Lean and green in the transport and logistics sector – a case study of simultaneous deployment

The transport and logistics sector is of vital importance for the stimulation of trade and hence the economic development of nations. However, over the last few years, this sector has taken central stage in the green agenda due to the negative environmental effects derived from its operations. Several disciplines including operations research and sub-areas of supply chain management such as green supply chains, green logistics and reverse logistics have tried to address this problem. However, despite the work undertaken through these disciplines, theoretical or empirical research into the sequential or simultaneous deployment of the lean and green paradigms, particularly, in the road transport and logistics sector is limited. This paper presents a case study where both paradigms have been combined to improve the transport operations of a world leader logistics organisation in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico. To do this, a systematic methodology and a novel tool called Sustainable Transportation Value Stream Map (STVSM) were proposed. The results obtained from the case study indicate that the concurrent deployment of the green and lean paradigms through such methodology and the STVSM tool is an effective approach to improve both operational efficiency and environmental performance of road transport operations. The paper can be used as a guiding reference for transport and logistics organisations to undertake improvement projects similar to the one presented in this paper. Additionally, this research also intends to stimulate scholarly research into the application of lean and green paradigms in the transport and logistics sector to expand the limited research pursued in this area.     

Conceptual framework for measuring carbon footprint in supply chains

Over the last few years, the fight against climate change has become one of the main topics of international debate. Hence, consumer behaviour has begun to change as they have started to assess the environmental impacts of the products and services they buy. Although various methods exist for measuring environmental (e.g. carbon) impacts, there is no international consensus about the most appropriate one. In addition, calculations can also be affected by limited data availability and uncertainty surrounding the value of key variables. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for measuring and analysing the carbon footprint in supply chains. This research contributes to the knowledge and practice of green supply chain management, at the corporate level, by providing robustness. This aids the decision-making process by identifying strategies in order to reach the efficiency that can be achieved by reducing CO₂ emission over the supply network. The framework is validated using real data from a supply chain belonging to the agro-industrial sector. Finally, these results and experience is generalised in order to show the difficulties and challenges in the measuring task.     

A structural analysis of greening the supplier,environmental performance and competitive advantage

A clear research need has been identified to confirm the structural relationships between greening the supplier, enhanced environmental performance and improved competitive advantage, to provide an impetus for firms to green their suppliers. A mail survey was conducted and empirical data of 119 ISO 14001 manufacturing firms in Malaysia was gathered for this study. Structural equation modelling technique was applied in this research article. Results from the analysis, reveal the existence of a positive and significant linkage between green suppliers with both environmental performance and competitive advantage. At the same time, environmental performance has also been shown to positively and significantly affect competitive advantage; while environmental performance plays a partial mediating role between greening the supplier and competitiveness. Such significant finding is especially essential for the manufacturing sector registered with ISO 14001 who intend to enhance their environmental performance and carve a niche competitive edge in the business arena.     

Green product supply chain contracts considering environmental responsibilities

Environmental sustainability has become an important metric for assessing the success of supply chain management. We study several cooperation contracts within a green product supply chain and investigate their environmental performance. Stakeholders’ environmental responsibilities are considered in a two-echelon supply chain in which consumers are environmentally conscious, a manufacturer designs and produces a green product, and a retailer promotes the green product in its marketplace through green marketing. This problem is analyzed and modeled under three contracts in order of increasing cooperation level: price-only, green-marketing cost-sharing, and two-part tariff contracts. The analytical results show that cooperation among partners can help the supply chain achieve environmental improvements. Cooperating contracts are valuable in practice because consumers are now paying more attention to sustainability and have become more environmentally conscious. A counterintuitive but interesting result is that cooperation may not always profitably benefit all partners; manufacturing becomes more profitable when the manufacturer shares the green-marketing cost with the retailer, whereas the retailer is worse off under the cost-sharing contract than under the price-only contract. This result is more significant when consumers’ green awareness increases. The results on social-welfare performance show that the supply chain’s social welfare increases with the increase of the supply chain’s cooperation level.     

基于不确定理论的绿色供应链最优决策研究

将产品成本以及市场需求函数中的参数视为不确定变量,研究一个由制造商和零售商组成的两级绿色供应链在不确定环境下的最优产品定价和绿色度水平决策问题。分析制造商和零售商在非合作博弈下的三种均衡模式：制造商与零售商分别占主导地位时的Stackelberg均衡,以及制造商与零售商具有同等权力时的Nash均衡,并利用不确定理论给出各均衡模式下的最优策略。最后,通过数值算例对三种模式下的最优策略进行比较分析,研究表明,考虑市场环境的不确定性可以增加制造商和零售商的利润。对于制造商和零售商来说,其分别主导的Stackelberg均衡是最优的,而对于消费者而言,制造商和零售商具有同等权力时的Nash均衡策略为最优策略。此外,降低绿色产品投资系数的不确定性程度也可以提高制造商和零售商的利润。     

