Emerald InsightInternationalJournalofOperations&ProductionManagemeSustainable supplychains:aframeworkforenvironmental scanningpracticesNathalieFabbe-CostesChristineRoussatMargaretTaylorAndrewTaylorArticleinformation:Tocitethisdocument:NathalieFabbe-CostesChristineRoussatMargaretTaylorAndrewTaylor,(2014)."Sustainablesupplychains:aframeworkforenvironmental scanningpractices",International JournalofOperations&ProductionManagement.Vol.34Iss5pp.664-694(id)Permanent linkto thisdocument:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108//JOPM-10-2012-0446SI2Downloadedon:25June2015,At:03:58(PT)aunReferences:thisdocumentcontainsreferencesto110otherdocuments5Tocopythisdocument:permissions@emeraldinsight.comThefulltextofthisdocumenthasbeendownloaded1171timessince2014*2Userswhodownloadedthisarticlealsodownloaded:ADCConstantinBlome,AntonyPaulraj.KaiSchuetz(2014)."Supplychaincollaborationandsustainability:aprofiledeviationanalysis",InternationalJournalofOperations&ProductionManagement,Vol.34Iss5pp.639-663http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/lJOPM-11-2012-0515L.Dam,B.N.Petkova,(2014)"Theimpactofenvironmentalsupplychainsustainabilityprogramsonshareholderwealth",International JournalofOperations&ProductionManagement,Vol.34Iss5pp.0586-609http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/lJOPM-10-2012-0482SJensK.Roehrich,JohanneGrosvold.StefanU.Hoeimose,(2014),"Reputationalrisksandsustainable品supplychainmanagement:Decisionmakingunderboundedrationality",InternationalJournalofOperations&ProductionManagement,Vol.34Iss5pp.695-719http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/lJOPM-10-2012-0449NINVHNMAccesstothisdocumentwasgranted through an Emerald subscriptionprovided byAll users group3ForAuthorspapIf you would like to write for this,or any other Emerald publication, then pleaseuse our EmeraldforAuthorsserviceinformationabouthowtochoosewhichpublicationtowriteforand submissionguidelinesMOdareavailableforall.Pleasevisit www.emeraldinsight.com/authorsformoreinformation.AboutEmeraldwww.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a globalpublisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society.The companymanagesaportfolioof morethan290journalsandover2,350booksandbookseriesvolumes,aswell asprovidingan extensiverangeofonlineproducts andadditional customerresources and services.EmeraldisbothCOUNTER4andTRANSFERcompliant.TheorganizationisapartneroftheCommitteeonPublicationEthics(COPE)andalsoworkswithPorticoandtheLOCKSSinitiativefordigitalarchivepreservation.*Relatedcontentanddownloadinformationcorrectattimeofdownload
International Journal of Operations & Production Management Sustainable supply chains: a framework for environmental scanning practices Nathalie Fabbe-Costes Christine Roussat Margaret Taylor Andrew Taylor Article information: To cite this document: Nathalie Fabbe-Costes Christine Roussat Margaret Taylor Andrew Taylor , (2014),"Sustainable supply chains: a framework for environmental scanning practices", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 664 - 694 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0446 Downloaded on: 25 June 2015, At: 03:58 (PT) References: this document contains references to 110 other documents. To copy this document: permissions@emeraldinsight.com The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1171 times since 2014* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: Constantin Blome, Antony Paulraj, Kai Schuetz, (2014),"Supply chain collaboration and sustainability: a profile deviation analysis", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 639-663 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-11-2012-0515 L. Dam, B.N. Petkova, (2014),"The impact of environmental supply chain sustainability programs on shareholder wealth", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 586-609 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0482 Jens K. Roehrich, Johanne Grosvold, Stefan U. Hoejmose, (2014),"Reputational risks and sustainable supply chain management: Decision making under bounded rationality", International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 34 Iss 5 pp. 695-719 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0449 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by All users group For Authors If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. Downloaded by WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY At 03:58 25 June 2015 (PT)
