Purpose

Contradictory sustainability priorities and perspectives among supply chain actors in greening transportation can be challenging. Several of these contradictions can be described as paradoxes (i.e. interests that are logical in themselves, but become irrational when perceived together). The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of paradoxical tensions hampering the greening of transportation in transport buyer–supplier dyads.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study method targeting greening transportation in two transport buyer–supplier dyads was applied, followed by an analysis with a point-of-departure in paradox theory.

Findings

Tensions related to performing, belonging, learning and organizing paradoxes in greening transportation were identified. These tensions arise as a consequence of actions, perspectives and other tensions, within three identified loci in individual companies and in dyads.

Research limitations/implications

By identifying examples of tensions through the lens of paradoxes in a particular setting, this study provides an increased understanding of why the transition toward green transportation goes slow, despite the high ambitions of involved actors. The suggested framework provides a novel contribution to the literature that further increases the understanding of tensions, by providing additional insights into where tensions arise and how actions, perspectives and tensions in one place of a locus spectrum can disseminate along that spectrum.

Originality/value

This study is original because it applies paradox theory and the four categories of performing, belonging, learning and organizing within the field of greening transportation, and in particular as a lens to study interactions between different actors.

Purpose

Contradictory sustainability priorities and interests among supply chain actors can be challenging in the transition towards greener transportation. Several of these contradictions can be described as paradoxes, e.g., interests that are logical in themselves, but becomes irrational when perceived together. This study aims at increasing the understanding of paradoxes in transport buyers’ and suppliers’ strive towards greener transportation.

Design/methodology/approach

An interview study targeting transport buyer-supplier dyads has been applied, followed by an analysis with a point of departure in the paradox theory.

Findings

Tensions related to performing, belonging, learning, and organizing paradoxes in the greening of transportation have been identified. The tensions arise both within individual companies and within dyads. An explanatory framework with four loci of tensions and related propositions are suggested.

Research limitations/implications

By identifying examples through the lens of paradoxes in the particular setting, the study provides increased understanding to why the transition towards green transportation goes slow, despite involved actors’ high ambitions.

Practical implications

Understanding paradoxes is a necessary first step, before identifying ways to manage contradictions in the greening of transportation.

Social implications

The study provides deep insights on the challenges regarding the greening of transportation, which is fundamental for a long-term sustainable society during global crises.

Original/value

This study is original as it applies paradox theory within the field of green transportation, and in particular as a lens in studying the interactions between different actors.

PurposeSustainability approaches across product supply chains are well-known, while similar knowledge on transport supply chains (TSC) is limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore sustainability approaches and managerial challenges in extending sustainability across a TSC.

Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a case study of a TSC with a shipper, a third-party logistics firm and a hauler. Each actor's views on sustainability-related communication and relations with other TSC actors are analyzed through the lens of agency theory.

FindingsEach dyad in the TSC reveals different, more or less collaboration-based approaches. Challenges are revealed, including the lack of shipper understanding for the TSC context and the use of immature contracts, which disincentivizes sustainability compliance. The multi-tier study object reveals the silencing of distant actors and the need for actors to take on mediating roles to bridge information asymmetries.

Research limitations/implicationsCombining literature perspectives (relations, communication and agency theory) provides a deeper understanding of the approaches applied and identifies different challenges. The inclusion of agency theory reveals principal problems such as information asymmetries between agents and less-informed principals and suggests complementary labels of supply chain actors.

Practical implicationsPractical contributions include the highlighting of managerial challenges, which can aid managers in extending sustainability across TCSs.

Social implicationsThe case study method offers insights into collaboratively improving sustainability in supply chains (such as using contracts), thus having social and environmental implications.

Originality/valueThe paper narrows knowledge gaps about managing sustainability among logistics service providers and analyzes data from multi-tier actors.

Supplier development is an important buyer tool for enhancing supplier performanceand capability. However, it does not come with a guarantee for success. The reportedless-than-expected outcomes of supplier-development are sometimes explained by aone-way view of supplier development based in the buyer’s perspective. The supplier’sperspective is seldom considered. This research does the opposite; it takes its startingpoint in the perspective of the supplier, because, for supplier development to besuccessful, the supplier needs to be both able and willing to respond to a buyer’ssupplier-development effort. Complexities, integral to supplier development, andincentives, are investigated in this research.

Little is known about supplier development beyond the dyad. The supplierdevelopmentmay, however, be affected by what goes on elsewhere in the supplier’ snetwork of buyers or by the need to transfer the supplier development further up thesupply chain. This research investigates supplier development within, as well asbeyond, the dyad.

The purpose of this dissertation is to increase the knowledge of supplier developmentwithin and beyond the dyad, based on the experiences of suppliers.

The dissertation is a paper-based compilation of four empirical papers and astructured literature review of interorganizational supply chain interaction forsustainability. The theoretical lens of agency is applied to support the analysis.

The findings suggest a supplier-development interaction based on buyer power,referred to as hierarchical collaboration. Lack of trust, lack of communication andinformation-sharing, and decoupling between individuals are understood as sourcesof complexities and characterize the supplier-development interaction.

The findings suggest five types of complexities: the complexities of contradictorypractices, decoupled relationships, and contradictory incentives, identified within thedyad, and the complexities of contradictory interests in the supplier’s network ofbuyers and Chinese Whispers and other information asymmetries in multi-tiersupply chains, identified beyond the dyad. The complexities are proposed to hinderthe supplier’s ability or willingness to partake and comply with the supplierdevelopmenteffort. Any supplier noncompliance as a result of complexities withinthe dyad are not considered agency problems, instead, they are suggested to be“principal problems”.

Three incentives are identified: the preferred-supplier incentive, and the contractincentive (buyer-provided incentives), and the customer attractiveness incentive. Thebuyer-provided incentives are understood to disincentivize supplier-developmentcompliance. This directs interest towards incentive alignment and how incentives arepresented to suppliers.