ARIES Seminar

Beyond competitive advantage: Sustainable supply chains and the promotion of human wellbeing

PRESENTER:  Prof Clive Smallman, Faculty of Commerce, Lincoln University, New Zealand

DATE:  Monday 8 February

Abstract

Mary Haropoulou, Clive Smallman and Misha Balzarova

The purpose of this paper is to reorientate the debate on the role of sustainable supply chains away from a narrow focus on the promotion of competitive advantage (with a conventional economic focus) to the promotion of human wellbeing (taking an ecological economic focus).

We first emphasise the significant role of supply chain management (SCM) in achieving competitive advantage in the conventional economic model. We then situate our work in an historical synthesis of SCM, green SCM (GSCM) and sustainable SCM (SSCM) demonstrating the development of a progressively coherent body of knowledge. We then problematize this literature through demonstrating that it is incomplete if articulated within an ecological economic model of production. We conclude by addressing how adopting true SSCM can move us beyond competitive advantage to the promotion of human wellbeing.

We find that the present body of knowledge is focused upon a vision of SSCM solely as a means to achieve improved competitive advantage. We argue that this is short-termist and lacks true vision of the transformational potential of SSCM with respect to the promotion of human wellbeing through genuine progress in an ecological economic model.

Our findings imply the need to recast SSCM through a more visionary and purposive lens, as a vehicle for sustained organisation and institutional change with the objective of moving beyond competitive advantage. In practice, this widens the role of SCM and considerably strengthens the business case for investment in SSCM.

Keywords:  Sustainable supply chain management; Ecological economics; Human wellbeing

Prof Smallman will also discuss his upcoming special issue: Process Studies of Change in Organization and Management, Academy of Management Journal

Download the Call for Papers here (PDF 55KB)

Deadline 31 August 2010.