<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>The main aim of this paper is to show how green supply chain (SC) environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning coevolve over time. Our position is that the level of interfirm learning is a determinant of the formations and mastery mechanisms evolving in a green SC. Therefore, this study discusses the environmental sustainability of the learning processes of firms’ alliances during the life cycle of the alliances. This is done in order to encourage firms to follow green innovation and green SCs through enhancing their environmental performance and increasing their competitive advantage in the global market. In addition, this study develops a research structure and test hypotheses on the basis of survey data from 342 Taiwanese firms listed on the stock market. The results indicate that green knowledge acquisition plays a prominent role in the performance of firms’ alliances, especially when implemented in a green SC management (SCM) context. Moreover, according to one of the main findings, as companies evolve through the different phases of the alliance life cycle, their situation shows high potential for creating knowledge sharing through their exploration capabilities. Finally, when firms focus their internal organizations on learning and environmental requirements, they become better able to expand their learning capacity as well as to build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage.</p></abstract>

The main aim of this paper is to show how green supply chain (SC) environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning coevolve over time. Our position is that the level of interfirm learning is a determinant of the formations and mastery mechanisms evolving in a green SC. Therefore, this study discusses the environmental sustainability of the learning processes of firms’ alliances during the life cycle of the alliances. This is done in order to encourage firms to follow green innovation and green SCs through enhancing their environmental performance and increasing their competitive advantage in the global market. In addition, this study develops a research structure and test hypotheses on the basis of survey data from 342 Taiwanese firms listed on the stock market. The results indicate that green knowledge acquisition plays a prominent role in the performance of firms’ alliances, especially when implemented in a green SC management (SCM) context. Moreover, according to one of the main findings, as companies evolve through the different phases of the alliance life cycle, their situation shows high potential for creating knowledge sharing through their exploration capabilities. Finally, when firms focus their internal organizations on learning and environmental requirements, they become better able to expand their learning capacity as well as to build and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage.

Coevolution of environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning in green supply chain management

International Journal of Management and Economics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The main aim of this paper is to show how green supply chain (SC) environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning coevolve over time....

Coevolution of environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning in green supply chain management

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Aug 20, 2019

Page range: 3 - 12

Received: Sep 28, 2018

Accepted: Dec 29, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2019-0001

Keywords
green supply chain management, alliance knowledge learning, coevolution, alliance performance

© 2019 Kuo-Ming Chu, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Coevolution of environmental sustainability orientation and strategic alliance learning in green supply chain management

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Aug 20, 2019

Page range: 3 - 12

Received: Sep 28, 2018

Accepted: Dec 29, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijme-2019-0001

Keywordsgreen supply chain management, alliance knowledge learning, coevolution, alliance performance

© 2019 Kuo-Ming Chu, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
green supply chain management, alliance knowledge learning, coevolution, alliance performance