Title: Sustainable behaviour of manufacturers in supply chain context - an international approach

Authors: Danuta Kisperska-Moroń; Krzysztof Zowada

Addresses: Department of Business Logistics, University of Economics in Katowice, Ul. 1 Maja 50, 40-287 Katowice, Poland ' Department of Business Logistics, University of Economics in Katowice, Ul. 1 Maja 50, 40-287 Katowice, Poland

Abstract: Sustainable practices have become important issues for business policies, however, their effect on financial and economic performance is still not quite clear. Our study demonstrates how manufacturers in different countries apply the concept of sustainability in their internal operations and in supply chain activities. Having based our research on cross-country analysis, we also verify the researchers' conflicting opinions concerning environmental and social aspects of sustainability versus economic performance of companies cooperating in a supply chain. Results of our research showed that there is no confirmed relationship between environmental and social performance versus economic performance, however, the details of that interdependence differ for various countries and their clusters. This paper also discusses the lack of proper spread of sustainable practices in supply chains in different countries.

Keywords: sustainable behaviour; manufacturer; supply chain; environmental performance; social performance; economic performance; cluster analysis; international approach.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBSR.2017.087100

International Journal of Business and Systems Research, 2017 Vol.11 No.4, pp.429 - 452

Received: 02 Jul 2015
Accepted: 14 Mar 2016
Published online: 06 Oct 2017 *

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