Purpose This study aims to examine how digital platforms enable orchestration across circular food supply network ecosystems to support food waste reduction. Focusing on ecosystem-level coordination rather than individual firms or dyadic relationships, the study explores how digital platforms facilitate the orchestration of actors, resources and circular practices across interconnected organisations. Design/methodology/approach An embedded single-case study of a UK food supply network ecosystem was studied. The ecosystem comprised six embedded sub-cases involving 27 organisations across hospitality and food service, food technology, food supply, food charities, food upcycling and recycling and policy influencers. Semi-structured interviews and secondary data were analysed. Findings The study highlights how digital platforms enable circular food waste reduction through orchestration across supply network ecosystem partners. The findings reveal three interconnected mechanisms of digital platform orchestration: digital coordination, capability redistribution and legitimacy alignment, which collectively enable actors to synchronise actions, share capabilities and institutionalise circular practices across the ecosystem. Originality/value This empirical study enriches the supply chain literature by extending the focus on circular food waste reduction from a firm-level capability perspective to an ecosystem-level orchestration process. The findings reveal three recursive mechanisms of digital platform orchestration – digital coordination, capability redistribution and legitimacy alignment – that explain how interconnected actors collectively enable and institutionalise circular practices across food supply network ecosystems.
Purpose This study aims to examine behavioural and organisational factors influencing farmers’ acceptance of digital farming technologies within hybrid agri-food chains. Focusing on the Italian processed tomato supply chain, it analyses how producer organisations (POs) combine technical, contractual and relational governance to foster decision support systems (DSS) adoption. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the technology acceptance model and supply chain governance theory, the study integrates two analytical strands: (i) survey data from 260 tomato producers analysed through two parallel structural equation models distinguishing DSS users from non-users; and (ii) a structured descriptive-comparative analysis of existing contracts and farmers’ preferred contractual clauses, following a sequential explanatory logic linking behavioural profiles to governance expectations. Findings Results reveal clear asymmetries between adopters and non-adopters. For non-users, adoption intention is driven by perceived support and peer influence; for users, ease of use and attitude explain continued utilisation. Contractual preferences diverge correspondingly: non-users prioritise minimum-price guarantees, while users favour quality-based incentives and multiannual commitments. Originality/value Methodologically, two parallel SEMs identify stage-dependent adoption mechanisms typically obscured in pooled applications. Analytically, combining behavioural modelling with contractual governance analysis links adoption profiles to heterogeneous governance preferences, offering actionable insights for designing differentiated contractual bundles and support systems aligned with farmers’ heterogeneous risk profiles.
Purpose This study aims to examine how Industry 4.0 technologies influence supply chain integration (SCI) and sustainability performance through the enabling role of dynamic capabilities. It addresses how digital tools are embedded into organizational routines to support integration and sustainable outcomes in an emerging economy context. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study methodology was used, involving semi-structured interviews with senior managers across manufacturing firms. Resultantly, seven themes were extracted by capturing emerging patterns inherent within interviews. Findings The study finds that Industry 4.0 tools enhance SCI when embedded within dynamic routines that enable sensing, seizing and transforming. These capabilities support data-driven decision-making, stakeholder alignment, and process adaptability, improving cost efficiency, environmental performance and social accountability. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to a single-country context. Future research could explore cross-country comparisons or longitudinal designs to examine the evolution of integration capabilities. Practical implications Managers should embed Industry 4.0 tools within adaptive and collaborative routines to drive sustainable performance. Investment in capability development, stakeholder engagement platforms and iterative planning mechanisms is essential for effective digital transformation. Originality/value The study reconceptualizes integration as a behavioral and context-sensitive process shaped by dynamic capabilities. It offers empirical insight into how firms in resource-constrained settings adapt digital tools to meet sustainability objectives through integrated routines.
Purpose This study aims to examine how firms use operational announcements to signal supply chain resilience during large-scale disruptions. Focusing on periods of heightened uncertainty, it investigates whether disclosure frequency and tone shape investor reactions differently across industries with varying supply chain exposure. The purpose is to clarify when transparency stabilizes external expectations and when communication loses effectiveness under systemic disruption. Design/methodology/approach Using a short-window event study, the analysis evaluates abnormal stock returns surrounding firm-level operational announcements issued during a major disruption period. Announcements are manually collected from leading US news outlets and classified by sentiment, industry type and technology orientation. Cross-sectional and nonparametric tests are applied to compare market reactions across sectors and announcement characteristics. Findings The results reveal four consistent patterns. Industries with higher operational exposure issue more frequent and negatively framed disclosures. Investors react more strongly to negative announcements from traditionally stable sectors, indicating expectation violation effects. High-communication sectors exhibit muted market responses consistent with information fatigue. In contrast, traditional industries generate stronger abnormal returns from positive announcements, reflecting a strategic surprise effect linked to perceived adaptability. Research limitations/implications The analysis focuses on short-term market reactions during a single disruption context. Although the empirical setting reflects an extreme global shock, future research could examine whether similar disclosure dynamics emerge under other forms of supply chain disruption, such as geopolitical tensions, trade policy shocks or infrastructure failures. Practical implications The findings suggest that public disclosures should be treated as part of supply chain disruption management rather than routine reporting. Transparent communication linked to concrete operational actions can stabilize expectations in high-exposure industries, whereas excessive updates may dilute impact in information-saturated sectors. Managers should align disclosure strategies with industry-specific supply chain vulnerabilities and stakeholder expectations. Originality/value This study positions corporate announcements as an operational signaling mechanism within supply chain disruption management. By combining event study evidence with cross-industry analysis, it demonstrates how disclosure strategies interact with supply chain exposure and stakeholder expectations. The research extends supply chain resilience literature by highlighting the external valuation effects of operational transparency under systemic disruptions.
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how to assess the performance of a circular supply chain (CSC) by incorporating sustainability objectives aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 12.5 and risk categories, managing the dynamic and uncertain nature of circular transitions. Design/methodology/approach This research used an assessment model based on Fuzzy Logic combined with the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory method. A case study was conducted, using expert input to identify causal relationships and evaluate performance criteria, including environmental, financial and operational risks. Findings The results of this study indicate that integrating risk into performance assessment enables a more flexible and practical evaluation of CSC. The main causal factors, such as waste prevention and alignment with circular business models, were identified as central criteria. The model captured interdependencies among performance criteria, highlighting the influence of innovation and financial risks. Practical implications This study reinforces the need for decision-making tools that support managers in defining priorities, mitigating risks and aligning internal strategies with circular and sustainability goals. The proposed model provides insights for cross-functional alignment and monitoring of CSC performance. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature by proposing a value-driven decision-making model based on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Target 12.5 and applying Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory to examine dependencies under risk exposure to support CSCs.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of gender inequality in supply chain management by uncovering the socio-cognitive strategies women use to navigate masculine norms and structural barriers in logistics leadership.Design/methodology/approach Using an abductive qualitative design grounded in social identity theory (SIT), the authors apply the Gioia methodology to analyse interview and documentary data from 43 professionals operating within the French logistics sector.Findings Women navigate masculine logistics environments through three distinct identity strategies: individual mobility, where women assimilate through strategic mimicry and male sponsorship; social creativity, involving the reframing of roles and leveraging perceived feminine advantages like work-family boundary management; and social competition, which is notably rare, highlighting the persistence of symbolic violence that suppresses collective structural challenges.Research limitations/implications This study's single-country focus and purposive managerial sampling limit statistical generalisation. The findings should therefore be interpreted within the specific institutional, cultural and sectoral context of French logistics. Future comparative and longitudinal studies could explore how different welfare regimes and sectoral environments shape the identity strategy repertoire identified here, and assess its downstream effects on leadership composition and broader supply chain outcomes.Practical implications These insights suggest that improving women's representation in logistics leadership requires dismantling the masculine legitimacy criteria that dominate the field (e.g. crisis heroism and permanent availability), redesigning key career pathways (e.g. operational rotation and P&L exposure) and fostering the conditions for collective voice rather than perpetuating reliance on individual assimilation strategies.Originality/value This paper provides a localised, empirical lens on gender dynamics in France. It bridges theory and practice by theorising hysteresis as a boundary condition for SIT in male-dominated settings, offering actionable pathways for inclusive supply chain organisations.
