Marzenna Cichosz, Maria Aluchna, Ewa Sońta-Drączkowska and A. Michael Knemeyer
Organizational pursuit of sustainability in multi-tier supply chain systems operating in unpredictable environments is often associated with the emergence of paradoxical tensions…
Abstract
Purpose
Organizational pursuit of sustainability in multi-tier supply chain systems operating in unpredictable environments is often associated with the emergence of paradoxical tensions. This study aims to summarize and synthesize existing literature on managing various paradoxical tensions in supply chains (i.e. sourcing, making, delivering and reverse logistics) as organizations pursue sustainability transformation. It also strives to motivate new academic research inquiry into developing responses to sustainability paradoxes.
Design/methodology/approach
The study draws on a systematic literature review of 73 papers from the Web of Science database selected at the intersection of paradox, sustainability and logistics/ supply chain management (SCM). Applying paradox theory as a guiding lens, we investigate organizational strategies, practices and capabilities described in the literature to navigate sustainability paradoxes in supply chains.
Findings
The results assert that the success of sustainability transformation will depend on an organizational ability to recognize, accept and navigate paradoxical tensions in one's supply chain. This requires developing the dynamic capabilities of paradoxical leadership, strategic agility, innovativeness, collaboration with contextualization and governance. Successful sustainability transformation is not reliant on finding an optimal, final design but rather the continuous balancing of tensions inherent within or across the organizations that make up one's supply chain.
Practical implications
The research offers an integrative conceptual framework to guide organizations in navigating sustainability paradoxes in supply chains, embracing strategic, practice and capability levels. It also outlines opportunities for future research inquiries connected to this framework that are needed to build additional insight for addressing paradoxical tensions related to the pursuit of sustainable supply chain management.
Originality/value
This study takes a dynamic capabilities approach to navigating paradoxical tensions in pursuit of sustainable supply chain management.
Details
Keywords
Digitalisation is a key driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) to better understand the opportunities and challenges pertaining to digital transformation;…
Abstract
Digitalisation is a key driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) to better understand the opportunities and challenges pertaining to digital transformation; organisations adopt different approaches to dealing with digitisation. The purpose of this chapter is to explore the impact of Industry 4.0 on the procurement process re-engineering and its role within the area of supply chain management. Additionally, the research will examine barriers and challenges involved in the digitalisation of procurement and supply chains and how to overcome them. According to the findings, digitalisation of the procurement process can have several advantages, such as supporting complex decision-making processes and administrative tasks, focusing on strategic decisions and activities, transforming procurement into a strategic interface to support organisational efficiency, effectiveness and profitability and fostering the development of new business models. Furthermore, the study highlighted various influencing factors, challenges and the role of stakeholders impacting the digitalisation of procurement functions and supply chains.
Details
Keywords
Sweety Jamgade, Joseph Allen Fernando and Pranab J. Patar
Sustainable practice has become one of the most used terms these days; however, it has not been able to contribute 100% to the sustainability of the environment. The major…
Abstract
Sustainable practice has become one of the most used terms these days; however, it has not been able to contribute 100% to the sustainability of the environment. The major stakeholders, i.e. tourists who are familiar with this phrase and concept, are not even aware of the well-known green labels or certifications associated with the services they are availing as a part of responsible tourism. A lack of awareness or utter disregard for environment-friendly behaviours and sustainable practices will cause a systemic imbalance, leaving nothing for future generations. The above-mentioned circumstances necessitate that we develop a long-term plan to address the emerging global problems. This study will help stakeholders understand tourists' behavioural perspectives and lead them to demand and embrace sustainable practices. It can assist tourism professionals in understanding tourists' demands, behaviour and practices. The cultural and geographic background of tourists, most importantly the affordability and accessibility factors associated with the tourists, can have an impact on their behavioural perspectives. After analyzing the tourist's demands from this descriptive study, it is revealed that almost 76% of tourists would be more likely to demand and insist their tour operators for sustainable alternatives while 66% would opt for sustainable tour packages over comfortability. From the study, it was found that a maximum number of respondents suggested that the destinations should be kept clean by limiting the use of plastic bottles as a practice of responsible tourism.
Details
Keywords
Patricia Huddleston, Anna R. McAlister and Fashina Alade
This conceptual paper provides an overview of eye-tracking technology (ETT) as a process-tracing method to study children’s consumer behavior. This paper aims to provide a…
Abstract
Purpose
This conceptual paper provides an overview of eye-tracking technology (ETT) as a process-tracing method to study children’s consumer behavior. This paper aims to provide a literature review of the child as consumer-focused eye-tracking research, identifying theoretical and research gaps. This paper discusses the benefits, drawbacks and ethical implications of ETT and highlights opportunities and best practices for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper details eye movement and how ETT captures it. This paper delivers a typology of different approaches to eye-tracking research and presents information about ETT equipment and metrics. This paper also summarizes previous studies using eye tracking to study children. This paper concludes with research questions and topics for future research where ETT can be used to study child consumers in contexts such as playing advergames, using social media and shopping (in-person and online).
Findings
ETT is commonly used to assess children’s behavior in a variety of contexts but has scarcely been used to study children’s consumer behavior. ETT has great potential to be used to better understand children as consumers.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to review using ETT to study children’s consumer behavior.
