Informationssystem har fått en allt större betydelse för området hållbarhet och inom utvecklingen av hållbara leverantörskedjor. Informationssystem (IS) och informationsteknik (IT) är ett väsentligt verktyg för att verksamheter ska kunna arbeta hållbart. Denna studie undersöker hur hållbarhet påverkar informationssystemens roll i leverantörskedjor och dessutom förstå hur affärsvärde främjas i samband med att verksamheter förhåller sig till hållbara affärsaktiviteter.  Studiens resultat baseras från olika arbetsroller i olika branscher vars organisation har en betydande roll i leverantörskedjor. Datainsamlingen skedde via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet påvisar att hållbarhetsarbete påverkar informationssystem i och med att det förändrar hur verksamheter arbetar i sina leverantörskedjor. Att utgå från att informationssystem är en typ av arbetssystem påvisar resultatet att det är olika delar av informationssystem som påverkats. Verksamheter är tvungna att svara på förändring eftersom att en större efterfrågan på att arbeta hållbart hela vägen har ökat från konsumenter och intressenter.Detta leder till att verksamheter behöver utvärdera sin leverantörskedja och dokumentera hur informationssystem påverkar social, ekonomisk samt miljömässiga hållbarhetsaspekter för att kunna förbättra sina affärsaktiviteter. Hållbar utveckling är ett nytt område som har börjat appliceras inom IS dock behöver det betraktas som en ny dimension vid utvärdering av informationssystem. / Information systems has gotten a bigger role in the field of sustainability and in the development of sustainable supply chains. Information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) is an essential tool for businesses to work sustainably. This study researches how sustainability affects the role that information systems have in supply chains and how business values can be promoted in connection to businesses attitudes towards sustainable business activities.  This study's result is based on different work roles in different industries where the organization has an important role in the supply chain. The data collection took place via semi-structured interviews. The results show that work with sustainability affects information systems since businesses change the way they work in their supply chains. Assuming that information systems is a type of work system the results show that different parts of the information system are affected. Businesses have to respond to change because a greater demand for working sustainably all the way has increased from consumers and stakeholders. This leads to businesses having to evaluate their supply chain and document how information systems affect social, economic and environmental sustainability aspects in order to improve their business activities. Sustainable development is a new area that is starting to apply in IS but it needs to be seen as a new dimension in evaluation of information systems.

De grandes transformations écologiques et climatiques sont aujourd'hui à l’œuvre. Elles sont sources d’instabilité environnementale, à l’image d’évènements climatiques extrêmes devenus plus fréquents, plus intenses, et touchant de nouvelles régions du globe. A défaut de pouvoir empêcher ces changements, comment les sociétés humaines pourraient-elles s'y adapter ? Pour beaucoup de chercheurs et de décideurs, c’est par la résilience qu’elles y parviendront. Ce concept semble renfermer des solutions nouvelles, adaptées à un monde turbulent et incertain. Par définition, les systèmes résilients sont capables de rebondir face à des chocs inattendus, d’apprendre rapidement et de s'adapter à des conditions inédites. Malgré l’intérêt suscité par cette notion, les processus qui permettent à une société d’être résiliente restent encore mal connus. Cette thèse développe un cadre conceptuel nouveau permettant, via la modélisation mathématique, d'explorer les liens théoriques entre mécanismes économiques et résilience. Ce cadre repose sur une analyse critique de la résilience en écologie — domaine d’origine du concept — et en économie — notre champ d’application. Nous l’appliquons aux systèmes de production économique, modélisés comme des réseaux de firmes et analysés à travers