Purpose Climate change presents systemic risks to agricultural supply chains through increased drought frequency and severity. This study investigates how index-based agricultural insurance use can be measured to assess its contribution to supply chain sustainability performance and resilience. Design/methodology/approach Using a three-year embedded case study in the Australian agricultural sector, the paper analyses data from farmers, insurers, policymakers and downstream supply chain partners through semi-structured interviews, surveys and document analysis. The supply chain is the unit of analysis, with insurance adoption examined at the farm level. By positioning index-based insurance as a supply chain management tool with measurable performance impacts, the research advances sustainability measurement scholarship and addresses broader implications for food security and stakeholder well-being. Findings The findings reveal very few farms have taken up index-based insurance due to perceptions that these products are expensive and complex. Knowledge gaps also exist about these offerings. When products align better with supply chain needs, they create measurable value through improved financial stability, operational continuity and stakeholder coordination. Our results demonstrate how local decisions propagate through upstream and downstream relationships, shaping supply chain sustainability performance. Originality/value This research contributes to our understanding of supply chain sustainability performance by providing a multidimensional framework linking index-based agricultural insurance to a range of financial, operational, behavioural and supply chain outcomes. The paper integrates risk management and supply chain resilience theories to conceptualize insurance as a mechanism that can potentially mitigate climate risk exposure while building agricultural resilience.
Purpose This study aims to examine how data enables the realisation of sustainability goals in commercial enterprises. It explores the relationship between sustainability drivers, organisational capabilities and data across product, operational and supply chain domains. By emphasising supply chain data and supporting capabilities, the study assesses how sustainability performance can be measured, managed and aligned with strategic goals. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative case study was conducted in a global manufacturing company. A conceptual framework derived from literature guided the analysis of how sustainability strategy connects to data requirements and capabilities. Empirical material from semi-structured interviews and internal documentation was analysed to identify the data and capabilities needed to support sustainability execution. Findings Regulatory and market pressures shape sustainability goals, but their feasibility depends on the availability, applicability and quality of relevant data. The analysis indicates that gaps between required and available sustainability data constrain credible performance measurement, particularly due to limited supply chain data in early product design. These gaps provided the empirical basis for developing a data capability model that explains how static and dynamic sustainability data support strategy execution, reporting and iterative improvement. Originality/value The study integrates sustainability strategy with data management and demonstrates how sustainability data, especially from supply chain sources, enables performance measurement and strategic recalibration. By positioning sustainability data as a master data domain, the study offers a novel perspective for embedding sustainability into core business processes.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how ambidextrous supply chain orientations - exploration and exploitation - independently influence eco-design adoption and environmental performance. Additionally, the moderating role of supply chain emissions data management practices on these relationships is examined.Design/methodology/approach A quantitative survey approach was used, gathering data from 158 firms operating across various industries in Finland. Data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling to test direct and moderating effects among the constructs.Findings Results indicate that an explorative orientation significantly enhances eco-design practices and environmental performance, whereas an exploitative orientation directly improves environmental performance but does not significantly drive eco-design adoption. Moreover, supply chain emissions data management practices positively moderate the relationship between exploitation and environmental performance, emphasizing the value of emissions data in efficiency-driven operational improvements. However, supply chain emissions data management practices did not significantly moderate the relationships involving exploration or eco-design practices.Research limitations/implications The sample size and geographic context may limit the generalizability of the findings. Future research should test the model in different industries and geographic settings, as well as explore additional contextual moderators and mediators that influence eco-design and sustainability outcomes.Originality/value This study contributes to the sustainable supply chain management literature by clarifying how explorative and exploitative orientations may align with short- and long-term expectations for sustainability in supply chains, shaping sustainable production practices and environmental outcomes in supply chains. Moreover, it provides novel empirical evidence on the moderating role of emissions data management practices.
