Making transparency transparent: a systematic literature review to define and frame supply chain transparency in the context of sustainability

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Naemi Schäfer

Supply chain transparency and its connection to sustainability is a current topic in supply chain management research. The term supply chain transparency is used very loosely in this discourse. Therefore, this article aims to clarify the understanding of supply chain transparency in the context of sustainability to enable future research. In a content analysis-based literature review, 92 peer-reviewed articles were identified in the intersection of sustainability, supply chains, and transparency. Only 30 articles contained a definition of transparency. Supply chain transparency was used and defined very differently among the researchers. By providing a general definition and framework of sustainable supply chain transparency, the term “supply chain transparency” gains more clarity. Three dimensions of transparency were identified: sustainable supply chain information, involved stakeholders, and perspective. The supply chain transparency research was conducted primarily in the context of the food and apparel industry. Transparency was characterized differently among the industries and was studied with different foci. Furthermore, the review revealed a focus of supply chain transparency research on the social dimension of sustainability. Additionally, a wide range of topics on supply chain transparency has been covered in the existing literature, and opportunities for future research are outlined. Future researchers are also encouraged to define transparency more clearly.

Original languageEnglish
JournalManagement Review Quarterly
Volume73
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)579-604
Number of pages26
ISSN2198-1620
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 06.2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author would like to express her sincere gratitude to her supervisors Prof. Jacob Hörisch and Prof. Lars Petersen for their generous help, valuable comments, and assistance during the development process of the paper.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).

    Research areas

  • Definition, Framework, Literature review, Supply chain transparency, Sustainability

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Context-sensitive adjustment of pointing in great apes
  2. Mathematical Model of Double Row Self-Aligning Ball Bearing
  3. BUSINESS MODELS IN BANKING: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS USING ARCHIVAL DATA
  4. Using Principal Component Analysis for information-rich socio-ecological vulnerability mapping in Southern Africa
  5. Arc spraying of WCFeCSiMn cored wires.
  6. Microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of large-scale sand-cast Mg-3Y-2Gd-1Nd-0.4Zr alloy
  7. Integrating inductive and deductive analysis to identify and characterize archetypical social-ecological systems and their changes
  8. Framework for empirical research on science teaching and learning
  9. Improving collaboration between ecosystem service communities and the IPBES science-policy platform
  10. Depression-specific Costs and their Factors based on SHI Routine data
  11. Lernwerkstatt
  12. Systemprogrammierung I
  13. Degrees of Integration
  14. Oxygen dependence in the photoreaction of the pesticide metamitron
  15. Welcome to the Glitch and Make Some Noise: Understanding Media through Audio Hacking
  16. Meat substitutes
  17. Exploring fruitful links between real-world laboratory and disciplinary research Introduction of the DKN Future Earth working group LinkLab
  18. How to determine the pion cloud of the constituent quark
  19. Effect of laser peen forming process parameters on bending and surface quality of Ti-6Al-4V sheets
  20. Time and Income Poverty: An Interdependent Multidimensional Poverty Approach with German Time Use Diary Data
  21. Mindfulness at work
  22. Rechtschreiben unterrichten
  23. Complexity Measures of Traffic Scenarios
  24. Using bird-habitat relationships to inform urban planning
  25. Biocultural approaches to pollinator conservation
  26. The theory of human development
  27. Microstructure and thermal response of Mg-Sn alloys
  28. Grazing response patterns indicate isolation of semi-natural European grasslands
  29. Online-counseling for teachers via internet forum - A comparative study between norwegian and german users
  30. Preferences and predictors for ecologically responsible behavior of vacationers
  31. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a guided internet- and mobile-based depression intervention for individuals with chronic back pain
  32. Insensible and Inexplicable
  33. Global Sourcing
  34. Relational Competence, Social Status, and Humor: Evidence from Two Experiments
  35. Fragmentarisches Schreiben
  36. Crop variety and prey richness affect spatial patterns of human-wildlife conflicts in Iran's Hyrcanian forests
  37. The Population Trajectories Both of the Wild Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain
  38. The Optimal Choice of a Forwarding Agency
  39. "Der siebente Brunnen". Fred Wanders Versuch einer anderen Darstellung der Shoah in der DDR-Literatur