la théorie des systèmes dynamiques. Cette thèse évalue l’aptitude de tels modèles, dits multi-agents, à générer des profils de bifurcations, étape incontournable de l’analyse mathématique de la résilience. Nous étudions pour cela une dynamique proie–prédateur très générale en écologie et en économie. Ensuite, cette thèse s'attaque à un facteur majeur qui entrave la résilience : les fortes interdépendances entre activités économiques, par lesquelles les retards et interruptions de production se propagent d’une entreprise à l’autre. En utilisant des réseaux de production réalistes, nous montrons comment les délais d'approvisionnement, lorsque intégrés dans des topologies particulières, démultiplient ces phénomènes de propagation. Ensuite, grâce à un modèle évolutionnaire, nous mettons en lumière l’existence d’un risque systémique : les cascades d’incidents ont lieu alors même que tous les agents possèdent des inventaires adaptés au niveau de risque. Ce phénomène s’amplifie lorsque les chaînes d'approvisionnement se spécialisent et se fragmentent. Ces résultats théoriques ont une valeur générale, et pourront servir à orienter de futures recherches empiriques. Cette thèse fait en outre avancer les connaissances sur des méthodes et objets mathématiques très récents, comme les équations booléennes à retard formant un réseau complexe, et les dynamiques évolutionnaires sur les graphes. Les modèles et le cadre conceptuel proposés ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives de recherche sur la résilience, en particulier sur l’impact des rétroactions environnementales sur l'évolution structurelle des réseaux de production. / A wide range of climatic and ecological changes are unfolding around us. These changes notably manifest themselves through an increased environmental variability, such as shifts in the frequency, intensity, and spatial distribution of weather-related extreme events. If human societies cannot mitigate these transformations, to which conditions should they adapt? To many researchers and stakeholders, the answer is resilience. This concept seems to subsume a variety of solutions for dealing with a turbulent and uncertain world. Resilient systems bounce back after unexpected events, learn novel conditions and adapt to them. Theoretical models, however, to explore the links between socioeconomic mechanisms and resilience are still in their infancy. To advance such models, the present dissertation proposes a novel conceptual framework. This framework relies on an interdisciplinary and critical review of ecological and economic studies, and it is based on the theory of dynamical systems and on the paradigm of complex adaptive systems. We identify agent-based models as crucial for socioeconomic modeling. To assess their applicability to the study of resilience, we test at first whether such models can reproduce the bifurcation patterns of predator–prey interactions, which are a very important factor in both ecological and economic systems. The dissertation then tackles one of the main challenges for the design of resilient economic system: the large interconnectedness of production processes, whereby disruption may propagate and amplify. We next investigate the role of delays in production and supply on realistic economic networks, and show that the interplay between time delays and topology may greatly affect a network’s resilience. Finally, we investigate a model that encompasses adaptive responses of agents to shocks, and describes how disruptions propagate even though all firms do their best to mitigate risks. In particular, systemic amplification gets more pronounced when supply chains are fragmented. These theoretical findings are fairly general in character and may thus help the design of novel empirical studies. Through the application of several recent ideas and methods, this dissertation advances knowledge on innovative mathematical objects, such as Boolean delay equations on complex networks and evolutionary dynamics on graphs. Finally, the conceptual models herein open wide perspectives for further theoretical research on economic resilience, especially the study of environmental feedbacks and their impacts on the structural evolution of production networks.

