Interactions in sustainable supply chain management: a framework review

Abstract

Purpose-This study evaluates the research conducted among the interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the stand-alone measures of economic, environmental, and social performance and the level of sustainability, as suggested in the Carter & Rogers (2008) framework. Design/methodology/approach-This paper conducts a systematic literature review based on the Tranfield et al. (2003) method of the articles published in 13 major journals in the area of supply chain management between the years of 2010 and 2016. Results were analyzed using an expert panel. Findings-The area of research between environmental and social performance is sparse and relegated to empirical investigation. As an important area of interaction, this area needs more research to answer the how and why questions. The economic activity seems to be the persistent theme among the interactions. Research implications-The literature on the "ES" interactions is lacking in both theoretical and analytical content. Studies explaining the motivations, optimal levels, and context that drive these interactions are needed. The extant research portrays economic performance as if it cannot be sacrificed for social welfare. This approach is not in line with the progressive view of SSCM but instead the binary view with an economic emphasis. Practical implications-To improve sustainability, organizations need the triple bottom line (TBL) framework that defines sustainability in isolation. However, they also need to understand how and why these interactions take place that drive sustainability in organizations. Originality/value-This is the first study to examine the literature specifically dedicated to the essential, interim, dyadic interactions that bridge the gap between stand-alone performance and the TBL that creates true sustainability. It also shows how the literature views the existence of sustainability is progressive, but many describe sustainability as binary. It is possible that economic sustainability is binary, and progressive characterizations of SSCM could be the reason behind the results favoring economic performance over environmental and social.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices and Sustainable Performance in Hospitals: A Systematic Review and Integrative Framework

“…Undirected arcs connect these units, which means the multiple Second, the wide-ranging identification of practices and performance metrics achieved in the literature review, which gave rise to the proposed framework, likely allows to delineate a clear path toward empirical validation and the managerial implications of practice implementation and performance measurement. While a considerable number of frameworks provide valuable insights on interactions in sustainable supply chain management [40], healthcare supply chain management in the emerging economy with the sustainable lenses [121], and supply chain sustainability in the service industry [122], the degree of operationalization of the categories and exemplified relations presented in this case has not been detected in previous reviews.…”

“…Beyond the previously mentioned economic focus, a recent trend in SCM study points to the consideration of its link to sustainability, which incorporates the environmental and social dimensions, study of operational and economic topics, the environmental dimension has been more often addressed than the social dimension [35][36][37][38][39]. Moreover, the integration of the three sustainability dimensions has not been sufficiently robust [39][40][41], and industry-specific issues have not been elucidated to the extent to which they could be [34,[42][43][44].…”

Implementing Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Reactive, Cooperative, and Dynamic Models

“…• Sustainable procurement. The goal of sustainable procurement extends its basic green purchasing to consider environmental and social aspects of diversity, safety, human rights, philanthropy, and local procurement [75].…”

Brazilian logistics practitioners' perceptions on sustainability: an exploratory study

“…According to this concept, sustainability is "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the meeting of future demands" (Brundtland, 1987, p. 16). More specifically, Liu (2018), Yun (2019) and Sirilertsuwan, Ekwall and Hjelmgren (2018) show the concept of sustainability using Triple Bottom Line (TBL) definition. According to this concept (TBL), companies should consider environmental, economic and social aspects in their activities.…”