Purpose This study aims to propose a paradigmatic shift in supply chain research by developing a normative measurement framework for post growth supply chain management (SCM). It investigates decoupling failure - the systemic tension whereby growth-centric business models erode absolute ecological gains through rebound effects - and theorises its implications for the future of the field.Design/methodology/approach Leveraging an abductive design, the study combines a systematic synthesis of contemporary literature (131 sources) with a prototypical case analysis of Unilever PLC. A Gioia inspired procedure is applied to 16 core corporate disclosures, triangulated with NGO assessments and longitudinal academic critiques regarding Global South supply chains to ensure empirical rigour.Findings The study introduces a three-stage maturity model for post growth SCM, charting a trajectory from incremental eco efficiency to systemic socio ecological resilience. The analysis shows that even sustainability vanguards exhibit marked decoupling failure, whereby efficiency gains are neutralised by absolute volume growth. It further argues that digital infrastructures, including artificial intelligence (AI), need to be repurposed from extractive efficiency towards sufficiency-oriented redesign and more participatory forms of decision making.Originality/value This study theorises decoupling failure as a pivotal mid-range concept bridging post growth normative principles with empirical SCM measurement. By centring absolute biophysical limits as the primary boundary condition, it challenges the dominant 'win-win' sustainability narrative. The contribution lies in providing both a theoretical foundation and a strategic roadmap (Stage I-III) for managers and policymakers to transition from relative KPIs to absolute resource reduction. This realignment not only supports compliance with planetary boundaries but also acts as a catalyst for empowering marginalised Global South stakeholders and restoring community-level ecological integrity.
Purpose Supply chain due diligence (SCDD) entails substantial information processing. Drawing on organizational information processing theory (OIPT), this study aims to examine SCDD-related uncertainties and the resulting organizational needs for managing human rights and environmental information across supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A multistage qualitative approach is used, combining a structured literature review and exploratory expert interviews to identify and refine uncertainties in SCDD-related information processing. Thirty-six stakeholders from economic (textile, food and automotive), societal and intermediary domains were interviewed. A cross-stakeholder comparison revealed differences in the salience of uncertainty and in the conditions shaping organizational information needs. Findings Ten SCDD-related information processing uncertainties were identified. All are relevant across stakeholder groups and sectors, with several consistently emerging as central, and others varying in salience across different organizational contexts. This study thus reveals organizational characteristics and structural constraints that amplify or attenuate information processing needs. Practical implications This study advances OIPT research by foregrounding context-sensitive and legitimacy-oriented information processing in multi-stakeholder settings. It lays the groundwork for future research on how organizations deploy information processing mechanisms and capacities to address SCDD-related uncertainties. Originality/value This study conceptualizes SCDD requirements as information processing uncertainties, thereby advancing research at the intersection of due diligence regulation and organizational information processing.
Purpose The local food sector is embracing digital platforms as one of the supply chain (SC) configurations to hone SC efficiency. However, factors determining the successful development of digital platform-based local food supply chains (LFSCs) remain underexplored. This study aims to propose a framework of critical success factors (CSFs) for digital platform-based LFSCs.Design/methodology/approach The authors have adopted a multiple-case study approach where cases are both successful (active) and failure (inactive) initiatives and represent diverse business models.Findings Drawing on a digital platform lens, the authors have explored 12 CSFs, grouped under 4 overarching factors (value-oriented, organizational, user-related and contextual). The former two are micro-level factors, whereas the latter two are meso- and macro-level factors, respectively. This research infers that these factors are interdependent.Practical implications By identifying micro-level factors as fundamental enablers, this research informs platform managers that they should give utmost attention in designing and securing these factors. Furthermore, recognition of meso-level CSFs as a functional enabler informs managers that they should strategically cultivate the network size and exert effort to encourage users' behavioral change. Alongside, by establishing macro-level CSFs as a structural enabler, this study informs policymakers on the necesity of creating a supportive regulatory framework and enhancing budget provisions for financial grants directed towards digital local food platforms.Social implications By leveraging the identified CSFs, practitioners can increasingly develop effective and viable digital platforms for local food, thereby broadening market reach for small- and medium-sized producers. Increased market access for these producers can, in turn promote rural development and SC equity. Simultaneously, the rise in viable platforms for local foods can enhance consumers' (specifically urban consumers') access to fresh local produce, thereby improving food security and their dietary quality. Moreover, the arrangement of hybrid communication by platform orchestrators can lessen information asymmetries and strengthen relationships between producers and consumers, hence fostering social capital within the SC. All these corroborate the societal contribution of this study.Originality/value This study extends SC literature by demonstrating that the digital platform-based LFSCs cannot be successfully developed by simply replicating CSFs pertinent to the traditional LFSCs; instead, platform-specific CSFs are required. Furthermore, this research shows that CSFs span multiple levels and are interdependent. This study also contributes to platform literature by adding a relational aspect to platform theory.
