scholarly journals Does Stakeholder Pressure Matters in Adopting Sustainable Supply Chain Initiatives? Insights from Agro-Based Processing Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7278
Author(s):  
Tamoor Azam ◽  
Songjiang Wang ◽  
Muhammad Mohsin ◽  
Muhammad Nazam ◽  
Muhammad Hashim ◽  
...  

Over the past few years, sustainable supply chain initiatives (SSCIs) have grabbed attention in the domestic, as well as global, marketplace of the food sector. Nowadays, the success of the entire food supply chain depends on the prosperity of farms, local communities, trader processors, and agro-based industries. Despite its importance, food processing industries (FPIs) are encountering various hurdles in achieving sustainable business goals due to the sheer number of potential barriers. Due to this reason, stakeholders are continuously pressuring the management of FPIs to embrace sustainable food processing activities. In light of this, the present study aims to apply a hybrid fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (F-AHP) framework, based on fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (F-TOPSIS), for analyzing the barriers and prioritizing the possible pathways in adopting the SSCIs for the development of FPIs. Based on the extensive review of literature and panel consultation with experienced experts, a total of seven main barriers, forty-two sub barriers, and five possible pathways as strategic tools were finalized and ranked. An empirical case investigation of a Pakistani-based food processing company has been taken to check the practical application of the proposed framework along with sensitivity analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the lack of sustainable outsourcing factors were found as the top-ranked barrier in implementing SSCIs, and the possible pathway to overcome this barrier is the appropriate management of the procurement cycle. The major contribution of this study is to establish a barriers prioritization framework and suggest possible pathways to overcome these barriers for the successful implementation of SSCIs. Finally, the theoretical, managerial, and policy implications are provided as a way forward for the concerned stakeholders and policymakers.

Author(s):  
Fern D. Kaufman ◽  
M. Ali Ülkü

Research in the last two decades has broadened venues from optimizing operations for a specific organization to critically examining the entire supply chain from the perspective of sustainability. The term sustainability has been used in varying meanings in different disciplines. With this chapter, the authors propose to bring together an interdisciplinary framework for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). SSCM will be studied through literature surveys on the axes of both natural sciences, and social sciences, with an overarching goal of policy implications. Unlike quantitatively oriented natural sciences, integrating perspectives from the social sciences into a firm's overall sustainability strategy is still seen as a large undertaking by firms and can impede its sustainability. More practical and scholarly research needs to be conducted in this area, especially in terms of assessment and evaluation mechanisms.


Author(s):  
Jay R. Brown ◽  
Maxim A. Bushuev ◽  
Andrey A. Kretinin ◽  
Alfred L. Guiffrida

In today's supply chains, green and sustainable business practices have become an integral part of long-term strategy as well as the day-to-day operations, and sourcing and logistics play fundamental roles in ensuring the success of sustainable supply chains. In this chapter, we review recent research on three classes of decision models that are used in the logistics and sourcing functions of sustainable supply chains. Specifically, we examine and summarize recent developments in sustainable decision models for supplier selection, inventory lot-sizing, and last-mile delivery. Our review of the green and sustainable features found in these three models results in a single-source consolidation of models used in sustainable sourcing and logistics. This review may prove useful to researchers who focus on sustainable supply chain management and to practitioners who seek to expand their toolkit of models for the management and control of their supply chain.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 1001-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Swayam Sampurna Panigrahi ◽  
Bikram Bahinipati ◽  
Vipul Jain

Purpose The business enterprises are increasingly focusing on buying and supplying of products and services in a manner to reduce the adverse impacts on the environment, society, and economy. In view of the above, the concept of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has received attention of the industry and academia due to its importance on environmental, social and corporate responsibility through economic performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The structured literature review attempts to map the various theories in the SSCM literature from the perspectives of economic performance, environmental dimensions, and social values and ethics. Findings As supply management is vital for enhancing organizational competitiveness, the present work attempts to investigate the theoretical perspectives in SSCM to develop an understanding of the current research activities and future potentials. Practical implications This work aims to gain a number of valid insights for the practitioners and the researchers. It also focuses on the perspectives of governance mechanisms for successful implementation SSCM practices in the business enterprises. Originality/value As the theory building initiatives with implications on the conceptualization of SSCM is limited in literature, this work has also been able to identify the trends and relevant research gaps to define the potential areas for future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Ni ◽  
Hongyi Sun

PurposeLiterature proposes that implementing supplier assessment and supplier collaboration simultaneously may lead to better sustainable performance. The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the proposition by considering the contingent effects of two contextual factors, the environmental dynamism and the stakeholder pressure on sustainability.Design/methodology/approachFour configurations of governance mechanisms are identified according to the different levels of implementing supplier assessment and supplier collaboration. The performances of the four configurations are compared against the levels of environmental dynamism and stakeholder pressure. The empirical data from the sixth round of International Manufacturing Strategy Survey (IMSS) are used.FindingsThis paper found that the governance configuration with the highest level of implementing both governance mechanisms leads to the best performance. The synergistic effect that supplier assessment and collaboration complement each other to achieve better performance is verified. However, the synergistic effect holds robust only when the environmental dynamism and stakeholder pressure are high. The synergistic effect vanishes in the social and environmental performance when the environmental dynamism is low. The effect also vanishes in the environmental performance when the stakeholder pressure is low. No synergistic effect was found in business performance.Originality/valueThis paper reveals the complementarity between supplier assessment and supplier collaboration when they are implemented at a reasonably high level. It also reveals the importance of the fit of governance mechanisms under different external contexts. The results contribute to reconciling the disputes about the effectiveness of governing supplier relationship to achieve the sustainability along a supply chain.


