How has Japan become a major economic power, a world leader in the automotive and electronics industries? What is the secret of their success? The consensus has been that, though the Japanese are not particularly innovative, they are exceptionally skilful at imitation, at improving products that already exist. But now two leading Japanese business experts, Ikujiro Nonaka and Hiro Takeuchi, turn this conventional wisdom on its head: Japanese firms are successful, they contend, precisely because they are innovative, because they create new knowledge and use it to produce successful products and technologies. Examining case studies drawn from such firms as Honda, Canon, Matsushita, NEC, 3M, GE, and the U.S. Marines, this book reveals how Japanese companies translate tacit to explicit knowledge and use it to produce new processes, products, and services.

The knowledge-creating company : how Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation

Purpose – This research aims to extend the “collaborative paradigm” proposed by others in prior research beyond a supply chain's core operations. To date, this paradigm has generated relatively little empirical research on peripheral, non‐core areas such the natural environment. Antecedents (both plant‐level and supply chain characteristics) of green supply chain practices (GSCP) are examined. Among possible antecedents, prior research pointed to supply chain integration – both logistical (tactical level) and technological (strategic level) – as a potentially important determinant of green practices.Design/methodology/approach – Green practices are defined along the two dimensions of environmental collaboration and monitoring. The empirical analysis used data from 84 plants in North America surveyed in 2002. Validity and reliability of scales for new and existing constructs were assessed through factor analysis. Hierarchical linear regression was used to test the hypotheses for the antecedents of GSCP.Fin...

Extending green practices across the supply chain: the impact of upstream and downstream integration

Social identity theory and the organization

http://www.isihome.ir/freearticle/ISIHome.ir-21040.pdf

Stakeholder pressure and the adoption of environmental practices: The mediating effect of training

A comparative literature analysis of definitions for green and sustainable supply chain management

Purpose – This paper aims to describe what facilitates small and medium‐sized suppliers in participating in green supply chain initiatives. These initiatives are inter‐organizational initiatives attempting to improve environmental performance throughout the entire supply chain. This paper seeks to examine buyer green supply chain management practices, government involvement, and internal readiness of the suppliers themselves, as possible drivers.Design/methodology/approach – The research framework and hypotheses were examined by using a mail survey conducted in South Korea in 2005. The empirical analysis used data from 142 small and medium‐sized suppliers. Validity and reliability of the scales for the construct of interest were assessed through a factor analysis and Cronbach‐alpha test. To test the hypotheses for the drivers of suppliers' willingness to participate in green supply chain initiatives, hierarchical linear regression was adopted.Findings – The study finds that buyer environmental requirement...

Drivers for the participation of small and medium‐sized suppliers in green supply chain initiatives

The limited capabilities and resources available within many small- and medium-sized enterprises frequently hamper an effective response to environmental pressures, which in turn hurts large buying firms (i.e., customers). Using a case study method with multiple suppliers of two large buying firms, we mapped factors that initiated and improved environmental capabilities in small- and medium-sized enterprises over time. Through several specific mechanisms, buyers' green supply chain management initiated and then enabled the improvement of suppliers' environmental capabilities. Independent of buyers, internal championing of environmental concerns also provided an impetus for small- and medium-sized enterprise suppliers to acquire resources outside the supply chain. Thus, synergistic linkages emerged in supportive buyer-supplier relationships, resource acquisition, and capability development. When these findings are combined with earlier research on larger suppliers, an integrative framework emerges that provides direction for suppliers, buyers, and public agencies seeking to improve environmental performance.

Drivers and Enablers That Foster Environmental Management Capabilities in Small‐ and Medium‐Sized Suppliers in Supply Chains

With climate change emerging as one of the most important issues affecting the business circle, companies have begun considering the carbon issue in their overall strategic positioning. However, few studies have examined the corporate carbon strategies in developing and advanced developing countries, where climate change regulation is extensive and market uncertainty is relatively high. In addition, there has been growing interest among researchers and practitioners concerning the relationship between the carbon strategy and firm performance. This paper presents a framework for identifying the corporate carbon strategy. The cluster analysis of 241 Korean companies indicates six types of corporate carbon strategy: ‘wait-and-see observer’, ‘cautious reducer’, ‘product enhancer’, ‘all-round enhancer’, ‘emergent explorer’ and ‘all-round explorer’. This study empirically examines whether there are differences between these carbon strategy types in terms of the sector, firm size and firm performance. The results indicate a significant relationship between a firm's carbon strategy and its sector and size but a significant relationship between the carbon strategy and firm performance is not confirmed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Corporate Carbon Strategies in Responding to Climate Change

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a research framework to explore the change in corporate environmental strategy based on the resource‐based view of the firm and institutionalization theory and to present empirical evidence that illustrates how environmental strategy has changed.Design/methodology/approach – The framework and propositions are examined by using a longitudinal empirical analysis using mail surveys conducted in South Korea in 2001 and 2004.Findings – This paper shows that there is a trend in the change of environmental strategies, with companies shifting their environmental stance along the nonlinear and evolutive paths. In addition, top management attitude towards the environment and a firm's slack resources are found to be significantly related to environmental strategic change.Research limitations/implications – The research well reflects the changing social concern for environmental issues in Korea. This model can be applied to explain the change of corporate environmental strategy in...

The change in corporate environmental strategies: a longitudinal empirical study

Despite the importance of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), the question of how firms' voluntary carbon disclosure influences capital markets and shareholder value remains unanswered. Using the event study methodology with a sample of firms from the CDP Korea 2008 and 2009, this paper investigates market responses to firms' voluntary carbon information disclosure. The results suggest that the market is likely to respond negatively to firms' carbon disclosure, implying that investors tend to perceive carbon disclosure as bad news and thus are concerned about potential costs facing firms for addressing global warming. In addition, the study examines the moderating effect of frequent carbon communication on the relationship between carbon disclosure and shareholder value. The results suggest that a firm can mitigate negative market shocks from its carbon disclosure by releasing its carbon news periodically through the media in advance of its carbon disclosure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Su-Yol Lee

Papers

Drivers for the participation of small and medium‐sized suppliers in green supply chain initiatives

Drivers and Enablers That Foster Environmental Management Capabilities in Small‐ and Medium‐Sized Suppliers in Supply Chains

Corporate Carbon Strategies in Responding to Climate Change

The change in corporate environmental strategies: a longitudinal empirical study

Market Responses to Firms' Voluntary Climate Change Information Disclosure and Carbon Communication