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available atwww.emeraldinsight.com/0144-3577.htmIJOPMSustainable supply chains: a34,5framework for environmentalscanning practices664NathalieFabbe-CostesCRET-LOG and Faculty of Economics and Management,Received 2 November 2012Aix-Marselle University,Aix-en-Provence,FranceRevised22February2013ChristineRoussat29 June 2013.IdAccepted 31 July 2013CRET-LOG, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France and IUT d'Allier,BlaisePascalUniversity,Clermont-Ferrand,France,andMargaret Taylor and AndrewTaylorSchool ofManagement, UniversityofBradford,Bradford,UKAbstractPurpose-The purpose of this paper is to explore the empirical reality of environmental scanning(ES) practices in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) contexts. In particular it tests aconceptual frameworkproposed in 2011byFabbe-Costes etal.Design/methodology/approach -The empirical data for this research were obtained from45semi-structured interviewswithkeyinformants,combined witha discussionofthemainresultswithafocusgroup of supplychain experts.Thesedataare compared with the literatureand broughttobearontheframeworkFindings -The research finds both breadth and depth in the scope of sustainability scanningpracticesoftherespondentgroupand provides evidenceof multi-levelscanning,withallrespondentsdescribing scanning activity at the societal level. It further demonstrates the adoption of multipleand diverse scanning targets at allevels in the conceptual framework.Thearticulation and ranking ofscanning targetsforSSCM at all levels informs thedevelopment of priorities for practice.Thepaperalso makes some observations about theboundariesofthe scanning process.Practical implications -The results provide managers with concrete guidance about what to scanin sustainable supplychain contexts.The validated framework can serveas a practical tool toassist managers with the organization and prioritization of their ES activitiesOriginality/value-The paper is among the first to address the role of ES in sustainable supplyeaoochain contexts.It highlights the need for a multi-level frameworkfor such scanning activities andopens up a debate about their implementation.KeywordsQualitativeresearch,Sustainabledevelopment, Supply chain management,EmpiricalEnvironmental scanning,EnvironmentalscanningscopePaper type Research paperThis research uses data collected within the research project: “Sustainable Supply ChainEmeraldScanning"supported by the French PREDIT 4 (a government-sponsored national researchinitiative in France) and funded by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency(ADEME).The authors gratefully acknowledge the DEMETER's members of the focus group.International Journal of Operatioes &They also gratefully acknowledge the cooperation in data gathering (for the semi-structuredProduction Managementinterviews) of the French colleagues participating in the research project: Blandine Ageron,Vol. 34 No. 5, 2014Pp. 664-694Marie-Laurence Caron-Fasan,Marie-ChristineChalus-Sauvannet, Olivier Lavastreand NicolasEmerald Group Publishing LimitedLesca, (CERAG-Grenoble); Cendrine Fons and Anne Rollet (CRET-LOG-Aix-Marseille), Stephane0144-3577DOI 10.1108/JOPM-10-2012-0446Sirjean (Jonction) and Isabelle Bardin (Cluster Paca Logistique)
Sustainable supply chains: a framework for environmental scanning practices Nathalie Fabbe-Costes CRET-LOG and Faculty of Economics and Management, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France Christine Roussat CRET-LOG, Aix-Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France and IUT d’Allier, Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand, France, and Margaret Taylor and Andrew Taylor School of Management, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the empirical reality of environmental scanning (ES) practices in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) contexts. In particular it tests a conceptual framework proposed in 2011 by Fabbe-Costes et al. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data for this research were obtained from 45 semi-structured interviews with key informants, combined with a discussion of the main results with a focus group of supply chain experts. These data are compared with the literature and brought to bear on the framework. Findings – The research finds both breadth and depth in the scope of sustainability scanning practices of the respondent group and provides evidence of multi-level scanning, with all respondents describing scanning activity at the societal level. It further demonstrates the adoption of multiple and diverse scanning targets at all levels in the conceptual framework. The articulation and ranking of scanning targets for SSCM at all levels informs the development of priorities for practice. The paper also makes some observations about the boundaries of the scanning process. Practical implications – The results provide managers with concrete guidance about what to scan in sustainable supply chain contexts. The validated framework can serve as a practical tool to assist managers with the organization and prioritization of their ES activities. Originality/value – The paper is among the first to address the role of ES in sustainable supply chain contexts. It highlights the need for a multi-level framework for such scanning activities and opens up a debate about their implementation. Keywords Qualitative research, Sustainable development, Supply chain management, Empirical, Environmental scanning, Environmental scanning scope Paper type Research paper The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0144-3577.htm Received 2 November 2012 Revised 22 February 2013 29 June 2013 Accepted 31 July 2013 International Journal of Operations & Production Management Vol. 34 No. 5, 2014 pp. 664-694 r Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0144-3577 DOI 10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0446 This research uses data collected within the research project: “Sustainable Supply Chain Scanning” supported by the French PREDIT 4 (a government-sponsored national research initiative in France) and funded by the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME). The authors gratefully acknowledge the DEMETER’s members of the focus group. They also gratefully acknowledge the cooperation in data gathering (for the semi-structured interviews) of the French colleagues participating in the research project: Blandine Ageron, Marie-Laurence Caron-Fasan, Marie-Christine Chalus-Sauvannet, Olivier Lavastre and Nicolas Lesca, (CERAG-Grenoble); Cendrine Fons and Anne Rollet (CRET-LOG-Aix-Marseille), Ste´phane Sirjean ( Jonction) and Isabelle Bardin (Cluster Paca Logistique). 664 IJOPM 34,5 Downloaded by WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY At 03:58 25 June 2015 (PT)
Sustainable1.IntroductionIn the current business environment, in which firms are increasingly subject tosupply chainspressuresderivingfromboth legislationandpublicopinion (Jayaraman etal,2007)the pursuit of sustainable development is an imperative.This paper considerssustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and examines the empirical reality ofenvironmental scanning (ES)practices within this.ES is a strategic activitywhichassumes greater importance inthefaceof today's complexand uncertaintrading665environments.Wearguethat ithas an important roleinSSCM,especiallysincenotenough isyetknownabout howtocreate sustainablesupplychains (SSCs)(PagellandWu, 2009: Carter and Easton, 201l).The extant literature largely fails to addressESin thecontextof sustainabledevelopment (Fabbe-Costes etal.,2011).Consequentlyfirms lack the knowledge they need in order to design and re-design their supplychains (SCs) to address the challenges posed by needing to adhere to principlesof sustainabledevelopment. Further, effective ES can improve performance byminimizing SC disruption due to unanticipated changes in the environment(Closset al., 2008; Fleming, 2008),Thesustainabledevelopment agenda encourages firms totake amuchwiderviewoftheir supply base,to encompass activities along the entirechain (Seuring and Muller,2008).This in turn argues for optimizing the complete chain, based on total costand maximum value creation, rather than on sub-optimization at the firm level(Lintonetal,2007;FergusonandSouza,2010).There is someevidencethatSSCMcanbringstrategicbenefitsintermsofenhancedcorporatereputation(Roberts,2003)and inrelation toimprovedoperational andfinancial performance(Raoand Holt,2005;CarterandRogers,2008).However,evenifthesebenefitswerenotevident,thedrivetowardSSCsisinescapable:"Research intotheoperationalimplications ofvariouspolicies and how business can integrate sustainability is critical, since current legaltrends will forcemanyofthese changeswhether or notacademeandpractice isprepared" (Linton et al., 2007,p.1080).Building on a conceptual framework which suggests the scope of,and targets for,ES (Fabbe-Costes et al,2011),theresearch presented in this paperhastwokeypurposes. First, it aims to address a gap in the literature regarding the need fornew approaches to ES in the context of SSCs. Second, it aims to provide firmswithknowledgetohelp them properlyfacethechallenges of sustainability inthedesign/re-design of their SCs.Thepaper extendstheframework by exposing ittothe realities of practice through 45 semi-structured interviews with practitionerstogetherwitha confirmatoryfocusgroupofSC experts.Throughthiscomparisonwithfirms'actual sustainable scanning practices, the paper sheds new light on theconceptual framework and allows us toproposeavalidated set oftargets forES whichare organized into six inter-related levels.The result is a tool to assist practitionerswiththeprioritizationoftheirESefforts.Asstatedabove,sucheffortsaremandatedby the increasing pressures to perform effectivelywhile adhering to the globalsustainability agenda.The remainder of the paper is as follows:in the next section we reviewtheliterature on ES and its relevance for SSCM There is also a brief introductionto theconceptual framework which is the subject of this investigation.This is followedbyadescription oftheresearchdesignandmethodology,afterwhichourresultsarepresented.Finally,thesignificanceof thefindings is discussed before weconcludewithsomeremarksabout contributions,limitationsandopportunitiesforfurtherresearch
