International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

John E. Bell; Diane A. Mollenkopf; Hannah J. Stolze

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-03-2012-0092

Purpose – This research aims to provide a theoretical framework for exploring how firms can respond to the growing threat of natural resource scarcity. Specifically, the role of closed‐loop supply chain management is examined as a means for creating resource advantages that can lead to marketplace competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach – The research extends previous theoretical research, integrating natural resource scarcity and closed‐loop supply chain management for the first time. Resource‐advantage theory is employed as the theoretical lens for the research model and propositions. Findings – The findings deepen understanding of the forces that create natural resource scarcity conditions in the supply chain, and highlight the need for higher order closed‐loop capabilities that have the ability to mitigate natural resource scarcity. Research limitations/implications – The theoretical model and six research propositions suggest relationships between natural resource scarcity, closed‐loop capabilities, and firm level performance that need to be tested empirically. Future research opportunities and methodologies are suggested. Practical implications – Growing natural resource scarcity is already having a major impact on many firms and industries; therefore, this research has significant managerial implications due to supply risks and potential disruptions caused by insufficient natural resources in current and future supply chains. Originality/value – This paper seeks to increase discussion about natural resource scarcity and bring it into focus as a relevant supply chain topic related to closed‐loop supply chain capabilities and the internal firm level resources needed to ensure performance in a changing world.

Anu Bask; Merja Halme; Markku Kallio; Markku Kuula

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-03-2012-0081

Purpose – Consumer values increasingly favor sustainable development in products and services, thereby fostering the need to develop new operational and managerial practices that support sustainability in supply chain management. The purpose of this study is to identify relevant product features related to sustainable development in this context, and use the choice of mobile phone as an example in measuring their importance. Design/methodology/approach – The study used two different methods (qualitative and quantitative) in two phases. First it organized focus‐group discussions in order to identify the features of sustainability that affect the choice of a mobile phone. The most significant features served as a starting point for the choice of attributes to be included in the final step, choice‐based conjoint analysis (CBC), which assesses respondents' value functions by means of latent class clustering. Between the two major phases it carried out two additional pre‐tests in order to reduce the number of attributes. Findings – The results provide fundamental information concerning the relative importance of sustainability features in the selection of a mobile phone. The study identified four different clusters of purchasers: updaters, budgeters, environmentalists, and long‐life users. According to the findings, some consumers are willing to pay a premium for sustainability features. The authors discuss the potential implications of the results in the context of supply chain design. Originality/value – The literature on supply chain management tends to see the consumers as a “black box”. This paper reports the first results of opening this box by linking the supply chain perspective to consumer choice behavior.

David E. Cantor; Paula C. Morrow; James C. McElroy; Frank Montabon

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-03-2012-0071

Purpose – This study seeks to explore the roles of organizational support and environmental manager commitment on organizational environmental management practices. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of environmental managers was conducted to examine the role of organizational support and individual environmental commitment on key informant perceptions of environmental organizational practices including participation in extra‐organizational voluntary environmental programs, adoption of a company‐specific environmental management system (EMS), and involvement in ISO 14000 certification. Findings – Study findings demonstrate that high perceptions of organizational support for the environment affect the likelihood of an organization's implementation of environmental practices. Similarly, study findings indicate that higher levels of environmental commitment of the individual responsible for environmental management practices affects the likelihood of an organization's implementation of environmental practices. Lastly, the statistical results provide evidence that high organizational support and high personal commitment by an environmental champion interact to enhance the implementation of environmental practices. Originality/value – This study represents the first development and empirical testing of a model of how organizational support for environmental practices and environmental managers' commitment to such endeavors affect the adoption of environmental practices by organizations. Additionally, the research illustrates how theoretical perspectives from the organizational behavior literature can be fruitfully adopted to explain behavior in the field of supply chain management.

