Barriers to the adoption of green operational practices at Brazilian companies: effects on green and operational performance

The objective of this paper is to verify to what degree the internal and external barriers (I/EBs) to environmental management affect the adoption of green operational practices (GOPs) and to determine whether they influence the firms’ operational and green performance in a sample of Brazilian companies. A conceptual framework with 8 hypotheses is proposed and tested at 75 companies using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with WarpPLS 4.0. The main results show that (a) the proposed framework obtained an adequate statistical adjustment, (b) the internal barriers (IBs) are more significant than the EBs when adopting GOPs, (c) GOPs relate directly to the firms’ green and operational performance (OP), (d) the IBs also indirectly influence the firms’ green and OP and (e) the firm size does not significantly influence its green and OP. This work contributes to the literature by showing that companies which are looking for green competitive advantages should try to reduce their IBs. Also, policy-makers should pay attention not only to legislation that promotes ecological modernisation, but also to create a strong set of initiatives to overcome IBs, regardless of the size of the firms.     

Proactive environmental strategies and performance: role of green supply chain processes and green product design in the Chinese high-tech industry

Though many firms still believe that passive environmental strategies are sufficient, it is pertinent that they move beyond this belief and take a proactive supply chain-wide environmental stance so as to create a sustainable environment. In this paper, we seek to extend current work within green supply chain management by considering multiple green supply chain capabilities and performance measures. We hypothesise the linkage between environmental orientation, green supply chain capabilities and performance by drawing upon stakeholder theory and natural resource-based view. More importantly, our study is the first to distinguish between product and process-related capabilities in the green supply chain area and study their direct and mediating role with respect to environmental and financial performance measures. Using survey data collected from 256 Chinese-based high-tech firms, we analyse several hypothesised relationships. Our results provide strong support for the significant role that green product design and green supply chain processes can play in improving firms’ environmental and financial performance. Interestingly, our results also suggest that green product design may not have a direct impact on financial performance.     

Impact of sustainable manufacturing practices on consumer perception and revenue growth: an emerging economy perspective

The view that adopting an environmental perspective on operations can lead to improved operations has become commonplace over the past decade. The implication is that any operational system that has minimised inefficiencies is also more environmentally sustainable. In the first phase of our research, we conducted a field research of the green manufacturing techniques in place in two world-class, ISO 14001-certified paint manufacturing firms in India. This phase of the study was undertaken to ascertain the cost benefits that these firms enjoy due to green manufacturing and recycling. Based on the field work in these two companies, a conceptual framework was proposed to investigate any relationship between the consumer's attitude towards the environment and the perceived image of a company that was environmentally conscious. Subsequently, a survey was administered to understand the impact of green marketing on the decision of consumers to buy paint manufactured by a firm that stringently regulates its hazardous waste. Results indicate that there is a strong correlation between the environmental concern of the survey respondent and the perception that the respondent forms of the firm that has implemented green manufacturing techniques. There is also a strong correlation between the decision to buy a green product and the respondent's concern for the environment as well as the perception formed of the firm. Further research is required to substantiate the cost benefits of green manufacturing.     

What hampers green product innovation: the effect of experience

ABSTRACT

Based on representative firm-level survey data for Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, this study systematically analyses the relevance and drivers of barriers to green product innovation using the example of green energy technologies. ‘Low willingness to pay’, ‘high development costs’, ‘high commercial uncertainty’, and ‘lack of favourable political framework’ are identified as the most important barriers. Moreover, we find that the firms’ innovation experience is an important driver of the level of green innovation barriers. Green innovation barriers are more accentuated for firms with green innovation activity than for firms with no green innovation activity. However, experience from different fields of green innovation and experience from non-green innovation activities help to limit these barriers.     