1. Introduction In the current business environment, in which firms are increasingly subject to pressures deriving from both legislation and public opinion ( Jayaraman et al., 2007), the pursuit of sustainable development is an imperative. This paper considers sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) and examines the empirical reality of environmental scanning (ES) practices within this. ES is a strategic activity which assumes greater importance in the face of today’s complex and uncertain trading environments. We argue that it has an important role in SSCM, especially since not enough is yet known about how to create sustainable supply chains (SSCs) (Pagell and Wu, 2009; Carter and Easton, 2011). The extant literature largely fails to address ES in the context of sustainable development (Fabbe-Costes et al., 2011). Consequently firms lack the knowledge they need in order to design and re-design their supply chains (SCs) to address the challenges posed by needing to adhere to principles of sustainable development. Further, effective ES can improve performance by minimizing SC disruption due to unanticipated changes in the environment (Closs et al., 2008; Fleming, 2008). The sustainable development agenda encourages firms to take a much wider view of their supply base, to encompass activities along the entire chain (Seuring and Mu¨ller, 2008). This in turn argues for optimizing the complete chain, based on total cost and maximum value creation, rather than on sub-optimization at the firm level (Linton et al., 2007; Ferguson and Souza, 2010). There is some evidence that SSCM can bring strategic benefits in terms of enhanced corporate reputation (Roberts, 2003) and in relation to improved operational and financial performance (Rao and Holt, 2005; Carter and Rogers, 2008). However, even if these benefits were not evident, the drive toward SSCs is inescapable: “Research into the operational implications of various policies and how business can integrate sustainability is critical, since current legal trends will force many of these changes whether or not academe and practice is prepared” (Linton et al., 2007, p. 1080). Building on a conceptual framework which suggests the scope of, and targets for, ES (Fabbe-Costes et al., 2011), the research presented in this paper has two key purposes. First, it aims to address a gap in the literature regarding the need for new approaches to ES in the context of SSCs. Second, it aims to provide firms with knowledge to help them properly face the challenges of sustainability in the design/re-design of their SCs. The paper extends the framework by exposing it to the realities of practice through 45 semi-structured interviews with practitioners together with a confirmatory focus group of SC experts. Through this comparison with firms’ actual sustainable scanning practices, the paper sheds new light on the conceptual framework and allows us to propose a validated set of targets for ES which are organized into six inter-related levels. The result is a tool to assist practitioners with the prioritization of their ES efforts. As stated above, such efforts are mandated by the increasing pressures to perform effectively while adhering to the global sustainability agenda. The remainder of the paper is as follows: in the next section we review the literature on ES and its relevance for SSCM. There is also a brief introduction to the conceptual framework which is the subject of this investigation. This is followed by a description of the research design and methodology, after which our results are presented. Finally, the significance of the findings is discussed before we conclude with some remarks about contributions, limitations and opportunities for further research. 665 Sustainable supply chains Downloaded by WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY At 03:58 25 June 2015 (PT)
