Title: Stakeholder response to future changes in the reverse supply chain

Authors: Gyongyi Kovacs, Karen M. Spens, Riitta Korkeila

Addresses: Hanken, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Marketing, Supply Chain Management and Corporate Geography, P.O. Box 479, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland. ' Hanken, Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Department of Marketing, Supply Chain Management and Corporate Geography, P.O. Box 479, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland. ' Altia Corporation, Wine and Spirits House, P.O. Box 350, FI-00101 Helsinki, Finland

Abstract: The importance of reverse logistics has grown in recent years, stressed primarily by authorities but also by consumers. Authorities are important stakeholders of the reverse supply chain wherever recycling and reverse logistics are regulated by the state. In contrast to other types of change, legislative changes are foreseeable, because their implementation dates are usually yet to come. Therefore the members of any supply chain can better prepare their reactions to forthcoming legislative changes. The Finnish glass recycling supply chain faces significant changes due to the enlargement and regulations of the European Union, including the reduction of import restrictions on alcohol and adjustments in the Finnish waste law. How the stakeholders of the glass recycling supply chain respond to these changes is explored and described in different scenarios. The study proposes an evaluation framework for reverse supply chains and indicates how stakeholder theory can be applied from a supply chain perspective.

Keywords: packaging material; glass recycling; reverse logistics; scenario technique; stakeholder response; reverse supply chain; Finland; waste law; supply chain management; SCM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2006.009557

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2006 Vol.2 No.2, pp.160 - 176

Published online: 21 Apr 2006 *

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