Exploring how to manage supply chain relationships for sustainability: an action research project with PepsiCo and their agricultural suppliers in the UK

Touboulic, Anne ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8629-7199 2014. Exploring how to manage supply chain relationships for sustainability: an action research project with PepsiCo and their agricultural suppliers in the UK. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

Preview	PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (45MB) | Preview
	PDF - Supplemental Material Restricted to Repository staff only Download (255kB)

Abstract

This thesis is the result of the work conducted in collaboration with PepsiCo UK and their UK based growers between October 2010 and October 2013. The research project has been funded by an ESRC-CASE studentship and has provided the opportunity to explore the relationships between PepsiCo, as a large customer, and their small agricultural suppliers on their journey to address the sustainability challenge. The research is framed within the field of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), which can be defined as the integration and coordination of economic, environmental and social goals in the management of inter-organisational business processes (Carter & Rogers, 2008). Although there has been a growing amount of research in the field in the last decade, little research has offered insights into the actual implementation process of sustainability practices in supply chains (SC). This research addresses the qualitative knowledge gap around the relationship aspects of implementing SSC practices, and particularly relationships between a large buyer and small suppliers. The research adopts an Action Research (AR) approach; drawing on a variety of empirical methods, in an attempt to both contribute to academic knowledge and to address the practical concerns of the research participants. The thesis presents the process and outcomes of this AR project that has revolved around several emergent cycles of inquiry. The findings of this research offer a complementary perspective between inter-organisational governance dynamics for sustainability and the critical role of individual stakeholders in the change towards more sustainable practices in the SC. This is helpful in moving towards a more multilevel understanding of SSCM. The practical contribution of the research aims at supporting the development of better management practices for the implementation of sustainability practices in a supply chain involving a large buyer and SME suppliers.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Funders:	ESRC and EREBUS case funding
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	02 Oct 2023 15:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/65479

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item