Sustainable supplier selection plays an important role in sustainable supply chain management operations and implementation. In this paper a novel formal modeling approach is conceptually developed and presented to address sustainable supplier selection. Grey theory and TOPSIS, a distance based multiple criteria method, are used for the integration and evaluation of sustainable supplier performance for sustainable supplier selection. From a research perspective, TOPSIS is improved to more effectively deal with grey numbers by integrating a degree of likelihood rather than converting grey numbers into crisp numbers functions, and it provides more flexible supplier rankings. This methodology strengthens the sustainable supplier selection process, and can be applied to other multiple criteria decision making problems. Illustrative calculations are made using data on sustainable supplier selection and evaluation published by Bai and Sarkis (2010). The technique is relatively accurate, matching well with results from a published grey rough set approach. The methodology easily implementable with minimal complex calculations required. It can also provide support for sustainable supplier selection, benchmarking, and improvement decisions. This is one of the first papers to integrate a broad set of sustainability factors for grey-based TOPSIS and supplier selection.
Sustainable transitions are highly dependent on technological solutions, yet concerns arise regarding resource scarcity and supply-chain management. In this issue of One Earth, Hao et al. provide a technological forecast for platinum-group metals (PGMs), crucial for fuel cell technology. They allay fears of untimely PGM depletion but make several important assumptions.
Green and sustainable supply chain activities are implemented as organizations and their partners respond to environmental pressures. Many of these activities require supporting technologies to help meet their goals. These technologies may include product, process,...
Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) has been developed for decades as a solution for multi-level social and environmental improvement. Circular economy (CE) also has many perspectives and generally has been introduced for investigating sustainability at multiple levels. Organizations are informed and encouraged by management theories to build their supply chain strategies at the SSCM-CE nexus, including stakeholder theory, institutional theory, nature resource-based view, amongst others. As the scholarly and practical interests in SSCM and CE increase, there is a need to expand the current conceptual understanding and theoretical boundaries. Theory development for broader issues at the SSCM-CE nexus is limited, leaving managers, policy makers, civil society activists, and other stakeholders with insufficient grounding for important decisions and direction. In this paper, we explore some promising emerging theories which may provide additional conceptual lenses for SSCM and CE, inlcuding organizational learning, social innovation, and social learning. We develop a dynamic sustainable supply chain-circular economy management framework as a conceptual map over which theoretical boundaries from the existing and emergent theories are overlaid. Future research directions are also provided and discussed to conclude this paper.
This paper presents a model for evaluating alternative Flexible Manufacturing Systems by considering both quantitative and qualitative factors. The evaluation process utilizes a recently proposed Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, which incorporates both ordinal and cardinal measures, in conjunction with new extensions in DEA. The paper contributes to the body of knowledge in two important ways. First, it provides a new model based on pair-wise comparisons of specific alternatives, which significantly improves the discriminatory power of DEA. The second major contribution is to detail the model's utility in its application for evaluating strategic manufacturing technologies, specifically Flexible Manufacturing Systems. The consideration of both tangible and intangible factors, which is a primary goal in strategic evaluation of systems, is achieved in this methodology. The model is illustrated through an application on a previously reported data set. The analysis of results provide useful insights that include both seller's and buyer's perspectives of system evaluation.
Contemporary multi-tier supply chains are increasingly international, complex, and challenging for suppliers and focal companies. In addition to this, internal and external stakeholders, regulators, consumers and non-governmental organizations all now require firms to take responsibility for and action towards mitigating unsustainable practices and misconduct in their supply chains. In dealing with this complex supply chain context, quantitative modeling approaches are relevant in their ability to capture the complexity of problems in order to propose effective and sustainable solutions. The main objective of this study is to review selected literature on the effective management of sustainability in supply chains, and its attendant implications for multi-tier supply chain modeling problems. Previously published modeling research that may directly or indirectly provide lessons for multi-tier sustainable supply chains is investigated utilizing the Scopus database. After analyzing the relevant literature, we deliver the following contributions: (a) a systematization and classification of the selected papers; (b) a description of 16 research gaps that remain in the literature and that may be useful in expanding research efforts in this domain; (c) four lessons for both practitioners and managers dealing with sustainability in multi-tier supply chains; (d) an integrative framework which encapsulates key areas of focus to develop multi-tier sustainable supply chains. Implications for theory and practice are suggested, as well as limitations concerning the scope of this systematic review.
This paper focuses on a knowledge-based view to examine the relationship between the perceived value of a research joint venture (RJV) and its performance (expectation–result relation). Using data from 247 Europeans firms involved in RJVs we identify four groups of RJVs categorized by perceived value and performance of the RJV. The effect of the level of radicalness of research and the learning and knowledge management on this relationship was studied to provide insights into these relationships. Our findings suggest that the relationship between expected value and performance may not be a linear relationship. RJV's level of radicalness of research was found to be a major moderator of this relationship which is a slight adjustment to social cognitive theory's outcome expectations suppositions.
