Int. J.

Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

International Journal of Production Economics

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijpe

Measures of greenness: An empirical study in service supply chains in

the UAE
Mehmood Khan a, Mian M. Ajmal a, Angappa Gunasekaran b, *, Abdulla H. AlMarzouqi a,
Bader Khamis AlNuaimi a
a
College of Business, Abu Dhabi University, P.O. Box 59911, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
b
School of Business Administration, Penn State Harrisburg, 777 West Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057-4846, USA

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Research in the field of green supply chains has recently gained attention in the developing world. This area is
Green equally important for both practitioners and academics. Studies in the environmental sustainability field have
Greenness predominantly addressed the carbon footprint concerning stakeholders in the production/manufacturing in­
Sustainability
dustries. However, they lack a comprehensive and tangible description of greenness. So, this research contributes
Service supply chains
to the literature on sustainable supply chains by identifying the factors involved in greening a supply network
United Arab Emirates
(both upstream and downstream). This paper focuses on exploring the indicators of greenness to develop a
framework of related indicators in modern businesses. A comprehensive scale is developed and empirically
validated to measure the extent of greenness in service industries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Based on
interviews and survey results in the UAE service industry, the results indicate that greenness in a service supply
chain has six underlying dimensions: “managing operations,” “reducing resource requirements,” “building eco-
friendly infrastructures,” “green computing,” “avoiding risks and uncertainties,” and “monitoring utilities.”
Identifying the indicators of greenness can help bridge the existing gaps in the literature and help to make green
service supply chains in the UAE a reality. The research provides several implications for researchers and
practitioners, as well as highlights areas for potential future research. This paper is the first to combine stake­
holder theory and the natural resource-based view in the literature on greenness.

1. Introduction Therefore, modern industries are keener than ever to use resources and
minimize their environmental footprint efficiently.
Greenness in a supply chain relates to issues of sustainability and Modern industries are addressing this challenge by integrating
wellbeing in society. Given the current enhanced level of awareness environmental concerns into their organizational practices. This new
regarding the scarcity of resources against the backdrop of ever- approach has been termed green supply chain management (GSCM)
increasing demand, the concern is growing about whether the next (Sarkis et al., 2011). This concept applies both to manufacturing and
generation will be able to meet its own needs and wants. Several sections service supply chains that strive to achieve targets about social, envi­
of society have become increasingly conscious of resource depletion and ronmental, and economic responsibilities, i.e., the triple bottom line of
how to satisfy their needs with minimal usage of these resources. This sustainability (Diaz-Balteiro et al., 2017). Notably, however, green
awareness, encompassed by the term “green,” not only requires orga­ practices can also be a source of competitive advantage for service
nizations to adhere to relevant regulations but can also help them cut supply chains (Stylos and Vassiliadis, 2015).
production costs (Gollan et al., 2001). In essence, supply chains are GSCM practices can greatly help organizations overcome sustain­
trying hard to maximize customer value for their products and services. ability issues and achieve success based on standards such as the triple
Maximizing customer value entails attaining a sustainable competitive bottom line of sustainability (Diaz-Balteiro et al., 2017). Given that the
edge in planning and controlling all operations related to sourcing, activities of some manufacturing organizations in some of the world’s
procurement, production, transportation, logistics, and customer care. most under-developed regions result in toxic emissions that pollute the

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (M. Khan), [email protected] (M.M. Ajmal), [email protected] (A. Gunasekaran), [email protected].
ae (A.H. AlMarzouqi), [email protected] (B.K. AlNuaimi).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108257
Received 14 July 2020; Received in revised form 4 August 2021; Accepted 5 August 2021
Available online 12 August 2021
0925-5273/© 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

