Sustainability and global value chains in Africa: Introduction to the Special Issue

Mapping the trends of sustainable supply chain management research: a bibliometric analysis of peer-reviewed articles

“…Our results show that the field is not attracting the same attention in DEs/ECs as in DCs despite the volume research on SSCM, which is consistent with Hofstetter et al (2022) observation. The analysis further shows that authors are mostly interested in large organizations compared to MSMEs, demonstrating a lack of research on MSMEs in DEs/ECs which could affect how businesses could perceive their transition from a linear model of production toward a circular model.…”

“…For businesses in DEs to achieve circularity by reducing the tension between productivity and sustainability, there is a need for them to contextualize sustainability principles to their operations rather than applying the westernized epistemological and ontological perspectives of sustainability. This argument resonates with Hofstetter et al's (2022) observation that sustainability practices of suppliers in Africa have meager contributions to global value chains (GVC) that could be associated with the incongruence between the adopted SC (procurement) policies and the African context. This suggests a need for more research on the corporate implementation of SSCM in DEs, particularly those of MSMEs, due to their unique attributes and challenges compared to businesses in DCs when integrating sustainability into their SCs (Silvestre, 2015).…”

“…We advocate for more research on SSCM in MSMEs, particularly in DEs, for MSMEs to develop appropriate capabilities in designing/applying a formal SCM strategy that could allow them to embed sustainability into their SCs. Such capabilities could result in concerted efforts between businesses or government bodies around the world to improve sustainability (Hofstetter et al, 2022). This bibliometric review demonstrates an explosion in the number of published peer-reviewed papers on SSCM with the increasing numbers of journals, authors, keywords and contributing countries.…”

“…With authors from non-English speaking countries forcing themselves to publish their studies in English, their efficiency might be reduced, undermining the quality of their studies, including the findings' reliability and validity. To establish mechanisms for countries to create enabling environments that support corporate sustainability (Hofstetter et al, 2022), authors should have the opportunity to publish articles in the native language, allowing them to address fundamental sustainability issues affecting their jurisdiction. The other languages provide some indication of the geographical spread of the field and suggest the need to address potential Anglo-American bias that may not align with social, economic and environmental differences, particularly in DEs.…”

Impact of supply chain management strategies on firms’ sustainable performance: a case of an emerging economy

“…Similarly, it is imperative to stress that the diversity of national laws, resident organisations, transparency, and detachment between organisations manifested in the global value chains drive change in the sustainability practices of corporate companies in emerging economies in Africa across all sectors (Hofstetter et al, 2021).…”