In the context of the transformation toward a "green economy," issues related to natural resource use have rapidly increased in importance in European and international policy debates. The large number of studies applying economy-wide material flow analysis so far mostly produced aggregated national indicators, making the results difficult to connect to policies, which are often designed for single sectors or consumption areas. This paper provides a detailed assessment of the composition of EU's material footprint in its global context, aiming at identifying the main product groups contributing to overall material consumption and specifying the geographical sources for the raw materials required to satisfy EU's final demand. Based on multi-regional input¿output (MRIO) modeling, we apply production layer decomposition to assess supply chains and their structural changes from 1995 to 2011. The global MRIO database used in this study is EXIOBASE 3, which disaggregates 200 products and 163 industries, of which 33 represent material extraction sectors. By that means, we increase the level of detail to a degree where policies can more easily connect to. We find that the generally growing material footprint of the EU was characterized by a dramatic shift regarding the origin of raw materials, with the share of materials extracted within the EU territory falling from 68 % in 1995 to 35 % in 2011. In 2011, raw materials extracted in China to produce exports to the EU already contributed an equal share to EU's material footprint as material extraction within the EU itself. Import dependency is most critical for the material group of metal ores, with only 13 % of all metals required as inputs to EU final demand stemming from within the EU. Regarding product composition, construction was confirmed as the most important sector contributing to the material footprint, followed by the group of manufacturing products based on biomass. Materials embodied in service sector activities together contributed a quarter to the total material footprint in 2011, making services an important, but currently disregarded area for European resource policies. We also find that supply chain structures became more complex over time, with a growing part located outside the EU territory. (authors' abstract)

Organic waste management presents challenges and opportunities alike for community-based economic development. Waste-to-compost transformation can be socially and economically successful by employing ecological design principles, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and values-based supply chains (VCs). An analysis of commercial buyers' preferences for compost will inform approaches to forming effective partnerships of public, private and nonprofit stakeholders to develop a market for local waste resource products. The thesis summarizes the results of a consumer preferences survey of current and prospective bulk compost purchasers and discusses strategies for implementing new organic waste management policies that will strengthen a local market for compost, build social capital and share economic value. A conjoint analysis of bulk compost preferences in Vermont was conducted to identify the market's preference for quality-based attributes of bulk compost. The data was taken from a survey administered by mail to Vermont business professionals in various fields that use--or could potentially use--compost products in providing goods or services. In addition to price (81 percent of the relative importance buyers place on an attribute), local provenance (8 percent) and suitability for organic production (7.6 percent) were demonstrated as statistically significant determinants of the value buyers placed on compost. Willingness to pay for local provenance and suitability for organic production were measured at 15% and 14% above the baseline product price, respectively. Current and prospective compost producers can effectively market their products and retain a competitive edge in the marketplace by collaborating with other businesses. A viable market for Vermont compost could be achieved through cultivation of niche specialties, stable institutional buyers, more stringent regulation of food waste and nutrient management behavior, and a collaborative effort to construct a product narrative that emphasizes compost's role in a larger social-ecological system of nutrient management and sustainable agriculture.

Alternative food systems (AFSs) are so defined because they purport to challenge a value or ameliorate a negative impact of the dominant conventional food system (CFS). Short food supply chains (SFSCs) are a type of AFS whose alterity is defined by socially proximal economic exchanges that are embedded in and regulated by social relationships. This relational closeness is argued to have benefits with respect to economic, environmental, and social sustainability. However, it would be a mistake to assume that AFSs and CFSs are paradigmatically differentiated or that their structures engender particular outcomes. The first article traces a misguided attempt to find indicators of success for farms participating in short food supply chains. The effort was misguided, because in designing the original study there was an assumption that producers participating in these AFSs shared similar goals, values, and definitions of success. The true diversity of these variables was discovered through the analysis of eighteen semi-structured interviews with Burlington and Montpelier area farmers who participate in SFSCs. This diversity motivated an exploration of the origins, common applications, and recent academic skepticism regarding assumptions of the relationship between certain food systems structures and broader food systems outcomes. The second article undertakes to develop a framework for exploring the actual motivations of SFSCs farmers and challenging common AFS assumptions. A framework that differentiates motivations guided by formal and substantive rationality is used to code the aforementioned data. Common themes amongst the responses are discussed demonstrating that producer motivations for participating in AFSs can be diverse, contradictory, and subject to change.