environment, comprehensive standards are required to manage in­ of the paper is organized as follows. Section 2 comprises a literature
dustries’ environmental, political, technological, and social review of research relevant to this study. Section 3 details the study’s
responsibilities. theoretical background, while section 4 describes the methodology.
Section 5 presents and analyses the results. A discussion of the results
1.1. Purpose and significance and implications for research and practice is provided in section 6, and
the paper concludes with limitations and future research directions in
Greenness is the integration of environmental considerations with section 7.
the inter-business operations of a supply chain (Zhou et al., 2018). This
concept applies to every economic sector, in manufacturing and ser­ 2. Literature review and theoretical background
vices, and contributes to sustainability development (Gibbs et al., 2017).
Greenness is directly connected to green initiatives and green business Continuous economic development and increased global competi­
procedures; however, their recognition and evaluation require an tion have led to the service industry becoming more prominent at the
organized and systematic approach (Zhou et al., 2018). The literature international level (Zhao et al., 2019), resulting in almost all developed
lacks a comprehensive theoretical and conceptual assessment of countries shifting towards service-based economies. Service industries
frameworks that cover an entire supply chain. This paper aims to explore have become a significant contributor to the GDP not only of developed
factors that drive a service supply chain’s decision to focus on inte­ countries but also of developing ones. However, over the last few de­
grating greenness into their tangible performance outcomes concerning cades, the impacts of business operations on the environment have
sustainability. become increasingly apparent, as evidenced by increased pollution,
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has set itself on a course to depleted resources, and global warming (Amran et al., 2016). Despite
becoming a globally recognized center for commerce. In pursuing this the increased involvement of the service sector in many economies, the
goal, the country is exploring all viable options to adapt to the new re­ resultant environmental impact has, however, mostly passed unnoticed
alities of global business sustainably. Industrial- and service-based firms due to their indirect impact. Therefore, concerns regarding environ­
in the country are embracing the challenges of improving efficiency and mental sustainability in the service industry have remained a low pri­
reducing waste as an opportunity to better understand and embrace the ority (Chan et al., 2016; Abdullah et al., 2017).
green phenomenon (Ghazaleh et al., 2019).
However, the subject of greenness is still in its infancy in the UAE 2.1. Environmental protection
because of the level of awareness among business ventures (Balasu­
bramanian and Shukla, 2017), although some organizations in the In recent times, organizational stakeholders are paying additional
country have begun to appreciate the benefits of realigning their prac­ attention to environmental protection (Chen et al., 2015). The paucity of
tices with sustainability standards (Al-Aomar and Hussain, 2017). This natural resources and amplified toxic wastes in metropolitan atmo­
paper aims to understand the existing efforts about greenness in the spheres, and climate change have augmented the anxiety about its
supply chain in various service industries in the UAE. The proposed ecological impacts on business practices (Gopalakrishnan et al., 2012). It
framework is developed based on three aspects of green management has turned out to be a fast-developing movement for companies to tag
(awareness, know-how, and implementation), and each aspect is further their products or services as ecologically friendly (Sellitto, 2018). In
investigated through specific research questions. This would contribute global dynamic sectors, firms must be well-informed and well-equipped
to the body of knowledge in the service sector regarding green param­ to retain and magnify their green business operations (Lin and Chen,
eters within their supply chains. Thus, the paper contributes to the 2016). Since ecological accountability has just emerged as a key
literature by: concern, customers are eager to choose and pay for eco-friendly services
(Kumar, 2020).
• extending the knowledge base on green services by exploring the
antecedents in the UAE 2.2. Green value chain
• bringing together the notion of stakeholder theory and natural
resource-based view by developing and validating a scale for green Green value chain practices are reflected to be a significant part of
services organizational greening (Sambhanthan and Potdar, 2015). So, it is a
• validating the relationship between green practices in service supply prerequisite for organizations to integrate ecological practices into their
chains empirically; and value chain activities to accomplish greater economic-environment
• empirically testing the impact of green practices on overall greenness paybacks (Mangla et al., 2013; Sellitto, 2018). Key green business
in service supply chains. value chain practices consist of green purchasing, greenhouse gasses
alleviation, green logistical arrangements, safe disposal, green product
It should be noticed that this paper attempts to extend the line of design, and classic actions of reverse logistics, like recycling leading to
research in Chan et al. (2016) that conceptualized and developed one of circularity (Raut et al., 2019). The effect of green service can be
the first constructs for green services from the viewpoint of environ­ measured through gas emissions, discharges, waste generation, usage of
mental management. They highlighted the role of macro-level factors natural and energy means, and impact on wildlife (Sellitto et al., 2012).
such as promotion, product design, corporate policy, and after-sale ac­ The usage of raw constituents, wrapping, energy, maritime, earth, for­
tivities in greening a service. While Chan et al. (2016) covered the ests, natural means, inventory process, and shipping are instances of
subject from a broader and global perspective, this paper takes a ecological effects, which must be considered for a green value chain.
microscopic ‘process view’ to identify the antecedents of green service. Furthermore, lean operations can be supportive of greening service
This effort has resulted in indicators pertaining to operations, resource operations (Yang et al., 2011; Al-Aomar and Weriakat, 2012).
requirements, infrastructure, uncertainties, and utilities, etc. Novel environment-friendly green services are now set forth as a key
A group of supply chain professionals helped in developing the tool to realize sustainable organizational performance (Sangle, 2011).
concept and scope, and thus a measurement scale for greenness in ser­ Green service innovation can ominously turn into the standard in
vice supply chains. The survey results provide answers to the study environment-friendly services and maintain great attractiveness,
research questions, while the study findings offer guidance and insight consequently sustaining a firm’s competitive advantage (Lin and Chen,
for green assessment in industry, specifically in the UAE context. Iden­ 2016). But, most service companies are not equipped to elucidate
tifying the indicators of greenness help to bridge existing gaps related to environmental concerns (Paulraj, 2009) and must create green in­
making green service supply chains in the UAE a reality. The remainder struments to advance green knowledge and resolve environmental issues

