An Exploration of the Critical Risk Factors in Sustainable Telecom Services: An Analysis of Indian Telecom Industries

Different sources of risk factors can happen in sustainable supply chain management due to their complex nature. The telecommunication service firm cannot implement multiple improvement practices altogether to overcome the risk factors with limited resources. The industries should evaluate the relationship between risk factors and explore the determinants of improvement measures. The present study aims to analyses and identifies critical risk factors (CRFs) for enhancing sustainable supply chain management practices in the Indian telecommunication industry using the hybrid approach. The relationship among these CRFs has been analyzed by using fuzzy interpretive structural modelling (FISM) and Fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (FDEMATEL) methods to explore the relationships between them. The common result of the present study is that the risks government policies (laws and regulations) (R13) are the most affecting CRFs of the sustainable supply chain in telecom service. In addition, the risk factors illegal activities (e.g.2G scams) (R3), environmental pollution(R18) are indirectly affected by high driving power CRFs. Based on the results, the government could build justice, fairness, open laws, and certainties to prevent risk in the telecoms supply chain; service providers could monitor the rapidly evolving technologies. The contribution of this study is using a hybrid approach to establish a hierarchical structural model for an effective understanding of CRFs relationships and to explore decisive risk factors.

Purpose This paper seeks to contribute to the understanding of the impact of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices on sustainable performance and the further impact of sustainable performance on food safety assurance in Chinese food firms. The paper also aims to provide a new way to avoid the occurrence of food safety problems from the perspective of SSCM and so help food firms to achieve sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach This paper developed a conceptual model to investigate the impact of food firms SSCM practices on the firm performances while firm performances on food safety assurance. The primary data were collected from 162 Chinese food firms. The research models were tested using structural equation modeling on PLS smart 3.0. Findings The results show that SSCM practices have a positive impact on firm environmental performance and social performances. The environmental and social performance positively related to financial performance. Moreover, the sustainable performance positively affects the food safety assurance. Research limitations/implications Our results suggest that SSCM practices have a positive impact on a firm’s environmental and social performance, which in turn improves financial performance. Moreover, sustainable performance positively affects food safety assurance. Originality/value An SSCM practices model is proposed to empirically evaluate Chinese food firms. The results of this investigation support the hypotheses that SSCM practices are environmentally and socially friendly and are good to business, and the food safety assurance can be promoted by a food firm’s sustainability performance. We carried out a survey and research of SSCM in food industry and gave insights to food safety management.

At present, scholars have thought little of the drivers for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in developing countries. Drawing upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and Competing Value Framework (CVF) of organisational culture, this study investigates how the drivers for SSCM motivate Chinese firms to adopt SSCM practices and how such effects are moderated by organisational culture. The results of a survey of 209 firms in China suggest that the eight driving factors for SSCM have significantly impact on SSCM adoption. In addition, organisational culture plays different roles in the relationships between these three dimensions of the driving force and SSCM adoption. Team-based culture and hierarchy culture do not moderate the relationship between SSCM drivers and practices. Market-oriented culture positively moderates the relationship between subjective norm and SSCM practices and negatively moderates the relationship between perceived behavioural control (PBC) and SSCM practices. Active culture has positive moderating effect on the relationship between attitude and SSCM practices, as well as between subjective norm and SSCM practices, but has negatively moderating effect on the relationship between PBC and SSCM practices. The study provides meanings insights into the implementation of SSCM in the context of developing countries.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of food safety level on sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices and firm performance of the core firm of the food industry in China and we used data from 372 companies in the Chinese food supply chain for our research. Key informants evaluate their companies based on SSCM practices. The results were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that SSCM practices are very important for the food firms, since they can improve the food safety level and further enhance the firms' economic, environmental, and social performances. The authors also found out that the food safety mediates the relationship between SSCM practices and environmental and social performance, and that if a food firm wants to make SSCM practices impact on the economic performance, it must pay attention to the responsibility for food safety in the internal SSCM practices. A comprehensive SSCM practices and firm performance model done empirically in food firms is proposed in conjunction with the mediating role of food safety level in this paper to provide new ideas and management methods for Chinese food firms to develop more effective food safety management.

