Prioritization of sustainable supply chain practices with triple bottom line and organizational theories: industry and academic perspectives

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) practices on triple bottom line (TBL) measures from the perspective of organizational theories. This study identified five SSCM practices using a comprehensive literature review and feedback from industry experts. These five practices were prioritized using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP). The results from FAHP analysis were further confirmed by conducting semi-structured interviews in five electronics parts/components manufacturing organizations. This study also prioritized theoretical drivers of SSCM adoption based on the consideration of three organizational theory perspectives – Institutional Theory; Resource-Based View, and; Social Network Theory. The results indicate that the economic dimension was the most important measure for implementing SSCM while sustainable design was the most important SSCM practice for achieving the TBL. The study also found that Institutional Theory is the most important theoretical driver for implementing SSCM. The research findings provide insight for management to allocate necessary resources and to develop effective strategic directions for the implementation of SSCM practices.

Keywords:

• Sustainable supply chain
• triple bottom line
• fuzzy AHP
• organizational theories

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Thammasat School of Engineering, Thammasat University and Bualuang ASEAN Chair Professorship Scheme. The authors also would like to thank Ms. Metinee Jongpaiboon, research assistant, for conducting data collection and the preliminary analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tritos Laosirihongthong

Tritos Laosirihongthong is a Professor in Industrial Engineering at Department of Industrial Engineering, Thammasat School of Engineering, Thammasat University, Thailand. His research interests are in international operations management.  He was appointed by ASEAN Secretariat as the ASEAN Automotive Technical Specialist for the AusAID ASEAN SME Automotive project. Professor Laosirihongthong has published his research in reputable journals including Production Planning and Control, International Journal of Production Research, International of Logistics Research and Applications, Transportation Journal, Technovation, and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal.

Premaratne Samaranayake

Premaratne Samaranayake is a Senior Lecturer at Western Sydney University, Australia. He has around 25 years of teaching and research experience and has published a number of papers in top-ranked international journals. His areas of expertise include supply chain management, production planning, business process management and enterprise resource planning. He is actively engaged in research collaboration with industry and has successfully completed a number of research projects in recent times, including research project on Assembly/Maintenance Planning, Control and Execution using SAP ERP System (funded by SAP AG) and research project on Kerbside Assessment – Freight and Servicing Activity in Parramatta CBD (funded by Transport for NSW).

Sev Verl Nagalingam

Sev Verl Nagalingam is a Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management and an active Researcher at the School of Management, University of South Australia. In 1999, he obtained his PhD from the University of South Australia and proposed a novel way of justifying investments in advanced manufacturing technologies. His current research interests are Sustainable supply chain, Supply chain management, Operations management and Collaborative systems. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed international research articles, an invited book on CIM, two book chapters, and a booklet to date and has received several competitive grants.

Dotun Adebanjo

Dotun Adebanjo is Professor in Supply Chain Management at the Business School, The University of Greenwich, London, UK. He also holds the position of Bualuang ASEAN Chair Professor at Thammasat University, Bangkok. His research interests are in supply chain management, quality management and the application of new and emerging technology to the delivery of efficient inter-organizational relationships. He has published his research in several respected journals and also presented his research at leading international conferences.