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

(Vanalle et al., 2017). Green should not be just a marketing tactic but integration is organized by a constant sequence of activities (Payne
must cogitate the fundamental part of green value chain activities with et al., 2008) and with the integrative practices of cooperating, collabo­
service innovation and dynamic capabilities (Lin and Chen, 2016). rating or liaising, and experiencing among stakeholders in a service
ecosystem (Edvardsson et al., 2014). In a service ecosystem, actors share
2.3. Green strategies an identical drive of exploiting value creation with the best matching of
resources, capabilities, and procedures in such a way that resources
The realization of green strategies in service firms has been diligently combinations turn out to be valuable when they are harmonized and
associated with the ethical ideologies of the corporate leaders (Parry, positioned within a resource-based value creation network (Gummesson
2012), and the ethical values of the proprietor–administrator seems to and Mele, 2010).
be the core inspiration driving concrete green practices in their value On the other hand, stakeholder theory (Jones et al., 2017) posits that
chains (Parisi and Maraghini, 2010). Also, individual and circumstantial the goals and objectives of an organization affect, and are affected by,
settings are significant green decision-making elements (Cordano et al., many groups that are not shareholders (see Fig. 2). These groups impose
2010). Especially, the levels of accountability and consciousness about different levels of pressure on the organization to assume greener
the company’s ecological effect have a straight linkage with green practices. Organizations must keep their activities in line with stake­
business services (Allen and Malin 2008). holders’ expectations as several firms in their downstream and upstream
Organizational support is considered as a major factor for the supply chains may have a different level of investment in green practices
adoption of green service policy (Sureeyatanapas et al., 2018), and top (How et al., 2019).
management should have the capability and capacity to assign required Moreover, several facilitating factors help businesses implementing
means to green practices, to encourage and inspire employees’ respon­ green practices to be more successful, such as management dedication,
siveness to green practices, in addition to institute allied policies and strategic planning with suppliers, and investment in employee training.
strategies (Ojo et al., 2014; He et al., 2017). Effective execution of green Here, information technology infrastructure catalyzes the effective
practices also necessitates employees’ training and communication communication of firms with their suppliers.
programs (Lai and Wong, 2012; Maas et al., 2014). Moreover, as per­ Stakeholder theory also highlights the role of other core aspects in
formance monitoring is essential for enhancement, executives should be the implementation of green practices, such as government assistance,
able to recognize fragile extents in value chains and motivate their crews organizational capacity, ethical standards, and corporate social re­
to uninterruptedly streamline the green processes (Dou et al., 2018). sponsibility (Xiao et al., 2018). Fig. 1 depicts how the two theories
Green services mandate a novel approach that will let the firms to get together lead to the notion of greenness.
advantage by refining their environmental performance (Ravell and
Blackburn 2007; Malik et al., 2016). Green services should be focused on 3. Hypotheses and model development
monitoring the methods of service delivery and support to curtail the
intake and waste of resources whereas removing the consumption of 3.1. Managing operations
ecologically damaging resources and tools from service operations
(Wong et al., 2013). The goal is to promote the conservation of resources The general awareness with regards to environmental sustainability
and the use of environmentally friendly materials, recycled materials, and related issues, nonetheless, is pushing all businesses to reconsider
and energy-efficient machinery in service operations. Furthermore, their business operations, such as facility planning, inventory manage­
through the reduction of the adversarial environmental effect of service ment, demand forecasting, distribution, and logistics. Accordingly, ser­
provision, green service practices are commonly linked to firms’ stra­ vice providers are facing increased pressure to adjust their services to
tegic framework and rooted in business processes (Guyader et al., 2019). keep up with the competition in the market and the environmental
Green services provide benefits not merely to the principal firm but also impacts that result from their operations (Dangelico and Pujari, 2010).
the network actors (Kumar, 2020) but within given inadequate re­ The adaptation of environmentally friendly practices and greening
sources and capabilities, the implementation of green processes in the processes, through research, has proved to have a positive impact on the
value chains brings challenges for strategic decision-making and flexi­ performance of service providers. The benefits of adopting green prac­
bility (Liu et al., 2019). tices are evident in the reduced costs, increased flexibility of services,
and quality. Hence, due to the popular demand for green practices and
2.4. Theoretical background for green services the integration of sustainability in business operations, service providers
are now greening their practices, yielding better business performance
The natural resource-based view (N-RBV) theory is an addition to the (Verma et al., 2012). For example, green services are linked to financial
resource-based view (RBV) theory that features firm performance performance, marketing strategy, customer retention, and environ­
enhancement with valuable resource, capability, and value chain ac­ mental performance (Shi et al., 2015).
tivities that are socially multifaceted and casually ambiguous (Barney,
1991). Value chain activities that exploit firm resources (tangible and
intangible) and capabilities are the potential basis of competitive
advantage as services are vital owing to their intangibility and
complexity in being copied (Wong et al., 2013). Green service practices
are ecologically accountable value chain activities that exploit tangible
assets (materials and machinery) as well as intangible assets (green
knowledge/expertise). The N-RBV theory highlights the necessity for
capabilities in terms of contamination and wastage prevention (Hart,
1995, 1996). Based on the central principle of N-RBV, actual green
service practices must integrate environmental protection concepts into
value chain activities by espousing and operating environment-friendly
resources, technologies, and materials (Russo and Fouts 1997).
Also, resource integration offers the means for improving compe­
tencies used in service to all the stakeholders (Lusch and Vargo, 2014).
Resource integration also builds new potential dynamic capabilities for
additional value co-creation (Guyader et al., 2019). Resource Fig. 1. Theoretical background for greenness in modern business.