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide companies with an understanding of how Swedish apparel companies manage supplier risks connected to production activities located in China. In order to conduct this study, previous literature regarding supply chain risk management has been analysed in relation to the empirical data collected during this study. In order to answer the research question, a qualitative method and a deductive approach have been used. A qualitative method was chosen as a deeper understanding of the phenomenon supply chain risk management was desired. A deductive approach was further chosen as the topic was acknowledged by reading previous research, which clearly emphasized existing research gap within supply chain risk management.  The literature review presented in this thesis regards the importance of managing a global supply chain and the risks connected to a global supply chain. Presented is also a process of how to manage risks, and the process consists of three steps, which further provides alternative strategies in order to conduct each step. Further, the reasons why Swedish companies outsource production activities to China and the importance of supply chain risk management in China is presented. The literature review is finalized with a conceptual framework summarizing the chapter. Differences and similarities between collected empirical data and the literature review is discussed and analysed in the analysis chapter. The following chapter provides conclusions answering the research question as well as theoretical and practical implications. This thesis has contributed with filling the research gap regarding supply chain risk management, this as the thesis focuses on one specific market and one specific industry. A new framework has been constructed based on previous research and the empirical findings. This framework also contributes to the practical implications as companies with a desire to outsource to China can use the process presented in the framework. The process includes three steps which will facilitate for companies to manage supplier risks in China. This thesis has also contributed to create an understanding for companies regarding the great importance of supply chain risk management. Therefore, this thesis can contribute with valuable information for Swedish apparel companies wanting to include supply chain risk management when outsourcing to China.

Double (or multiple) marginalization is often identified as the main source of a decentralized supply chain's (SC's) inefficiency. In its core lies the fact that if the agents constituting the SC choose their output prices according to the golden rule of profit maximization (that normally applies to a single firm that produces independently and sells directly to the end consumer), the prices in the SC tend to spiral up to an inefficient (equilibrium) level where both the consumer surplus and the SC's total profit are diminished. The aim of this paper is to analyze and quantify the impact of multiple marginalization on the behaviour of SC's that vary with respect to their structure (i.e. the number of agents and the links between them) and the shape of their cost and demand functions. The main gauge of this impact is the efficiency of a SC, defined as the ratio of the profit of a SC whose agents behave according to the model of multiple marginalization, and the potential profit of the SC (i.e. the maximum profit attainable under the conditions of complete coordination of prices within the chain). Besides efficiency, some other properties of a SC are studied, e.g. the distribution of the SC's profit among the individual agents or cost externalities within the SC. Three different models of multiple marginalization are studied in the paper. The first one is a linear model of multiple marginalization (i.e. a model with linear demand and cost functions); in this simplified setting we derived explicit formulae for values of the studied indicators. The second model is analogous to the first one only that it allows for non-linear demand and cost functions; in this case, the analysis is carried out using computer experiments with numeric algorithms. The last one is a dynamic model of multiple marginalization which studies the abovementioned price spiral through multi-agent simulation.