Details
Keywords
Michele Rubino and Ilaria Mastrorocco
Due to the current context of human rights violations, especially by large companies, this study aims to analyse whether and how certain aspects of corporate governance, in…
Abstract
Purpose
Due to the current context of human rights violations, especially by large companies, this study aims to analyse whether and how certain aspects of corporate governance, in particular the composition of the board of directors, influence respect for human rights.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors have adopted a quantitative approach based on an ordinary least squares cross-sectional regression analysis for the companies of the S&P 1200 in 2022.
Findings
The results suggest that the board of directors plays an important role in human rights respect, particularly with regard to board gender diversity, attendance, the non-executive directors and chief executive officer (CEO) duality. In contrast, board size and board structure do not have a significant impact on human rights compliance.
Research limitations/implications
The results obtained offer useful implications for the existing literature and provide valuable insights for managers, regulators and policymakers. However, there are some limitations, particularly in relation to the time period analysed.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present analysis is one of the first attempts to investigate the potential impact of corporate governance and various characteristics of the board of directors on respect for human rights.
Details
Keywords
This paper aims to explore sociocultural factors as determinants of entrepreneurial emergence and to examine their relative influence (i.e. the influence of each factor) on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore sociocultural factors as determinants of entrepreneurial emergence and to examine their relative influence (i.e. the influence of each factor) on entrepreneurial emergence.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey design with a questionnaire instrument administered to 250 business owners selected randomly from a cross section of businesses was used. The data were analyzed using the descriptive method, pairwise comparison, Kendall’s W test and Mean Rank Statistics.
Findings
This study showed that the level of influence of sociocultural factors on the decision to own a business by an individual in Africa varies by factor. Family background is the factor that has the highest influence, whereas religious values has the least influence. Altogether, nine most significant factors influence the choice of business ownership in Nigeria and in Africa generally. These include family background, unemployment, family values, inadequate income, job displacement, stock of social capital, role models, social networks and lack of social security, in that order.
Originality/value
Although some scholars may have explored sociocultural factors as determinants of entrepreneurial emergence, there is no study on their relative influence on entrepreneurial emergence, at least not in the context of Africa or Nigeria in particular. This study extends previous studies by examining the relative influence of the factors, using Nigeria as a reference for Africa. A focus on their relative influence is a new perspective on the study of sociocultural factors as determinants of entrepreneurial emergence.
Details
Keywords
Shekhar Misra, Kiran Pedada, Lee Ben, Raj Agnihotri and Ashish Sinha
Although the interest in firm media sentiment has been increasing, the impact of news media sentiments on consumers’ perception of firms’ offerings and, subsequently, their sales…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the interest in firm media sentiment has been increasing, the impact of news media sentiments on consumers’ perception of firms’ offerings and, subsequently, their sales remain unknown. This study aims to address this research question in this study. Furthermore, the authors consider the role of two boundary conditions, i.e., offerings’ similarity and offerings’ service ratio, that moderate the main relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a comprehensive and novel data set of over 900 firms between 2009 and 2019 from multiple sources, this study addresses the research questions. The authors use a fixed effects panel regression model to estimate the model.
Findings
A firm’s news media sentiments can influence consumers’ perception of the corporate brand, thereby driving sales growth. This study finds that when a firm’s offerings are not differentiated from its competitors, news media sentiments become more important and so does when a firm offers more services than a product.
Research limitations/implications
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to assess customers’ responses as manifested in the sales growth of a firm’s offerings, using both primary and secondary data and analysis.
Practical implications
The findings provide actionable insights to managers by identifying specific offerings-related attributes – similarity and service ratio – where media sentiments play a critical role in influencing sales growth.
Originality/value
While existing studies in marketing have primarily considered user-generated social media sentiments, this study departs from this literature by investigating earned media sentiments through traditional media outlets such as newspapers and business magazines, which have rarely been studied in marketing.
Details
Keywords
This paper introduces a new approach to theorising and learning from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women’s experiences of inequality in academia. It offers a versatile…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper introduces a new approach to theorising and learning from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) women’s experiences of inequality in academia. It offers a versatile model with which the structure of a particular racist-sexist inequality regime can be theorised from empirical evidence.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper presents composite, fictionalised accounts of intersectional discrimination which are then analysed through critical realist frameworks, employing critical race feminist theory insights. This novel “whisper network” method centres the knowledge of BAME women in academia, and is translatable to other marginalised actors, offering a more protective means by which to access their knowledge as a foundation for organisational change.
Findings
Through theorising the ontological arrangement of key causal mechanisms responsible for the reproduction of inequality regimes, the paper illuminates links between micro-level intersectional discrimination and meso-level institutional inequality.
Research limitations/implications
In order to preserve anonymity and reduce potential backlash, the vignettes in this paper are not intended to precisely capture specific empirical realities, but instead reflect wider patterns from the author's own whisper network knowledge. Nonetheless, the analytical method developed here could be applied to rigorously collected empirical data, with clear implications for improving organisational practice.
Practical implications
The paper offers a structured and systematic process by which qualitative data on institutional inequality can be analysed and stakeholders engaged to develop and propose solutions, even by individuals new to the field.
Social implications
A methodical basis for strategic action addressing the issues revealed through such an analysis can be developed in order to galvanise and steer organisational change.
Originality/value
The novelty of the paper is twofold: in its original synthesis of critical realist depth ontology and ontological insights from critical race feminist theory about social structures of oppression, and in the development of the innovative “whisper network” method based upon a critical race theory counter-storytelling epistemology, in conversation with the emergent stream of literature within feminist organisation studies regarding the importance of “writing differently”.