To greener pastures

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1193-1225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Zarei ◽  
Ruth Carrasco-Gallego ◽  
Stefano Ronchi
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Resource Sharing ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Half Cycle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Green Practices

Purpose While humanitarian supply chains (HSCs) inherently contribute to social sustainability by alleviating the suffering of afflicted communities, their unintended adverse environmental impact has been overlooked hitherto. This paper draws upon contingency theory to synthesize green practices for HSCs, identify the contingency factors that impact on greening HSCs and explore how focal humanitarian organizations (HOs) can cope with such contingency factors. Design/methodology/approach Deploying an action research methodology, two-and-a-half cycles of collaboration between researchers and a United Nations agency were completed. The first half-cycle developed a deductive greening framework, synthesizing extant green practices from the literature. In the second and third cycles, green practices were adopted/customized/developed reflecting organizational and contextual contingency factors. Action steps were implemented in the HSC for prophylactics, involving an operational mix of disaster relief and development programs. Findings First, the study presents a greening framework that synthesizes extant green practices in a suitable form for HOs. Second, it identifies the contingency factors associated with greening HSCs regarding funding environment, stakeholders, field of activity and organizational management. Third, it outlines the mechanisms for coping with the contingency factors identified, inter alia, improving the visibility of headquarters over field operations, promoting collaboration and resource sharing with other HOs as well as among different implementing partners in each country, and working with suppliers for greener packaging. The study advances a set of actionable propositions for greening HSCs. Practical implications Using an action research methodology, the study makes strong practical contributions. Humanitarian practitioners can adopt the greening framework and the lessons learnt from the implementation cycles presented in this study. Originality/value This is one of the first empirical studies to integrate environmental sustainability and HSCs using an action research methodology.

scholarly journals Using collaborative research methodologies in humanitarian supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 371-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasmine Sabri ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Zarei ◽  
Christine Harland
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Collaborative Research ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chain

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop an existing collaborative research methodology process (Sabri, 2018), contextualise it for application in humanitarian supply chains and test it empirically. Design/methodology/approach Building on collaborative research methodology and humanitarian supply chain literature, the Sabri’s (2018) collaborative research methodology process is further developed to comprise eight phases of collaborative research contextualised for the humanitarian supply chain domain. The process is applied in a collaborative research case of academia–practitioner knowledge co-creation in a humanitarian supply chain setting, focussing on environmental sustainability improvement. The collaborative case analysis suggests a number of refinements to the elements of the process. This study undertook two cycles of academia–practitioner collaborative research. Findings In testing the process, a noticeable improvement in the collaboration among different humanitarian stakeholders was observed, leading to improved stakeholder management. The implementation improved the sustainability awareness and social inclusion of the affected population. Rurality, remoteness, security issues and resistance of field staff against change were among the main challenges for supply chain researchers to engage in collaborative research in the humanitarian domain. Originality/value The paper addresses the rigour‒relevance‒reflectiveness debate in the humanitarian supply chain domain. A collaborative research methodology process derived from action research is further developed using humanitarian literature, and then it is applied in a humanitarian logistics case focussed on environmental sustainability. The present collaborative research process facilitates engaged scholarship among the humanitarian stakeholders, as the researchers’ roles move from observatory to participatory knowledge broker.

scholarly journals Co-designing food waste services in the catering sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (12) ◽  
pp. 2762-2777 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Michalec ◽  
Martin Fodor ◽  
Enda Hayes ◽  
James Longhurst
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Policy Design ◽  
Waste Recycling ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Action Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Waste Recycling

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present results from the action research project, where sustainability professionals, local businesses and academic researchers collaborated on exploring barriers for food waste recycling in SMEs food outlets in order to inform local policy and business practices in Bristol, UK. Design/methodology/approach The researchers conducted face-to-face, qualitative surveys of 79 catering businesses in three diverse areas of the city. The action research methodology was applied, where a range of co-researchers contributed towards study design and review. Findings The research reveals the main barriers to recycling and how such perceptions differ depending on whether the respondents do or do not recycle, with “convenience” and “cost” being the main issue according to the already recycling participants. On the other hand, participants who do not recycle state that their main reason is “not enough waste” and “lack of space”. Practical implications Participants recommended a range of measures, which could improve the current food waste services in Bristol. For example, they suggest that business engagement should address the barriers voiced by the participants applying the framings used by them, rather than assuming restaurants and cafes are not aware of the issue. By inviting a variety of non-academic stakeholders into the process of research design and analysis, the project addressed the imbalances in knowledge production and policy design. Originality/value Despite the local and qualitative focus of this paper, the results and research methodology could act as a useful guide for conducting food waste action research in the policy context.

