Developing and testing green performance measures for the supply chain

Performance measurements evolve as new challenges are met and the natural environment is one of the biggest challenges facing society and the evolution of performance measurement today. Consequently, a cross-disciplinary interest in the field of green supply chain management (GSCM) has grown amongst researchers and practitioners in recent years because of climate change issues, diminishing raw materials, excess waste production, increasing levels of pollution and because it is a source of competitive advantage. Yet, there has been little work done in developing and incorporating green measures into the existing bank of supply chain performance measures. Only 18 articles have been published in the last 18 years on green supply chain performance measurement (GSCPM). The aim of this thesis is to address this challenge by empirically developing and testing green performance measures for the supply chain.Based on an extensive literature review, five research questions were proposed for this thesis to address gaps in the body of knowledge. This is a new area of theory development and demanded theoretical and methodological triangulation to maximize the amount of data collected to explore the research phenomena from different perspectives. The study used a rigorous three-phased methodological framework originally developed by Churchill (1979) for items and scales development. The first phase comprised generating variables and constructs from the extant literature and focus groups. The second phase involved testing these items and constructs in a survey. Finally, a focus group was conducted in Phase Three to verify and validate the overall results.The thesis proposes a battery of 29 GSCPM variables and 12 GSCPM constructs that can be used by organisations to measure their impact on the environment. The study found that GSCPM variables used by organisations, such as usual performance measures, remain primarily driven by cost. Furthermore, there are significant differences in the capabilities and the way in which organisations view the importance, enablers, barriers and benefits of GSCPM. This thesis contributes to knowledge by proposing a universal set of GSCPM variables and reporting tools that organisations can use to manage their GSCPM. Finally, the use of methodological pluralism in this research has helped to provide a more complete picture of this phenomenon and represents one of only a few studies which have explored GSCPM in this way