Ensuring supplier participation toward addressing sustainability-oriented objectives of the mid-day meal supply chain: Insights from The Akshaya Patra Foundation
The International Journal of Logistics Management
ISSN: 0957-4093
Article publication date: 12 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore and further explain the phenomena of supplier participation in addressing the sustainability-oriented objectives of a supply chain. Specifically, the paper explains how a buyer can integrate sustainability concerns among its suppliers. The study is based in the context of the Indian school feeding (mid-day meal) program and approaches the issue from the perspective of a mid-day meal provider.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper first explains how the mid-day meal providers in India explicitly address the social and economic dimensions of sustainability. Thereby, it conducts an exploratory case study on a renowned meal provider with the objective to understand the nature of its efforts toward supplier participation through in-depth interviews.
Findings
As evident in the case, from the buyer’s perspective, the key to success in winning supplier participation in addressing the sustainability-oriented supply chain objectives largely revolves around efforts along the critical aspects of policy development, policy implementation, and intent building with suppliers.
Originality/value
This paper propagates a threefold value by outlining the central importance of the focus on efforts and challenges for understanding supplier participation in sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). First, the paper is among the initial studies to focus on ground-level efforts and challenges for a mid-day meal provider, and outlines best practices. Second, the case presents revelatory insights on SSCM from the perspective of supplier participation. For example, it demonstrates the relevance of supply-chain-based social identification in governing supplier willingness to participate in a buyer’s SSCM. Third, the findings also extend critical implications toward SSCM theory and practice.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are indebted to Editor Professor Dr Britta Gammelgaard and two anonymous reviewers for the developmental and constructive guidance. This study benefited significantly from their feedback.
Citation
Roy, V., Charan, P., Schoenherr, T. and Sahay, B.S. (2018), "Ensuring supplier participation toward addressing sustainability-oriented objectives of the mid-day meal supply chain: Insights from The Akshaya Patra Foundation", The International Journal of Logistics Management, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp. 456-475. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-12-2016-0297
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited