Sustainable supply chain performance, its practice and impact on barriers to collaboration

Impact of sustainable supply chain management practices on competitive advantage and organizational performance in the manufacturing sector

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices on both competitive advantage (CA) and organizational performance (OP) in the manufacturing sector in Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for the study were collected from a sample of 221 manufacturing companies operating in the four manufacturing groups/sectors in Ethiopia. In addition, data analysis was performed using the partial least squares method, which is a variance-based Structural Equation Modeling approach in the Smart-PLS software version (SmartPLS 4.0).

Findings

Based on the statistical analysis of the collected data, it demonstrates that SSCM has a significant and positive impact on both competitive advantage and organizational performance. Furthermore, statistical findings offer proof of the clear connection between competitive advantage and organizational performance. Moreover, competitive advantage indirectly mediates the relationship between SSCM and OP.

Research limitations/implications

The primary limitation of this research is its reliance on a cross-sectional design. The generalizability of the findings obtained from the present study may be hindered. The variable under investigation in this research assessed organizational performance, a concept that is widely acknowledged to be extremely dynamic.

Practical implications

The study provides managers and researchers with valuable information on Sustainable Supply Chain Management strategies and how they influence competitive advantage and organizational performance in commercial and industrial environments.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the body of knowledge by providing new data and empirical insights into the relationship between SSCM practices and the performance of manufacturing companies in Ethiopia.

Prescriptive analytics applications in sustainable operations research: conceptual framework and future research challenges

In the broad sphere of Analytics, prescriptive analytics is one of the emerging areas of interest for both academicians and practitioners. As prescriptive analytics has transitioned from its inception to an emerging topic, there is a need to review existing literature in order to ascertain development in this area. There are a very few reviews in the related field but not specifically on the applications of prescriptive analytics in sustainable operations research using content analysis. To address this gap, we performed a review of 147 articles published in peer-reviewed academic journals from 2010 to August 2021. Using content analysis, we have identified the five emerging research themes. Through this study, we aim to contribute to the literature on prescriptive analytics by identifying and proposing emerging research themes and future research directions. Based on our literature review, we propose a conceptual framework for studying the impacts of the adoption of prescriptive analytics and its impact on sustainable supply chain resilience, sustainable supply chain performance and competitive advantage. Finally, the paper acknowledges the managerial implications, theoretical contribution and the limitations of this study.

Supplier performance and selection from sustainable supply chain performance perspective

Purpose

This paper aims to address the supplier selection problem based on a developed framework capturing the essence of the supply chain operations reference (SCOR) model, sustainability and providing services to customers. Specifically, the authors consider planning, manufacturing, delivery, sustainability and customer service attributes to evaluate and select suppliers.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant literature is reviewed, a framework capturing the essence of major supply chain functions was developed and suitable measurement attributes were identified. An integrated fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution method are employed to obtain the final ranking of the attributes and suppliers. The proposed methodology is illustrated through a real case of an Indian automobile company.

Findings

The authors observed that planning, manufacturing, customer service, sustainability and delivery are preferred in decreasing order to select component suppliers for an automotive company. The impact of suppliers on planning and manufacturing is most important to consider while assessing suppliers. Interestingly, concerns about sustainability and delivery are the least cared factors when selecting suppliers. The top five criteria contain measures of operational efficiency rather than purchasing cost.

Originality/value

This paper proposes and demonstrates a supplier selection framework harmonizing supply chain functions of the SCOR model, sustainability and customers service that adds a valuable wing to literature that expounds on the connection of purchasing strategy to corporate strategy. A case study in an automotive company throws unique and valuable managerial implications for purchasing and supply chain performance.

Supply chain sustainability drivers for fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector: an Indian perspective

Purpose

: Sustainability in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) supply chains (SC) is receiving greater than ever attention due to the increasing awareness of sustainability challenges such as climate change and labor rights. A definite solution is to integrate sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices all through the upstream and downstream entities of SC. This study identified and compared the drivers for the implementation of SSCM practices in Indian FMCG sector.

Design/methodology/approach

A methodology based on Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), a hybrid multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) technique and sensitivity analysis was used to envisage the complex causal relationships among the identified SSCM drivers and to identify the critical ones.

Findings

The results showed that regulatory and legislative pressure, competition pressure and innovativeness dominantly drive the implementation of SSCM practices in the upstream and downstream SC of the FMCG sector.

Originality/value

The study examined levers of sustainability in FMCG supply chains in an emerging market with most of the extant research limited to automotive and electronic supply chains.

Prioritizing the economic indicators of SSC: an integrative QFD approach of performance prism and BSC

Purpose

This paper aims to propose an integrative economic model of the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) and performance prism based on concurrent engineering and developed balanced scorecard (BSC).

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the supplier aspect added to the basic BSC framework, a quality function deployment (QFD) developed in four phases and the economic GRI priorities were determined. Finally, the outcomes of QFD were used in Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) for ranking the economic indicators.

Findings

The indicators of financial interpretation, risks and opportunities had the first rank in learning and growth, internal processes, customer and financial BSC aspects, and they had the second rank only in the suppliers' BSC aspect.

Research limitations/implications

In this paper, merely the economic indicators of the GRI standard was studied, and no comparison was made between the variables of the other standards and the GRI standard.