绿色设计与循环经济

随着经济的发展，环境污染和生态破坏日益严重，迫切要求人们发展循环经济。实践经验证明绿色设计无疑是发展循环经济的必然选择，绿色设计的原则是发展循环经济的内在要求，绿色设计的方法是实现循环经济的重要途径。     

Network positioning and risk perception in servitization: evidence from the UK road transport industry

For manufacturing firms, the integration of advanced services into their customer offerings has become a crucial decision. Such commercial decisions require weighting the risks and rewards of implementing a business model based on advanced services. While academic experts acknowledge uncertainty of returns on investment despite potential advantages, research generally fails to address the challenge of calculating the actual risks involved in ‘servitization’. This paper seeks better understanding of managers’ risk perception and of servitization implications for strategic partnerships and network positioning, while considering the impact of factors such as entry barriers, technological knowledge and position in the supply chain (SC). Qualitative evidence is drawn from an industrial case study involving firms in the UK’s road transport industry: 14 in-depth interviews with senior executives from seven companies (manufacturers, operators, technology providers). During interviews, a payment card exercise measured risk perception and willingness to take strategic ‘make-or-buy’ decisions. Results suggest that implementing advanced services is perceived as a high-risk strategy, especially when firms lack in-house technological knowledge. However, collaborative strategic partnerships within supply chain networks can mitigate this risk and prove crucial to building entry barriers against external competitors. Based on these findings, implications for network positioning are developed.     

运用环境管理体系标准助力绿色供应链管理相关政策制度的实施

近年来,供应链与环境问题的相关性正日益增加,绿色供应链管理越来越受到公众各界的高度关注,标准化对于相关政策制度的实施也起到越来越重要的支撑作用,由此引发了我们关于贯彻实施环境管理体系标准如何助力绿色供应链管理的诸多思考.本文综述了国内外绿色供应链管理政策和标准发展历程,提出了实施环境管理体系标准要求助力绿色供应链管理相关政策制度实施的实践重点和建议.     

A new game of information sharing and security investment between two allied firms

In consideration of business information sharing, this paper investigates a new game of information sharing and security investment between two allied firms. Firms’ strategies in three decision models (Nash Equilibrium decision, partially centralised decision and totally centralised decision) are analysed. We provide some quantitative analyses on how some parameters affect firms’ decisions in the three decision models. Our Nash Equilibrium analysis shows that when firms make decisions individually, they will share no information with each other. When information sharing is determined by a social planner, firms will share some information with each other, which increases the risk of information leakage. Thus, firms should increase their security investments to mitigate the higher information leakage risk. However, our analysis shows that instead of investing more in information security, firms will reduce their security investment, which will further aggravate the risk. Hence, a social planner is required to designate the security investments and information sharing levels for both firms. Our theoretical analysis shows that firms’ strategies can achieve global optimality in the totally centralised decision model. Furthermore, a numerical experiment is conducted and the result demonstrates that totally centralised decision model is more efficient than the other two decision models. At last, we propose two compensation mechanisms to help firms coordinate their strategies when making decisions individually.     

Green procurement and green supplier development: antecedents and effects on supplier performance

This study adopts the opposing theoretical views of legitimacy – institutional and strategic – in evaluating firm performance and top management commitment as antecedents to green procurement and green supplier development. Additionally, the impact of green procurement and green supplier development on supplier performance is analysed. Using a sample of western European companies, we develop a structural equation model to test our hypotheses. We find that the buying firm’s market performance positively relates to the adoption of green procurement. While financial performance has no effect on green procurement, top management commitment is found to be an important driver of both green procurement and green supplier development. Moreover, the relationship between green procurement and supplier performance is fully mediated by green supplier development. The paper addresses a research gap concerning firm-level antecedents for green procurement and green supplier development showing that both practices may impact supplier performance. Furthermore, it is shown that legitimacy concerns drive basic green procurement, whereas top management is decisive for advanced practices, such as green supplier development.     

Effects of green supply chain integration and green innovation on environmental and cost performance

This paper argues that mechanisms such as information sharing and collaboration used in green supply chain integration (GSCI) to improve information processing capacity can reduce uncertain outcomes of green product and process innovation. Based on data from a survey of Chinese (Hong Kong) firms, the paper tests whether the three dimensions of GSCI (green internal, customer and supplier integration) improve environmental performance and cost reduction by facilitating green product and process innovation. The results show that green customer integration improves cost and environmental performance through green process innovation (not green product innovation). Both green product and process innovations are facilitated by green customer integration (not green supplier integration), while both green customer and supplier integration significantly depend on green internal integration. These suggest that the distinctive information processing capacity created by green internal and customer integration can facilitate the green process innovation required to improve environmental and cost efficiency, while green product innovation and green supplier integration cannot create such efficiencies.     

