Key identified themes and insights for MS
| Theory | Key themes | Sources | Key insights for MS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional theory |
| Kauppi and Hannibal (2017), Mani and Gunasekaran (2018), Moxham and Kauppi (2014), Paulraj et al. (2017), Silvestre et al. (2020), Lafargue et al. (2022) | Institutional pressures can drive MNCs to adopt MS-free practices in their SCs; MNCs’ heterogenous responses and symbolic responses to institutional pressures |
| Kelling et al. (2021), Silvestre (2015), Silvestre et al. (2018, 2020) Nath et al. (2020) | How institutional voids may hinder the adoption of MS-free practices in SCs in emerging and developing economies, or impact the effectiveness of institutional pressures on MNCs to address MS in SCs | |
| Schultz and Wehmeier (2010) | Institutionalization of MS-free practices at different levels of MNCs, and their SCs | |
| Nath et al. (2020), Lafargue et al. (2022) | Institutional resistance in the adoption and implementation of MS-free practices in SCs | |
| Stakeholder theory |
| Gualandris et al. (2015), Hofmann et al. (2014), Huq et al. (2016), Mani et al. (2018b), Meixell and Luoma (2015), Rudyanto and Siregar (2018), Uttam et al. (2024), Weber and Marley (2012) | How stakeholder pressure can prompt MNCs to adopt MS-free practices in SCs and increase compliance with MS laws |
| Gualandris et al. (2015), Roscoe et al. (2020) | Stakeholder engagement and collaboration to achieve MS-free SCs | |
| Sarkis et al. (2011) | Global stakeholder analysis in international SCs to address MS | |
| Resource-based view |
| Sarkis et al. (2011), Yadlapalli et al. (2018) | How organizational learning related to MS can be a strategic resource for attaining competitive advantages |
| Luzzini et al. (2015), Mani et al. (2018a), Pagell et al. (2010), Yadlapalli et al. (2018) | Buyer–supplier collaborations and governance mechanisms to achieve MS-free SCs and gain competitive advantages | |
| Benstead et al. (2022) | How MNCs can achieve competitive advantages through MS-free SCs, environmentally and societally sustainable operations | |
| Resource dependence theory |
| Gorton et al. (2023), Hollos et al. (2012), Mani et al. (2018a), Sarkis et al. (2011), Schnittfeld and Busch (2016), Touboulic et al. (2014) | MNCs have environmental dependency: their reputation is partly influenced by perceptions of stakeholders, and their suppliers’ actions can affect their reputation. Resource dependence may affect MNCs’ ability to attain MS-free practices in SCs |
| Connelly et al. (2013) | Rising dependencies on suppliers may increase MS risks, and reduce focal firms’ ability to address MS | |
| Long et al. (2023), Nandi et al. (2021) | New technologies such as blockchain can impact resource dependence dynamics and sustainability in SCs. How the technologies can help tackle MS in SCs | |
| Principal agent theory |
| Yadlapalli et al. (2018), Yu (2008) | Agency problems in complex global SCs may increase MS risks |
| Wilhelm et al. (2016), Emberson et al. (2022) | How buying firms’ first-tier suppliers can assume a dual agency role to address agency problems and help eliminate MS from multitier SCs | |
| Yadlapalli et al. (2018) | Governance mechanisms that can be used to address agency problems which cause MS in SCs | |
| Transaction cost economics |
| Huq et al. (2014), Meinlschmidt et al. (2018), Sancha et al. (2016), Wang et al. (2015) | The relationship between firms’ bounded rationality, environmental uncertainty, supplier opportunism, transaction costs and MS requires understanding |
| Jiang (2009a, 2009b), LeBaron et al. (2017), Meinlschmidt et al. (2018) | The role and effectiveness of audits in addressing MS in SCs, and MS audit fraud risks | |
| Sancha et al. (2016) | Economic rationale for implementing MS-free practices in SCs | |
| Jiang (2009a, 2009b), Cao et al. (2024), Huq et al. (2014) | How to structure buyer–supplier contracts to reduce MS risks |
| Theory | Key themes | Sources | Key insights for MS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institutional theory | Institutional pressures and sustainability practices of firms Firms’ heterogeneous response to institutional pressures Symbolic response to institutional pressures | Institutional pressures can drive MNCs to adopt MS-free practices in their SCs; MNCs’ heterogenous responses and symbolic responses to institutional pressures | |
Institutional voids and uncertainty can impede socially sustainable practices in SCs Conflicting institutional logics may cause supplier decoupling from sustainability compliance | How institutional voids may hinder the adoption of MS-free practices in SCs in emerging and developing economies, or impact the effectiveness of institutional pressures on MNCs to address MS in SCs | ||
Institutionalization of sustainable practices in firms at macro, meso and micro-levels | Institutionalization of MS-free practices at different levels of MNCs, and their SCs | ||
Resistance to institutional pressures for sustainability | Institutional resistance in the adoption and implementation of MS-free practices in SCs | ||
| Stakeholder theory | Stakeholder pressures and SC sustainability | How stakeholder pressure can prompt MNCs to adopt MS-free practices in SCs and increase compliance with MS laws | |
Stakeholder engagement and collaboration to address sustainability issues | Stakeholder engagement and collaboration to achieve MS-free SCs | ||
Internationally focused stakeholder analysis in SCs | Global stakeholder analysis in international SCs to address MS | ||
| Resource-based view | Interorganizational learning and competitive advantages | How organizational learning related to MS can be a strategic resource for attaining competitive advantages | |
Buyer–supplier collaborations and governance mechanisms, sustainability and competitive advantages | Buyer–supplier collaborations and governance mechanisms to achieve MS-free SCs and gain competitive advantages | ||
Natural resource-based view (NRBV) and competitiveness | How MNCs can achieve competitive advantages through MS-free SCs, environmentally and societally sustainable operations | ||
| Resource dependence theory | Resource dependence in SCs and sustainability | MNCs have environmental dependency: their reputation is partly influenced by perceptions of stakeholders, and their suppliers’ actions can affect their reputation. Resource dependence may affect MNCs’ ability to attain MS-free practices in SCs | |
Supply chain creep and increasing dependencies in SCs | Rising dependencies on suppliers may increase MS risks, and reduce focal firms’ ability to address MS | ||
New technologies, resource dependence dynamics and sustainability in SCs | New technologies such as blockchain can impact resource dependence dynamics and sustainability in SCs. How the technologies can help tackle MS in SCs | ||
| Principal agent theory | Agency problems can hinder socially sustainable practices in complex global SCs | Agency problems in complex global SCs may increase MS risks | |
Double agency role of first tier suppliers in addressing sustainability issues in multitier SCs | How buying firms’ first-tier suppliers can assume a dual agency role to address agency problems and help eliminate MS from multitier SCs | ||
Governance mechanisms can address agency problems and enhance social sustainability in SCs | Governance mechanisms that can be used to address agency problems which cause MS in SCs | ||
| Transaction cost economics | Bounded rationality, uncertain environmental conditions, supplier opportunism and sustainability in SCs | The relationship between firms’ bounded rationality, environmental uncertainty, supplier opportunism, transaction costs and MS requires understanding | |
SC contracts, audits, audit fraud and sustainability in SCs | The role and effectiveness of audits in addressing MS in SCs, and MS audit fraud risks | ||
Economic rationale for sustainability in SCs | Economic rationale for implementing MS-free practices in SCs | ||
SC contracts as governance mechanism | How to structure buyer–supplier contracts to reduce MS risks |
Sharing content requires targeting cookies to be enabled. Please update your cookie preferences to use this feature.