零售商主导下促进绿色产品需求的联合研发契约协调研究

针对绿色环保产品价格过高,阻碍其成为主流消费品这一现实问题,在绿色经济背景下,探讨零售商向负责绿色研发成本投入的制造商提供不同联合研发契约时的供应链均衡策略和协调问题。以零售商主导的双边垄断型绿色供应链为研究对象,在考虑消费者环保意识、产品绿色度水平、价格等多种因素影响需求的基础上,分别探讨批发价契约、成本分担契约和两部制契约对绿色产品需求、供应链成员利润及渠道利润的影响。结果表明,成本分担契约无法实现供应链成员利润的Pareta改进;一定条件下,两部制契约可以实现供应链成员利润的双赢,并提高绿色产品的市场需求。此外,虽然消费者环保意识的提高并不总是会带来绿色产品市场需求的增加,但却总是会使得绿色供应链的利润提高;并且较高的消费者环保意识将激励企业追求一个较低的绿色成本系数,从而促使企业积极进行绿色技术创新努力。     

政府激励政策下人造板绿色供应链谈判-协调机制研究

当前我国人造板产业面临效率低下、资源浪费和环境污染等问题,上下游企业缺乏合作与协调。本文界定了人造板绿色供应链系统,运用契约理论和纳什谈判理论,分别构建了政府激励政策下人造板绿色供应链集中优化决策、分散均衡决策和谈判协调决策模型,从而建立了相应的收益分享-成本分担契约谈判协调机制,并基于相关行业和企业经验数据,与传统人造板供应链进行了对比数值分析。研究结果表明:(1)收益分享-成本分担契约谈判-协调机制能够很好地实现人造板绿色供应链的协调运营,提高资源效率,降低环境负影响和提升运营绩效。(2)人造板绿色供应链管理模式下供应链及其成员的最优利润均高于传统管理模式,谈判协调决策情形下供应链及其成员的最优利润均高于分散均衡决策情形。(3)制定有"门槛"的增值税即征即退政策和适当的环境税政策,自建经济林场、选用经济型枝桠材,强化技术研发和工艺改进,有助于提高人造板供应链运营绩效。     

考虑政府补贴和公平关切的双渠道绿色供应链决策研究

基于一个制造商和一个零售商组成的双渠道绿色供应链,建立Stackelberg博弈模型,对比分析政府不补贴和政府补贴两种情形下零售商公平关切对供应链最优定价、绿色度决策及供应链成员利润的影响。结果表明：政府不补贴时,零售商公平关切增强会降低产品批发价格、销售价格和绿色度,减少制造商利润;零售商利润则随着其公平关切增强既存在增加也存在减少的情况,具体与产品绿色化效率有关。相比之下,政府补贴时,产品绿色度更高,制造商和零售商的利润更大;零售商公平关切增强可以增加制造商和零售商的利润,但并不影响产品销售价格、绿色度和社会福利。基于此,政府补贴不仅能够增加供应链利润,还能协调零售商公平关切对产品定价与绿色度决策的影响。     

Emerging Practice in Responsible Supply Chain Management: Closed‐Pipe Supply Chain of Conflict‐Free Minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo

Minerals originated from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are blamed for financing violent conflict in the area over the past decade and have been called conflict minerals. They vividly demonstrate a key human rights issue facing responsible supply chain management. The conflict minerals issue has led to a significant shift in responsible supply chain management in two ways: extending producer responsibility to respect human rights in the total supply chain through establishing traceability and transparency; and developing legally binding supply chain responsibility. This article examines an emerging effort to source conflict‐free minerals using closed‐pipe supply chain in the DRC as a new strategy to respond to the above paradigm shift. By exploring whether this new strategy can contribute to conflict prevention in the DRC, this article argues that the closed‐pipe supply chain allows building long‐term relationship with various stakeholders and has the potential to transform socio‐economic structures in the producing communities, thereby leading to peacebuilding in the long run.     

Integrating sustainable supply chain practices with operational performance: an exploratory study of Chinese SMEs

Abstract

With growing regulatory and market pressure to implement green practices, SMEs are facing enormous challenges to simultaneously improve operational and green performances of their supply chains. The paper aims to understand the green practices adopted by Chinese SMEs in the packaging sector in order to assess the impact of these practices in improving the operational performance. Case study-based research methodology is adopted and semi-structured interviews are conducted to collect data from seven SMEs in this study. Both in-case and cross-case analyses are performed to understand the green practices being adopted with the focus on improving the operational performance. The findings of this study indicate that although most SMEs understand the importance of green practices, they have limited knowledge to integrate these practices to improve operational performance. Integration and alignment of green activities with the operational improvement measures are identified as critical factors to develop an efficient green supply chain.     

