A Resource-Based Perspective on Green Supply Chain Management and Firm Performance

Due to the perceived performance implications of green supply chain management, research in this area has grown in recent years. However, the literature is limited on the determinants of green supply chain management and its performance implications. Thus, the literature has yet to furnish an accepted explanation for why green practices are manifested in supply chain management and, whether a positive relationship exists between green supply chain management practices and firm performance.

This dissertation responded to these challenges through exploring the antecedents and consequences of green supply chain management. This dissertation built on the theoretical base of the resource-based view of the firm (RBV) and investigated two potentially important determinants of green supply chain management practices, and how such practices, in turn, shape firm performance. Specifically, a theoretical model was developed that offered hypothesized relationships among the resources of an environmental orientation, a supply chain orientation, and green supply chain management practices, and how these resources relate to firm performance.

Significant results and good fit indices tested with structural equation modeling generated a number of interesting theoretical implications for scholars and practical implications for supply chain managers. The results challenge the current theoretical and operationalization of the green supply chain management construct. The results also show the strategic implications of firm orientations. Finally, for executives and strategists who are concerned about better managing their supply chains, this study provides insights for how firms can develop a competitive edge through the implementation of green supply chain management practices.