Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is an evolving discipline, and incorporates the environmental and social performance dimensions of sustainability with the traditional measure of economic performance; current SSCM research indicates a skew towards economic performance and its interaction with environmental performance, while social performance is underrepresented (Pagell and Wu, 2009, Schaefer, 2004, Sharma and Ruud, 2003). The UK clothing industry represents a relevant research focus due to its supply chain complexity, and scale and scope of its environmental and social impacts; this thesis further recognises the tendency for academic research to focus on Large Enterprises (LE) (Curran and Blackburn, 2001) and investigates how SSCM is implemented in UK SME clothing supply chains to understand how and why they address economic, environmental and social performance and the potential contribution to developing the SSCM concept. An inductive case study methodology is employed and the research focuses on 4 UK clothing SMEs with primary data collection a series of semi-structured interviews, supported by observation, company documentation and archival data. Three theoretical lenses are applied and the findings indicate that SMEs manage their supply chains for sustainability in ways that strongly align with their specific characteristics and apply a greater emphasis on long-term, trust-based and mutually beneficial supplier relationships. A rich view of SSCM practice in SMEs is developed, which reflects the more intangible and human components of sustainability and supply chain relationships, and how these can be harnessed to achieve firm specific commitments. This thesis fulfils an identified need to study how sustainability is addressed in SME supply chains within a single industry; SSCM research to date has focused on large organisations and multiple industry perspectives. It contributes to knowledge in both the SSCM and SME research fields by identifying key gaps within the combined literature, critiquing sustainability models and developing a conceptual framework from the findings, which aims to embed social performance and offer a more integrated approach to SSCM in this context.

Purpose – The sustainability topic has been receiving a growing importance in the corporate environment in recent years. More and more companies are adopting sustainability practices in all their organisational levels, operations and business process as a whole; however, they have still failed to achieve the anticipated goal. Existing roadmaps, frameworks and systems do not comprehensively support sustainable business transformation. This research proposes a four phases framework, based on BPM, to help organisations to implement sustainability practices in the organisation business processes and has verified it with industry/academic specialists and validated it in a local organisation focused on sustainability initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework has been created, verified and validated. The framework is based on Business Process Management (BPM) principles, which was chosen because due its capability to work in a cross process way while providing the full control of the process performance. It was then verified using a Delphi study held with 21 specialists in Sustainable Operations Management from both academia and industry and validated using an action research study on a biomass company focused in the development of sustainable energy technologies that wished to improve the implementation of sustainability initiatives in its business processes and operations. Findings – It was identified that organisations still struggle to succeed the implementation of sustainability projects. The research outlined that the business process management (BPM) approach can be used as way to implement sustainability practices in an organisation’s business processes by using the conceptual framework. The benefits from this approach are the enablement of continuous process improvement, improvement of process quality; cost reduction; increase in the customer satisfaction; and better control 3 over process performance, which can be directly linked to the improvement of the sustainability improvement. Research limitations/implication – The main limitation of this research is the application of the framework in only one real-life scenario, which was expected due the research method chosen to validate it. Future work aims to apply the framework in different scenarios, in organisations with different sizes, different maturity level, different sector, and different locations. Further research will also investigate the symbiosis of the BPM approach with other management approaches, such as lean/green manufacturing, project management, and green supply chain and carbon footprint. In addition, in a further moment, once companies are familiarised with the project methodology, it is possible to create a centre of excellence (an area within the organisation with the best practices/ processes of the industry) in terms of sustainability bringing even more value, improving continuously and generating more innovation by the form of green reference process models. Practical implications – The proposed framework uses a Business Process Management (BPM) approach, which provides a systemic solution for the organisations adopt sustainability practices in their business processes.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, May 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on June 23, 2010). "Department of Political Science." Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis is a critical evaluation of the theory and practice of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). It seeks to understand why SSCM theory has so little to say about environmental sustainability and to explore how SSCM practice is contributing towards the transition towards sustainable development. I conjecture that SSCM scholars have not engaged sufficiently with the broader sustainability literature and other constructions of sustainability, which has led to a lack of theory development within SSCM. The sustainability paradigms framework that forms the core of the thesis was developed in order to broaden the discussion around sustainability within SSCM. Specifically, it embraces the contested nature of the concept of sustainability and uses multiple sustainability paradigms to construct future directions for theory development. In order to put the concept of environmental sustainability at the centre of SSCM theory, the concept of ‘environmental effectiveness’ was developed which seeks to differentiate between environmentally sustainable strategies and those that merely seek to achieve reductions in unsustainability. In order to evaluate the practice of SSCM, a case study was conducted. The concept of ‘environmental effectiveness’ is operationalized through the use of non-perceptual measures related to carbon emissions and evaluates the extent to which SSCM practices contribute towards climate stabilization, a key sustainability objective. It is found that those SSCM practices that have been shown to improve ‘environmental performance’ within the extant SSCM literature did not deliver ‘environmentally effective performance’ within the case study. This raises the possibility that the literature has mistaken reductions in unsustainability for sustainability proper and that we may need to go back to basics. The findings are discussed with reference to the sustainability paradigms framework and multiple opportunities for theory development within SSCM are explored.