2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pao Kao ◽  
William Redekop ◽  
Cecilia Mark-Herbert

Multinational food processing corporations are facing rapid growth in emerging markets like China and a concurrent need for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). These firms attempt to address supply risk and threat to the triple bottom line through managing suppliers and inputs, and at the same time need to overcome the uncertainty raised by the unfamiliar host environment. An exploratory qualitative case study of two multinational food processing corporations in China finds their SSCM practices are impacted by the nature of the raw material inputs as well as local stakeholder expectations. In particular, government policy and media attention seems to influence the direction and choice of SSCM activities engaged in by the focal firms. Furthermore, the discussion also suggests a possible permanent effect may occur as stakeholder expectations and host country institutions evolve. The implication of this study is that food processors preparing to enter emerging markets should be aware that local stakeholder expectations may affect operations significantly more than previously expected. As such, these firms need to carefully evaluate their operations in the host market and seek balance between SSCM practices and local stakeholder expectations. This study extends existing research on SSCM, exploring practices among the agri-food industry in a developing economy, and points out a theoretical extension to the existing sustainable purchasing portfolio matrix.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9059
Author(s):  
Jun-Der Leu ◽  
Larry Jung-Hsing Lee ◽  
Yi-Wei Huang ◽  
Chia-Chi Huang

As a result of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, numerous countries have become highly interested in sustainability. Manufacturers have been triggered to develop sustainable supply chain strategies in consideration of their value-added processes and stakeholders. This study was conducted, in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry, in order to examine the relationship between sustainability and business performance from the perspective of the supply chain aspects of business cooperation, operation integration, and enterprise commitment. A total of 290 companies were surveyed and structural equation modeling was applied to analyze the figures from the samples. The results reveal that the implementation of sustainable practices in the context of enterprise commitments, supply chain cooperation, and operation integration has a positive impact on sustainability and business performance. Furthermore, in high-value manufacturing, supply chain cooperation significantly affects sustainable business performance through internal operation integration. These results may serve as a reference for the realization of supply chain sustainability in small- and medium-sized enterprises.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1742-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divesh Kumar ◽  
Chandra Prakash Garg

Purpose Sustainability in supply chain is gaining attention in recent years due to environmental concern, enforced legislation, green issues, social responsibility, etc. Sustainable supply chain (SSC) has revolved around the various dimensions including economy, environment and societal factors since its inception. The purpose of this paper is to identify, prioritize and evaluate the indicators of SSC so that organizations can cultivate strategies to implement them on priority. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a methodology based on fuzzy analytic hierarchy process to prioritize the indicators of SSC. A numerical analysis of Indian automotive industry is presented to demonstrate the use of the proposed method. This proposed method considered fuzzy framework that can handle impreciseness and uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis is also performed to test the robustness of the proposed model. Findings Potential indicators are identified from relevant literature and validated by industry experts. This research finalizes the SSC indicators under three dimensions so that prioritization of identified indicators can be developed and the insights relationship of factors would be explored. The results of the study found that environmental and social dimensions of sustainability contribute more toward the sustainability. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to identify evaluation factors and other factors have not been identified and categorized. Evaluation is done by experts in this area so it is natural that views of decision makers may be subjective and vary with regard to industry type, priorities, resources, etc. Practical implications This study will help industry to identify, evaluate and prioritize factors for successful implementation of sustainability in their supply chain. Automotive companies could device these factors by applying the outcome of the study in their operations with higher priority to integrate sustainability in their supply chain. Originality/value These factors are identified to implement sustain ability into supply chain practices for automotive industry.


Author(s):  
Mary J Meixell ◽  
Patrice Luoma

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to summarize and analyze what is known regarding the ways in which stakeholder pressure may influence supply chain sustainability. The authors extend this understanding to develop a number of research questions and propositions for future investigation on this topic. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used a systematic review process to study the empirical evidence pertaining to how a stakeholder perspective helps to understand sustainability in the supply chain management domain. Findings – The review has three main findings: stakeholder pressure on sustainability in supply chain management may result in sustainability awareness, adoption of sustainability goals, and/or implementation of sustainability practices; different types of stakeholders have dissimilar influence in the sustainable supply chain decision areas; different stakeholders appears to be more or less influential depending on whether the sustainability issue is environmental or social. Originality/value – This synthesis contributes to the literature by developing insight into the processes by which stakeholder pressure influences SSCM decisions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8132
Author(s):  
Cecilia Bratt ◽  
Robert Sroufe ◽  
Göran Broman

Despite increasing business interest in sustainability in general and in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), the ability to increase suppliers’ ecological and social performance is generally insufficient for many companies. In this study, we outline an implementation process model for sustainable supply chain management. We do so by synthesizing insights from a review of the sustainable supply chain management and organizational learning literature and a case study with a company aspiring to become a global leader in sustainable lighting. By combining these insights, we find that successful implementation of sustainable supply chain management requires sustainability to be anchored in a company’s vision and integrated into all functions. We also argue that organizational learning, especially learning with external stakeholders such as suppliers, an operational definition of socioecological sustainability among stakeholders, and procedural support for the cocreation of strategic plans for change are vital for achieving a truly sustainable supply chain. This definition and cocreation allow for attention to be directed toward strategic ecological and social practices, along with the joint handling of tradeoffs and economic considerations among stakeholders. As we build a foundation for an SSCM implementation process model, we use a science-based framework for strategic sustainable development. We call for more action-based research to uncover the complex nature of sustainable supply chain management, as there are unique challenges and dynamic relationships in every supply chain.


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