Taih‐cherng Lirn; Yen‐Chun Jim Wu; Yenming J. Chen

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-04-2012-0134

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to measure a port's green performance. The literature is reviewed and a survey is carried out to identify major green port performance indicators and to evaluate three major ports' overall green performance in Asia. Indicators located in the critical quadrants with a high degree of importance and low degree of performance are identified and resources are suggested that can be employed to improve the ports' overall sustainability performance effectively. Design/methodology/approach – Port performance indicators are reviewed to select the green‐related ones by a session of brain storming with academicians from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the shipping discipline. Selected indicators are used to design an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) questionnaire. The weight and degree of performance of each of the 17 green indicators among three major container ports are calculated by the data obtained from the AHP round survey respondents. Findings – Avoiding pollutants during cargo handling and port maintenance, noise control, and sewage treatment were perceived to be the three critical indicators by respondents in two of the three ports investigated. Among the three investigated ports, Shanghai port had the highest number of critical indicators to be improved. Air pollutants avoidance, encouraging the use of low‐sulphur fuel, and using electrically powered equipment were three of the five critical indicators found in Shanghai port, but not in the other two investigated ports in this study. Originality/value – The theoretical implications of this research are the development of a conceptual framework to measure the degree of importance of a set of green port performance indicators, and to provide a decision support system to help port authorities to evaluate their performance regarding the 17 green port performance indicators compared with that of other ports.

Xiaoyun Bing; Jim J. Groot; Jacqueline M. Bloemhof‐Ruwaard; Jack G.A.J. van der Vorst

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-04-2012-01134

Purpose – This research studies a plastic recycling system from a reverse logistics angle and investigates the potential benefits of a multimodality strategy to the network design of plastic recycling. This research aims to quantify the impact of multimodality on the network, to provide decision support for the design of more sustainable plastic recycling networks in the future. Design/methodology/approach – A MILP model is developed to assess different plastic waste collection, treatment and transportation scenarios. Comprehensive costs of the network are considered, including emission costs. A baseline scenario represents the optimized current situation while other scenarios allow multimodality options (barge and train) to be applied. Findings – Results show that transportation cost contributes to about 7 percent of the total cost and multimodality can bring a reduction of almost 20 percent in transportation costs (CO 2 ‐eq emissions included). In our illustrative case with two plastic separation methods, the post‐separation channel benefits more from a multimodality strategy than the source‐separation channel. This relates to the locations and availability of intermediate facilities and the quantity of waste transported on each route. Originality/value – This study applies a reverse logistics network model to design a plastic recycling network with special structures and incorporates a multimodality strategy to improve sustainability. Emission costs (carbon emission equivalents times carbon tax) are added to the total cost of the network to be optimized.

Patsy Perry; Neil Towers

2013 International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management

doi: 10.1108/IJPDLM-03-2012-0107

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify the inhibitors and drivers of CSR implementation in fashion garment manufacturing from a supply chain management perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study approach was adopted, using purposive sampling to select seven export garment manufacturers of varying size and business model in Sri Lanka. Primary data was collected through on‐site face‐to‐face interviews with managerial level and operational level informants within each company and through non‐participant observation within factory environments. Data analysis was conducted manually. Findings – Adopting SCM principles supports CSR implementation in supplier facilities in global fashion garment supply chains by overcoming the negative effects of retail buying practices. It also progresses supplier CSR performance beyond that which is achievable via a coercive, compliance‐based model by encouraging suppliers to be innovative and take ownership of the CSR agenda. Hence, aspects of supply chain relationship management may be more critical in progressing CSR implementation than traditional bureaucratic monitoring and auditing mechanisms. Practical implications – In an industry sector facing unique pressure on cost as well as lead time, fashion retailers must understand how to align CSR implementation with the unique competitive challenges of the sector. Analysing the success of CSR implementation in the Sri Lankan export garment manufacturing industry enables managers to identify barriers and supporting factors to CSR implementation in global fashion supply chains. Originality/value – This paper presents industry‐specific data from a key global garment manufacturing country on a commercially sensitive subject. Its contribution to extant literature is the development of a CSR framework that identifies inhibitors and drivers to CSR implementation from a fashion supply chain management perspective.