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

execution; notwithstanding, firms increasingly understand that this

“single target” theory cannot deliver greenness alone (Dubey et al.,
2017). Thus, we hypothesize that.
H2. Reducing resource requirements has a significant impact on
greenness

3.3. Building eco-friendly infrastructures

The notion of eco-design has been described using different terms, e.

g., green design, design for environment, eco-planning, and sustainable
design. Eco-design strives to make a sustainable product by incorpo­
rating sustainability throughout its life cycle, from procuring raw-
material procurement to disposing of a product. Eco-design tries to
incorporate sustainability deliberately, or being “natural,” into item
design while maintaining the utilitarian and wellbeing prerequisites for
purchasers (Testa et al., 2016). It likewise stresses the significance of
early product-design choices because roughly 80 % of all items with
potentially harmful ecological effects can be identified during the design
phase of product development.
The industrial sector has had to review its operations concerning
greenness to address emerging issues. It is precisely due to this reason
that the industry has been keen to establish performance evaluation and
management systems. These tools can help assess the progress made and
Fig. 2. Stakeholders involved in greening a Firm’s business. diagnose and continually address emerging problems (Zhou, 2009). It is
essential to promote communication among the players to guarantee
In line with RBV, an organization has to be keen on managing its that effective strategies are formulated to address the issues that a
operations for the use of utilities, plastics, synthetics, and the generation supply chain may be facing. For instance, it may be necessary to
of wastes (Eltayeb and Zailani, 2009). This highlights their role in pro­ implement a performance-evaluation index system, which can help in
tecting the environment (Malviya and Kant, 2015). Thus, we hypothe­ determining the measures that can be instituted to drive an organiza­
size that. tion’s strategy.
Notably, inter-relationships exist between strategic green orienta­
H1. Managing operations have a significant impact on greenness tion, supply-chain coordination, integrated product development,
business-unit performance, and green-performance outcomes (Fernando
et al., 2019). Hence, organizations are obliged to implement an inno­
3.2. Reducing resource requirements
vative environment-improvement program. Firms must also consider
how future commitment to environmental practices is likely to impact
Various components drive the use of resources in organizations, such
greenness. Enforcing regulatory requirements, social awareness pro­
as their size, sector, level of speculation, and level of collaboration in the
grams, and global standards can assist in making firms review their
supply chain. Maintaining its vital resources plays a significant role in
environmental position. The objective is to ensure that managers are
building the success and scope of the business (Pape, 2016). These re­
obliged to enact measures that can combat challenges affecting the
sources can both be tangible and intangible, such as capital, human
deployment of greenness (Kabisch, 2015) with environment conserva­
resource, knowledge, equipment, and information technology (Hadded
tion and resource-saving for future generations (Bai and Sarkis, 2017).
et al., 2018).
The existing literature suggests a higher value in implementing lean
There has been a shift in many countries from manufacturing toward
and green practices together. While lean practices are concerned with
service-oriented economies (Huang et al., 2019). Studies have shown
actions to reduce waste and minimize the consumption of natural re­
that the service sector provides opportunities for value creation through
sources, green practices are about ensuring that business activities cause
greening resources and enhancing supplier-customer interaction. For
no harm to the environment and maintain a consistent level of quality
example, IKEA has adopted green design into its operations (Callaway
(Cherrafi et al., 2018). The scope of these practices spans from supplier
and Dobrzykowski, 2009). IKEA further incentivizes customers to return
development to employee involvement and customer relationships, e.g.,
some used products such as compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and
risk-sharing. It has been concluded that a few lean and green practices
Christmas trees for proper disposal and recycling, hence co-creating
are non-synergic and that a trade-off exists between them in which more
environmental value with their customers.
lean activity requires less green activity, e.g., inventory reduction (Chan
Moreover, customers are often more interested in the environmental
et al., 2016).
impact of the product rather than the product itself, which calls for
Using the perspective of stakeholder theory, it is imperative for to­
greenness to be incorporated into product creation (Pagell and Gobeli,
day’s supply chains to invest in research and development to help them
2009). For example, Carrier has built up an infrastructure of contractors
better allocate their resources and budgets in designing green in­
to provide efficient cooling and heating services based on customer re­
frastructures. Regular checks and balances of their compliance help the
quirements. The essence of greenness here is that resources are utilized
organizations close to their green targets (Pang et al., 2011). Thus, we
in innovative ways, and diverse stakeholders are involved in creating
hypothesize that.
new value and providing better services. In another example, Agassi has
fostered a network for electric cars in which exchangeable batteries can H3. Building ecofriendly infrastructures has a significant impact on
be conveniently found at roadside stations (Agassi, 2009). greenness
In line with stakeholder’s theory, an organization must work closely
with the peers upstream and downstream their supply chains to adopt 3.4. Green computing
the use of smart and recyclable resources (Li et al., 2019). Therefore,
greenness cannot be achieved through a “single target,” i.e., natural Green computing is yet another area in which efforts toward