An integrated AHP-based scheme for performance measurement in humanitarian supply chains

2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Anjomshoae ◽  
Adnan Hassan ◽  
Kuan Yew Wong
Keyword(s):  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Integrated Performance

Purpose In recent years, several performance indicators have been proposed in humanitarian supply chains (HSCs). Selecting the most relevant key performance indicators (KPIs) is challenging for some humanitarian organizations (HOs) because it involves a considerable amount of complexity and information overload which could lead to judgment biases in the decision-making process. Existing performance measurement studies lack critical analysis for prioritization of performance indicators. Since the process of KPIs selection and categorization is a complex, domain based and subjective process, a systematic guideline is needed. To address this gap, the purpose of this paper is to propose an integrated performance measurement scheme that can consolidate KPIs into an overall performance score based on the weighting of the performance indicators in HSCs. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was based on questionnaire surveys and direct interviews with practitioners from international HOs. Findings This paper proposes an integrated scheme based on balanced scorecard and analytic hierarchy process for performance evaluation of HOs. Research limitations/implications The respondents were limited to the humanitarian logistics experts from Malaysian-based international HOs. Practical implications The scheme enables the benchmarking of HOs’ performance that could be useful for decision makers in HSCs. Originality/value This paper provides the ranking and prioritization of KPIs in HSCs. The approach presented in this paper enables an effective and integrated performance measurement in HSCs.

scholarly journals Performance management practices in humanitarian organisations

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-168
Author(s):  
Hella Abidi ◽  
Sander de Leeuw ◽  
Wout Dullaert
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Performance Measurement ◽  
Performance Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Performance Measurement Systems

PurposeWe examine how design and implementation practices for supply chain performance management that have proven successful in commercial organisations apply to humanitarian organisations (HOs) to guide the process of designing and implementing performance management in humanitarian organisations.Design/methodology/approachWe identify from the literature ten successful practices regarding the design and implementation of supply chain performance management in commercial businesses. We apply these, using action research over a four-year period, at Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium and draw conclusions from this.FindingsWe find that tools and techniques, such as workshops and technical sheets, are essential in designing and implementing supply chain performance measurement projects at HOs. Furthermore, making a link to an IT project is crucial when implementing performance measurement systems at HOs. Overall, our case study shows that performance management practices used in business can be applied and are relevant for humanitarian supply chains.Originality/valuePrevious research has argued that there are few empirical studies in the domain of performance management at humanitarian organisations. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to provide a longitudinal understanding of the design and implementation of supply chain performance measurement at HOs.

scholarly journals Student-centred approach to teaching large classes: friend or foe?

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Kirstein ◽  
Rolien Kunz
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
South African ◽  
Research Methodology ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Accounting Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Classes ◽  
Class Environment ◽  
Residential University ◽  
Single Field

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to report on the development and implementation of two student-centred teaching approaches, not usually thought to be appropriate for large group situations. These projects involved adapting teaching methods to facilitate a move away from the conventional lecturer-centred approach (the “chalk-and-talk” of earlier generations) and to respond to an environment challenged by the perpetually changing requirements of professional bodies, increasingly large classes and high student-staff ratios. Design/methodology/approach – Two student-centred projects were implemented at a South African residential university in the discipline of auditing, and the topic of general controls in the information technology (IT) environment was addressed. This study reports on two cycles of the development and implementation of the projects following an action research methodology. Findings – It was found that “non-standard” teaching practices can be implemented successfully and that active student involvement, even in a large class environment, is achievable and is therefore recommended, not least because this could positively impact on students’ overall skills development. The action research methodology was successfully used to incorporate changes, enforced by the challenges accounting academics are faced with. Research limitations/implications – Limitations associated with this study are that it was conducted at only one South African university, and that it was in a specific and technical topic within the single field of auditing. The study also did not measure whether deep or surface learning had taken place. As various factors contribute to learning, it was also not possible to report on whether positive changes to students’ normal learning processes have been achieved as a result of the initiatives. Originality/value – The contribution this study makes is twofold. First, it adds to the field of accounting education research by indicating that student-centred projects can successfully address the abovementioned challenges faced by accounting academics. Second, it demonstrates that action research, as a methodology for examining and developing accounting education, can be used effectively by academics to improve their teaching practices.

