Sustainable Supply Chains

2019 ◽  
pp. 115-129
Author(s):  
Janine M. Pierce ◽  
Donna M. Velliaris
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Ethical Practices ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chains ◽  
Sustainability Standards ◽  
Partnership Networks

Supply chains provide many challenges to organizations relating to ethical practices at all levels of the supply chain in an often non-transparent environment, with different operator values through different geographic and cultural locations. Considerations are discussed relating to the link between ethics and brand success, challenges and risk issues relating to ethical supply chains, the role of partnering with others in the supply chain, and the friend or foe consideration of NGOs. The importance and value of bodies such as the UN Global Compact and ACSI to comply with sustainability standards and achieve accreditation as a double benefit strategy for being a responsible organization, as well as enhancing brand, are highlighted. The values of certification and partnership networks are emphasized, with concluding reflections on how partnerships and strength in ethical supply chain are dependent on the need to have every link in the chain be ethical and transparent.

scholarly journals Sustainable Practices in the Supply Chain under the UN Global Compact perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bárbara Modesto Da Silva ◽  
Denise Helena Lombardo Ferreira ◽  
Marcos Ricardo Rosa Georges
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Green Supply Chain ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chain ◽  
Focus Attention ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Global Compact ◽  
Un Global Compact ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chains

The purpose of this paper is to identify and anlyze the practices found in the supply chain in order to verify how the sustainable supply chains follow the guidelines proposed by the UN Global Compact. Using a systematic review of the literature, based on the Elsevier-Scopus database and a time-cut from 2013 to 2018, sustainable supply chain practices were analyzed under the UN Global Compact perspective. With the aim of analyzing researches from national and international publications, the following keywords were used: sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and green supply chain management (GSCM). National and international papers were considered for this study within the period from 2013 to 2018. This time cut was essential because of the need to focus attention on recent and current publications. The practices were stratified according to the four pillars that underpin the ten principles of the UN Global Compact. We can observe significant results with respect to the Environment (72%), followed by Labor (15%), Human Rights (9%) and Anti-Corruption (3%) and their corresponding quantities.

Modern slavery in supply chains: insights through strategic ambiguity

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-101
Author(s):  
Joanne Meehan ◽  
Bruce D. Pinnington
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Supply Chains ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Modern Slavery ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess whether firms' transparency in supply chain (TISC) statements indicate that substantive action is being taken on modern slavery in UK government supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThe authors analyse 66 of the UK government's strategic suppliers' TISC statements and 20 key documents related to the policy intent of the UK Parliament, 2015 TISC requirements. Qualitative document analysis identifies what suppliers say they are doing and what they are not saying to provide novel insights into how firms employ ambiguity to avoid timely action on modern slavery in their supply chains A set of propositions are developed.FindingsThe authors elaborate the concepts of time and change in socially sustainable supply chains and illustrate how firms use ambiguity in TISC statements as a highly strategic form of action to defend the status quo, reduce accountability and delay action for modern slavery within supply chains. The authors identify three ambiguous techniques: defensive reassurance, transfer responsibility and scope reduction that deviate from the policy intention of collaborative action.Social implicationsThe results illustrates how ambiguity is preventing firms from taking collaborative action to tackle modern slavery in their supply chains. The lack of action as a result of ambiguity protects firms, rather than potential victims of modern slavery.Originality/valuePrior research focuses on technical compliance rather than the content of firms' TISC statements. This qualitative study provides novel insights into the policy-resistant effects of ambiguity and highlights the dynamic and instrumental role of modern slavery reporting. Theoretically, we identify accountability as an essential concept to address the causes of modern slavery in supply chains and for developing collaborative supply chain environments to tackle the issues.

AI technologies and their impact on supply chain resilience during COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Modgil ◽  
Shivam Gupta ◽  
Rébecca Stekelorum ◽  
Issam Laguir
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Weak Links ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Supply Chain Resilience

PurposeCOVID-19 has pushed many supply chains to re-think and strengthen their resilience and how it can help organisations survive in difficult times. Considering the availability of data and the huge number of supply chains that had their weak links exposed during COVID-19, the objective of the study is to employ artificial intelligence to develop supply chain resilience to withstand extreme disruptions such as COVID-19.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a qualitative approach for interviewing respondents using a semi-structured interview schedule through the lens of organisational information processing theory. A total of 31 respondents from the supply chain and information systems field shared their views on employing artificial intelligence (AI) for supply chain resilience during COVID-19. We used a process of open, axial and selective coding to extract interrelated themes and proposals that resulted in the establishment of our framework.FindingsAn AI-facilitated supply chain helps systematically develop resilience in its structure and network. Resilient supply chains in dynamic settings and during extreme disruption scenarios are capable of recognising (sensing risks, degree of localisation, failure modes and data trends), analysing (what-if scenarios, realistic customer demand, stress test simulation and constraints), reconfiguring (automation, re-alignment of a network, tracking effort, physical security threats and control) and activating (establishing operating rules, contingency management, managing demand volatility and mitigating supply chain shock) operations quickly.Research limitations/implicationsAs the present research was conducted through semi-structured qualitative interviews to understand the role of AI in supply chain resilience during COVID-19, the respondents may have an inclination towards a specific role of AI due to their limited exposure.Practical implicationsSupply chain managers can utilise data to embed the required degree of resilience in their supply chains by considering the proposed framework elements and phases.Originality/valueThe present research contributes a framework that presents a four-phased, structured and systematic platform considering the required information processing capabilities to recognise, analyse, reconfigure and activate phases to ensure supply chain resilience.