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

greenness are being devoted. Energy consumption in cloud computing consuming fewer resources in terms of raw materials and energy can
has been increasing with demand and usage. As a result, cloud- directly enhance the cost-effectiveness of the business operation. This
computing firms, or cloud providers, have been striving to optimize requires tighter control over wastes such as emissions, energy loss, and
their efficiency to reduce costs and preserve the environment (Qiu et al., the spillage of water. Wastes can also take an intangible form, i.e., er­
2018). Those efforts, however, are hindered by the presence of cloud rors, delays, and low efficiency (Younis et al., 2016).
service brokerages (CSBs), which serve as intermediate parties between In light of stakeholder theory, the partners in the supply chain must
cloud providers (e.g., Microsoft) and the tenants of cloud services (e.g., be vigilant about the impact of their raw materials and processes on the
Dropbox). Profit-driven CSBs often tend to distribute tenants’ requests to environment. This calls for a joint effort and investment in exploring
clouds that do not use resources efficiently to maximize their earnings. ways to control emissions. Thus, we hypothesize that.
Moreover, in many cases, CSBs are not aware of the electricity con­
H5. Avoiding risks and uncertainties has a significant impact on
sumption of servers in clouds. These issues have led cloud providers to
greenness
introduce pricing policies that motivate CSBs to conserve cloud energy.
This is achieved by enforcing policies that set the price of a server
3.6. Monitoring utilities
proportional to its energy cost. Incentives for CSBs to allocate tenants’
demands to multiple providers in a way that minimizes energy con­
Another implication of greenness on societal norms is the notion of
sumption is yet another challenge to be addressed to achieve green
constructing efficient housing schemes and allocating funds for more
computing (Kaur and Sachdeva, 2016).
environment-friendly infrastructures (Madureira and Andresen, 2014).
However, with the rapid growth of the IT industry, the need for a
This fosters the culture of creating not only a comfortable but also a safe
cloud customer base has increased (Chen et al., 2019). The energy
and favorable environment for society. Reducing the overall cost of
consumption and operating costs in cloud services are controlled with
utilities benefits all the stakeholders involved, including investors,
autonomic service routing protocols for energy-efficient collaborative
property owners, developers, planners, and managers of companies
cloud architectures. This can be done at both the server and data-center
(Mapar et al., 2017). This paves the way for:
levels (Itani et al., 2015). All the stakeholders, i.e., cloud customers,
cloud service providers, the service router, and energy-metric re­
• promoting green buildings;
positories, are responsible for better energy savings and performance
• searching for innovative solutions to minimize the impact on the
(Lin and Lin, 2019). Green computing also entails developing and
environment;
operating energy-efficient computer systems. Notably, however, most
• reducing operating costs and improving the quality of the working
industries continue to use non-renewable sources of energy, which ul­
and living environment;
timately leads to environmental pollution (Farhan et al., 2018). There­
• preserving natural resources; and
fore, it is essential to determine the steps that can be taken to reduce the
• reducing the level of pollution entering the water, soil, and air.
consumption of energy.
In line with the resource-based view, a supply chain would benefit
Operating a “green” infrastructure is more economical as it consumes
