Purpose

Due to new regulations, changing customer preferences and strategic reorientation, the role of responsible decision-making has become increasingly complex for both small and large firms. In relation to this, this article contends that companies are turning into political actors with political responsibility for sustainability-related issues in their supply chain and beyond. Therefore, this article aims to investigate (1) how companies have become political in their supply chain and (2) which mechanisms contribute to this development.

Design/methodology/approach

To investigate the political nature of companies in their supply chain, this research draws on a critical realist case study inspired by process tracing. A total of 30 interviews were conducted with actors from within global coffee supply chains to get a wide overview of the different perspectives on how coffee companies deal with political complexity.

Findings

It is found that companies in the coffee supply chain are increasingly acting like traditional political actors. Their engagement in political activities emphasizes three contextualized causal mechanisms driving this transformation: (1) customer pressure, (2) attention to trust and transparency and (3) personal motivation.

Research limitations/implications

The results point to the political nature of companies’ supply chain management (SCM)-related activities, indicating they should recognize that their role in the supply chain gives them the capacity to act as state-like actors.

Originality/value

Political SCM is introduced as a new conceptual element in the SCM discourse by defining the term “political” and linking political theory and sustainable SCM literature. This provides a better understanding of SCM and offers guidance on how SCM can be understood as a set of political activities.

中文翻译：

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了解供应链管理的政治性质：咖啡供应链案例研究

 目的

由于新法规、不断变化的客户偏好和战略调整，负责任的决策对小型和大型公司来说都变得越来越复杂。与此相关，本文认为，公司正在转变为政治行为者，对其供应链内外的可持续发展相关问题负有政治责任。因此，本文旨在研究 （1） 公司如何在其供应链中变得政治化，以及 （2） 哪些机制促成了这种发展。

设计/方法/方法

为了调查供应链中公司的政治性质，本研究借鉴了一个受流程追踪启发的批判现实主义案例研究。对来自全球咖啡供应链内的行为者进行了总共 30 次访谈，以全面了解咖啡公司如何应对政治复杂性的不同观点。

 发现

研究发现，咖啡供应链中的公司越来越像传统的政治行为者。他们参与政治活动强调了推动这种转变的三种情境化因果机制：（1） 客户压力，（2） 对信任和透明度的关注，以及 （3） 个人动机。

研究局限性/影响

结果指出了公司供应链管理 （SCM） 相关活动的政治性质，表明他们应该认识到他们在供应链中的角色使他们有能力充当类似国家的行为者。

 原创性/价值

政治 SCM 通过定义“政治”一词并将政治理论与可持续 SCM 文献联系起来，作为 SCM 话语中的一个新的概念元素引入。这提供了对 SCM 的更好理解，并为如何将 SCM 理解为一组政治活动提供了指导。