Greening of the Supply Chain and its Impact on Corporate Networks : Analysis based upon a Questionnaire Survey(<Special Issue>The Environmental Management and Production Systems in the 21th Century)

Abstract

In recent years, a large number of firms have actively introduced and implemented green supply chain management (GSCM). GSCM refers to the practice of monitoring and improving environmental performance as well as economic performance in the supply chain network. However, the effects of GSCM on performance and its impact on the inter-firm relationships are not clear in both academically and managerially. In this paper, we exploratory investigate current situations and issues of the corporate networks in GSCM based on our original questionnaire survey. Using empirical results from 126 respondents on GSCM practice in Japanese manufacturing firms, we analyze the motivations for the implementation of GSCM and examine the relationships between GSCM practice and information network among firms. We find that it is a significant relation between the utilization level of information network and the improvement of business process statistically. It implies that information network has a positive moderation effect that plays a role in the effective implementation of GSCM.