Originality/value

The most important contribution of this study is merging the supplier aspect and BSC based on the concept of suppliers, inputs, process, outputs and customers (SIPOC) in supply chain analysis. Achieving economic sustainability by a concurrent engineering approach is another novelty of this paper. The proposed model was examined in the tile and ceramic industry for the first time.

Analyzing barriers for the adoption of circular economy in the manufacturing sector

Purpose

The operational activities of manufacturing organizations are continuously degrading the environment. Circular economy adoption can help industries optimize their resources along with minimal waste generation. The purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the barriers that hinder the adoption of circular economy (CE) in the manufacturing sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The barriers are extracted from a critical review of the literature and listed into three categories as social, economic and environmental. The barriers in each category are then analyzed using the fuzzy-based analytic hierarchy process method. The approach is capable to consider the fuzziness in the preference of barriers and determine their priority.

Findings

The pairwise comparison and weight of all the main and sub-criteria are computed, which helps in deciding the ranking of barriers. The results show that social criteria are having the highest importance followed by economic and environmental criteria. Among all the sub-criteria, low demand and acceptance of remanufactured products is at the highest level followed by lack of government support and legislation barrier.

Originality/value

The outcome of this study would be helpful for the decision makers and business managers in the manufacturing sector to focus on the barriers in each category and accordingly formulate strategies for CE adoption.

Implementation of supply chain 4.0 in the food and beverage industry: perceived drivers and barriers

Purpose

Despite considerable growth in literature on Industry 4.0 technologies, the research on the factors influencing the investment on these technologies in pursuit of supply chain 4.0 is yet incipient. The study aims to fill this knowledge void by exploring the perceived drivers and barriers intertwined in the implementation of supply chain 4.0 in the context of food and beverage industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative exploratory research was employed involving 20 semi-structured interviews with senior managers from the Australian food and beverage supply chain. The interviews' data were analysed with VOSViewer software version 1.6.14.

Findings

The results unravel that reduction in supply-demand misalignment, fast-changing consumer's needs, threat of legal penalties and cost optimisation are the key drivers; whereas lack of collaboration, organisational inertia and lack of awareness are the critical barriers to implement supply chain 4.0.

Research limitations/implications

The study derives seven propositions and a theoretical framework that need to be empirically corroborated.

Practical implications

Understanding of drivers and barriers will help practitioners to make more informed decision in implementation of supply chain 4.0.

Social implications

Implementation of supply chain 4.0 can enhance the performance of the food and beverage industry, thus offering more job opportunities and sustained food supply.

Originality/value

This is the first study in exploring drivers and barriers to the implementation of supply chain 4.0; thus, adds new knowledge to the growing body of the literature. The paper introduces a novel method for qualitative data analysis contributing to the methodological development of the supply chain management field.

Developing a framework for evaluating sustainability index for logistics service providers: graph theory matrix approach

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify sustainability practices and to propose a framework for evaluating the sustainability index of logistics service providers (LSPs).

Design/methodology/approach

Sustainable practices followed by LSPs are identified through literature review and analysis of a case study. Thirteen such sustainable practices are identified. Thereafter, with expert inputs, nine sustainable practices are shortlisted and considered for the evaluation of the sustainability index in the proposed framework. Graph Theory Matrix Approach has been applied to evaluate the sustainability index of an LSP.

Findings

Major practices identified for evaluating sustainability index include the use of recyclable packaging, use of renewable energy sources, green procurement, reduction in carbon emissions, use of CNG/electric vehicles, rainwater harvesting and so on. The sustainability index of an LSP is evaluated by using the proposed framework.

Practical implications

LSPs can benchmark their sustainability index with respect to the best in the industry. Based on it, LSPs can also identify potential areas for improvement.

Originality/value

Novelty of the study lies in the proposed framework for evaluation of sustainability index which can be used to develop strategies for green logistics. LSPs can also improve their performance in terms of sustainability measures by adopting green logistics.

Corporate sustainability and enterprise performance

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between economic performance in terms of labour productivity of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their corporate sustainability in association with the driving forces of internationalization process and enterprise networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper develops an innovative theoretical–conceptual approach and applied unique empirical survey to investigate the simultaneous causalities between labour productivity and corporate sustainability, in the context of the set of relationships controlled with two other set of variables for mediating role of the internationalization process and enterprise networks focusing on business collaborations between SMEs. Four hypotheses are tested by the developed structural equation model for the unique in-depth survey data of Slovenian SMEs.

Findings

The results highlight significant positive correlations between the studied variables and their constructs, which indicate scientific justification to variables as factors. The results confirmed that internationalization process and enterprise networks are positively associated in improving corporate sustainability, which drives labour productivity.

Practical implications

The implications of this research are for managers regarding strategies and approaches aiming at sustainable development of SMEs, and for policy-makers regarding appropriate policies for practices encouraging internalization processes and enterprise networks as important drivers of corporate sustainability and labour productivity of SMEs.

Originality/value

The main scientific value added of this research is that combines and empirically examines driving forces of corporate sustainability in SMEs based on related studies, to develop more comprehensive structural equation model for better understanding of the corporate sustainability behaviour in SMEs.