Analysing critical success factors to implement sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry: a case study

The aim of this article is to analyse the critical success factors (CSFs) behind the successful implementation of sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry. Supply chain sustainability is a critical and timely topic for the developing country like India that captures increasing concerns over sustainability, whether driven by current legislation, public interest or competitive opportunity. Identification of CSFs responsible for sustainable supply chain practices and evaluating their contextual relationships has the potential to affect future government policy, current production operations and identify new business models. In response to this, this paper intends to identify CSFs based on organisational theory and model them to implement sustainable supply chain practices in Indian automobile industry. Twenty-five CSFs to implement sustainable supply chain practices based on organisational theory are recognised by means of the literature review and in discussions with experts in one case study organisation. A solution methodology based on the interpretive structural modelling (ISM) technique is used to propose a structural model, which not only helps in understanding the contextual relationship among these CSFs, but also in determining their interdependence to implement sustainable supply chain practices. Further, the importance of CSFs has been determined based on their driving and dependence power using MICMAC analysis. Our overarching thesis is that the insights gained are useful for Indian automobile industry and would help practitioners, regulators and academicians to focus their efforts towards implementation of sustainable supply chain practices.     

Critical success factors and green supply chain management proactivity: shedding light on the human aspects of this relationship based on cases from the Brazilian industry

Abstract

By applying the resources-based view (RBV) theory to green management, this study aims to analyse the relationship between critical success factors (CSFs) and the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices for some Brazil-based manufacturers of automotive batteries considered focal in their supply chains. It also analyses how human issues, known as green human resource management (GHRM) aspects, can help to increase the effectiveness of CSFs for GSCM strategies that are still not totally well-managed, justifying a RBV perspective. This research assumes that firms tend to be in different stages of GSCM development (more strategic or less strategic) and tests four research propositions to determine whether more proactive GSCM is related to higher levels of effectively managed CSFs. Three focal companies that operate in the Brazilian automotive battery industry were studied. Research results suggest that more proactive GSCM practices correlate to more effectively managed CSFs and to a greater support from GHRM. We argue that managers with a clear GHRM strategy will have more success in GSCM adoption, using more green training, green recruitment and selection, green performance evaluation and employee rewards.     

Sustainable supply chain practices: an empirical investigation on Indian automobile industry

The purpose of this research study is to analyze sustainable supply chain (SSC) management practices for Indian automobile industry and to identify the critical factors for its successful implementation. Despite the fact that SSC has been frequently promoted as a means of improving business competitiveness, little empirical evidence exists in the literature validating its positive link with organizational performance. Sustainable supply chain practices (SSCP) not only help in reducing environmental degradation but it also has social and economic implications (as per tipple bottom line approach). For this purpose, empirical data is collected to measure the SSCP prevailing in Indian automobile industry. A structural equation modeling technique is used to build the measurement and structural models. Later, statistical estimates are used to validate the model that has been built. The data analysis helps to determine whether to accept or reject the hypothesis that has been stated based on the structural model. The result shows how SSCP are correlated and help in improving the supply chain performance among the industries being surveyed. It is also observed that environmental and social performance have a positive relationship with economic performance.     

Modelling critical success factors for sustainability initiatives in supply chains in Indian context using Grey-DEMATEL

Sustainability assists organisations to enhance ecological, financial and societal performances of their entire supply chains. The present paper uncovers the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for effective adoption of sustainability initiatives in the supply chain in Indian context. Fifteen CSFs for the successful adoption of sustainability initiatives were identified and finalised firstly from the literature and followed by expert inputs. A methodology based on Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) was used to envisage the organisation of complex causal relationships between the recognised CSFs. ‘Government Legalisation’ has been found to be the most influential factor and ‘Community Welfare and Development’ is most easily influenced factor. A multiple case example of three automotive companies operating in India is conducted. To the end, some important policy measures and recommendations are proposed to help practicing managers and government bodies to adopt and effectively manage the concepts of sustainability oriented supply chains in India.     