IJOPM2. Literature review2.1 SSCM34,5Theimportanceof sustainabilityinoperations continues togrow,to theextent thatmany now regard it as a mainstream concern for both researchers and practitioners(Kleindorfer etal,2005;Corbettand Klassen,2006).SCmanagers, in particular,are in astrong position to impactenvironmental and socialperformance(Carterand Easton,6662011).As firms encounterexternal pressures about sustainabilityfrom,forexampleregulators,consumers,lobby groups and citizens,theyneed to reconfiguretheir SCsto combine economic prosperity,social equity and environmental quality(Seuringand Miller, 2008) -the so-called “triple bottom line"(Elkington, 1997). Sustainabledevelopmentwillimpactonoperationsandsupplychainmanagement(SCM),modifyingproductdesign,sourcing,production,transportationmodels,stockpolicies,distributionand waste networks and partners'relationships (Vachon and Mao, 2008; Awaysheh andKlassen, 2010).However, an organization's environmental management orientationshould not simplybereactive,aiming primarilyto comply withlegal requirements;more desirable is a proactive orientation which is“associated with thedevelopment ofproduct design capabilities that employ design-for-the-environment principles and lifecycle analysis" (Vachon and Klassen, 2010, p.224).Many companies have embraced their responsibilityto address environmentalissues, often through certification to ISO14001 or othergreen"initiatives (Zhu et al,2008).However,a response to social issues (e.g.human safetyand welfare, communitydevelopmentandprotectionfromharm),particularlyintheSC,isnotasevident(Beskeetal,2008;KlassenandVereecke,2012).This couldtosomeextentbelinkedtoequivocalityaboutthemeaningofsocialissuesinoperationscontexts(Sarkis,2012)In contrast,astudy which examined howbestto embed social and environmentalpractices inglobal SCs (Jorgensen etal,2003)showed that environmental issueswentlargelyignored.Consequently,despitechargesthatthetriplebottom linemightbesomewhat oxymoronic andthatthequestfor profitabilitywillgenerallymilitateagainstsustainability,thereremainsaneedformore widespread adoption of itsunderlying conceptswithin SCM (Bai and Sarkis,2010;Bai et al,2012Walker andJones,2012)More generally,despite the increasing body of literature on SSCs there remain“numerousopportunitiesforfurtheradvancingtheory,methodology,andthemanagerialrelevance of future inquiries" (Carter and Easton, 20il, p.46) such that“there are stillfundamental issues researchers need to address in orderto offer managers prescriptivemodels of how to create sustainable supply chains"(Pagell and Wu, 2009,p.37).Theseissues include the needs for a more balanced approach to sustainability,for betterframeworks and methods to understand and anticipatefuturetrendsrequiring SC designor redesign (Fabbe-Costesetal.,2011);andforamoreholisticperspectiveoncompleteSCs(Zhuetal,2008:Wolf,2011)ratherthanonindividualfirms,sinceafirmcanbenomoresustainablethanitsSC(Krauseetal,2009)The adoption ofa holistic perspectiveis widely emphasized (e.g.Mentzeret al,2001;Chen and Paulraj,2004;Larson et al.,2007),with the“ultimate supply chain"(Mentzeret al., 2001,p.4)encompassing all organizations associated with upstreamanddownstreamflowsofproducts,services,financeand informationfrom initial supplierstofinalcustomers,andembracingactivitiesbeyondthecoresuchasdisposal,recyclingand recoveryprocessesatend-of-life(Lintonetal,2007;VachonandKlassen,2010)As firms tackle the challenges of integrating sustainable development into theirSCs they uncover the strategic benefits which may accrue (Keating et al, 2008;
2. Literature review 2.1 SSCM The importance of sustainability in operations continues to grow, to the extent that many now regard it as a mainstream concern for both researchers and practitioners (Kleindorfer et al., 2005; Corbett and Klassen, 2006). SC managers, in particular, are in a strong position to impact environmental and social performance (Carter and Easton, 2011). As firms encounter external pressures about sustainability from, for example, regulators, consumers, lobby groups and citizens, they need to reconfigure their SCs to combine economic prosperity, social equity and environmental quality (Seuring and Mu¨ller, 2008) – the so-called “triple bottom line” (Elkington, 1997). Sustainable development will impact on operations and supply chain management (SCM), modifying product design, sourcing, production, transportation models, stock policies, distribution and waste networks and partners’ relationships (Vachon and Mao, 2008; Awaysheh and Klassen, 2010). However, an organization’s environmental management orientation should not simply be reactive, aiming primarily to comply with legal requirements; more desirable is a proactive orientation which is “associated with the development of product design capabilities that employ design-for-the-environment principles and life cycle analysis” (Vachon and Klassen, 2010, p. 224). Many companies have embraced their responsibility to address environmental issues, often through certification to ISO 14001 or other “green” initiatives (Zhu et al., 2008). However, a response to social issues (e.g. human safety and welfare, community development and protection from harm), particularly in the SC, is not as evident (Beske et al., 2008; Klassen and Vereecke, 2012). This could to some extent be linked to equivocality about the meaning of social issues in operations