A relational, transformative and engaged approach to sustainable supply chain management: The potential of action research

Abstract

Please note: Changes made as a result of publishing processes such as copy-editing, formatting and page numbers may not be reflected in this version. For the definitive version of this publication, please refer to the published source. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite this paper.This version is being made available in accordance with publisher policies. See http://orca.cf.ac.uk/policies.html for usage policies. Copyright and moral rights for publications made available in ORCA are retained by the copyright holders.A relational, transformative and engaged approach to sustainable supply chain management:The potential of action research Anne Touboulic and Helen Walker AbstractThis paper describes how action research (AR) can advance sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) research. Most SSCM research is empirical and little attention has been paid to reflecting upon how research is conducted in the field. Current research fails to make links with ideas of relationality, change and engagement proposed in broader sustainability research. We propose to address this gap by discussing how AR could help address current challenges in SSCM. The paper explores the proponents and application of AR as a relevant methodology for knowledge development in the field, based upon a critical analysis of SSCM and AR, including a review of previous AR studies and insights from a research project in which AR was applied. Particular emphasis is put on exploring the links between the sustainability dimension of SSCM and the foundations and practice of AR. The paper does not reject other methodological approaches, but it shows that the pragmatic orientation of AR is particularly suitable for an applied field such as SSCM where problems are often messy, cross-disciplinary and essentially concerned with the flourishing of individuals and organisations. Our paper has broader implications for interorganisational research.

Analyzing Supply Chain Uncertainty to Deliver Sustainable Operational Performance: Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Modeling Approaches

“…In addition, supply chain uncertainty should encourage collaborative efforts within the partners that would contribute to better operational performance [83], future research should incorporate the supply chain collaborative dimensions in the model. Touboulic and Walker suggested sustainable supply chain management is emerging as an applied field of knowledge and due to its' applied orientation, an action research approach would be more meaningful [84]. By nature, the problems in the supply chain are often inter-disciplinary and concerned with the impact on society and business, at large.…”

Green supply chain management – food for thought?

“…The reviewed literature indicates that scholars have used different terminologies to comprehend GSCM over the period of time, for instance, cleaner SCM , Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) (Linton et al, 2007;Seuring and Müller, 2008;Gold et al, 2010;Ahi and Searcy, 2013;Beske et al, 2014;Touboulic and Walker, 2015), environmental SC (Jabbour et al, 2015), green practices of SC (Azevedo et al, 2011), and socially responsible SC (Hoejmose et al, 2013). Many scholars have tried to define GSCM from various perspectives.…”

“…Sustainable or green Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been an ever increasingly researched area for decades (Sarkis, 2012;Touboulic and Walker, 2015) and a key challenge for companies and supply networks (Vachon and Klassen, 2006;Azevedo et al, 2011;Kuei et al, 2015). Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), which incorporates environmental thinking into SCM activities, has gained popularity in the academia (Laosirihongthong et al, 2013;Zhu et al, 2013) due to environmental degradation, increased CO 2 emissions and climate change threatening human existence and natural inhabitants (Hoskin, 2011).…”

“…In addition, the recent horse meat scandal in the UK (Touboulic and Walker, 2015) has triggered a massive corporate storm throughout the SC of every company, food supply networks in particular, to make SCs more transparent and more visible in order to achieve consumers' confidence and to avoid reputational damage (Carter and Rogers, 2008). Food SCs, in one way or another, significantly depend on SMEs.…”

Beyond brokering: Sourcing agents, boundary work and working conditions in global supply chains

“…For suppliers in developing economies, GSCs have created both opportunities (e.g., economic upgrading and employment) and challenges (e.g., meeting the strict demands and standards of their powerful buyers) (Touboulic and Walker, 2016). Suppliers face especially strict scrutiny in maintaining and improving working conditions, mainly because of many issues in developing countries that may prevent them from meeting required standards.…”