Evaluating barriers to implementing green supply chain management: An example from an emerging economy

Abstract

This study proposes a fuzzy-based VIKOR (VIseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) framework for evaluating barriers to implementing green supply chain management (GSCM) in the context of an emerging economy. The methodology uses a mix method approach combining literature review and opinions of some selected managers from the plastic industry of Bangladesh to identify four main-barriers and twenty-five sub-barriers relevant to GSCM implementation. Fuzzy-VIKOR approach was applied to aid in the analysis of the barriers in the plastic industry of Bangladesh. The findings of the study show the order/rank of intensity and severity of the main-barriers to implementing GSCM practices in the plastic industry of Bangladesh as follows: ‘inadequate knowledge and support’, ‘insufficient technology and infrastructure’, ‘financial constraints and unsupportive organizational’ and ‘operational policies’. The results also show the rankings of the sub-barriers under each main barriers. This research contributes to the literature in a number of ways. First, it identifies multi-levels of barriers to GSCM implementation. Secondly, it identifies and proposes alternative action plans (strategies) to help mitigate and implement GSCM practices. Though this study has significant contributions, a number of limitations do exist. The barriers in this study were identified using the extant literature review and industrial managers’ opinions. A more scientific approach and empirical validation is required, especially in the plastic manufacturing industry of Bangladesh to identify more new challenging barriers. However, this study can provide managers with a better understanding of the barriers to implementing GSCM practices and motivate the researchers to further extend the investigation on the insights for developing strategic plans for implementing GSCM practices in the plastic industry of Bangladesh.     

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.     

Enhancing competitive advantage by constructing supply chains to achieve superior performance

This paper studies the impact of configuring supply chain design strategies on performance using real-world example of aligning different supply chain practices to supply chain strategies to achieve competitive advantage. The paper first carries out a synthesis of literature categorising the supply chain strategies, practices and linking them to contexts and competitive advantage. The paper then uses a case study methodology to explore the process of adjusting supply chain strategies and aligned practices to gain competitive advantage in different contexts. The paper reports two case examples of a leaf tobacco company and a mosquito coil manufacturer from India facing different demand characteristics and implementing different supply chain strategies for enhancing performance objectives. Both companies faced a change in their business environment and competitive priorities. In both the examples, companies used a combination of practices for implementing appropriate supply chain strategies to gain competitive advantage. This paper contributes to the academic discipline of supply chain management through developing theory showing the transition of supply chain strategies for achieving superior performance in different business environments. The paper has wide managerial implications by reporting real-life implementation of different supply chain strategies thus bridging the practice-theory gap.     

绿色供应链管理的研究进展及趋势

环境问题的突显使得制造业需要从系统角度以集成方法进行环境管理,绿色供应链管理是提升环境管理效率的重要手段.较详实地介绍国内外有关绿色供应链管理的研究进展,在此基础上分析了现有研究的特征、研究趋势及有待深入研究的问题.     

Improving innovation performance through environmental practices in the fashion industry: the moderating effect of internationalisation and the influence of collaboration

In recent years, the scientific literature on supply chain management has increasingly debated on environmental sustainability as well as collaboration, presenting these issues as an important source of innovation along the supply chain. By combining literature streams on environmental sustainability, supply chain collaboration and innovation at the supply chain level, this paper aims to analyse whether the adoption of environmental sustainability practices and collaboration along the supply chain implies better innovation performance, in terms of differentiation from the competitors for higher quality, product or process. The paper also investigates whether the internationalisation, in terms of both production and distribution activities, negatively moderates this relationship. The study focuses on the fashion industry, and a survey of major Italian fashion companies was conducted. The main results of the research clearly show the positive impact of these practices on innovation performance. The paper also proves the existence of a moderating effect exerted by internationalisation on the relationship between environmental sustainability and innovation performance.     