from cutting down their use of paper, water, and electricity. A regular
25 % lesser power, 30 % lesser water and requires lower levels of repair
cycle of assessment of utility consumption throughout the supply chain
and maintenance. Buildings with such a design are more commonly
ensures that the network is on track for its green targets. Thus, we hy­
known as ecological-economic buildings, which provide a low cost of
pothesize that.
ownership for their entire life cycle (Li et al., 2017).
H4. Green computing has a significant impact on greenness In line with the resource-based view, modern supply chain networks
are constantly thriving to adopt artificial intelligence and digital
communication to reduce their carbon footprint. Thus, we hypothesize
3.5. Avoiding risks and uncertainties
that.

A strategy focused on greenness is a potentially useful differencing H6. Monitoring utilities have a significant impact on greenness
factor in organizations operating within the same business segment.
Spreading the effect of greenness strategy requires an understanding of 4. Research methodology
the individual factors in each business category that may directly or
indirectly lead to a reduced environmental load imposed by the orga­ This paper focuses on exploring the indicators of greenness to
nization’s business processes (Odeyale, 2014). One of the processes develop a framework of related indicators in modern business. Accord­
proposed for the identification and impact evaluation of the factors ingly, this study was divided into five phases, as shown in Fig. 3. In the
relevant to an organization is the decision-making trial and evaluation first phase, the study adopted an exploratory approach to collect
laboratory (DEMATEL) technique (Anand and Parthiban, 2014). The empirical data from service organizations in the UAE. A total of 25 ad­
result of this process is a ranking of the factors related to the environ­ ministrators and/or experts from five major service industries (banks,
mental load, which can be used by the organization for the strategic healthcare, hospitality, transportation, and energy) in the different
implementation of greenness. However, its practical implementation emirates of the UAE were interviewed to explore the antecedents of
requires a comprehensive design encompassing the flow of materials greenness in their organization (Yeung, 2008). Five experts were chosen
and goods from suppliers, manufacturers, and consumers. The growing from each service industry. To cover the entire supply network, experts
concern over the environmental impact of business operations is evident were selected from the procurement, operations, administration, human
in the customer sentiments relating to companies that are showing resources, and customer relations departments. This broader scope of
compliance with environmental regulations (Börzel and Buzogány, research is described in Fig. 4. The interviewees were asked to report
2019). Thus, greenness integrates environmental regulations into the both the internal and external factors that drive the desire and capability
organizational processes associated with the procurement of raw ma­ to adopt greenness in their business. Their responses were filtered, in the
terials or the distribution of its products (Gurtu et al., 2015). second phase, into a compiled list of 46 valid indicators of greenness in
The success of a green network lies in a firm’s ability to avoid risks in service supply chains. This output of the qualitative study is shown in
various segments such as logistics design, reverse logistics, and lean the Appendix.
procurement (Kainuma and Tawara, 2006). In a typical service-based
firm, this implies overcoming uncertainties in demand, inventory, and
stakeholder relationships. The ability to meet the product demand while

