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Purpose -To make their supply chains more socially responsible, many companies are implementing supplier assessment tools and collaborative practices. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic literature review on the governance structures used to extend sustainability to suppliers. More specifically, the authors aim to answer two questions: "What is the impact of these mechanisms or governance structures on sustainable performance?" and "What are the enablers of these mechanisms?". Design/methodology/approach -A structured literature review is carried out that analyses published studies, evaluates contributions, summarises knowledge and identifies managerial implications and lines for further research. Findings -Both assessment and collaboration have a positive impact on environmental performance and corporate social responsibility, although the most recent collaborative paradigm stresses that assessment alone is not enough. Some enablers of these practices are identified. Research limitations/implications -Although the authors believe that the right search terms have been used, the choice of these terms could be a limitation of this study. Also, the selection of the articles could be considered subjective, although the papers were reviewed by two researchers. Practical implications -Supplier assessment and collaboration are effective in improving sustainability. However, the results also indicate that assessment alone is not enough. Firms also need to adopt a collaborative approach. Finally, a list of enablers to implement these practices is provided. Originality/value -The paper summarises knowledge related to the impact of supplier assessment and collaboration on sustainability, and describes the enablers of such initiatives, providing some managerial implications and lines for further research.

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Companies have reacted to the opportunities and threats of globalization through numerous production practices that have increased supply chain complexity. One of the ways companies have been able to manage this increased level of complexity is by integrating their supply chains. Logistical capabilities at the company level play a key role in integrating global supply chains, but logistical capabilities need not be company specific. In this study we explore the role of a country's logistical capabilities in external supply chain integration. Our results indicate that plants situated in countries with superior levels of logistical capabilities adopt significantly lower levels of external supply chain integration. Additionally, plants situated in countries with superior logistical capabilities do not gain the same performance benefits from external integration as plants situated in countries with relatively low levels of logistical capabilities.

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Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of supply chain integration in different contexts. More specifically, it aims to show that supply chain integration is only effective in buyer-supplier relationships characterised by high supply complexity. Design/methodology/approach -A survey-based research design is developed to measure different dimensions or aspects of supply chain integration and supply complexity. Data were collected among manufacturers in The Netherlands and Spain. Findings -This research shows that supply chain integration increases performance if supply complexity is high, while a very limited or no influence of supply chain integration can be detected in case of low supply complexity. The results also show that in high supply complexity environments the use of structured communication means to achieve supply chain integration has a negative effect on cost performance.Research limitations/implications -The limited sample size prohibits estimating and testing of more comprehensive models of the relationship between supply chain integration and performance. Specifically, the authors were not able to further investigate how different supply chain integration dimensions are inter-related and mutually reinforce one another to improve performance. Practical implications -The main managerial lesson is that, in contrast to what has been written in many books and other popular publications, high levels of supply chain integration are only necessary in environments characterised by high supply complexity. Originality/value -This study helps to better understand context in supply chain management research. Specifically, it investigates the moderating effect of supply complexity on the integration-performance relationship, a topic suggested by Bozarth et al. as a line for further research.