Purpose This study aims to examine how national reform policies shape supply chain transformation through two distinct but interrelated pathways: Pathway A (short-term efficiency and service performance gains) and Pathway B (long-term capability development via organizational readiness). Using Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 as the empirical context, this study addresses how policy-driven reforms translate into firm-level outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was used. Survey data from 247 supply chain professionals across 14 sectors were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. These findings were complemented by 20 semi-structured interviews. Multi-group and mediation analyses were conducted to examine sectoral variation and the mechanisms linking reform drivers to transformation outcomes. Findings The results reveal a dominant efficiency-oriented pathway. Pathway A accounts for 54%–65% of observed effects, while Pathway B explains 35%–46%. Digitalization, localization and regulatory reform activate both pathways, but with clear sectoral contingencies. Logistics sectors prioritize efficiency gains, whereas manufacturing sectors emphasize capability development. Organizational readiness operates as a dynamic capability mediating reform–performance relationships. IoT, AI and blockchain enable both immediate operational improvements and longer-term adaptive capacity. Research limitations/implications The findings are grounded in a Saudi Arabian reform context and a cross-sectional design, which may limit generalizability to other institutional environments. Future research could adopt longitudinal and comparative multi-country designs to examine how dual transformation pathways evolve across sectors and policy contexts. Practical implications This study provides managers and policymakers with the Dual Transformation Readiness Framework (DTRF), a diagnostic tool for aligning reform initiatives with organizational readiness, sectoral conditions and staged technology adoption strategies. The framework supports evidence-based prioritization of both efficiency-oriented and capability-building investments. Social implications The findings demonstrate that coordinated national reforms spanning digitalization, localization and regulatory restructuring can strengthen supply chain resilience, workforce adaptability and long-term capability development, thereby supporting broader economic transformation objectives. Originality/value This study advances supply chain transformation theory by developing a dual-pathway framework that moves beyond single-mechanism explanations. It reconceptualizes organizational readiness as a dynamic, multidimensional capability. This study also demonstrates how national reforms operate through a coordinated architecture of digitalization, localization and regulatory change. By integrating institutional and contingency perspectives, it explains sectoral variation in transformation responses. The DTRF is introduced as a diagnostic tool for aligning reform pressures with organizational capabilities.
Purpose Supply chain sustainability has attracted growing attention in the supply chain literature. Despite extensive research on both sustainable and digital supply chains, few studies explicitly examine how digital capabilities translate into tangible sustainability outcomes through operational practices. To address this gap, this study aims to examine the relationships among the supply chain's digital capability, sustainable supply chain management practices and its sustainability performance across its economic, environmental and social dimensions.Design/methodology/approach Grounded in organizational information processing theory and the practice-based view, this study proposes a capability-practice-performance framework. Empirical analysis is based on 316 valid responses from ISO 14001-certified manufacturing firms in Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypotheses, and mediation effects were examined using the SPSS PROCESS approach.Findings Digital capability in the supply chain significantly strengthens sustainable supply chain management practices and improves the economic, environmental and social dimensions of supply chain sustainability. Sustainable supply chain management practices partially mediate the relationship between the supply chain's digital capability and sustainability performance, indicating that the supply chain's digital capability serves as a critical infrastructure for coordinating sustainability-oriented practices across supply chain networks. The findings further elucidate a dual-path mechanism: Digital capability of the supply chain enhances sustainability performance directly and indirectly via sustainable supply chain management practices.Research limitations/implications The cross-sectional design and Taiwan-industries focus limit generalizability. The findings provide actionable guidance for managers seeking to integrate digital transformation with sustainability strategies and strengthen collaborative governance across supply chain networks.Originality/value By integrating organizational information processing theory with a practice-based view, this study develops and empirically validates a capability-practice-performance model that elucidates a dual-path mechanism by which digital capability in the supply chain improves sustainability performance, both directly and indirectly through sustainable supply chain management practices.
