to address the practical concerns of the research participants. The thesis presents the process and outcomes of this AR project that has revolved around several emergent cycles of inquiry. The findings of this research offer a complementary perspective between inter-organisational governance dynamics for sustainability and the critical role of individual stakeholders in the change towards more sustainable practices in the SC. This is helpful in moving towards a more multilevel understanding of SSCM. The practical contribution of the research aims at supporting the development of better management practices for the implementation of sustainability practices in a supply chain involving a large buyer and SME suppliers

Making sense of SSCM: How companies express sustainable supply chain management issues in their public reports

This working paper examines recent sustainability reports published by corporations listed on the London Stock Exchange. Changes in UK legislation mean reporting of carbon emissions is now mandatory for these companies. This provides an opportunity to analyze the relative carbon associated with different sectors, and the significance of internal action, covered by sustainable operations management, and external action covered by sustainable supply chain management. The paper also considers how companies in particular sectors are publicly responding to wider questions of sustainable development. Content analysis and discourse analysis are conducted, and findings are discussed in relation to macro-scale sustainable development objectives

Tales from the countryside: Unpacking “passing the environmental buck” as hypocritical practice in the food supply chain

© 2020 Using a critical power lens and the concept of organisational hypocrisy, we explore how actors across the supply chain have been able to pass risk and responsibility for environmental impacts down the supply chain, in addition to associated economic costs. We use vignettes to relay farmers’ experiences and voices, which remain seldom heard in both practice and research. We argue that the main effect of the hypocritical practice of ‘passing the environmental buck’ is a removal of the farmers’ agency, paradoxically coupled with an increase in their responsibilities. We see this approach by large corporations as a mechanism that helps to mask their increasing dependence on this group to achieve their environmental goals

The other side of the coin: advancing sustainability in the supply chain from a small supplier's standpoint

In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to exploring how sustainability practices can be implemented in supply chains and networks. Much of the operations management literature in this area has mainly focused on the large buying firms perspective, looking at how they devise standards and push suppliers to comply with them. Little has been done to uncover how small and medium size (SME) suppliers react to and cope with increasing sustainability requirements with limited capabilities in hand. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap and initiate conceptual thinking from a suppliers perspective. Qualitative insights from case studies of both developing and developed countries suppliers are offered. We draw on the sensemaking literature and propose the concept of "sustainability dissonance" to conceptualise the situation of uncertainty and ambiguity that SME suppliers are confronted to when facing multiplying sustainability requirements. A number of propositions are articulated related to suppliers interpretations and reactions when dealing with "sustainability dissonance". The article sets out a number of avenues for future research