scholarly journals The Role of Intent-Based Networking in ICT Supply Chains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mounir Bensalem
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Network Management ◽  
Network Systems ◽  
Supply Chain System ◽  
System P ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
Heterogeneous Nature ◽  
General Architecture

The evolution towards Industry 4.0 is driving the need for innovative solutions in the area of network management, considering the complex, dynamic and heterogeneous nature of ICT supply chains. To this end, Intent-Based networking (IBN) which is already proven to evolve how network management is driven today, can be implemented as a solution to facilitate the management of large ICT supply chains. In this paper, we first present a comparison of the main architectural components of typical IBN systems and, then, we study the key engineering requirements when integrating IBN with ICT supply chain network systems while considering AI methods. We also propose a general architecture design that enables intent translation of ICT supply chain specifications into lower level policies, to finally show an example of how the access control is performed in a modeled ICT supply chain system.

scholarly journals Assessment of behavioral factors influencing cooperation in logistics

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetiana Kolodizieva
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Behavioral Approach ◽  
Dual Relationships ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Social

The article explores theoretical and methodical aspects of managing dual relationships that arise between participants in logistic cooperation in the process of formation and functioning of supply chains. The use of a behavioral approach to defining supply chains has allowed identifying and justifying the priority role of behavioral factors that influence modern logistics entities and determine the effectiveness and long-term satisfaction with logistics cooperation. Given the literature summary, the study has classified types of cooperation in logistic activity and proved that among the behavioral factors influencing the of logistical cooperation efficiency, the trust is of particular importance, which remains a limitation, a bottleneck in the process of formation and development of dual relationships in logistics chains. It is proposed to introduce a generic indicator, namely the level of confidence in the supply chain to assess the social, economic and strategic aspects of logistics interaction. A methodological approach to assessing the level of trust in logistic cooperation was adjusted based on determining the composition of criteria that directly affect this indicator and using the expert survey of supply chain participants. The study proposes to use the confidence indicator to form and improve networks and supply chains, taking into account its value when constructing a generalized outsourcing model.

Strategic Inventories Under Supply Chain Competition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Li ◽  
Yanzhi Li ◽  
Ying-Ju Chen
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Distribution Channel ◽  
Problem Definition ◽  
Supply Chain Competition ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Holding Cost ◽  
Inventory Holding ◽  
Period Model

Problem definition: We consider the effects of strategic inventory (SI) in the presence of chain-to-chain competition in a two-period model. Academic/practical relevance: Established findings suggest that SI may alleviate double marginalization and improve the efficiency of a decentralized distribution channel. However, no studies consider the role of SI under chain-to-chain competition. Methodology: We build a two-period model consisting of two competing supply chains, each with an upstream manufacturer and an exclusive retailer. The retailers compete on either price or quantity. We characterize the firms’ strategies under the concept of perfect Bayesian equilibrium. We consider cases where contracts are either observable or unobservable across supply chains. Results: (1) SI still exists under chain-to-chain competition. Retailers may carry more inventory when the competition becomes fiercer, which further intensifies the supply chain competition. (2) Different from the existing findings, SI may backfire and hurt all firms. Interestingly, firms may benefit from a higher inventory holding cost. (3) Under supply chain competition, the prisoner’s dilemma can arise if competition intensity is intermediate; in other words, manufacturers are better off without strategic inventory, and yet they cannot help allowing strategic inventory, which is the unique equilibrium. Managerial implications: Despite its appeal among firms of a single supply chain, the role of SI is altered or even reversed by chain-to-chain competition. Conventional wisdom on SI should be applied with caution.

IT-Based Classification for Supply Chain Coordination Mechanisms

2013 ◽  
pp. 148-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fereshteh Ghahremani ◽  
Mohammad Jafar Tarokh
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Supply Chain Coordination ◽  
Coordination Mechanisms ◽  
Effective Solution ◽  
New Classification ◽  
Role Of It

Managing dependencies via coordination is an effective solution for the problems that arise from these interdependencies in supply chains. This can be practical via a set of methods called coordination mechanisms. Numerous coordination mechanisms have been discussed before in literature. This paper develops a new classification of these mechanisms on the basis of information technology (IT) impact on them. This classification proves the important role of IT in better coordinating supply chains and help managers distinguish between coordination mechanisms that are created and improved by information technology and thus lead them to have the best choice based on their infrastructures and organization type.

Supply Chain Management in Retailing Business

2017 ◽  
pp. 197-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasin Galip Gencer
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Retail Management ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Sustainability Research ◽  
Challenging Environment ◽  
Retailing Business

Supply chain management is receiving increased attention as means of becoming competitive in a globally challenging environment. As its use is rising in several businesses, we have focused on SCM in retailing business. The concept of ethics has become more critical for companies. In this paper, ethics and sustainability in retailing are also examined. Sustainability has received more attention in retail management. Sustainability related issues have been discussed for many years and the term sustainability has received increased attention in research since the last two decade. This paper brings an overview of past and current sustainability research in retail applications for examining retailing and sustainability relevance. The paper considers role of retailers in supply chains through an extensive analysis of sustainability examinations in different research areas relevant to retail supply chains. Ultimately, the study is exampled from retailing businesses and it is concluded by further discussions.

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