Journal ArticleDOI
Towards socially sustainable supply chains – themes and challenges
TLDR
In this paper, the authors explore and classify the pattern of themes and challenges in developing socially sustainable supply chains and identify four categories of themes, namely, human-centric, focal organization, supply chain-centric and governance-centric.Abstract:
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to explore and classify the pattern of themes and challenges in developing socially sustainable supply chains.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology is based on a systematic review of the peer-reviewed literature to explore what major themes and challenges have been discussed and the significant gaps where opportunities for further research can be found.
Findings
In total, four categories of themes were identified, namely, human-centric, focal organization-centric, supply chain-centric and governance-centric. Challenges were classified into seven categories, namely, inadequate and asymmetric knowledge, difficulties of operationalization, shifting the values, subjectivity in evaluation, governance complexity, difficulties of small- and medium-sized enterprises and sustainability fade.
Research limitations/implications
The focus of the article is on the social pillar of sustainable development in the context of supply chains. A more holistic systematic investigation of synergy of all the three pillars/bottom lines of sustainable development (economic, environmental and social) can be an opportunity for further research.
Practical implications
Taking a more holistic view of the pattern of currently discussed themes and challenges may be beneficial in increasing the absorptive capacity of industrial and business practitioners, by accumulating and assimilating external knowledge, when they design and operationalize innovative strategies in developing sustainable supply chains.
Originality/value
This article may increase awareness about the social responsibilities of supply chains actors and stakeholders in different scales. It may also guide managers, decision makers and practitioners to better understand the difficulties, obstacles or dilemmas that can hinder the sustainable development of supply chains. The results section presents a framework driven from the emerged themes, and the discussion section provides propositions for tackling the challenges and opportunities for further research.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Blockchain: case studies in food supply chain visibility
Michael Rogerson,Glenn Parry +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated how blockchain has moved beyond cryptocurrencies and is being deployed to enhance visibility and trust in supply chains; its limitations, and potential impact, and provided empirical evidence that blockchain provides visibility of exchanges and reliable data in fully-digitised supply chains.
Journal ArticleDOI
Social sustainability tensions in multi-tier supply chain: A systematic literature review towards conceptual framework development
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed 129 research papers published in different journals and attempted to identify drivers, issues, barriers, tensions, practices, and performances related to social sustainability in multi-tier supply chains.
Journal ArticleDOI
Supply chain sustainability: A tertiary literature review
C. L. Martins,Margarida Vaz Pato +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a systematic review of 198 surveys published between 1995 and 2018 to answer three research questions: which are the existent literature reviews on supply chain sustainability, what are their methodological features, and what are the main objectives and subject matters.
Journal ArticleDOI
How does social sustainability feature in studies of supply chain management? A review and research agenda
TL;DR: A systematic literature review of 109 studies on social sustainability in supply chain management is presented in this paper, with a particular focus on micro-level and in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Journal ArticleDOI
Advancing social sustainability in supply chain management: Lessons from multiple case studies in an emerging economy
TL;DR: In this article, the authors analyze why and how focal companies implement and manage social sustainability in their supply chains and find that intrinsically motivated social sustainability initiatives in supply chains led focal companies to adopt supply chain structural collaborations, while extrinsically motivated social initiatives were more strongly connected with information exchange only.
Related Papers (5)
From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management
Stefan Seuring,Martin Müller +1 more
Management of social issues in supply chains: a literature review exploring social issues, actions and performance outcomes
A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory
Craig R. Carter,Dale S. Rogers +1 more