Nowadays, importance of managing a sustainable supply chain in company’s strategy is growing. Firms are facing the challenge on how to control and implement sustainability, not only with direct first-tier suppliers, but also how to extend or diffuse sustainability across entire supply networks. A growing body of research is dedicated to this challenge, but a low number of studies investigated the extensive process of sustainability diffusion in the supply network. Further, the role of purchasing and supply management (PSM) function and external stakeholders in this process is understudied. This thesis has the aim to investigate the sustainability diffusion in supply networks, also focusing on the role of the PSM function and external stakeholders. In order to cover this objective, a multi-method approach was used. First, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, identifying and analysing 106 papers published in 32 peer-reviewed journals in the field of purchasing and supply management. A framework was specifically built to investigate strategies and practices and the role of PSM function and external stakeholders related to sustainability diffusion. Further, these last two actors were classified based on their active or passive role in the process. The second methodology applied were exploratory interviews that validated the framework, confirmed and expanded the SLR findings. Five companies of both fashion and food industries were interviewed. Analysis of the state of art of the current research in sustainable PSM has highlighted and defined an extensive set of strategies and practices useful to develop more sustainable supply networks. Further, it was emerged that the joint actions in this process should come from all the tiers of the chain, with a focus on the leading role of the PSM function and the external stakeholders. This thesis underlines “what” is needed to implement in order to diffuse sustainability in supply networks, but “how” this should be developed is still under-researched and future studies should investigate it.
La gestione della sostenibilità nella supply chain sta assumendo un ruolo sempre più importante all’interno delle strategie di un'azienda. Le imprese stanno valutando come implementare il controllo della sostenibilità non solo con i fornitori di primo livello, ma estendendo questo processo a tutta la supply network. Sempre più studi accademici hanno analizzato queste tematiche, ma solo un numero limitato di ricerche ha esaminato, nell’ambito della gestione degli acquisti, l’intero processo di diffusione della sostenibilità e non è stato ancora studiato nel dettaglio il ruolo che la funzione acquisti e gli stakeholder esterni hanno in questo processo. Specificatamente, questa tesi ha lo scopo di analizzare come viene sviluppata la diffusione della sostenibilità nella rete di fornitura, focalizzandosi su quale ruolo hanno sia la funzione acquisti che gli stakeholder esterni. Per raggiungere questo obiettivo sono state applicate due differenti metodologie. Per prima cosa è stata eseguita un’analisi sistematica della letteratura, identificando e analizzando 106 articoli accademici pubblicati in 32 riviste scientifiche negli ambiti specifici della gestione degli acquisti. È stato sviluppato un modello per analizzare strategie e pratiche nel processo di diffusione della sostenibilità, valutando anche i compiti relativi alla funzione acquisti e agli stakeholder esterni. In particolare, questi ultimi due attori sono stati classificati basandosi sul tipo di ruolo, attivo o passivo, relativo al processo. Per la seconda metodologia sono state fatte delle interviste esplorative che hanno validato e espanso il modello utilizzato nell’analisi sistematica della letteratura. Cinque sono state le aziende prese in esame, sia nel settore della moda che quello alimentare. Dall’analisi della letteratura accademica, oggetto principale di questa tesi e dalle interviste svolte, sono state individuate strategie e pratiche che se applicate potranno rendere la catena di fornitura più sostenibile. Si è anche messo in evidenza che tutti gli attori nella supply chain, con particolare riguardo alla funzione acquisti e agli stakeholder esterni, dovranno essere coinvolti in modo proattivo nel processo di diffusione della sostenibilità per massimizzare l’efficacia della sua implementazione. Nuove ricerche dovranno poi analizzare se queste pratiche hanno trovato applicazione in ambito industriale.
The diffusion of sustainability in supply networks : a systematic literature review and an exploratory study
BRUSA, IRENE
2017/2018
Abstract
Nowadays, importance of managing a sustainable supply chain in company’s strategy is growing. Firms are facing the challenge on how to control and implement sustainability, not only with direct first-tier suppliers, but also how to extend or diffuse sustainability across entire supply networks. A growing body of research is dedicated to this challenge, but a low number of studies investigated the extensive process of sustainability diffusion in the supply network. Further, the role of purchasing and supply management (PSM) function and external stakeholders in this process is understudied. This thesis has the aim to investigate the sustainability diffusion in supply networks, also focusing on the role of the PSM function and external stakeholders. In order to cover this objective, a multi-method approach was used. First, a systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, identifying and analysing 106 papers published in 32 peer-reviewed journals in the field of purchasing and supply management. A framework was specifically built to investigate strategies and practices and the role of PSM function and external stakeholders related to sustainability diffusion. Further, these last two actors were classified based on their active or passive role in the process. The second methodology applied were exploratory interviews that validated the framework, confirmed and expanded the SLR findings. Five companies of both fashion and food industries were interviewed. Analysis of the state of art of the current research in sustainable PSM has highlighted and defined an extensive set of strategies and practices useful to develop more sustainable supply networks. Further, it was emerged that the joint actions in this process should come from all the tiers of the chain, with a focus on the leading role of the PSM function and the external stakeholders. This thesis underlines “what” is needed to implement in order to diffuse sustainability in supply networks, but “how” this should be developed is still under-researched and future studies should investigate it.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/10589/144974