Multi-tier sustainable supply chain management investigation is in its relative infancy. The design and implementation of studies in this field need careful consideration. This paper uses a relationship perspective to examine three-tier levels of supply chains. Specifically, the paper introduces and supports the use of various antecedent factors for effective sustainable adoption of lower tier (third-tier) companies or sub-suppliers. A study design and analytical methodology, using rough set theory and a clustering approach, is introduced to identify relationships amongst the three levels. Data acquisition is currently in process in a developing country, Egypt, in the textile industry to evaluate the relationships and develop theory. Initially, in this paper an illustrative set of data is used to illustrate the effectiveness and novelty of the design and approach to arrive at some potential theoretical relationships. The approach and methodology can be useful to researchers seeking to do general supply chain and sustainability research in multi-tier settings; or other complex research that can benefit from simplified and exploratory empirical quantitative research.
Integrating various strategic manufacturing technologies and philosophies is an issue that is usually addressed at the large manufacturing enterprise level. There has been little effort to address the integration of these technologies and philosophies for the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). We describe and define a general set of tools to help address the issue of integrating computer integrated enterprise technologies in small manufacturing firms. The research and development process, along with some results, are summarised in this paper.
Adaptive management comes from the study of complex adaptive systems. Concepts of adaptive management have begun to be considered for disaster mitigation and emergency response. It is suggested that fire in buildings is a complex adaptive system, and therefore subject to adaptive management techniques. This paper outlines criteria that can be used to test the applicability of adaptive management concepts to various regulatory, emergency planning and mitigation issues, with an exemplar application of the criteria to challenges of fire regulation, protection and emergency response planning for buildings.
Prospective authors are requested to submit new, unpublished manuscripts for inclusion in the upcoming event described in this call for papers.
This study aims to empirically investigate the construct of and the scale for evaluating green supply chain management (GSCM) practices implementation among manufacturers. With data collected from 341 Chinese manufacturers, two measurement models of GSCM practices implementation were tested and compared by confirmatory factor analysis. Our empirical findings suggest that both the first-order and the second-order models for GSCM implementation are reliable and valid. Our study contributes to the literature on empirical examination of the construct of GSCM practices implementation and to the practices of managers with a validated measurement scale to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses in different facets of implementing GSCM practices in their organizations.
This paper provides an efficiency analysis of practices in Solid Waste Management of manufacturing companies in Wales. We apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) to a data set compiled during the National Waste Survey Wales 2003. We explore the relative performance of small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises (SME; 10-250 employees) in Wales. We determine the technical and scale environmental and economic efficiencies of these organizations. Our evaluation focuses on empirical data collected from companies in a wide diversity of manufacturing industries throughout Wales. We find significant differences in industry and size efficiencies. We also find correlations that exist among environmental and economic efficiencies. These variations show that improvements can be made using benchmarks from similar and different size industries. Further pursuit of an investigation of possible reasons for these differences is recommended.
Presents the introductory editorial for this issue of the publication.
Supplier selection plays an important role in the management of a supply chain. Recent emphasis on sustainability has made this selection more complex. Decision support tools and methodologies can help organizations and supply chain managers make more effective decisions. Many tools have been developed with a variety of formal modeling techniques. These techniques may be limited for a variety of reasons. To help advance this area of research and to help further integrate sustainability discussion into the supplier selection modeling area, we expand on a novel approach first introduced by Li, Yamaguchi, and Nagai (2008). This approach utilizes grey system and rough set theory. Our expansion and contribution includes introduction of additional levels of analysis and application of this methodology, the explicit consideration of sustainability attributes, and insights into the technique with some sensitivity analysis. Implications of the methodology and future research directions, further expanding the methodology and its applications, conclude the paper.
12 Auditing the System in Use: Value Beyond the Baseline was published in Strategic ERP Extension and Use on page 172.
Blockchain technology has seen increasingly important practical applications. The literature has expanded greatly in the past four to five years. One area that has seen significant application and growth is in supply chain management—which includes transportation and logistics. The growth of this literature has also resulted in several literature reviews—each has specific scope and emphasis. Of the growing number of literature review and bibliometric analysis studies, the focus has ranged from understanding application cases, themes, trends, and methodologies. Theoretical developments and theorizing have been limited for supply chain management in general and even more limited for sustainable supply chains. Arguably, much of the current research has been relatively atheoretical—a lack of theory development and theory application. Hence, we conclude the existing blockchain research discourse has been centered around application and less around the theory. As a sub-discipline, the nexus of blockchain and supply chain management is still in the early developmental stages. Using a critical synthesis review of the literature, this paper focuses on the most popular theories that have been applied to explain blockchain adoption and implementation within supply chains—how each theory explains the motivations, formalizes the organizational process around the acceptance of blockchain technology, and predicts the outcomes of blockchain-supported business models. Current theoretical gaps and potential future theorizing are discussed. Potential theories that have been used for other technologies (i.e., the internet of things) which have not been applied to the blockchain context are provided and discussed. The comprehensive and systematic theory review has important theoretical and managerial implications for both academia by advancing multiple academic disciplines and practice with insights into actual acceptance and usage of blockchain and other disruptive technologies.