Critical success factors of medical technology supply chains

This paper investigates Critical Success Factors that affect the performance of organizations involved in Medical Technology supply chains (MTSCs) in Germany. The Medical Technology sector in Germany is considered an innovative, fast-growing and promising industry, being third behind the USA and China as the biggest market in the world, worth 29.9 billion euros in 2017. MTSCs in this country are under pressure from health service funding and cheaper imports, primarily from China. Consequently, supply chain success is of high importance and OEM operational improvements are critical. This exploratory study involved a multiple case study approach where 15 OEMs within German MTSCs were investigated. Following within-case and cross-case analysis, empirical results led to the development of testable propositions, which constitute a foundation for further research investigation. The findings show that there are six, prioritized Critical Success Factors for MTSCs that include sales and operations planning, product development process and quality and compliance. These findings challenge existing assumptions about Critical Success Factors within MTSCs, providing practitioners with strategies showing that re-prioritized CSFs should improve the operational performance of OEMs.     

Prioritizing lean supply chain management initiatives in healthcare service operations: a fuzzy AHP approach

The objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of practitioners/experts about the prioritisation of healthcare performance measures and their relationship with lean supply chain management (LSCM) practices. The study will also prioritise the drivers and resources required to implement LSCM in a healthcare operations context. The prioritisation is based on the relative weights of various initiatives on a range of performance measures. Twenty-four LSCM initiatives were identified using a comprehensive literature review. Q-sort method was used to divide those initiatives into four categories. Fuzzy AHP was then used to prioritise the four categories based on relative weight of importance of each category on three different performance dimensions. The result shows that continuous improvement is a dominating LSCM initiative in increasing operational and financial performance, while enterprise alignment/integration is a dominating initiative in enhancing organisational image and operational performance. However, lack of homogeneity among LSCM initiatives suggests that there is a need for careful consideration when implementing them in healthcare organisations. Furthermore, customer needs and the influence of competitor’s actions are the most important drivers to encourage hospitals to adopt an LSCM strategy. This is one of the first studies to examine the prioritisation and ranking of LSCM constructs on performance within the context of the healthcare industry.     

Firm-level correlates of emergent green supply chain management practices in the Chinese context

Greening the supply chain is increasingly a concern for many business enterprises and a challenge for logistics management in the 21st century. Of particular concern is how to arouse organizational environmental awareness and put environmental activities into practice in the logistics activities of their supply chains. This paper investigates the correlation of two major factors, organizational learning and management support, with the extent of adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) practices in Chinese manufacturing firms, where their inbound and outbound logistics activities are potential polluters to the environment. Organizational and operational learning was derived from the firm's experience with programs such as total quality management and environmental management systems. Management support included support for GSCM ideas and practices from top and middle-level management and cooperation across organizational functions. We find significant positive relationships between organizational learning mechanisms, organizational support and the adoption of GSCM practices, after controlling for a number of other influences including regulations, marketing, supplier, cost pressures, industry levels of the relevant practice and organizational size. Implications of our findings on logistics management are discussed.     

Critical success factors of TQM: A select study of Indian organizations

In the context of TQM, it is essential that the organizations identify a few key critical success factors, which should be given special attention for ensuring successful implementation of TQM program. The concept of critical success factors (CSFs) and their use in supporting planning efforts was originated from the approach associated with the development and implementation of management information systems. This paper represents a review of the literature on CSFs and supported by various philosophies of TQM. Such factors are considered as conducive to the success of TQM implementation. Based on an exploratory study of Indian organizations engaged in manufacturing and services, CSFs have been identified.     

Supply chain integration framework using literature review

Definitions and measures of supply chain integration (SCI) are diverse. More empirical research, with clear definition and appropriate measures are needed. The purpose of this article is to identify dimensions and variables for SCI and develop an integrated framework to facilitate this. A literature review of the relevant academic papers in international journals in Logistics, Supply Chain Management and Operations Management for the period 1995–2009 has been undertaken. This study reveals that information integration, coordination and resource sharing and organisational relationship linkage are three major dimensions for SCI. The proposed framework helps integrate both upstream suppliers and downstream customers with the focal organisation. It also allows measuring SCI using both qualitative and quantitative approach. This study encourages researchers and practitioners to identify dimensions and variables for SCI and analyses how it affects the overall supply chain (SC) performance in terms of efficiency and responsiveness. Although there is extensive research in the area of SCI, a comprehensive and integrated approach is missing. This study bridges the gap by developing a framework for measuring SCI, which enables any organisation to identify critical success factors for integrating their SC, measures the degree of integration qualitatively and quantitatively and suggest improvement measures.     