The role of green practices toward the green word-of-mouth using stimulus-organism-response model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irfan Hameed ◽  
Hamid Hussain ◽  
Kamran Khan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Green Practices ◽  
Green Trust ◽  
The Impact

PurposeConsumer's environmental awareness and friendliness have been growing, and consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of hotel operations on the environment. This study evaluated the effect of green practices on the customer's green word-of-mouth (GWOM) intention for hotels with environment-friendly operations.Design/methodology/approachThe data have been collected from tourists by using the judgmental sampling technique, and a usable sample size of 257 respondents has been achieved. The data analysis has been performed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThere is a strong relationship between green practices adopted by hotels and the green image of hotels. This study also found that the green image of a hotel positively impacts consumer green satisfaction and green trust, and these two variables have significant influence over the GWOM.Practical implicationsThe study can be helpful in the promotion of environmentally sustainable consumer behavior in response to a stimulus being generated by the marketers and policymakers.Social implicationsThis study will further help society to share and discuss favorable information about environmental sustainability through GWOM.Originality/valueThe study investigated the effect of green hotels on GWOM approximately after one year of the COVID-19 outbreak. Hence, the results can ascertain to be the basis of the new policies of the hotels in post-COVID world.

Drivers of government restrictions on humanitarian supply chains

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Kunz ◽  
Gerald Reiner
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chains ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Fragile States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
State Fragility ◽  
Humanitarian Supply Chains ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations ◽  
Foreign Governments ◽  
The Government

Purpose Foreign governments do not always welcome international humanitarian organizations responding to a disaster in their country. Many governments even impose restrictions on humanitarian supply chains through import barriers, travel restrictions or excessive bureaucracy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze these restrictions and try to identify the government characteristics that best explain the tendency to impose such restrictions. Design/methodology/approach Through a multiple case study among four international humanitarian organizations the authors identify and analyze the restrictions imposed on humanitarian supply chains in 143 different programs. The authors compare the average number of restrictions per country with different governmental and socio-economic situational factors. Findings The authors find that state fragility, a combination of government ineffectiveness and illegitimacy, is the characteristic that best explains the tendency of a government to impose restrictions on humanitarian supply chains. Practical implications Knowing that fragile states tend to impose a high number of restrictions helps humanitarian organizations to prepare adequately before entering a country with a fragile government. The organization can, for example, anticipate possible concerns and establish trust with the government. Commercial companies starting to do business in such country can learn from this knowledge. Originality/value Multiple studies have mentioned the strong impact of governments on humanitarian supply chains, but no paper has yet analyzed this problem in detail. The paper is the first to identify the characteristics that explain the number of restrictions governments impose on humanitarian supply chains, and what humanitarian organizations can do to address them.

Sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship in Burundi: drivers and outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bélyse Mupfasoni ◽  
Aad Kessler ◽  
Thomas Lans
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Opportunity Recognition ◽  
Sustainable Entrepreneurship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Farmer Groups ◽  
Agricultural Entrepreneurship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the emerging literature on sustainable entrepreneurship by studying knowledge, motivation and early stage outcomes of sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship in the context of farmer groups in Burundi. Design/methodology/approach Quantitative and qualitative data were combined in a multiple-source case study. Data were analyzed using content analysis and basic statistics. Findings Results revealed that farmer groups’ prior knowledge (PK) on environmental sustainability is better developed than their social and economic sustainability. This is reflected in the environmental sustainability part of the business plans (BPs), which is generally better than the economic and social sustainability parts. Moreover, the top groups on PK identified opportunities directly related to their PK. Pro-activeness of the group was a more determining factor than risk taking and innovativeness. Furthermore, there seemed to be a positive interplay between the groups’ PK, entrepreneurial orientation and knowledge motivation (KM) and the quality of the sustainable BP. In particular, KM seemed to be important, but other variables also explained the quality of the BP, such as level of education. Originality/value This research fills a gap in literature because there are few empirical studies on agricultural entrepreneurship that focus on the earliest phase of opportunity recognition, let alone studies that focus on sustainable opportunity recognition in the context of emerging economies such as Burundi. Furthermore, in this research, the authors studied well-known knowledge, motivations and outcomes of sustainable entrepreneurship.

scholarly journals Implementing environmental practices within the Greek dairy supply chain

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (9) ◽  
pp. 1995-2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijeet Ghadge ◽  
Merilena Kaklamanou ◽  
Sonal Choudhary ◽  
Michael Bourlakis
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Environmental Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainability Performance ◽  
Green Practices

Purpose Food supply chain (FSC) in Greece is dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who face several challenges in adopting green practices. The purpose of this paper is to identify the key drivers and barriers influencing the environmental performance of SMEs within the Greek dairy supply chain (SC). Design/methodology/approach Descriptive research methodology attempts to prioritize the drivers and barriers for improving the environmental sustainability performance. Analytical hierarchy process and sensitivity analysis are used to understand the complex nature of the influencing factors. Findings The analysis identifies five barriers and six drivers for the implementation of green practices within the dairy SC. While external drivers significantly influence the market structure and logistics network, government, competitors and customers are the driving factors for improving environmental performance. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to filling the literature gap on key factors influencing the implementation of green practices within the FSC. The identified influential factors will contribute toward building a framework for improving sustainability performance within the Greek dairy SC. Practical implications The study is expected to benefit the Greek and European SMEs by driving their environmental practices within the perishable SC network. Originality/value The paper provides directions for researchers, practitioners and policy makers in understanding the challenges for implementing green practices in the dairy SC. The holistic approach followed in this paper is a building block for a conceptual framework on implementing environmental sustainability within the FSC. Apart from contributing to the current literature by extending the research horizon to SMEs’ green adoption capability, this study also provides better understanding of the pivotal role of internal and external key factors in influencing sustainability performance.

Environmental sustainability in logistics and freight transportation

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 775-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gino Marchet ◽  
Marco Melacini ◽  
Sara Perotti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Freight Transportation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Journal Title ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Third Party Logistics ◽  
Sustainability Initiatives

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to categorise the research on environmental sustainability in logistics and transportation on the basis of the main themes and study methods and proposes directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – The review is based on 72 papers published from 1994 to 2011 in international peer-reviewed journals. The academic papers were analysed and categorised according to both their defining characteristics (i.e. year of publication, journal title, regions addressed, and research methodology adopted) and the themes tackled. Five key themes were examined: sustainability initiatives, reasons for adoption, benefits achieved following adoption, critical issues and barriers to adoption, and the evaluation and measurement of environmental initiatives. Findings – While many studies have addressed the issue of environmental sustainability within the supply chain as a whole, papers focusing specifically on environmental sustainability within logistics and freight transportation are fewer and relatively more recent. Although researchers have started to examine the decision-making process involved in environmental sustainability adoption in recent years, many themes, such as sustainability evaluation and measurement, and the level of adoption of sustainability initiatives in the context of the third-party logistics (3PL) industry are under-represented in the literature. As far as the methodology is concerned, our review revealed that many articles are either conceptual papers or empirical studies (i.e. mostly based on surveys or case studies), while simulation and analytical modelling have rarely been addressed. Research limitations/implications – While efforts were made to be all-inclusive, some research efforts may have inadvertently been omitted. However, the authors believe that this review provides an accurate representation of the body of research on environmental sustainability in logistics and transportation published during the specified timeframe, and that the resulting assessments are reliable. Originality/value – The paper offers a guide to the previous research on this topic and identifies the most important issues that need to be addressed in future research.

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