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PurposeThis paper introduces initial foundations of a sustainability-dominant logic theory intersecting the sustainable operations and supply chain management (SOSCM) discipline with the circular economy (CE) field of knowledge.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies propositional forms of theorising to derive the formulation of propositions and interconnections that interrelate SOSCM and CE principles, concepts and practices which provide a reinforcing theoretical basis underlying the proposed sustainability-dominant logic theory.FindingsKey findings are represented by elaborated theoretical propositions for a sustainability-dominant logic linking SOSCM and CE principles, concepts and well-established practical assumptions. The initial set of propositions offers useful insights for a sustainability-dominant logic at three managerial levels: product, firm and supply chain level.Originality/valueThe paper offers an original theoretical common ground based on a sustainability-dominant logic linking key SOSCM with CE tenets, this way developing SOSCM theory anchored in the CE paradigm and, conversely, developing CE theory supported by SOSCM principles and praxis. The initial set of propositions introduced in the paper provides a new pathway for future research and debate by OM scholars engaged with SOSCM and CE developments.

PurposeThis study proposes a systematic and comprehensive circular economy (CE) performance measure as an instrument to operationalize and quantify circularity. It seeks to evaluate the relative contribution of blockchain technology to evaluate various measures in this study. A general research agenda for investigating blockchain capabilities to performance assessment in CE is presented.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical survey data from 32 CE and blockchain experts are collected to inform this study. Inductive reasoning, heatmaps, and a middle-range theory building approach are utilized to generalize theoretical patterns for blockchain support of CE performance assessment and measurement. A series of propositions are then developed as a middle-range theory for the true, false, perceptible, and hidden affordances of blockchain technology capabilities for CE performance measurement.FindingsOverall, sixteen performance measures and metrics are identified and examined. The authors find most of these measures and metrics – based on literature and expert opinion – can be supported using blockchain technology capabilities. Four major blockchain capabilities, transparency and traceability, reliability and security, smart contracts, and incentivization and tokenization are shown to have varying potential support for CE performance assessment. There needs to be an evaluation of true, false, perceptible, and hidden affordances of blockchain technology capabilities for CE performance measurement in future studies.Originality/valueBlockchain application for CE, and specifically performance measurements, is a new area. Research and practice evaluation on this issue is important but needs substantially additional investigation to help CE progress. This study provides a framework for evaluation and a foundation for future research at the nexus of CE, blockchain technology, and performance measurement.

When and how to achieve a carbon peak is a concern for provincial regions within China under the context of achieving carbon neutrality in 2060. This study investigates the overall carbon peak environmental and resource impacts under current national targets and Shanghai's latest more aggressive carbon peak policy by using a dynamic multiple-region computable general equilibrium (CGE) model for the year 2030. Results show that (1) the national carbon peak and the more aggressive regional policy in Shanghai will result in energy consumption and carbon emissions decreases when compared to the business-as-usual scenario in most provinces; (2) although some cobenefits in water use reduction may occur in most provinces under the carbon policy scenarios, the results show positive and negative variations; (3) provincial level environmental and resources in transport, electricity, metal smelting and pressing, and agricultural production sectors are most influenced by Shanghai's aggressive carbon peak policy; and (4) the outsourced environmental and resource impacts from Shanghai to other provinces are very significant under Shanghai's aggressive carbon policy. These relevant results provide insights to facilitate broader governance decision-making for environmental resource nexuses while seeking an improved understanding of global sustainable development and climate governance.

The water, energy, and food (WEF) nexus has gained particular attention in the sustainable development community. Making effective decisions in this environment is difficult. Entwinement from multiple sustainability dimensions and various stakeholder perspectives contribute to this difficulty. Stakeholders have differing goals, interests, and preferences for potential technological and developmental solutions that address WEF nexus concerns. A holistic sustainable management approach with supporting decision support can address these concerns. This article introduces such a holistic framework to address WEF-sustainability (WEFS) concerns. Using a joint neighborhood rough set, interval-valued hesitant fuzzy set, and regret theory technique, this article introduces a multistakeholder transdisciplinary method to support WEFS nexus decisions. An illustrative example integrates the multiple stakeholder and WEFS nexus factors. The illustrative example provides insights into the modeling effort and data requirements. Research, practical implications, along with limitations of the study—which are all discussed—provide a foundation for future research directions in this socio-environmentally important field.

