Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and knowledge management's (KM) positive role in improving supply chain development and performance have both attracted attention in recent years, the former arguably stimulated by the triple... more
Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and knowledge management's (KM) positive role in improving supply chain development and performance have both attracted attention in recent years, the former arguably stimulated by the triple bottom line (TBL). Despite the positive development, there is a paucity of theoretical and empirical studies identifying the broad capabilities that affect a firm's ability to simultaneously pursue economic, environmental and social success. We use the natural resource based (NRBV) and knowledge-based (KBV) views to develop a series of propositions linking KM capability to strategic and operational supply chain sustainability and competiveness and test their veracity with practicing managers (n ¼ 275). We offer a systematic analysis of KM's role in the development of SSCM. The findings confirm the credibility of the theoretical propositions and identify how different KM processes specifically facilitate strategic or operational development of SSCs. We provide researchers with a framework to guide future research at the KM/TBL nexus. ARTICLE HISTORY
While many different types of organizations in the United States (U.S.) are better managing their environmental activities, a relatively small proportion of them are also choosing to participate in voluntary environmental initiatives.... more
While many different types of organizations in the United States (U.S.) are better managing their environmental activities, a relatively small proportion of them are also choosing to participate in voluntary environmental initiatives. This study addresses why organizations participate in these programs and examines how motivations vary for different types of enterprises. It emphasizes the importance of external and internal factors that influenced three types of facilities’ (publicly traded, privately owned and government) decisions to participate in the Multi-State Working Group and the Environmental Protection Agency’s EMS Pilot Program. The results show that despite the vast differences among these enterprises, a common theme in their motivation was the importance of regulatory pressures, which supports the idea that these pressures encourage all organizations to behave similarly. The results also support the suggestions posited by the ‘natural’ resource-based view of the firm and show that continuous innovation and basic environmental management proficiencies are embedded in publicly traded facilities’ more advanced types of environmental management capabilities. Privately owned and government facilities, however, are lacking in these prior proficiencies, but appear to be fortifying their internal capacities by seeking external assistance from regulators, thus enabling them to participate in the voluntary environmental initiative.
This paper identifies gaps in the theoretical literature on Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) and compares it with empirical evidence on barriers to environmental strategies. Although NRBV’s components may allow firms to gain a... more
This paper identifies gaps in the theoretical literature on Natural Resource-Based View (NRBV) and compares it with empirical evidence on barriers to environmental strategies. Although NRBV’s components may allow firms to gain a sustained competitive ad-vantage, the determinants of these components may be affected by the market conditions. The barriers to environmental strategies align with the gaps found in the NRBV literature, suggesting that NRBV may need to address these issues in order to be generalizable across various market conditions. The barriers to environmental strategies may intensify in countries with low levels of human development, making it difficult for firms to gain a competitive advantage in developing countries, as compared to developed countries. This implies that the optimal market conditions for environmental strategies may depend on the human development level of both developed and developing economies.