Sustainability is one of the key challenges facing society in the twenty-first century. The adoption of sustainable practices in the heritage sector resonates with its long-established objectives to conserve and enhance the historic environment, although its implementation can also present significant dilemmas for the commodification, integrity, authenticity, accessibility and viability of these resources, particularly where sites are tourist attractions. The aim of this thesis was to investigate progress in the adoption of sustainable practices in heritage properties and sites in Devon and Cornwall. The findings were based on the compilation of an inventory of selected heritage resources; an extensive questionnaire survey of managers of historic houses and castles, historic churches, and museums and archives (416 responses), which investigated the extent of, and opinions about, sustainable management approaches; and semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with eight heritage managers, which probed key issues in much greater depth. The results of the research demonstrated some similarities with the adoption of sustainable practices in other sectors, such as the practical issues associated with costs and lack of knowledge. There were also some heritage-specific issues, such as perceived conflicts with protection duties, the consequences of being largely dependent upon volunteer staffing, and the institutional role of larger parent organisations, which have been overlooked in previous research. Most significantly, the results indicated that very few heritage sites produced sufficient surpluses to facilitate investment in sustainable practices that might ultimately enhance their financial viability and fund enhanced conservation activities. Future strategies for the sector as whole must therefore not only deal with capacity-building, such as access to information and training on sector-specific sustainable management, but also address the institutional factors governing heritage in the UK, such as strategic leadership, the most effective models for governance and funding mechanisms for sustainability, and the creation of local and regional heritage networks.

The purpose of this thesis is to assess and compare the energy consumption and carbon footprints of two, online and offline, major movie rental services in Canada. The thesis is divided into two parts that represent two papers that are being published. The comprehensive literature survey provides the state-of-the-art in E-Commerce carbon footprinting with a new categorization framework. The model development and application compares the energy consumption and carbon footprints of the two business models via a systems approach and the Economic Input Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) model and evaluates environmental performances. The portions of the logistics chains that were different in the two business models were analyzed and processes that were common were excluded. Regarding findings, the analyses conclude that the online movie rental service has lower carbon footprint than the offline one. We suggest practical implications for policy makers, government, businesses, and customers in movie rental industry. / This thesis contains two papers, recently presented at international conferences and accepted for publication in recognized journals.

Submitted by Edileide Reis (leyde-landy@hotmail.com) on 2013-04-10T19:39:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Érika.pdf: 19408513 bytes, checksum: 6b78cf30a8d5eb4a7564e94e182fd593 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Meirelles(rodrigomei@ufba.br) on 2013-04-22T19:31:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Érika.pdf: 19408513 bytes, checksum: 6b78cf30a8d5eb4a7564e94e182fd593 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-04-22T19:31:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Érika.pdf: 19408513 bytes, checksum: 6b78cf30a8d5eb4a7564e94e182fd593 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Este trabalho tem como objeto de análise os rios urbanos que são hodiernamente problemas sócio-ambientais, em decorrência da crise ambiental, como resultado do distanciamento do homem em relação à natureza. Mediante o atual estágio de degradação dos rios localizados em ambientes urbanos e considerando a extrema importância destes para os fins naturais, sociais e culturais, torna-se premente uma gestão política, administrativa e educativa em prol de uma percepção mais ampla e consciente que incorpore de forma simbiótica, as dimensões antropocêntricas e ecológicas. No âmbito epistemológico, se faz necessária a construção de uma racionalidade científica, pautada nas abordagens interdisciplinar, holística e contextualizada, que, em relação ao sistema hídrico, deve consolidar a perspectiva da água doce como um bem social, crucial à sobrevivência da humanidade. Nesse sentido, este estudo busca contribuir para a discussão teórica sobre a problemática da degradação dos corpos d’águas urbanos e visa propor um sistema de indicadores de sustentabilidade ambiental como subsídio para a gestão dos rios urbanos que, na atualidade, são contraditoriamente, ao mesmo tempo utilizados, como fonte de água para consumo e ponto de descarga de resíduos e efluentes. Esta proposta é construída a partir de um modelo teórico que relaciona as dimensões, princípios, funções e indicadores em prol da sustentabilidade dos rios e foi aplicada na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio do Cobre, situada na cidade de Salvador, Bahia–Brasil, com o intuito de avaliar e legitimar a aplicação do referido sistema. A formulação deste, se deu de forma participativa, com base na contribuição de estudiosos, especialistas e membros da comunidade, por meio de consultas estruturadas à grupos de técnicos e cientistas que trabalham com o tema, além de integrantes de grupos sociais que convivem diretamente com os problemas oriundos da precariedade de conservação do Rio do Cobre. Os resultados desta pesquisa foram armazenados em um SIG e enfim mapeados. Conclui-se que os rios urbanos, hoje entendidos como “esgotos”, possuem funções de primordial importância para o meio e por isso, devem ser recuperados e preservados com base em uma gestão sustentável, que considere os indicadores apresentados ao longo deste trabalho como instrumentos úteis para a efetiva organização e delimitação de ações para a conservação dos recursos hídricos. Almeja-se que o presente trabalho contribua para subsidiar a Administração Pública e a formulação de políticas ambientais, bem como ser um instrumento de conscientização e reivindicação da sociedade em busca pelo re-equilíbrio ambiental para a garantia de vida no planeta. / Salvador

