There is ample anecdotal evidence suggesting that firms can experience serious losses from social, ecological or ethical problems that exist in their supply chains. So far, however, research on supply chain risk management has largely neglected these sustainability issues. Most importantly, little is known about how sustainability issues manifest themselves as risks and how they create losses for focal firms. Without an in-depth understanding of this materialization process, conceptualizations of sustainability risks will remain vague and effective management frameworks cannot be developed. We address this important research gap by means of a transdisciplinary approach and provide a concise description of how sustainability issues in supply chains materialize as risks for focal firms. Building on this mechanism and drawing on stakeholder theory, we develop a conceptualization of sustainability risks which lays the basis for future investigations in this respective field. In addition, we devise a viable management concept for sustainability-related supply chain risks. The proposed concept can help firms to mitigate sustainability issues in global supply chains, thus making them less vulnerable to losses resulting from these risks. Its application will also foster sustainability standards within supply chains.

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Sustainability is an important topic in supply chain management research and practice. For buying firms, one of the most pressing challenges associated with sustainable supply chain management is that they frequently do not possess sufficient information on what is occurring in their complex supply chains, as demonstrated by numerous incidents lacking sustainability. Using eight in‐depth case studies across four industries and elaborating on information processing theory, we identify three forms of sustainability‐related uncertainty that each firm is facing in its supply chain. We refer to them as task uncertainty, source uncertainty, and supply chain uncertainty. The study shows that the extent to which these uncertainties translate into information processing needs depends on a newly identified boundary condition labeled uncertainty intolerance. With respect to the management of such information processing needs, prior research has pointed primarily at matching information processing needs with fitting information processing capacity and secondly at mitigating information processing needs with corrective measures. This study illuminates how some innovative firms occasionally employ a more radical sustainability‐driven supply chain modification mechanism. In doing so, this research exemplifies how sustainable supply chain management may eventually turn from an amendment to a firm's daily business to a decisive factor for shaping future supply chains. In addition, the study constitutes a nascent step to elevate information processing theory to the supply chain level.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to provide a sound basis to facilitate further research on innovation management at logistics service providers (LSPs). Design/methodology/approach -Content analysis of extant literature was undertaken and supplemented by conceptual deliberations. Findings -Future LSP-specific innovation research should be undertaken. While comparatively much knowledge on innovation management by LSPs does already exist, it is hardly integrated. More comprehensive studies of LSPs' innovation processes and systems are required.Research limitations/implications -The review is limited to articles written in English and published in academic journals from 1999 to mid-2009. This research should be supplemented by empirical research, in particular case studies. Practical implications -LSPs can compare their own innovation management concepts to the body of scientific knowledge presented here. As long as research does not take their specific context into account, LSPs are required to adapt more general concepts to their needs. Originality/value -This paper outlines theoretical features of a research stream on innovation management at LSPs. It integrates previous findings on LSPs' innovation management in a suitable framework, and it proposes an agenda for future research.

This paper investigates how changes in sustainability‐related conditions (SRCs) at a supplier influence buyers’ economic performance. Using a conceptual theory‐building approach and drawing on instrumental stakeholder theory, this research identifies four mediating effects through which suppliers’ SRCs affect buyers’ economic performance. The four mediating factors are purchasing costs, supply chain sustainability risk costs, cooperation benefits, and benefits stemming from spillovers of a supplier's self‐promotion. Purchasing costs exert a negative influence on buyers’ performance, whereas the other three factors contribute positively to performance. The study also suggests that the anticipation of performance effects which are salient to the buyer triggers efforts to improve the supplier's SRCs. This research makes several contributions. First, the study identifies and analyzes the causal pathways through which a supplier's SRCs influence buyers’ performance, thus contributing to the development of sustainable supply chain management theory. Second, the study helps buyers make better decisions about their suppliers. Finally, the study provides a conceptual platform for improved dialogue between stakeholders and buyers.