考虑产品绿色度的绿色供应链博弈模型及收益共享契约

本文以一个制造商和一个零售商组成的二级绿色供应链为背景,建立了考虑产品绿色度的四种绿色供应链博弈模型:以制造商为主导的Stackelberg博弈模型、以零售商为主导的Stackelberg博弈模型、制造商和零售商的Nash均衡博弈模型以及集中控制模型。对四种博弈模型在产品绿色度、产品价格以及批发价格等方面进行了比较分析,并进一步建立了收益共享契约下的博弈模型。通过数值仿真探讨了收益共享系数对产品绿色度、制造商利润和零售商利润的影响。     

Green supply chain performance measurement using the analytic hierarchy process: a comparative analysis of manufacturing organisations

The main purpose of this research is to develop and deploy an analytical framework for measuring the environmental performance of manufacturing supply chains. This work's theoretical bases combine and reconcile three major areas: supply chain management, environmental management and performance measurement. Researchers have suggested many empirical criteria for green supply chain (GSC) performance measurement and proposed both qualitative and quantitative frameworks. However, these are mainly operational in nature and specific to the focal company. This research develops an innovative GSC performance measurement framework by integrating supply chain processes (supplier relationship management, internal supply chain management and customer relationship management) with organisational decision levels (both strategic and operational). Environmental planning, environmental auditing, management commitment, environmental performance, economic performance and operational performance are the key level constructs. The proposed framework is then applied to three selected manufacturing organisations in the UK. Their GSC performance is measured and benchmarked by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a multiple-attribute decision-making technique. The AHP-based framework offers an effective way to measure and benchmark organisations’ GSC performance. This study has both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically it contributes holistic constructs for designing a GSC and managing it for sustainability; and practically it helps industry practitioners to measure and improve the environmental performance of their supply chain.     

Drivers and Enablers That Foster Environmental Management Capabilities in Small‐ and Medium‐Sized Suppliers in Supply Chains

The limited capabilities and resources available within many small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises frequently hamper an effective response to environmental pressures, which in turn hurts large buying firms (i.e., customers). Using a case study method with multiple suppliers of two large buying firms, we mapped factors that initiated and improved environmental capabilities in small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises over time. Through several specific mechanisms, buyers' green supply chain management initiated and then enabled the improvement of suppliers' environmental capabilities. Independent of buyers, internal championing of environmental concerns also provided an impetus for small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise suppliers to acquire resources outside the supply chain. Thus, synergistic linkages emerged in supportive buyer‐supplier relationships, resource acquisition, and capability development. When these findings are combined with earlier research on larger suppliers, an integrative framework emerges that provides direction for suppliers, buyers, and public agencies seeking to improve environmental performance.     

信息技术治理影响分销渠道敏捷的机理研究

如何获取供应链敏捷是信息系统和运作管理领域共同关注的热点和前沿问题。然而，当前研究主要关注供应链流程柔性或信息技术柔性对于供应链敏捷形成的作用，忽视了供应链环境中如何通过IT治理来实现供应链的分销渠道敏捷。基于IT治理和IT-商务战略匹配理论，本文构建了一个有调节的中介模型来实证研究IT治理、企业间电子商务战略匹配（知识匹配和运作匹配）和环境动荡性影响渠道敏捷的机理。通过对209家被调查企业的数据分析发现：IT治理通过知识匹配和运作匹配对渠道敏捷产生积极正向影响；环境动荡水平越高，运作匹配所发挥的中介作用越强；环境动荡性在IT治理和知识匹配之间存在负向调节作用，而在知识匹配和渠道敏捷之间存在正向调节作用。本文通过融合IT治理和IT-商务战略匹配理论，揭示了焦点企业和渠道伙伴的IT治理对渠道敏捷的作用机理，为供应链敏捷理论贡献新知。     

Green supply chain management practices in India: an empirical study

This paper presents an empirical study of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in the Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in India. Although the research in the area of GSCM has grown in recent times, the literature has yet to furnish an accepted explanation for why green practices are to be manifested in supply chain management given external and internal pressures. These MSMEs have been involved in such green supply chain practices only to the extent of their participation as suppliers, distributors and in other capacities as business partners. This study confirms and validates that Indian MSMEs face significant pressures from external stakeholders to adopt GSCM practices. Among internal pressures, on-the-job training forces MSMEs in India to adopt GSCM practices. It has been also established that external pressures and adoption of GSCM are fully mediated by internal pressures.     

