Supply chain environmental and social sustainability practice diffusion: Bibliometrics, content analysis and conceptual framework

Author(s):  
Handson Claudio Dias Pimenta ◽  
Peter Ball ◽  
Konstantinos Salonitis
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Woschnack ◽  
Stefanie Hiss ◽  
Sebastian Nagel ◽  
Bernd Teufel

Abstract This empirical study explores the financialization of social sustainability driven by sustainability accounting and reporting initiatives (SARIs). Since no globally accepted definition of what social sustainability encompasses exists, the paper asks how social sustainability is translated into the financial market language by SARIs as they provide standards for disclosing corporate non-financial performance and promote their concepts of social sustainability. The paper uses a two-step qualitative content analysis. First, it operationalizes social sustainability based on the empirical data of six sustainability rating agencies. Second, this operationalization is compared with the concepts created by three SARIs. The paper shows significant differences between the concepts of the SARIs and the rating agencies. While the rating agencies altogether interpret social sustainability with 83 distinct aspects, the SARIs, although differently created, use significant reduced concepts where 20% of these aspects are absent. The result of this financialization process could be a simplified and financially determined concept of social sustainability within die socially discourse. The research is limited to social sustainability and its financialization by SARIs. Individual indicators and their way or intensity to capture aspects of social sustainability were not part of the research interest. Further research should investigate the economic and the ecological pillars of sustainability as well as the usage of such financialized concepts within the society and especially by corporations. The paper unfolds the arbitrariness of operationalizing a qualitative phenomenon like social sustainability through the financial system. It discloses the need for looking at the mechanisms behind such processes and at the interests of the actors behind the frameworks. The paper reveals the financialization process driven by SARIs and demonstrates its simplifying effects on the concept of social sustainability. Furthermore, the paper shows that SARIs as metrics for non-financial aspects are troubled with a lack of transparency and a lack of convergence.


2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 577-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Gligor

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of demand management in achieving supply chain agility (SCA) through a multi-disciplinary review of the relevant research. The systematic literature review provides the basis for formulating a conceptual framework of the relationship. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic, comprehensive review of the literature on manufacturing, marketing organizational and SCA from 1991 through 2013 was conducted. The literature on demand management is also examined to identify the various elements that contribute to SCA. Findings – Most agility frameworks take a supply-side perspective and assume that demand is known. Those that do acknowledge the role of demand fall short of offering a holistic framework that acknowledges the role of both. This paper suggests that it is simply not enough to have flexible manufacturing, distribution and procurement systems to achieve SCA. Flexibility in managing demand is also needed. Furthermore, it is the premise of this paper that demand and supply integration (DSI) inside the firm is critical to achieving SCA. Research limitations/implications – This research is a systematic, integrative review of the existing literature on the concept of agility. As such, the next phase of research needed for theory building will be the operationalization of constructs and testing of the hypothesized relationships proposed by the conceptual framework. Practical implications – The paper has several managerial implications as well. It illustrates how firms can create and sustain competitive advantages in turbulent environments. Managers can use the framework developed here to assess what structures and decision-making processes they can use to increase the firm’s SCA. Practitioners can use this model as a checklist to identify candidate areas for improving agility. The section illustrating the use of knowledge management to increase DSI should be of particular interest to managers, considering that a great deal of firms experience a disconnect between demand creation and supply fulfillment. Originality/value – Through a systematic, comprehensive review of multi-disciplinary literature, the paper explores the role of demand management in achieving SCA.


2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Brito ◽  
Catarina Roseira

Organisational performance tends to be highly dependent on suppliers' actions and on the way the relationships with them are managed by the buying company. Researchers have conducted extensive and valuable studies on the impact of supplier relationships in a network context. However, some important issues regarding supply management and its effects on the strategy of the buying firm have not been fully investigated. This article presents a model of supply chain networks developed on the basis of the conceptual framework of the IMP group. The aim is to contribute toward a better understanding of supply management through the integration of both relational, portfolio and network issues.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 506-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Randy Bradley ◽  
Bogdan C. Bichescu ◽  
Chad W. Autry

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a scalable conceptual framework for governance of supply chain (SC) information flows by re-contextualizing the organizational concept of information governance as an SC concept. Design/methodology/approach This study leverages the strategy-structure-process-performance (SSPP) theory base to explain how effective SC information governance relates to improved internal SC performance. Via an in-depth literature review followed by conceptual theory building, the key features of organizational-level information governance are cast into a theoretical framework. Findings This study presents the theoretical framework that explains how SC information governance should contribute to improved internal SC performance. The proposed framework provides a theoretical basis for future research on SC information governance and would become a useful first step to extend the concept of SC information governance at the SC level. Practical implications SC managers should be aware that information governance mechanisms, rather than the management of basic, information flow-directed processes, to yield the best performance outcomes. Because of the numerous touch points information has in complex SCs, managing the quality of SC information through broader, higher-level governance standards is more important than maximizing connectivity and information flows, and information governance structures/policies across organizations should be designed accordingly. Originality/value This study theoretically links SC information governance and internal SC performance via information quality. It also advances the understanding of SC information flow by challenging the implicit but flawed assumption that uniformity of information quality within the supply chain to create the best outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 161-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohan Munasinghe ◽  
Priyangi Jayasinghe ◽  
Yvani Deraniyagala ◽  
Valente José Matlaba ◽  
Jorge Filipe dos Santos ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document