contexts (Sarkis, 2012). In contrast, a study which examined how best to embed social and environmental practices in global SCs ( Jørgensen et al., 2003) showed that environmental issues went largely ignored. Consequently, despite charges that the triple bottom line might be somewhat oxymoronic and that the quest for profitability will generally militate against sustainability, there remains a need for more widespread adoption of its underlying concepts within SCM (Bai and Sarkis, 2010; Bai et al., 2012; Walker and Jones, 2012). More generally, despite the increasing body of literature on SSCs there remain “numerous opportunities for further advancing theory, methodology, and the managerial relevance of future inquiries” (Carter and Easton, 2011, p. 46) such that “there are still fundamental issues researchers need to address in order to offer managers prescriptive models of how to create sustainable supply chains” (Pagell and Wu, 2009, p. 37). These issues include the needs for a more balanced approach to sustainability; for better frameworks and methods to understand and anticipate future trends requiring SC design or redesign (Fabbe-Costes et al., 2011); and for a more holistic perspective on complete SCs (Zhu et al., 2008; Wolf, 2011) rather than on individual firms, since a firm can be no more sustainable than its SC (Krause et al., 2009). The adoption of a holistic perspective is widely emphasized (e.g. Mentzer et al., 2001; Chen and Paulraj, 2004; Larson et al., 2007), with the “ultimate supply chain” (Mentzer et al., 2001, p. 4) encompassing all organizations associated with upstream and downstream flows of products, services, finance and information from initial suppliers to final customers, and embracing activities beyond the core such as disposal, recycling and recovery processes at end-of-life (Linton et al., 2007; Vachon and Klassen, 2010). As firms tackle the challenges of integrating sustainable development into their SCs they uncover the strategic benefits which may accrue (Keating et al., 2008; 666 IJOPM 34,5 Downloaded by WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY At 03:58 25 June 2015 (PT)
SustainableFlint and Golicic,2009).Theseincludeimproved financial performance (RaoandHolt,2005;Handfield etal,2005;CarterandRogers,2008),enhancedcorporatesupply chainsreputation(Roberts,2003)andincreasedcompetitiveadvantage(MarkleyandDavis2007).However, these are only attainable if firms are prepared to take a broaderenvironmentalandsocialperspective(Kleindorferetal,2005;Kovacs,2008),tolook"ata longer part of the supply chain"(Seuring and Muller, 2008,p.1705), to ensure that667they consider a wider range of issues (Seuring and Muiller, 2008, p.1705) and toacknowledgethecrucialroleof inter-organizational relationships(Goldetal,2010)Consequently,firms who are embedded within SSCs must renew theway theydelineate their SCs and scan their environments (Fabbe-Costes et al,2011), ie.theymustrevisitandrevisetheirmethodsofSCES.2.2ESEs is a search activity which aims to anticipate and understand events andrelationships in a firm's external environment (Hambrick, 1982; Lesca et al., 2012) inorder to reduce uncertainty (Lewis and Harvey,2001).It can “assist top managementin itstask of charting thecompany'sfuture courseof action"(Aguilar,1967,p.1),butdiffers from focussed search where managers, already engaged in decision makingseek information to understand a problem and available choices (Walters et al,2003;Day and Shoemaker,2004).ES is pre-attentivemonitoring with no specific decisionguiding the process:“the objective is to be vigilant to discrepant signs/signals thatmight manifest in theperipheral vision and could eventually help identify,discoveror anticipate plausible changes in the environment"(Lesca et al,2012,p.132)After detection, the scanning process entails interpretation of signal strength andmeaning,to inform managerial action.ES hasa long history(e.g.Etzioni,1967;Aguilar,1967)and theassociated literaturehas evolved in phases, first focussing on systems employed by largefirms, thenexamining relationshipsbetween scanning and strategic management beforeshiftingtowardstudyofscanningpracticesinvariouscontexts,andtotheimpactofscanningonfirm performance(WongandHung,2012).Some scanningpapersrecommendusingabroadscanning scopebecause"underconditionsofuncertaintyacompleteandaccuratescanningoftheexternalenvironmentiscritical"(Srinivasan etal,201l,p263)-while,somewhatcontradictorily,alsosuggestingthatscanningoperationsshouldbefocussed.Theyproposetheuseof listsofmacro-environmental components(Aaker, 1983; Jain, 1984; Prescott and Smith, 1989; Ahituv et al, 1998), to includeindividual and collectivecognitiveperspectives(Slaughter1999;Voros,200la,b,2003)andtodefinemicro-environmentforcesinlinewithPorter'smodel.Brockhoff(1991proposes combining