Building on Carter and Jennings' (2002a,b, 2004) seminal works on socially responsible purchasing and logistics, this multinational study investigates the extent to which socially responsible supplier selection (SRSS) is associated with customer firms’ financial performance in three key world economic regions. We collect and utilize a unique dataset consisting of a total of 479 manufacturing, retail, and service provider firms operating in three distinct national cultures: China, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America. Based on an exploratory empirical analysis, we observe evidence that, overall, firms that consider social responsibility aspects during the supplier selection process enjoy financial performance advantages versus rivals. However, model comparisons across the studied countries reveal differential outcomes of SRSS by region. Our findings aid supply chain managers by linking SRSS to commonly expected outcomes within these important national settings.

W orld population growth and increased consumption stemming from economic leveling are leading to scarcity of a number of natural resources on a global scale. Scarcity of critical natural resources such as oil, water, food, and precious metals has the potential to greatly impact commercial activity as the twenty-first century progresses. The challenge of continuing to provide needed goods and services in the face of these constraints falls to supply chain managers, who are ultimately responsible for delivering utility to customers. Unfortunately, there has been almost no research focused on supply chain strategies aimed at mitigating natural resource scarcity's (NRS) potential effects. The current research positions NRS as a supply chain risk and proposes an NRS typology based on key resource attributes. Supply chain mitigation strategies to counter each resource status are offered, with an overall objective of improving supply chain performance. The study recommends future research aimed at further developing theory and methods for countering NRS based on resource, systems and behavioral theories. In addition, this study has critical implications for practitioners faced with the growing threat of NRS in their supply chains.

Despite myriad attempts by supply chain managers and exhortation by scholars, many firms remain insufficiently integrated across internal functional areas. Supply chain management research has hinted that the difficulty may be due to social dynamics occurring within and between organizational departments (i.e., organizational politics) and the perceptions thereof held by employees. This study examines whether perceptions of organizational politics held by firm employees negatively impact internal integration directly, or indirectly via inhibiting the firm's supply chain orientation. Based on social exchange theory and social influence theory, the research also assesses whether the potentially harmful impacts of political perceptions on internal integration are/can be mitigated by employees' perception of the political skill of the top supply chain management executive-a person charged with ensuring the firm's supply chain will function successfully. The findings of a broad managerial survey conducted within the U.S. retail industry suggest that perceptions of organizational politics within organizations do directly influence internal integration. Furthermore, the relationship between organizational politics and supply chain orientation is impacted when the top supply chain executive is perceived to be politically skilled.

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the dynamics and dimensions of behaviors of supply chain employees that may impede the success of supply chain relationships. Design/methodology/approach – A grounded theory qualitative method was used to explore the concept of counterproductive work behavior in a supply chain context. Findings – Through analysis and evaluation of the data, five key supply chain counterproductive work behaviors (avoiding, withholding, emoting, confounding, and shifting) emerged. Overall, these behaviors are associated with perceived contract breaches, which undermines trust within supply chain relationships. Research limitations/implications – This work provides a basis for researchers to explore counterproductive work behaviors within supply chain management and managers to consider these behaviors in relational exchange. Future research can build on the insights provided here by applying quantitative methods to exploring the phenomenon and investigating counterproductive behaviors from the actor's perspective. Originality/value – This research provides an overarching framework for relationship management behaviors that may detract from supply chain relationships. Research has previously explored these types of behaviors in a segmented fashion. This work takes a comprehensive look at behaviors and through evaluation of the data, relational and informational contract breaches emerge. The data suggests these contract breaches may undermine the trust within supply chain relationships.

A number of highly publicized, controversial lapses in social responsibility within global supply chains have forced managers and scholars to reexamine long‐held perspectives on supplier selection. Extending Carter and Jennings’ department‐level study of purchasing social responsibility, our research assesses the role of supply managers’ ethical intentions and three key antecedents that drive socially responsible supplier selection. Comparing evidence from firms operating in China, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, we identify three key drivers of supply managers’ ethical intentions and examine both their direct and indirect impacts on socially responsible supplier selection. We find differential support for the predictor relationships on supply manager ethical intentions across national contexts and mediated versus nonmediated models. These observations bear important implications for firms conducting global supply management.