Cette thèse porte sur les corridors et leur capacité relative à s'intégrer dans les chaînes d'approvisionnement internationales. Pour illustrer l'analyse, elle repose sur la réalisation d'études de cas portant sur la performance de corridors africains reliant le Tchad et le Niger aux marchés internationaux. Les chaînes d'approvisionnement sont des systèmes qui relient les organisations entre elles à travers des flux physiques et informationnels. Pour pouvoir les intégrer, toute entité doit être en mesure d'y contribuer en y apportant une valeur. Cette valeur permet aux chaînes d'approvisionnement d'atteindre un certain niveau de performance vis-à-vis leurs concurrents. En principe, elles cherchent donc à améliorer leurs performances et ceci passe par un certain nombre de stratégies dont la mise en œuvre dépend, entre autres, d'une circulation fluide d'information de qualité, d'un haut degré de fiabilité dans les processus logistiques et d'une collaboration effective entre les acteurs de la chaîne. En ce qui concerne les corridors, il s'agit également de systèmes qui relient les organisations entre elles. Mais contrairement aux chaînes d'approvisionnement, ils sont davantage territorialisés et ils forment des réseaux à travers lesquels les flux physiques et informationnels circulent. Leur valeur pour les chaînes d'approvisionnement est donc étroitement liée à la mobilité des biens, des personnes et des informations. Les corridors sont dotés de capacités qui leur confèrent plus ou moins de valeur selon les besoins relatifs des chaînes d'approvisionnement. Grâce à une matrice d'étalonnage construite à partir des besoins des chaînes d'approvisionnement, des capacités des corridors et des informations disponibles, les travaux entourant cette thèse tentent d'évaluer quels corridors sont susceptibles de mieux répondre aux besoins de certaines chaînes d'approvisionnement. Dans la mesure où à la fois les corridors et les chaînes d'approvisionnement sont des systèmes et considérant que l'évaluation de la performance ne peut faire abstraction d'éléments contextuels pour lesquels des indicateurs n'apportent que des réponses partielles, le processus d'étalonnage est complété par des études de cas qui permettent de mieux comprendre la performance relative. En conclusion, les travaux de cette thèse démontrent que les spécificités de chaque chaîne d'approvisionnement et des corridors empruntés ne peuvent faire l'objet d'une application universelle d'indicateurs de performance. Afin de bien appréhender l'intégration relative des corridors, il est nécessaire de pondérer les indicateurs en fonction des besoins précis de chaque chaîne d'approvisionnement. Par ailleurs, même si les corridors traditionnellement utilisés pour relier le Tchad et le Niger devraient maintenir leurs avantages dans un avenir rapproché, le potentiel d'amélioration sur l'ensemble des corridors est tel que la situation pourrait changer de façon significative à moyen et long termes. C'est notamment le cas pour les flux en provenance de / vers l'Asie qui augmentent rapidement à l'échelle africaine / This work considers corridors and their relative capability to integrate international supply chains. To illustrate the analysis, it is based on case studies pertaining to the performance of some African corridors linking Chad and Niger to global markets. Supply chains are systems that link organisations between them through physical and informational flows. To integrate them, it is necessary to contribute by providing value. This value enables supply chains to reach a given level of performance. Supply chains thus try to reach higher levels of performance through a certain number of strategies such as a seamless flow of information, a high degree of reliability in logistical processes and cooperation between stakeholders of the supply chain. Corridors are also systems that link organisation but they are more territorialized and form networks through which physical and informational flows circulate. Their value for supply chains is thus closely linked to the mobility of goods, persons and information. Corridors have capacities which provide them with more or less value according to the specific requirements of individual supply chains. With a benchmarking matrix built according to supply chain requirements, corridor capacities and available information, the work underlying this thesis tries to evaluate which corridors are susceptible of better answering to the specific need of certain supply chains. Given that both corridors and supply chains are systems and that the evaluation of performance cannot override contextual elements for which indicators only provide partial answers, the benchmarking process is completed by case studies that enable a better understanding of the relative performance. In conclusion, the work undertaken in this thesis demonstrates that the specificities of each supply chain and corridor cannot be objectively evaluated through the application of a universal benchmarking process based on performance indicators. To evaluate the relative integration of corridors, it is necessary to weigh the indicators according to the specific requirements of each supply chain. Moreover, even if the corridors traditionally used to link Chad and Niger should maintain their advantage in the short term, the potential for improvement on all the corridors analysed are such that this situation could significantly change in the medium and long terms. This is notably the case for flows to/from Asia which are growing rapidly at the African scale