This study aims at elaborating the Integrated Lake Basin Management Planning (ILBM) approach, which is considered as a sustainable management model for lake basins, and evaluating the applicability of this approach in Turkey. ILBM considers both biophysical features and managerial requirements of lake basin systems. It pays attention to inherent dynamics between humans and nature. ILBM has been developed on the basis of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which seeks the wise use of water / i.e. using water resources with reference to the conservation principles and thresholds. The study elaborates the ILBM planning and focuses on a case study, namely the Beysehir Lake Basin. Beysehir Lake is the third largest lake and biggest freshwater lake of Turkey. Its basin is important with the distinctive natural features it accommodates in two national parks, a special bird site, a special plant site and a natural protected site. However, improper use of the Lake&rsquo / s resources has threatened its natural and ecological qualities, despite the simultaneous conservation efforts. This study, having analyzed the past planning efforts on the Basin with regard to the ILBM principles and criteria, points to the insufficiencies in institutional structure and participation. Meanwhile, the study --depending on the findings of a questionnaire conducted with the stakeholders of the Basin-- also underlines that most of the stakeholders are unaware of the changes that the Lake faced, and they do not know about the existing plans of the Basin. This proves the need for stronger interinstitutional relationships and cooperation so as to take coherent actions. This is important for the management and planning in lake basins, but particularly in the ones which lie on more than one settlement&rsquo / s administrative boundaries like the Beysehir Lake. For the efficient and effective implementation of the ILBM in Turkey&rsquo / s lake basins, the related legislation should be revised accordingly.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD (School of Business and Finance) / As organizations face stiff pressure from various stakeholders, management has had to move beyond the idea of shareholder wealth maximization and incorporate the environmental and social concerns from the various stakeholders. The study identifies how Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices enable the firm to manage the social, environmental and economic Triple Bottom Line (TBL) for four key stakeholder groups - customers, suppliers, regulators and the community. The study adopted a case study design, focused on Safaricom, arguably Africa's most innovative cellular firm which has championed the M-pesa money transfer platform. The objectives were, first, to establish key attributes namely; power, legitimacy and urgency of selected stakeholders of Safaricom and the key determinants of their salience, second, to determine stakeholder expectations and how they hold Safaricom accountable; third, to identify the extent of Safaricom's influence and control over the selected stakeholders; and finally, to establish how and to what extent the firm manages stakeholder exposure through their SSCM practices and TBL measures. Data from semi-structured interviews with Safaricom management and the four key selected stakeholder groups, together with company and public documents, were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Stakeholder groups were selected to represent examples of low, moderate or high levels of salience and exposure. While all are considered important, the case reveals how Safaricom management prioritizes and addresses stakeholder needs according to their attributes. As each stakeholder group is heterogeneous, the case reveals how the firm manages each distinctively and adopts diverse SSCM practices, which are aligned with the firm's TBL measures. Moreover, stakeholder exposure has a moderating effect on the relationship between the firm's SSCM practices and the TBL measures.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has received increasing attention among organizations and in research as the world becomes increasingly globalized and internationalized. However, there is still limited research on how diversity management is performed in organizations and a neglected focus on social sustainability linked to DEI, which underlines the need to further study implemented practices to promote DEI in organizations. Thus, the aim of this study is to broaden the knowledge of how diversity management is performed in organizations. The research questions are (1) What strategies and practices are implemented by diversity and HR managers to integrate DEI in organizations? and (2) How are the results of DEI strategies and practices measured in organizations?  A case study of DEI as a phenomenon was conducted to explore the strategies, practices, and measurements used in organizations to increase DEI in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees. A qualitative research method based on semi-structured interviews was used to examine DEI from the perspective of diversity and HR managers in nine organizations. The theoretical framework was based on practice theory.  The empirical findings show that organizations use various strategies and practices to integrate DEI in the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees. Organizations focus mainly on gender and ethnicity in the context of DEI and the most common practices are awareness training on DEI, bias, harassment, and discrimination. Furthermore, the findings show that most organizations do not use DEI measurements or targets systematically, making it difficult to measure the progress and outcomes of DEI practices. Moreover, there is a need for specific targets covering DEI parameters besides gender and ethnicity, to include other minorities and discriminated groups. This thus requires structured efforts to create measurement tools for DEI practices to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of progress and outcomes of DEI practices.