Purpose -This study aims to identify biodiversity indicators and develop a corresponding taxonomy for businesses and sustainable supply chain research. It also clarifies how biodiversity indicators support the long-term resilience and sustainability of supply chains in general. A framework is introduced to delineate the relationships among biodiversity indicators for researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Design/methodology/approach -A multi-stage methodology was used, including iterative consolidation, theoretical mapping and generative AI-powered data mining. An intuitive taxonomy and framework development process helped guide the analysis. Indicators were organized through an inductive approach and structured within a drivers-pressures-state-impact-response model, followed by cross-validation through a targeted literature review. Findings- A total of 249 biodiversity indicators were identified and classified into 10 main categories and 30 subcategories. These categories make explicit how biodiversity is linked to supply chain risk and resilience, ranging from ecosystem functions and services to governance and response indicators. Major dimensions include methodology, governance, genetic diversity, species, habitat, ecosystem functions, services and pressures. The drivers-pressures-state-impact-response framework provides a logical, process-oriented set of relationships between indicators and demonstrates how the taxonomy can align with established reporting and policy frameworks. Originality/value- This study lays a foundation for evaluating sustainable supply chain performance using biodiversity indicators, supporting academics, practitioners and policymakers in advancing supply chain management. It also offers a framework for evidence-based biodiversity management within organizational supply chains, although practical implementation remains an important area for future investigation.
Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationships between supply chain (SC) digitalization, transparency and resilience within the UK manufacturing sector. Drawing on organizational information processing theory (OIPT), the research examines how intra- and inter-organizational digitalization contribute to resilience and the role of transparency as both a mediator and moderator in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 264 UK manufacturing firms. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the research model and test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results reveal that SC digitalization positively influences SC resilience through SC transparency. However, transparency also exerts a negative moderating effect on the relationships between both intra- and inter-organizational digitalization and resilience. These findings highlight the nuanced role of transparency, which can both enable and constrain resilience outcomes. Originality/value This study extends OIPT to the SC resilience context by differentiating between intra- and inter-organizational digitalization and exploring transparency as a dual-role mechanism. By focusing on the UK manufacturers, the research offers novel insights into how digital and information-processing capabilities can be leveraged to enhance resilience in volatile global markets.
Purpose Despite growing interest in metaverse technologies for supply chain management, empirical evidence on their market performance benefits remains scarce. This study aims to address this gap by examining how supply chain metaverse adoption (SCMA) enhances supply chain market performance (SCMP), with particular attention to transformative resilience (TR) as a mediating mechanism and metaverse platform capability (MPC) as a moderating condition. Drawing on dynamic capabilities theory, the study develops and tests a comprehensive model that explains the conditions under which metaverse adoption translates into superior market outcomes. Design/methodology/approach Using a two-wave survey, data were collected from 300 senior managers of agribusiness firms and their key suppliers in Ghana. Structural equation modeling (Analysis of moment structures-SEM) and hierarchical regression were used to assess the direct, interaction and mediational relationships among SCMA, TR, MPC and SCMP. Findings The results show that SCMA significantly enhances both SCMP and TR. TR partially mediates the link between SCMA and SCMP. Furthermore, MPC positively moderates the SCMA–TR link, indicating that firms with stronger MPC experience amplified resilience gains from metaverse adoption. Practical implications The findings suggest that agribusiness firms and supply chain organizations in general can better enhance the benefits of disruptive technologies such as the metaverse by fully integrating them into the operational processes and intentionally developing the capabilities required to use these technologies effectively. Originality/value This study offers novel insights into the specific processes of how and when metaverse can be used to build TR and subsequently enhance SCMP. It also deepens our understanding of how digital technology can be optimally harnessed within the framework of dynamic capability and contributes to the growing literature on contemporary technologies, resilience and market value within supply chains.
