A conceptual model of sustainable supply chain management in small and medium enterprises using blockchain technology

Through a systematic review of publications in reputed peer-reviewed journals, this paper investigates the role of blockchain technology in sustainable supply chain management. It uses the What, Who, Where, When, How, and Why (5W+1H) pattern to formulate research objectives and questions. The review considers publications since 2015, and it includes 187 papers published in 2017, 2018, 2019, and the early part of 2020, since no significant publications were found in the year 2015 or 2016 on this subject. It proposes a reusable classification framework—emerging technology literature classification level (ETLCL) framework—based on grounded theory and the technology readiness level for conducting literature reviews in various focus areas of an emerging technology. Subsequently, the study uses ETLCL to classify the literature on our focus area. The results show traceability and transparency as the key benefits of applying blockchain technology. They also indicate a heightened interest in blockchain-based information systems for sustainable supply chain management starting since 2017. This paper offers invaluable insights for managers and leaders who envision sustainability as an essential component of their business. The findings demonstrate the disruptive power and role of blockchain-based information systems. Given the relative novelty of the topic and its scattered literature, the paper helps practitioners examining its various aspects by directing them to the right information sources.

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Expect the unexpected: toward a theory of the unintended consequences of sustainable supply chain management

International Journal of Operations & Production Management ◽

10.1108/ijopm-05-2020-0326 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 40 (12) ◽

pp. 1857-1871

Author(s):

Craig R. Carter ◽

Lutz Kaufmann ◽

David J. Ketchen

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chain Management ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Environmental Performance ◽

Unintended Consequences ◽

Sustainable Supply Chain ◽

Chain Management ◽

Content Type ◽

Sustainable Supply Chain Management ◽

Trade Offs

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a theorization of the unintended consequences of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM).Design/methodology/approachThe authors integrate extant theory of unintended consequences, sustainable supply chain management and paradox theory to develop a typology of the unintended consequences of SSCM initiatives and a conceptual model of the antecedents of these unintended consequences.FindingsThe authors advance a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive typology of the unintended consequences of SSCM initiatives. These unintended consequences include trade-offs as well as synergies in the form of positive spillover. The authors’ conceptual model identifies multiple levels of stakeholders, multiple performance dimensions, multiple time horizons and the interplay with social construction as antecedents to the unintended consequences of SSCM initiatives.Practical implicationsThe authors’ typology suggests that managers must move beyond simply assessing whether the intended consequences of an SSCM initiative have been achieved. Managers must also, to the extent they can, assess the potential for unintended consequences to arise. The authors’ typology provides an initial roadmap for managers to continue, discontinue or further consider an SSCM initiative, based on the resulting unintended consequences. The authors’ theorization also provides guidance about how managers can more successfully bring SSCM initiatives to fruition and start cycles of learning.Originality/valueThere largely has been a focus in the operations and supply chain management literature on trade-offs between economic performance on the one hand and social or environmental performance on the other. The authors advocate that this focus needs to shift to interactions within and between social and environmental performance. Further, trade-offs are only one type of unintended consequence. By developing a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive typology, the authors introduce a much clearer conceptualization of the unintended consequences of an SSCM initiative and a much better understanding of how to manage SSCM initiatives, both prior to and postimplementation.

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The Proposed Conceptual Model for Investigating Moderating Effects of Contextual Factors on Supply Chain Management Practice-Performance Link in Malaysian Small and Medium Enterprises

International Journal of Business and Management ◽

10.5539/ijbm.v6n12p135 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 6 (12) ◽

Author(s):

Thoo Ai Chin ◽

Abu Bakar Abdul Hamid ◽

Huam Hon Tat ◽

Rohaizat Baharun ◽

Rosman Md Yusoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chain Management ◽

Conceptual Model ◽

Small And Medium Enterprises ◽

Management Practice ◽

Contextual Factors ◽

Moderating Effects ◽

Chain Management ◽

Practice Performance ◽

Medium Enterprises

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Analysis and Evaluation of Barriers Influencing Blockchain Implementation in Moroccan Sustainable Supply Chain Management: An Integrated IFAHP-DEMATEL Framework

Mathematics ◽

10.3390/math9141601 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (14) ◽

pp. 1601

Author(s):

Omar Boutkhoum ◽

Mohamed Hanine ◽

Mohamed Nabil ◽

Fatima EL Barakaz ◽

Ernesto Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Supply Chain ◽

Supply Chain Management ◽

Successful Implementation ◽

Sustainable Supply Chain ◽

Analytic Hierarchy ◽

Chain Management ◽

Sustainable Supply Chain Management ◽

Blockchain Technology ◽

Fuzzy Group Decision Making

Blockchain technology has received wide attention during recent years, and has huge potential to transform and improve supply chain management. However, its implementation in the SSCM (Sustainable Supply Chain Management) strategy is sophisticated, and the challenges are not explored very well, especially in the Moroccan context. To this end, the chief objective of the current endeavor is to investigate the barriers that hinder the adoption of blockchain technology in SSCM from the Moroccan industry and service sectors’ perspective. Based on a comprehensive literature search and the use of experts’ viewpoints, the barriers affecting the successful implementation of blockchain are classified into three categories called TEO: technological and system, environmental, and intra-organizational dimensions. In this context, a fuzzy group decision-making framework is organized by combining DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) and IFAHP (Intuitionistic Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process). The IFAHP technique helps to determine the importance/priorities of barriers affecting blockchain adoption, while the DEMATEL technique forms the cause–effect interconnections between these barriers and classifies them concerning the degree of importance and relationships. The results reveal that ‘government policy and support’ and ‘challenges in integrating sustainable practices and blockchain technology through SCM’ are significant adoption barriers of blockchain in Moroccan SSCM. The proposed solution can support industrial decision makers to form flexible short- and long-term decision-making strategies to efficiently manage a sustainable supply chain.

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