Purpose – Most sustainable supply chains are situated in dynamic environments, which leads to the assumption that management of such chains requires the application of dynamic management theories, such as the dynamic capabilities (DC) concept. In spite of this, DCs have only scarcely been taken up in (sustainable) supply chain management (SSCM) research. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to discuss the complementarities of DCs and SSCM research; and second, to develop a framework which integrates DCs in SSCM practices. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is conceptual in nature and grounded in SSCM and DC theory. Relevant literature from the SCM, SSCM and DC context has been scrutinized. In total, three models from SSCM and DC literature, together with related inputs from other literature sources, have been conjoined. Findings – DC and SSCM are linked through similar environmental and organizational conditions, making the application of DC concepts in the field of SSCM a logical choice. The framework embeds specific DCs into SSCM practices. Research limitations/implications – The presented framework is a step towards building an analytical basis for future empirical research in this area. Discussion on the nature of DCs is still going on, as well as on how to measure supply chain performance. The framework can only give indications and help in the theory building process. Furthermore, the underlying frameworks used for the development of the framework presented here have been derived through different methodologies and not all of them have, as yet, been (fully) empirically tested. Practical implications – Investment in DCs and implementation of SSCM practices improves the agility of the overall supply chain and can lead to higher performance against the three dimensions of sustainability. Originality/value – The paper is the first explicit framework linking SSCM and DC theory. The framework shows that the DC concept can be and indeed should be applied to SSCM research and practice. Furthermore, explicit DCs are put forward. It is a step towards building an analytical basis for future empirical research in this area.

When strategies matter: Adoption of sustainable supply chain management practices in an emerging economy’s context

PurposeAchieving sustainability within supply chain operations is widely considered to boost firms’ competitiveness and bottom line. Thus, researchers have examined the implications of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices on firm performance outcomes, albeit with inconclusive results. Also, significant unexplored gaps exist regarding the intervening role of supply chain integration (SCI). Anchored in the political economy theory, this study explored how different forms of SCI mediate the relationship between each of the triple-bottom-line (TBL) pillars of SSCM practices and firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe research model and associated hypotheses were tested using 455 survey data obtained from a cross-section of Ghanaian firms and the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique.FindingsThe results indicate that all the TBL dimensions of SSCM practices significantly and positively impact firm performance. Nevertheless, various forms of SCI mediate the link between SSCM practices and firm performance differently. Specifically, the findings reveal that customer integration and internal integration mediate the relationship between SSCM practices and firm performance. Supplier integration mediates the relationships between the economic and environmental aspects of SSCM practices and firm performance but not the relationship between the social dimension and firm performance.Originality/valueThis study fulfills a noteworthy literature gap by providing empirical evidence of the mediating role of SCI in translating SSCM practices into better firm performance, especially in the context of a developing country. Thus, it offers guidance for firms to leverage integration with strategic supply chain partners and implement SSCM practices effectively and, in turn, to ensure better performance.

Sustainable supply chain management practices in Indian automotive industry: A multi-stakeholder view

Analyzing the SSCM practices in the mining and mineral industry by ISM approach

The construction industry faces significant challenges in implementing sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices. This study explores the capability of big data analytics in enhancing SSCM in construction projects. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to identify the benefits, challenges, and barriers of adopting Big Data technologies in SSCM. The findings highlight the importance of big data analytics in improving supply chain visibility, reducing risks, and promoting sustainable practices. The study also identifies several challenges and barriers to the adoption of Big Data technologies in SSCM, including social, economic, and environmental concerns. The research provides insights into the role of big data analytics in driving SSCM in the construction industry. The study's findings have significant implications for construction companies, policymakers, and stakeholders seeking to improve the sustainability of their supply chains. By leveraging big data analytics, construction companies can enhance their SSCM practices, reduce their environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. This study contributes to the growing body of research on Big Data and SSCM in the construction industry.

