World class sustainable supply chain management: critical review and further research directions

Abstract

Purpose-Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) has attracted considerable interest among academics and practitioners. The aim of our article is to present a critical review of the literature, to identify missing links, to argue for the use of world-class SSCM through a framework, and suggest further research directions. Design/methodology/approach-In our article we have undertaken an extensive review of literature and classified articles using a novel classification scheme. Findings-Through the extensive review and identification of research gaps, the paper (i) identifies significant differences between definitions and methodologies in the SSCM literature; and (ii) argues for "world-class SSCM (WCSSCM)". This term is elaborated on via a theoretical framework in which eighteen dimensions are classified under six constructs of SSCM. Furthermore, a list of potential research directions for WCSSCM is discussed. Research limitations/implications-The research is an attempt to critically review literature, argue for WCSSCM, and develop a theoretical framework. Originality/value-The article offers a new approach to sustainable supply chain management literature, arguing for WCSSCM through a framework, and providing further research directions.

Sustainability as a dynamic organizational capability: a systematic review and a future agenda toward a sustainable transition

“…This kind of literature review has become popular among scholars from various fields of research (such as Lages Junior and Godinho Filho; Jabbour, 2013;Costa and Godinho Filho, 2016;Papadopoulos et al, 2017).…”

“…continent from which the study came (6), coded A-E, based on Fahimnia et al (2015) *********************** Please, insert Table 1 about here. **************************** Additionally, this work provides a map showing the distribution of scientific knowledge on sustainability and dynamic capabilities all over the world, following the work of Fahimnia et al (2015), as well as provides a research agenda in order to shed light on future research streams in the subject, following Papadopoulos et al (2017).…”

“…The sustainability debate, in this new century, assumes a central role in the reflection on the dimensions of development and possible emerging managerial frameworks (Dubey et al, 2016) in search of world-class, sustainable organizations (Papadopoulos et al, 2017). Consequently, a new development strategy has emerged, embodying political, economic, social, technological, and environmental dimensions.…”

Managerial perspectives on drivers for and barriers to sustainable supply chain management implementation: Evidence from New Zealand

“…As the SSCM field continues to evolve, there remains significant potential for theory development and empirical research (Ansari & Kant, ; Marshall, McCarthy, Heavey, & McGrath, ). Dubey, Gunasekaran, Childe, et al (, p. 333) noted that “the concept of a sustainable supply chain is poorly understood from both theoretical and managerial points of view.” Paulraj et al (), on the other hand, argued that research has extensively explored the performance impacts of SSCM implementation, whereas studies that looked at drivers and obstacles for SSCM implementation are scarce. Thus, developing an in‐depth understanding of factors that drive or obstruct SSCM implementation is imperative as this shapes the overall direction of an organization's SSCM trajectory.…”

“…First, although economic, social, and environmental aspects have been widely acknowledged in the literature as the central pillars of the sustainability concept (a holistic approach) (Gao & Bansal, ), most SSCM studies failed to consider all the three dimensions (Meixell & Luoma, ; Panigrahi, Bahinipati, & Jain, ). Dubey, Gunasekaran, Childe, et al () and Dubey, Gunasekaran, Papadopoulos, et al () pointed out that the wide majority of SSCM studies appears to be focused on the environmental and economic issues. Furthermore, Meixell and Luoma (, p. 84) argued, “from a managerial perspective, a detailed treatment [of the SSCM concept] would be beneficial as it best represent[s] situations faced in the business work.” Hence, our paper attempts to bridge this knowledge gap by employing a holistic SSCM perspective.…”