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When Sustainability Becomes an Order Winner: Linking Supply Uncertainty and Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies

Author

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  • Federica Ciccullo

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Margherita Pero

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Jonathan Gosling

    (Cardiff Business School—Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK)

  • Maria Caridi

    (Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 20156 Milan, Italy)

  • Laura Purvis

    (Cardiff Business School—Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3EU, UK)

Abstract

This study investigates how to implement a sustainable supply chain strategy by choosing a set of sustainable practices while considering the strategic priority assigned to sustainability within a company’s competitive strategy (i.e., an order winner (OW), market qualifier (MQ) or desirable attribute (DA)). Therefore, two research questions arise: RQ1. What are the sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices adopted by companies under the different levels of priority assigned to sustainability (i.e., OW, MQ and DA)? and RQ2. How does supply uncertainty influence the choices regarding the SSCM practices to adopt or vice versa? We addressed these questions through a two-step methodology that includes 10 exploratory case studies in different industries and four explanatory cases in the furniture industry. Six research propositions are developed, and we show how some sustainable practices are common to all companies in the sample, while others are only applicable when sustainability is an MQ or an OW. Moreover, in contrast to the suggestion in the literature, we observed that companies with sustainability as an OW implement sustainability practices despite increasing exposure to supply uncertainty. However, when sustainability is a DA or an MQ, companies might implement sustainable practices with the aim of reducing supply uncertainty rather than for sustainability goals. The cases show that investment in these practices can trigger a transition towards a situation in which sustainability is an OW.

Suggested Citation

  • Federica Ciccullo & Margherita Pero & Jonathan Gosling & Maria Caridi & Laura Purvis, 2020. "When Sustainability Becomes an Order Winner: Linking Supply Uncertainty and Sustainable Supply Chain Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:15:p:6009-:d:390205
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Ehsan Shekarian & Behrang Ijadi & Amirreza Zare & Jukka Majava, 2022. "Sustainable Supply Chain Management: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Industrial Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-30, June.
    4. Yaoguang Zhong & Ivan Ka Wai Lai & Fangfang Guo & Huajun Tang, 2020. "Effects of Partnership Quality and Information Sharing on Express Delivery Service Performance in the E-commerce Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-19, October.

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