Environmental and social supply chain management sustainability practices: construct development and measurement

The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise and operationalise the concept of supply chain management sustainability practices. Based on a multi-stage procedure involving a literature review, expert Q-sort and pre-test process, pilot test and survey of 156 supply chain directors and managers in Ireland, we develop a multidimensional conceptualisation and measure of social and environmental supply chain management sustainability practices. The research findings show theoretically sound constructs based on four underlying sustainable supply chain management practices: monitoring, implementing systems, new product and process development and strategy redefinition. A two-factor model is then identified as the most reliable: comprising process-based and market-based practices.     

Prioritising indicators in improving supply chain performance using fuzzy AHP: insights from the case example of four Indian manufacturing companies

Abstract

In this contribution, we aim to prioritise the indicators to enhance the organisational supply chain’s (SC) effectiveness from an industrial perspective. It will help industries to develop strategies for managing the SC effectively and ensuring improvement in performance continuously. To achieve this, this work proposes to use a two-phase research methodology. First, 36 SC performance improvement indicators are recognised from a literature survey and from field and industrial expert’s inputs. Secondly, a structural model is proposed using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritise the indicators strategically to improve the SC performance. The fuzzy AHP method helps determine the priority of concerns of the identified indicators under fuzzy surroundings. Inputs in this research are taken from four ancillary Indian plastic manufacturing firms. Research findings indicate that collaborations and information exchange dimension indicators obtained the highest priority in improving SC performance. The model proposed is considered very useful for the SC managers/practitioners/decision-makers to understand better and distinguish the essential SC performance improvement indicators and to take systematic decisions specifically to improve the performance of business in a SC context. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the priority ranking of the indicators.     

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.     

汽车市场中租赁渠道对传统零售渠道的影响

在零售与租赁混合渠道供应链中,占主导地位的单个汽车制造商向单个零售商和单个租赁商分别销售产品,然后零售商在零售市场销售产品,租赁商在租赁市场出租产品。在两周期设置下根据制造商是否向租赁商提供回购合同,将渠道结构划分为独立式、冲突式和回购式三类,并分析了租赁渠道对传统零售渠道的影响以及对制造商的启示。     

Sustainable planning strategies in supply chain systems: proposal and applications with a real case study in fashion

Abstract

Pollution generated by the fashion industry drives people to pay attention to fashion companies’ sustainability practice. This increase in attention has induced vast literature studying the related area. Since the fashion apparel supply chain is complicated which involves a lot of interrelated steps and decisions, how fashion companies can identify the demand in sustainable fashion and make the right decision in resource allocation throughout the supply chain becomes a critical issue. As a result, this paper examines how a fashion company can develop a successful sustainable planning strategy throughout the sustainable fashion supply chain. The sustainability attributes and the sustainable planning strategy mechanism are also discussed. Based on the institutional theory and resource-based theory, we first analyse the external pressure and internal motivations for companies to adopt a sustainable planning strategy in the fashion supply chain. We then identify the core stakeholders related to the sustainable planning strategy and propose how the decision-making theory can help develop the sustainable supply chain management mechanism. Next, we establish a sustainable planning strategy framework. Finally, via a case study with public data on the fashion giant brand Nike, we explore the application of our proposed sustainable planning strategy framework. The finding suggests that the strategic planning of fashion companies on sustainability can improve the performance of the stakeholders throughout the whole sustainable fashion supply chain.     

基于统计分析的中国制造业绿色供应链管理动力研究

随着资源紧缺和环境的恶化,绿色供应链管理作为循环经济在企业层面的实践,已成为制造业实现可持续发展的重要战略.借鉴国内外文献及环保专家的意见,设计问卷进行调研;借助社会科学统计软件SPSS,通过因子分析识别出中国制造业实施绿色供应链管理的压力/动力主因子;结合国内外相关情况探讨影响因子的作用机理,从而提出中国制造业绿色供应链管理的动力模型;最后提出企业开展绿色供应链管理实践的对策建议.