Purpose This study aims to investigate how organisations involved in critical raw materials (CRMs) recovery from urban waste respond to external uncertainties, and how such uncertainties generate multi-level dependencies across reverse supply chains (RSCs).Design/methodology/approach Drawing on resource dependence and resource orchestration theories within a critical realist epistemology, this study adopts a qualitative research design using primary and secondary data from waste management companies (WMCs) operating within Italian urban ecosystems.Findings Empirical evidence portrays urban mining as a valuable yet complex pathway for CRM recovery. Actors in RSCs - including upstream collectors, downstream buyers and intermediaries from multiple public-private urban waste streams - face intertwined technological, market, regulatory, cultural and financial uncertainties that generate layered dependencies. In response, such organisations orchestrate resources and capabilities through structuring, bundling and leveraging mechanisms. These mechanisms enable firms to manage dependency asymmetries, stabilise operations and share knowledge with multiple stakeholders, thereby supporting more resilient and sustainable CRM recovery.Originality/value This study advances supply chain management theory by explaining the generative mechanisms linking external uncertainty, dependency structures and resource orchestration for circularity in the waste management industry. It provides novel insights into how CRM recovery is enabled in fragmented, multi-actor environments affected by persistent uncertainty.
Purpose The evolving and fragmented nature of sustainability standards in supply chains (SCs) creates scope for opportunism in buyer-supplier relationships. This study aims to adopt a behavioral view to examine how active and passive forms of sustainability-related supplier opportunism influence buyers' response following an initial occurrence. It also investigates how these effects evolve after repeated occurrences and how suppliers' integrity-based trust indirectly shapes these responses.Design/methodology/approach This study uses a multistudy sequential design. The first study uses a best-worst scaling (BWS) survey to evaluate the perceived severity of active and passive forms of supplier opportunism. The second study comprises two vignette-based experiments (Study 2a and b). The first experiment adopts a two-group between-subjects design and compares buyers' responses to active vs passive forms of supplier opportunism and their tolerance for repeated opportunism. The second experiment was a 2 & times; 3 between-subjects design varying opportunism form (active vs passive) and opportunism occurrences (one, two or three) to test hypothesized relationships.Findings The results of Study 1 show that active forms of sustainability-related supplier opportunism are perceived as more severe than passive forms. The first vignette experiment in study 2 provides evidence that, in sustainability-related contexts, buyers initially tolerate passive opportunism, but its negative effects increase as occurrences accumulate. The results of the second experiment further show that buyers' intentions to continue are significantly lower in the active opportunism condition than in the passive opportunism condition. In addition, a significant interaction between opportunism form and occurrences indicates that the effect of opportunism form varies as the number of opportunism instances increases. The findings also show a significant indirect effect of supplier integrity-based trust on the relationship between opportunism form and continuation intentions.Originality/value This study advances the behavioral supply chain management literature by providing an account of sustainability-related opportunism and its relational outcomes, moving beyond the dominant transaction cost economics view that underpins prior work.
PurposeSustainable practices of food production are often pioneered and implemented by hybrid organisations, who bridge profit and sustainability goals and shape their collaborative strategies accordingly. This study aims to investigate how such hybrid organisations manage the scaling relationships with their supply chain to scale the effects of their practices.Design/methodology/approachThis study frames initial conceptualisation based on the scaling relationships hybrid organisations build with the wider supply network to achieve scaling effects. The in-depth evidence from seven cases in the UK agrifood sector shows how these scaling relationships with large retailers (e.g. supermarkets) or with other sustainability-oriented organisations (e.g. independent farm shops) are managed.FindingsThe findings show the different paths for managing scaling relationships, their upstream implications and scaling effects depending on the selected partner. Scaling relationships with large retailers are defined by the retailer's business terms and are characterised by active supply arrangement with distinct beginnings and endings. Relationships with other sustainability-oriented organisations are explored within the context of a community with shared values, where episodic explorations of active supply arrangements provide a temporary formal frame.Originality/valueThe contributions arise from identifying the distinct ways hybrid organisations manage scaling relationships with large retailers or other sustainability-oriented organisations. While relationships with large retailers largely mirror existing supply-chain theory, the insights regarding the scaling relationships with other sustainability-oriented organisations indicate a community approach where joint knowledge creation is prioritised over material flows.