Is green manufacturing expensive? Empirical evidence from China

With increasingly serious environmental problems, a circular economy production system is in urgent needs. This study explores whether green manufacturing (GM) is expensive and how external institutional environmental pressures influence the cost of GM among industrial enterprises in emerging economies. Through an analysis of 10,380 observations of 1470 listed manufacturing firms in the Chinese share market from 2008 to 2015, this paper finds that GM increases operating cost (OC). In addition, the positive relationship between GM and OC is strengthened with reduced pollution level in the local city. Furthermore, synergistic effects of the local pollution level and the local government’s pollution information transparency are found. Firms’ OC increases more as firms carry out GM when both the local pollution level and pollution information transparency of local government are high, or when the local pollution level and the local government’s pollution information transparency are low.     

基于DEMATEL方法的绿色物流发展关键因素分析

从企业、政府和环境3个方面系统分析了绿色物流发展的影响因素及各关键因素之间的关系,借助决策实验与评价实验室方法,定量地揭示出各因素之间综合影响程度及其影响绿色物流发展的原因度和中心度,找出制约绿色物流发展的绿色法律法规、政府支持、绿色能源利用率、绿色物流标准、环境监管制度等关键因素,最终指出政府在绿色物流发展前期约束与倡导的核心作用,为促进绿色物流事业的发展提供科学的决策依据。     

制造型企业绿色供应链实施探讨

分析了我国制造业中实施绿色供应链管理的必要性、实施现状以及存在的问题,并结合我国制造业的特点,有针对性地提出在我国制造业实施绿色供应链的具体建议．     

Lean versus agile production: flexibility trade-offs within the automotive supply chain

Given the recent dynamics of the automotive industry in the UK, the ability for a firm to be flexible has often taken priority over other performance indicators. Using the notion of distinct business models and trade-offs as our theoretical lens, the purpose of this study was to: (1) Distinguish lean and agile firms based upon production methods; and (2) Compare lean and agile levels of external flexibility (EF) and supply chain flexibility (SCF). Data was obtained from 140 automotive firms in the Midlands (UK) via a survey which was sent by emails. Findings supported the theoretical notion of trade-offs, as firms implementing agile production methods were found to be more flexible in comparison with firms implementing lean production methods. More importantly, the agile firms that possessed high EF levels and SCF levels were predominantly positioned at the lower end of the automotive supply chain, whereas the lean firms were largely found to be operating at the top of the supply chain. First, we provide an innovative way in which lean and agile firms can be conceptualised. Second, as flexibility levels were assessed on actual numerical values, as opposed to using opinion based Likert Scale questions, a methodological contribution is made. Third, as flexibility is in its infancy stage of theoretical development we make an empirical contribution by developing a taxonomy that distinguishes each production concept. Finally, given the supply chain position to where lean and agile firms were found, we invoked a power perspective better understand this phenomenon.     

Internationalization Speed and Firm Performance: A Study of the Market-Seeking Expansion of Retail MNEs

Existing research is divided on whether firms that rapidly expand their overseas operations perform better than firms that internationalize slowly. Drawing on Penrose’s theory of the growth of the firm, we argue that the positive effects of rapid internationalization give way to negative effects with increasing internationalization speed, leading to an inverted U-shaped association between internationalization speed and firm performance. We analyze the market-seeking expansion of 110 retailers over a 10-year period (2003–2012) and find support for a curvilinear relationship between internationalization speed and firm performance that is moderated by the geographic scope of firms’ internationalization path and firms’ international experience. Our study contributes to resolving conflicting views on the link between internationalization speed and firm performance.     