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Fig. 3. Multiphase research methodology.

Fig. 4. Scope of research.

5. Analysis experts in various service-based firms in the country to test the face
validity and readability of the instrument. This helped us improve some
In the second phase, a pilot study was conducted with a group of 20 phrases in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was then sent to 800

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

supply-chain professionals. Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of Table 2

sampling adequacy test was used to check if the samples met the mini­ KMO test and Bartlett’s test of sphericity.
mum specified level. Two indicators (10 and 18) were removed to KMO measure of sampling adequacy 0.952
improve the internal consistency. The results showed enough adequacy
Bartlett’s test of sphericity Approx. Chi-square 10,074
for the analysis (0.953). Df 946
This instrument was administered through Survey Monkey, and 371 Sig 0.000
responses were received from procurement, HR, administration,
customer service, staff, and other stakeholders in service-based firms
across the UAE (Menor and Roth, 2007). 58.8 % of the variance in the responses.
The factor pattern and item loadings are presented in the rotating
matrix component matrix presented in Table 3). The next step was to
5.1. Demography of respondents and sampling framework analyze the content of the questions that loaded highly on the same
factor to identify common themes. The questions that loaded highly on
The sampling framework of the study is restricted to managers in the factor 1 appeared to relate to different aspects of operations; therefore,
service industry in the UAE, i.e., organizations in hospitality, healthcare, this factor was labeled “managing operations.” This factor comprised
banking, transportation, and water/electricity distribution. Table 1 nine items and accounted for 10.90 % of the variance. The questions that
shows the demography of the respondents. Senior and mid-level man­ loaded highly on factor 2 all appeared to relate to the desire for reducing
agers are believed to know about the strategic position of an organiza­ resources; therefore, this factor was labeled “reducing resource re­
tion on the impact of resources on greenness. One can argue that it quirements.” This factor comprised nine items and accounts for 10.87 %
would be hard to make senior managers respond to a questionnaire due of the variance. The questions that loaded highly on factor 3 all appeared
to their busy schedules (Itani et al., 2015). On the other hand, mid-level to relate to the desire for eco-friendly infrastructures; therefore, this
managers might not perceive this research’s importance and tend to factor was labeled “building eco-friendly infrastructures.” This factor
ignore our emails. However, Table 1 shows that two-third of the re­ comprised 10 items and accounted for 10.85 % of the variance.
sponses were received from mid-level managers. The responses repre­ Similarly, the questions that loaded highly on factor 4 all appeared to
sented a large spectrum of managers from industries in hospitality to relate to the use of green computing; therefore, this factor was labeled
healthcare and banks. The “others” category in industries would repre­ “green computing.” This factor comprised seven items and accounted for
sent firms working in transportation, water, and electricity distribution 10.07 % of the variance. The questions that loaded highly on factor 5 all
(Baruch and Holtom, 2008). Most respondents were from hospitality appeared to relate to the desire for combatting uncertainties; therefore,
(49 %), followed by water and healthcare (20 %) and banks (16 %). this factor was labeled “avoiding risks and uncertainties.” This factor
Besides, most organizations (47 %) had less than 1000 workers there. comprised eight items and accounted for 9.75 % of the variance. Finally,
the three questions that loaded highly on factor 6 related to components
5.2. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of digital monitoring; therefore, this factor was labeled as “monitoring
utilities.” This factor accounted for 6.36 % of the variance.
The fourth phase involved testing these responses. Principle
component analysis (PCA) was used to explain the maximum amount of 5.3. Internal consistency and content validity
