Special Issue on

Managing and measuring sustainability performance of supply chains
Guest Editors: Professor Dr Stefan Schaltegger, CSM Leuphana University,
Lüneburg, Germany
Professor Roger L. Burritt, CAGS University of South Australia Adelaide, Australia

Submission deadline: 4 February 2013

The sustainability of supply chains and their management by organizations are of growing significance to businesses keen to gain a competitive advantage, or to industries which are risk sensitive to the environment or social issues. Yet, with the exception of sustainability assessments in pilot studies, research-based life cycle assessments, selected certification of green products, or demonstration cases, companies have largely struggled with or ignored the management and measurement of sustainability performance over their whole supply chains. Sustainability issues in supply chains, however, have become an important topic in procurement, innovation management and marketing. The rationale for this special issue is that sustainability issues in supply chains act as a catalyst for researching the links between consequences of adopting sustainability as a strategic goal and performance management, accounting, auditing and management control.

This special issue of Supply Chain Management: An International Journal on managing and measuring sustainability performance of supply chains is designed to encourage academic and practitioner thought leaders at the cutting edge to submit articles for potential publication addressing sustainability performance measurement and management themes, with particular focus on supply chains. We are seeking papers addressing analyses and approaches to the management and measurement of social, environmental and economic issues of organizations in relation to opportunities and risks in supply chains.

The need in focal companies and suppliers to gather data, make information available, and generate knowledge for decision making has never been stronger than in emerging areas such as the measurement and management of the social and environmental performance of suppliers and complete supply chains. In the process of globalization with high levels of specialization and outsourcing the reliable performance measurement and effective management for sustainability of supply chains has been shown as essential for very different industries, either dealing with high reputational risk issues such as child or forced labour or for the market success of businesses offering particularly sustainable products and services. The increasing demand for the certification of sustainable products and services furthermore emphasizes the need for reliable sustainability performance measurement and management approaches. Whereas some focal companies emphasize supplier audit and selection, others implement a supplier development and training strategy of sustainable supply chain management; both with different roles and consequences for establishing information management systems, accounting, management control, auditing and reporting. Subsequently, thought leadership for policy and practice is needed to develop further frameworks and tools for information and performance managers to participate in and contribute effectively to sustainable development. Academics and practitioners will want to demonstrate best practice and business progress in environmental and resource management, as well as responsible corporate social activities and share this leading-edge practice. To have global reach, information systems managers, accountants, auditors, controllers and reporting specialists will need to contribute to a sustainable future for developed and emerging nations in relation to sustainable supply chains and the associated possibilities for society, nature, business and industry.

When attempting to realize sustainable supply chain management, many businesses and industries share their sustainability standards with suppliers and clients and work together to improve sustainability outcomes, including the goals of supply chain integrity, risk management, government relations, and management of networks, including information on selling and second-tier suppliers. For example, the goal of risk management as it relates to sustainability of supply chains, may require that accountants, controllers and auditors can create a heightened awareness of risk of unsustainable resource consumption in the supply chain when dealing with carbon intense suppliers but also that they are able to unveil the opportunities to improve performance against industry benchmarks. Furthermore, businesses striving for superior sustainable products may put information managers, accountants, controllers and auditors into the strategically crucial position of confirming that the highest social and environmental claims are met for all suppliers at any time and without exception. To make inroads toward realizing sustainable supply chain goals, these and many more topics need to be addressed in order to realize the full potential of performance measurement and management as a catalyst for sustainable development through the engagement of information managers and their association with supply chain management.

Issues to be addressed in submissions could include, but are not limited to:

.Areas, aspects and criteria of sustainability performance of product and services supply chains (e.g. carbon, water, social issues, fair trade, biodiversity, etc.).

.Measurement, management, auditing and certification for green, fair-trade and sustainable products (e.g. opportunity oriented strategies and the role of accounting and auditing; different accounting and assurance roles in sustainable supply chains; management of and accounting for sustainable products; certification of sustainable products; environmental management accounting, etc.).

.Sustainability accounting for risk-reduction in supply chains (e.g. management of risks of sustainable supply chains; selecting suppliers; compliance with regulations; reduced reputational risk, etc.).

.The role of accountants, controllers, information system managers or auditors in supplier development and education strategies of sustainable supply chain management.

.Roles and views of focal companies, suppliers, professional organizations, certification and standardization organizations.

.Sustainability performance measurement and management as support for product, process and system innovations.

.Supply chains and performance measurement and management for sustainability in different industries.

.Pathways for information management, accounting and auditing in sustainable supply chain management.

.Comparative and in-depth exploratory case studies and/or empirical studies based on qualitative, quantitative of mixed-methods research methods.

Please submit your full paper until 4 February to both of the following two e-mail addresses:
schaltegger@uni.leuphana.de and roger.burritt@unisa.edu.au