Sustainable supply chain practices with reverse innovation in healthcare start-ups – A Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of institutional pressures, institutional logics and institutional complexity on Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices across mixed public and private sector supply chains.Design/methodology/approachMulti-case study data were collected from three tiers of food and catering supply chains: the customer/consumer tier; focal public sector UK Universities; and private sector suppliers/contractors.FindingsThe findings indicate that: normative and mimetic pressures are more prevalent in focal Universities, compared to suppliers; there is typically no single dominant logic across these supply chains; and the multiplicity of institutional logics (e.g. sustainability logic versus financial logic) increases institutional complexity. Therefore, in the typical case of homogeneity in terms of institutional pressures and logics, e.g. with a dominant sustainability logic throughout the supply chain, radical change in SSCM practices is facilitated. In contrast, in the more typical case when there is heterogeneity, with competing logics at different supply chain tiers, this limits SSCM to more incremental changes in practices.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is limited to three tiers of the food and catering supply chains of UK Universities.Practical implicationsTo aid in the successful implementation of SSCM, this study suggests a need for managers to develop an initial understanding of the prevailing institutional logics and pressures at different tiers of the supply chain.Social implicationsA number of the SSCM practices studied address social sustainability.Originality/valueNo previous studies have empirically investigated the impact of institutional complexity in the context of SSCM practices across supply chains, involving both mixed public and private sector organisations.

PurposeRecently, interest in sustainability has grown globally in the heavy vehicle and equipment industry (HVEI). However, this industry's complexity poses a challenge to the implementation of generic sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices. This study aims to identify SSCM's barriers, practices and performance (BPP) indicators in the HVEI context.Design/methodology/approachThe results are derived from case studies of four multinational manufacturers. Within-case and cross-case analyses were conducted to categorise the SSCM BPP indicators that are unique to HVEI supply chains.FindingsThis study's analysis revealed that supply chain cost implications and a deficient information flow between focal firms and supply chain partners are the key barriers to SSCM in the HVEI. This analysis also revealed a set of policies, programmes and procedures that manufacturers have adopted to address SSCM barriers. The most common SSCM performance indicators included eco-portfolio sales to assess economic performance, health and safety indicators for social sustainability and carbon- and energy-related measures for environmental sustainability.Practical implicationsThe insights can help HVEI firms understand and overcome the typical SSCM barriers in their industry and develop, deploy and optimise their SSCM strategies and practices. Managers can use this knowledge to identify appropriate mechanisms with which to accelerate their transition into a sustainable business and effectively measure performance outcomes.Originality/valueThe extant SSCM literature has focused on the light vehicle industry, and it has lacked a concrete examination of HVEI supply chains' sustainability BPP. This study develops a framework that simultaneously analyses SSCM BPP in the HVEI.

Commitment to and preparedness for sustainable supply chain management in the oil and gas industry

Purpose: The aim of this research paper is to significantly contribute to empirical research on the impact of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices on sustainable performances of firms, with the moderating effect of process innovation (PI), in the manufacturing sector in Pakistan. This paper also theorizes comprehensive SSCM practices and sustainable performance models of firms and evaluates them empirically. Two aspects of SSCM experiences have been integrated into the model: internal management and external management practices of a firm’s sustainability impact assessment. Research methodology: Using the data from 297 manufacturing firms in Pakistan, this research paper analyzes the influence of sustainable supply chain management practices on sustainable performances of firms with the moderation of process innovation in the said relationship. In this study, we used partial least-squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Results: The findings demonstrate that both internal management and external management SSCM practices have a positive and significant impact on a firm’s sustainable performance, thus supporting hypotheses (H1–H4). Moreover, process innovation as a moderator has a statistically significant relationship between hypotheses H5 and H5c. Originality: For Pakistani firms, comprehensive performance models of SSCM practices are proposed and empirically evaluated. The results of this study help to support the hypotheses that internal and external SSCM practices are necessary for the service sector. Process innovation plays an important role if managed and implemented properly. A number of internal and external SSCM approaches and implications are recommended, along with firm size as a moderator.