Socially sustainable and resilient supply chains are critical for organizations to succeed during both normal and uncertain times. Informed by supply chain disruption events, this study uses the resource-based view to conceptualize a performance framework for firms to strategically measure supply chain social sustainability and resilience capabilities. The performance framework integrates (a) the environmental goods valuation to evaluate social sustainability and (b) digitalization using blockchain technology to enhance supply chain process sustainability and resilience. Using secondary COVID-19 supply chain disruption data, the performance framework illustrates various social sustainability implications, market-based valuation methods, and supporting blockchain capabilities for supply chains. The study identifies potential future research to further evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed performance measurement framework and to advance it theoretically. The study also suggests practitioners utilize the performance measurement framework to manage supply chain social sustainability issues and resilience such that it can contribute to their competitive advantages.

This study extends research on buyer firm roles in improving supplier sustainability practices by considering institutions – norms and rules – in the organisational field in which suppliers and sub-suppliers operate, exerting pressures on these actors to align their respective practices. We introduce the resource-based view to arrive at a framework outlining key capabilities for institutional entrepreneurs that seek institutionalisation of corporate sustainability standards (CSS) as a new institution across a multi-tier supply chain. The paper draws on the results of an exploratory research study using six comparative case studies within four industries. While institutional entrepreneurship explains how organisations drive institutional change, the resource-based view outlines criteria for organisational capabilities enabling the focal firm to achieve the targeted institutional change. Our analysis suggests five key capabilities enabling a buying firm to effectively institutionalise their requirements in multi-tier supply chains: (1) inter-firm dialogue, (2) risk management, (3) external stakeholder collaboration, (4) cross-functional integration, and (5) continuous improvement. The key organisational capabilities identified help to extend the theory of institutional entrepreneurship with concepts that facilitate institutional change in multi-tier supply chains with respect to corporate sustainability. This exploratory work opens up avenues of additional research in general and supply chain theory development.

PurposeIn the buyer-supplier relationship of a high-technology enterprise, the concepts of trust and risk are closely intertwined. Entering into a buyer-supplier relationship inherently involves a degree of risk, since there is always an opportunity for one of the parties to act opportunistically. Purchasing and supply managers play an important role in reducing the firm's risk profile, and must make decisions about whether or not to enter into, or remain in, a relationship with a supplier based on a subjective assessment of trust and risk.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors seek to explore how trust in the buyer-supplier relationship can be quantitatively modeled in the presence of risk. The authors develop a model of trust between a buyer and supplier as a risk-based decision, in which a buyer decides to place trust in a supplier, who may either act cooperatively or opportunistically. The authors use a case study of intellectual property (IP) piracy in the electronics industry to illustrate the conceptual discussion and model development.FindingsThe authors produce a generalizable model that can be used to aid in decision-making and risk analysis for potential supply-chain partnerships, and is both a theoretical and practical innovation. However, the model can benefit a variety of high-technology enterprises.Originality/valueWhile the topic of trust is widely discussed, few studies have attempted to derive a quantitative model to support trust-based decision making. This paper advanced the field of supply chain management by developing a model which relates risk and trust in the buyer-supplier relationship.

Proponents present the circular economy as an alternative to traditional, linear systems that use natural resources indiscriminately. The puzzle guiding this perspective piece is that the circular economy model needs further investigation in more diverse, unstructured contexts. With economic growth at the top of the agenda for Global South countries, testing the relevance of the circular economy in these contexts is important. There remain questions about whether the adoption and upscaling of circular principles and practices can contribute to economic development in contexts where social factors, such as high inequality, collide with environmental factors, such as high natural biodiversity. Another blind spot concerns how the structural conditions in Global South countries, such as vast informal economies, hinder this transition, and what new forms of organisation can facilitate the implementation of innovative circular practices. This perspective calls for greater attention from the academic community to help fill in some of the missing pieces in the puzzle of the informal economy and the circular economy.