非平稳需求下考虑碳配额的供应链选址-库存模型与算法研究

针对非平稳需求下考虑碳配额的多期、多需求情景的三级供应链选址-库存问题，构建了库存策略（t，s，S）下供应链运营期望收益最大化的两阶段选址-库存随机优化模型，依据供应链企业不同着眼点下的决策流程，提出了一种三步骤的分层级启发式算法，该算法包含了选址导向和需求导向的两种子问题序贯求解模式。数值算例验证了在不同问题规模及需求类型下算法求解的有效性，同时分析了供应链网络设计、各成本占比和运营收益对不同供应链成本结构、需求不确定性与碳配额的敏感性，并给出了管理上的启示。     

市场导向下企业绿色管理行为的形成路径研究

随着市场经济体制的日臻完善,宏观环境因素对企业绿色管理行为的直接影响正在解构.已有研究表明,企业绿色管理行为实质上是市场机制下企业的自组织行为.基于此,本文剥离了宏观环境因素对企业绿色管理行为的影响,基于市场和企业互动关系的视角,从市场导向因素、企业内部因素和企业绿色管理行为三个角度,构建了企业绿色管理行为的形成路径模型.通过对我国东北地区302家企业的实证数据分析,验证了理论模型及相关假设,并提出了相应的公共政策建议.实证结果表明:(1)市场导向因素与企业绿色管理行为间并无直接关系,而是通过企业内部因素对企业绿色管理行为产生影响;(2)市场导向因素和企业内部各因素之间均存在着相互作用,从而明晰了市场导向下企业绿色管理行为的形成机理.     

Exploring the factors of achieving supply chain excellence: a New Zealand perspective

The objective of the paper is to analyse supply chain (SC) excellence from the practitioners’ perspective in the New Zealand (NZ) context. The extant literature does not focus on achieving this excellence with the contemporary factors of this dynamic field. The study is an exploratory one using the structured Delphi technique to understand the ground level experience of the practitioners on the constructs of supply chain excellence. In this paper, we have administered three poll rounds to gather insights from the SC practitioners on the various enablers and barriers that impact supply chain excellence in the NZ environment. Seven supply chain management constructs are explored for their relationships with barriers and enablers in achieving the excellence in supply chains. The outcomes reveal that the people relevant issues (i.e. SCM knowledge education and supply chain culture) are more significant than other technical and operational factors. However, the influences from specific NZ business environment issues become far less important than a few years ago. This paper seeks the integration of practice-based views with the academic supply chain literature and original contributions from the NZ context.     

成本分担契约下绿色供应链的环境标签策略选择研究

考虑自贴与认证两种环境标签策略,研究由一个制造商与一个零售商构成的绿色供应链的环境标签策略选择问题,并进一步分析成本分担契约对绿色供应链决策的影响。研究表明,当消费者绿色意识或信任度提高时,制造商与零售商的绿色努力水平均会提升,但消费者绿色意识的增强对制造商并不是总是有利的,认证标签策略下制造商的利润会随消费者绿色意识的增加而下降;从标签选择来看,制造商总会倾向于选择自贴标签策略,尤其在制造商成本分担契约下可获得最高利润,但零售商在认证标签下的利润反而更高;从契约协调的效率来看,成本分担契约可以提高供应链的绿色努力水平,促使制造商利润与整个社会福利的增加,但对零售商的利润并不一定有利,尤其在认证标签策略下,成本分担契约将会失效,而在自贴标签策略下,零售商成本分担契约可以实现对供应链的协调;从社会总福利来看,只有在消费者环境意识、信任度以及认证成本均较高时,自贴标签策略下的社会福利会高于认证标签策略,否则认证标签策略会更优。     

Application of a novel PROMETHEE-based method for construction of a group compromise ranking to prioritization of green suppliers in food supply chain

The food sector has a prodigious focus and is constantly gaining in importance in today’s global economic marketplace. Due to an increasing global population, society faces a greater challenge for sustainable food production, quality, distribution, and food safety in the food supply chain. Adopting green supply chain management (GSCM) elements is essential for utilizing the food supply chain in an environmentally benign way. As a solution to the above challenge, the economic and green characteristics for supplier selection in green purchasing are studied in this paper. For an organization, the evaluation and selection of the green supplier is a vital issue due to several tangible and intangible criteria involved. Accordingly, we apply multiple criteria decision aiding techniques.We propose a hybrid approach that combines the revised Simos procedure, PROMETHEE methods, algorithms for constructing a group compromise ranking, and robustness analysis. At first, the revised Simos procedure is used to derive the criteria weights. Next, the PROMETHEE method is applied to rank the suppliers according to each Decision Maker׳s (DM׳s) preferences. Then, the compromise ranking is constructed to minimize the distance of the individual׳s rankings from the solution adopted by the whole group. For this purpose, we introduce and apply some original procedures based on Binary Linear Programming. Finally, the results are validated against the outcomes of robustness analysis. The applicability and efficiency of the proposed approach is endorsed with a case study in an Indian food industry.