Manufacturer-Retailer Relationship for Sustainability
Supervisor: Silvia Rossi
Sustainability is recognised as an increasingly important dimension in supply chain relationships since it addresses three interacting parameters - the 'triple bottom' line as conceived by Elkington. An increasingly close relationship is demanded in manufacturer-retailer partnerships in order to progress the role of sustainability. The current academic literature lacks an effective coverage of the role of sustainability in such relationships, and there are significant opportunities for further research. In particular, the downstream area of retail supply chains provides particular issues that will benefit from further investigation. The context is dynamic, for example manufacturer-retailer relationships have undergone a shift from "brand power" to "retailer power", and from passive "consumers" to well informed "shoppers".
The proposed solutions of more collaborative initiatives seem to be at odds with the changing power balance between manufacturers and retailers. The scenario opens up a number of challenges for research by potential candidates, for example:
- How does collaboration on supply chain for sustainability fit with traditional relational outcomes?
- How are retailers responding to this challenge?
- Can collaboration on sustainability within the supply chain support the creation of competitive advantage?
Candidate Details
Candidates should ideally have experience in supply chain management at managerial level within a manufacturer or retailer; however, candidates with other industrial backgrounds will also be considered. Please contact Dr Silvia Rossi (silvia.rossi@cranfield.ac.uk) setting out a preliminary research agenda as a guide to discussion, indicating what reading you have so far done around the topic.