Measuring the environmental performance of new products: an integrated approach

Environmental awareness and legislation are pushing manufacturers to introduce new ‘green’ products that, during their whole life cycle, have a low impact on the state of natural resources. Unfortunately, it is not completely clear how accounting information, physical measures and qualitative information, expressing the effects of each product development initiative, can be structured to support decision making. The paper is aimed at designing an integrated approach that takes both tangible and intangible effects into consideration and starting from the available information, suggests different decisional tools according to the decision maker's objective. In particular, at an earlier stage the paper defines an operating framework for the identification of significant evaluation criteria to support decision making on programmes aimed at introducing new ‘green’ products. At a later stage, the paper analyses whether different managers' environment related priorities require distinct types of data to be included in the selection procedure and hence suggest the most effective evaluation technique within different decisional contexts.     

Investing in lean manufacturing practices: an environmental and operational perspective

Lean manufacturing practices (LMPs) and corporate environmental sustainability are becoming inextricably linked. Throughout the lean and green debate, many organisations have recognised that LMPs have implications for their sustainable development and competitive positioning. Not only LMPs are complex on their own, but when perceived from an environmental sustainability perspective, the decision to implement an LMP can become even more intricate. Although general tools exist, the lack of effective decision-making tools to help in the implementation of LMPs with an environmental sustainability dimension is palpable. Thus, this study tackles the aforementioned decision problem by incorporating environmental and operational performance outcome expectations as these expectations are viewed in light of the ease of implementation of various LMPs. A novel multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model for evaluation of LMPs is developed in this respect. The model integrates a three-parameter interval grey number with rough set theory and the TODIM method. The model is run using empirical data from six manufacturing organisations. The findings facilitate the identification of a ‘locus of investments’ for a better selection of LMPs. The robustness of the decision support model developed is assessed through sensitivity analysis.     

Joint decisions on inventory replenishment and emission reduction investment under different emission regulations

Carbon emission regulation policies have emerged as mechanisms to control firms’ carbon emissions. To meet regulatory requirements, firms can make changes in their production planning decisions or invest in green technologies. In this study, we analyse a retailer’s joint decisions on inventory replenishment and carbon emission reduction investment under three carbon emission regulation policies. Particularly, we extend the economic order quantity model to consider carbon emissions reduction investment availability under carbon cap, tax and cap-and-trade policies. We analytically show that carbon emission reduction investment opportunities, additional to reducing emissions as per regulations, further reduce carbon emissions while reducing costs. We also provide an analytical comparison between various investment opportunities and compare different carbon emission regulation policies in terms of costs and emissions. We document the results of a numerical study to further illustrate the effects of investment availability and regulation parameters.     

Six sigma,absorptive capacity and organisational learning orientation

The importance of the six sigma methodology in industry is growing constantly. However, there are few empirical studies that analyse the advantages of this methodology and its positive effects on organisational performance. The purpose of this paper is to extend understanding of the success of six sigma quality management initiatives by investigating the effects of six sigma teamwork and process management on absorptive capacity. It also seeks to understand the relation between absorptive capacity and organisational learning as two sources of sustainable competitive advantage. The information used comes from a larger study, the data for which was collected from a random sample of 237 European firms. Of these 237 organisations, 58 are six sigma organisations. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The main findings show that six sigma teamwork and process management positively affect the development of absorptive capacity. A positive and significant relationship is also observed between absorptive capacity and organisational learning orientation. The findings of this study justify six sigma implementation in firms. This study provides us with an in-depth understanding of some structural elements that characterise the six sigma methodology, enabling us to provide an explanation for its success.     

消费者绿色偏好、参考价格效应与供应链绿色创新

在竞争性的市场环境中引入消费者绿色偏好和参考价格效应,考虑这两种消费者行为特征如何交互作用于供应链上下游的绿色创新活动,进而影响绿色创新活动的绩效结果和利润分配。通过构建集中决策、分散决策和成本分担情境下的供应链绿色创新微分博弈模型,分别求得均衡条件下的供应链成员最优绿色创新努力水平与利润,并通过数值仿真结果进一步探讨消费者行为特征与供应链成员绿色创新努力水平之间的关系。研究表明,消费者偏好特征变化是激发供应链成员作出绿色创新努力的重要因素。制造商可以通过对供应商进行成本补贴来激发其绿色创新积极性,且当供应商边际利润与制造商边际利润的关系达到一定阈值,这种绿色创新成本补贴的激励效果更加显著,因而更有可能实现绿色创新基础上的供应链系统利润最优。