Horses for Courses

Abstract

Researchers and policy-makers have become increasingly enthusiastic about greening purchasing and supply management activities. In theory, greening supply should both limit environmental damage from industrial activities and deliver bottom-line benefits to implementing firms. However, compared with other environmental initiatives, few firms have implemented extensive green supply programmes.This paper seeks to resolve the apparent paradox between the desirability of green supply in theory and the slow implementation of green supply in practice. Using data from a recent series of interviews and a questionnaire in the UK, we examine the green supply practices adopted by particular types of firm and their performance implications. We cluster the operating units in our sample into four archetypal groups of green supply adopters and examine the characteristics of each group. We conclude that explaining the gap between the theory and practice of green supply requires looking beyond the aggregate pattern across firms. Firms are not ignoring the potential private benefits from green supply. On the contrary, they are rational actors playing to their own strengths and designing appropriate packages of green supply activities within their own corporate environmental, procurement and performance contexts. • Environmental management• Purchasing• Supply-chain management• Cluster analysis• Supply management capabilities • PerformanceDr Paul Cousins was a lecturer in operations and supply management at the University of Bath's School of Management, UK. He has now moved to the University of Melbourne, Australia, where he continues to research in the area of of supply strategy and relationship management.

An empirical examination of stakeholder pressures, green operations practices and environmental performance

“…Communication between business managers and environmental professionals is also important in the successful business and environment relationship (Aspan 2000). The internal green management dimension also includes processes such as environmental auditing of departments, environmental management systems, total quality environmental management, and communication and training (Bowen et al 2001;Klassen and Whybark 1999;Sarkis, Gonzalez-Torre, and Adenso-Diaz 2010;Zhu, Sarkis, and Lai 2008).…”

Market orientation and green supply chain management implementation

“…[17,31] Also, this paper includes the relationship between the environment and competitive advantage, which has been studied extensively. [4,17,21,32] Early studies focused on the reaction of environmental regulations aimed at reduce and minimizing harmful environmental outcomes. [33] Unfortunately this research chiefly viewed greening as unproductive investments.…”

“…[2,20] Studies have sought to find solutions to the paradox between the desirability and the actual slow implementation of GSCM practices. [21] Several studies have identified antecedents of "greening" as reactive to the changing business environment, such as regulatory compliance, stakeholder pressures and ethical concerns. [22] However, an independent body of research in recent years has led to the view that antecedents of "greening" are proactive corporate strategies (i.e., market orientation).…”

Sustainable Supply Chain Based on News Articles and Sustainability Reports: Text Mining with Leximancer and DICTION

“…This indicates that there is a mix of both negative and positive impacts by green supply chains on economic performance [78,79]. Some researchers claims that green purchasing (a subset of green supply chains) may enhance short-term cost savings and positively impact brand image, which will lead to enhanced economic performance [49].…”