both“general"and"task"(Bourgeois,1980)environment,toidentify"interest zones"and"interestgroups."Others emphasizethe need to operationalize such environmental frameworksthrough the use of checklists (Mendonca et al,2004; Oreja-Rodriguez and Yanes-Estevez,2007)orcausal diagrams (Narchaletal.,1987),orbyroad-mappingtechnologyprocesses(Phaal etal,2004;CamponovoandPigneur,2004).Someadvocatetheprioritizationofscanning targets through expert interviews (Calori,1989)or by focussing on theirimportance and likelihood (Stoffels, 1982; Aaker, 1983; Bates, 1985).To sum up, the limitedempirical research into ES has found that firms focus on economic and technologicalzones (Jain,1984; Subramanian et al.,1993)with enlargement of the scanning scopeovertime.Itseemsthat“thereisoftenalocalsearchprobleminfirmsenvironmentalscanning"(Holmberg and Cummings,2009,p.177) although“executives in high
Flint and Golicic, 2009). These include improved financial performance (Rao and Holt, 2005; Handfield et al., 2005; Carter and Rogers, 2008), enhanced corporate reputation (Roberts, 2003) and increased competitive advantage (Markley and Davis, 2007). However, these are only attainable if firms are prepared to take a broader environmental and social perspective (Kleindorfer et al., 2005; Kovacs, 2008), to look “at a longer part of the supply chain” (Seuring and Mu¨ller, 2008, p. 1705), to ensure that they consider a wider range of issues (Seuring and Mu¨ller, 2008, p. 1705) and to acknowledge the crucial role of inter-organizational relationships (Gold et al., 2010). Consequently, firms who are embedded within SSCs must renew the way they delineate their SCs and scan their environments (Fabbe-Costes et al., 2011), i.e. they must revisit and revise their methods of SC ES. 2.2 ES ES is a search activity which aims to anticipate and understand events and relationships in a firm’s external environment (Hambrick, 1982; Lesca et al., 2012) in order to reduce uncertainty (Lewis and Harvey, 2001). It can “assist top management in its task of charting the company’s future course of action” (Aguilar, 1967, p. 1), but differs from focussed search where managers, already engaged in decision making, seek information to understand a problem and available choices (Walters et al., 2003; Day and Shoemaker, 2004). ES is pre-attentive monitoring with no specific decision guiding the process: “the objective is to be vigilant to discrepant signs/signals that might manifest in the peripheral vision and could eventually help identify, discover or anticipate plausible changes in the environment” (Lesca et al., 2012, p. 132). After detection, the scanning process entails interpretation of signal strength and meaning, to inform managerial action. ES has a long history (e.g. Etzioni, 1967; Aguilar, 1967) and the associated literature has evolved in phases, first focussing on systems employed by large firms, then examining relationships between scanning and strategic management before shifting toward study of scanning practices in various contexts, and to the impact of scanning on firm performance (Wong and Hung, 2012). Some scanning papers recommend using a broad scanning scope because “under conditions of uncertainty a complete and accurate scanning of the external environment is critical” (Srinivasan et al., 2011, p. 263) – while, somewhat contradictorily, also suggesting that scanning operations should be focussed. They propose the use of lists of macro-environmental components (Aaker, 1983; Jain, 1984; Prescott and Smith, 1989; Ahituv et al., 1998), to include individual and collective cognitive perspectives (Slaughter, 1999; Voros, 2001a, b, 2003) and to define micro-environment forces in line with Porter’s model. Brockhoff (1991) proposes combining both “general” and “task” (Bourgeois, 1980) environment, to identify “interest zones” and “interest groups.” Others emphasize the need to operationalize such environmental frameworks through the use of checklists (Mendonc¸a et al., 2004; Oreja-Rodriguez and Yanes-Estevez, 2007) or causal diagrams (Narchal et al., 1987), or by road-mapping technology processes (Phaal et al., 2004; Camponovo and Pigneur, 2004). Some advocate the prioritization of scanning targets through expert interviews (Calori, 1989) or by focussing on their importance and likelihood (Stoffels, 1982; Aaker, 1983; Bates, 1985). To sum up, the limited empirical research into ES has found that firms focus on economic and technological zones ( Jain, 1984; Subramanian et al., 1993) with enlargement of the scanning scope over time. It seems that “there is often a ‘local search’ problem in firms’ environmental scanning” (Holmberg and Cummings, 2009, p. 177) although “executives in high 667 Sustainable supply chains Downloaded by WUHAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY At 03:58 25 June 2015 (PT)