En dépit de leur caractère distribué, les chaînes logistiques peuvent se révéler très performantes dans les conditions idéales de production et d’échange. Toutefois, leur complexité les rend de plus en plus fragiles. Cette thèse propose des modèles et des méthodes pour l’analyse des risques, de façon à renforcer la robustesse et la résilience des CLs. Nous avons analysé ce domaine suivant une démarche ontologique à l’aide de la méthode KOD pour tirer les caractéristiques essentielles des CLs. En nous appuyant sur un état de l’art du domaine des risques dans les chaînes logistiques, et sur les bases de cas réels, nous avons identifié les indicateurs des vulnérabilités les plus significatifs. A partir des connaissances extraites, et des modèles mathématiques proposés dans la littérature, nous avons construit un modèle de CL multi-étages à l’aide de modèles ARIMA intégrant l’aspect aléatoire de la demande. Pour adapter ce modèle aux situations de vulnérabilité et de risques, nous avons ajouté des contraintes de capacité et de positivité sur les commandes et sur les stocks. Sous l’effet d’événements dangereux, certaines contraintes du système peuvent être atteintes et par conséquence, son évolution peut s’écarter fortement de la dynamique nominale. Nous avons proposé des indicateurs de vulnérabilités comme des indicateurs de fréquence des retards de livraison, ou de surcoût d’immobilisation de produits. Enfin, l’occurrence d’événements dangereux a été représentée par des scénarios. Nous avons alors obtenu des résultats de simulation sous MATLAB, qui nous ont permis d’évaluer leurs conséquences pour différentes configurations du système. / Despite their distributed nature, these supply chains can be very efficient in the ideal conditions of production and exchange. However, their complexity makes them more fragile. This dissertation proposes models and methods for risk analysis to enhance the robustness and resilience of SCs. We analyzed this area following an ontological approach using the KOD method. Based on state of the art in the field of risk in SCs, and on real cases, we identified the indicators of the most significant vulnerabilities. From the extracted knowledge and mathematical models proposed in the literature, we built the model of a multi-stage SC using ARIMA models incorporating the randomness of the demand. In order to adapt this model to situations of vulnerability and risk, we have added capacity and positivity constraints on orders and inventories. Under the impact of hazardous events or strong disturbances, some constraints of the system can be reached and therefore, its evolution may deviate considerably from the nominal dynamics or even become unstable. We proposed vulnerability indicators such as indicators of the frequency of delivery delays or costs due to the immobilization of products. Finally, scenarios were used to represent the occurrence of dangerous events. We then got simulation results in MATLAB, which allowed us to assess their consequences for different configurations of the system, especially for strong disturbances of information flows and physical flows .

This PhD dissertation studies how market structures and economic incentives transform heterogeneity at agent levels into unequal economic outcomes. The first chapter studies the economic incentives that lead a country to specialise its production in specific segments of a supply chain, and how these incentives transform heterogeneity at the productivity level into wage differences between countries. This chapter presents an innovative framework that incorporates production networks to the Ricardian trade model. It describes the price formation mechanism that occurs along supply chains and how it induces countries to focus on the production of specific goods. Moreover, the model highlights the role of the network structure in the determination of prices, and uses it to explain how changes in the productivity of a country have consequences in the production decisions and wages of the other countries that produce goods in the supply chain. The second chapter studies the effects that the heterogeneity of income flows has over the implementation of collective agreements. Collective agreements are the primary mechanism by which communities cope with market failures. However, the lack of enforcement mechanisms generates coordination challenges. This chapter presents a theoretical framework that studies how inequality among individuals affects the participation incentives of the individuals and explains why agreements that balance the rent-seeking behaviour of wealthy individuals with the redistribution interests of the poor reduce the adverse effects of heterogeneity, and can even use it to create more robust agreements. The third chapter studies heterogeneity at the level of academic journals. This chapter models the interaction between authors and journals as a platform market and uses this model to explain how general interest journals compete against field-specific journals. The model provides new insights into the way in which general interest journals link the different publication incentives of journals across fields. The theoretical results explain why general interest journals tend to attract higher quality publications and how changes in the publication capacity of a journal, or the volume of research in a field, can affect the quality of ideas published in both field-specific and general interest journals. Finally, this chapter applies the previous theoretical results to understand how the Top 5 journals in economics obtained their central role, and how their influence has changed between 1980 and the present.