Valentina Carbone

The changing role of ports in supply-chain management: an empirical analysis

As integrated supply-chain management (SCM) is now at the epicentre of business transformation, firms are breaking down boundaries between internal functions, as well as between the enterprise itself and key partners in the value chain (e.g. customers, distributors, suppliers and carriers). One of the main goals of such new management approach is to get everyone in the supply chain into a common platform of logistics transactions and information systems. Against such background, the aim of this work is to analyse how and if port operators can face the challenge of higher integration, on the assumption that the higher the integration between the actors the higher the competitiveness of the whole supply chain. Accordingly, we adopted an SCM approach in the analysis of the port of Le Havre in Renaults supply chain. More specifically, we referred to the Lambert tri-dimensional model based on supply chains structure (actors), key business processes and links between actors. The field work—which mainly consisted of semi-structured interviews to Renault, logistics and port operators, and, finally, to the Le Havre Port Authority—was crucial to gather the needed information.

Towards greener supply chains: an institutional perspective

Business leaders worldwide are proclaiming their interest in increasingly ambitious environmental initiatives. However, external observers, particularly not-for-profit organisations, are criticising the trend of many companies towards green communication or posturing rather than action, termed ‘green-washing’. Our purpose is to establish a link between companies’ green strategic intent and their concrete initiatives in the supply-chain area. Drawing from the institutional theory, we expect that green supply-chain practices are following different patterns and transforming across time, according to different institutional contexts. We point out here that green-washing represents a primarily needed step towards further concrete actions and results. We expect that different institutional contexts lead to different types of green supply-chain behaviours. Analysis of data from a large-scale survey of 600 international companies using Multiple Correspondence Analysis and logistic regression provided clear evidence that firms are following different patterns when they implement a green strategy to their supply chain.

Greening the Supply Chain: Preliminary Results of a Global Survey

Most companies are claiming interest in integrating an environmental dimension into their business. More concretely, some major companies are now focusing on the environmental burden of their supply chain processes by recognizing some of the contemporary environmental dimensions such as carbon emissions, energy, and natural resources consumption. The main purpose of this explorative paper is to look into current practices of companies in the context of a green supply chain, highlighting specific patterns per country and/or industry. In particular, starting from the results of a global survey on green supply chain initiatives, we propose a “mapping” of the surveyed companies according to their distinct green supply chain practices. We discuss motivations, constraints, and main results related to the set-up of a green supply chain and then suggest specific perspectives for future research.

Diffusion of Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Toward a Conceptual Framework

Existing literature is still lacking an overall descriptive model for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) diffusion at the intraorganisation (between functions) and inter-organisation (between companies) levels. Drawing from theories of diffusion of business ideas and practices, and relying on a literature review on SSCM, our research aims at outlining diffusion mechanisms for sustainable supply chain decisions and actions. We highlight research gaps and propose research avenues to take in order to advance the theory-building process for SSCM diffusion.

The impact of internal and external collaboration on the performance of supply chain risk management

In this article, we show the complementary roles that internal and external collaboration play in enhancing the performance of risk management processes in business firms. We also specify the importance of internal and external collaboration for each of the four dimensions of risk management: identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring, on the basis of the results of an empirical study testing hypothesis on a worldwide sample of 242 firms of different sizes through regression analyses. Finally, we discuss these results, indicate a series of managerial implications and propose future research orientations.

Collaborative Supply Chains and Environmental Awareness: A Typology in Terms of Proximity

The aim of this article is to examine collaborative supply chain practices and their related ways of integrating environmental dimensions. Seven case studies of collaboration were analysed through the lens of proximity economics, a theoretical framework at the crossroads of spatial and industrial economics. Starting with a sample of collaborative initiatives, taken from the professional press specialized in logistics, and further studied through in-depth interviews and secondary data analysis, a typology of collaborative practices was developed. This typology highlights the specifics of the relationships between firms associated with a particular degree of environmental awareness. It proves that the way of addressing environmental concerns is neither univocal nor simplistic and is related to different forms of interaction between actors.

A new analysis framework for agility in the fashion industry

Fashion consumers are constantly demanding more variety of designs, better quality and service, including both reliability and faster delivery. The achievement of these objectives implies new relations, innovative processes and new modes of evaluation between supply chain stakeholders. These pressures have prompted academics and industrial leaders to investigate new methods in order to achieve effectiveness across the fashion supply chain. As such, the concepts of agile supply chain, flexible systems, and quick response have emerged and have been adopted in several ways in the industry. Despite their recognition, these concepts are often confused in the literature. To avoid those issues, this paper aims at proposing a formal analysis framework, called ASO, for conducting a literature review of the agility initiatives and

Value creation in the port: opening the boundaries to the market

In the era of fierce competition among ports as elements of value chain systems, the opening of the boundaries to the market represents a crucial challenge that port authority has to cope with, in order to guarantee a lasting economic and social development of the port and its hinterland. We propose a theoretical framework to analyse value creation in the port and its hinterland through two core concepts: resource allocation and interaction. We illustrate such framework with the case of the port of Naples and, specifically, the contribution of the port authority and other port business operators to the value creation process of Garofalo, an export-oriented firm located in its hinterland. A discussion and suggestions for future research are provided in the last section.

Combining lean and green in manufacturing: a model of waste management

Abstract In this paper, we focus our attention on the modeling of waste management as an application of environmental concern (green) integrated with lean manufacturing. The literature confirms the convergence between the two concepts, for waste reduction. Nevertheless, there are interesting avenues of research in the development of an integrated model, at the crossroads of lean and green principles. So, we propose a framework in three levels for optimizing a waste minimization program: an integrated improvement process (level 1), a strategic matrix and an integrated toolkit (level 2), and finally an “advanced 3R (Reduction / Reuse / Recovery)” method (level 3).

The Impact of Sustainability on Global Logistics Strategies: Contradictory Issues

Sustainable development permeates every area of a corporation. Although the notion of sustainability is now widespread and focuses energies on environmental issues, it is weakened by numerous paradoxes.