common variance with the smallest number of explanatory constructs
(factors or latent variables). These factors represent clusters of the in­ The degree of consistency of the responses over a construct is
dicators that correlate highly with each other. A Cronbach’s alpha (α) referred to as its reliability. The reliability coefficient, Cronbach’s α, is
value of 0.971 showed that the responses were reliable enough for generally used for this test. As shown in Table 3, the Cronbach’s α values
further analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess for the six latent constructs of greenness ranged from 0.755 to 0.908.
and validate the constructs that describe greenness in the service units. These results show that the suggested constructs exhibit good psycho­
Several conditions had to be met before testing whether the items metric properties.
were suitable to run the analysis. The tests included the KMO test and Convergent validity can be evaluated by the use of the Ben­
Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The results are shown in Table 2. tler–Bonett’s normed fit index (NFI). This index provides the degree to
A KMO value of >0.50 shows that items are suitable for the factor which the different approaches to measuring a construct generate the
analysis; the KMO results showed no problems of serious multi­ same results (Ahire et al., 1996). According to the generally accepted
collinearity in the data. Bartlett’s test of sphericity (p < 0.05) showed principle, NFI values of 0.90 or above are considered a satisfactory fit
that the correlation between items was sufficient to run the factor index (Bentler, 1992). The fit indices χ 2 /dof are below the recom­
analysis. After the two tests, EFA was used with a PCA extraction method mended value of 5; CFI are above the recommended value of 0.90, and
and Varimax rotation on the 46-item instrument. The number of factors RMSEA is below the recommended value of 0.08. Besides, all the load­
to retain was based on a combination of methods (e.g., eigenvalue >1.0, ings of the items about each construct are more than 0.5. Thus, as shown
scree plot) and the theoretical salience of the rotated factors (Stevens, in Table 4, the constructs exhibit acceptable goodness of fit, unidimen­
2012) and loading > 0.4 (Nunnaly, 1978). This procedure resulted in sionality, and convergent validity for further analysis (Li et al., 2005).
Discriminant validity is the degree to which different latent con­
Table 1 structs and their indicators can be distinguished from other constructs
Demography of respondents. and their indicators (Bagozzi et al., 1991). To calculate the discriminant
Management Level Frequency Percent validity, the Cronbach’s α value of a latent construct is compared with its
Middle 246 66 %
mean correlations with other latent constructs. A significant difference
Senior 125 34 % between these two measures is an indicator of discriminant validity
Number of Employees (Ghiselli et al., 1981). As is shown in Table 4, the five constructs were
More than 500 175 47 % conceptually distinct.
Between 500 and 1000 94 25 %
Less than 1000 102 27 %
Industry Type Hospitality 181 49 % 5.4. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
Healthcare 76 20 %
Banks 59 16 % This is the last phase of our methodology in Fig. 3. The EFA in this
Others 55 15 %
research identified “managing operations,” “reducing resource

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Table 3
Rotated component matrix.
Items Building Eco-Friendly Managing Reducing Resource Green Avoiding Risks and Monitoring
Infrastructures Operations Requirements Computing Uncertainties Utilities

43 Implementing regular eco- 0.658

compliance audit
37 Diversifying product functionality 0.596
40 Investing in research and 0.561
development
35 Allocating budget for green 0.548
initiatives
39 Balancing short-term and long- 0.547
term objectives
41 Ensuring recycle bins around 0.536
premises
38 Following Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision 0.504
31 Filling trucks with multiple orders/ 0.457
consignments
15 Deploying a green monitoring team 0.449
42 Designing eco-friendly buildings 0.423
24 Reducing wastage 0.717
23 Ensuring green-wash for vehicles 0.619
26 Reducing dependence on 0.591
synthetics
25 Reducing use of plastic 0.535
13 Reporting opportunities for 0.529
reducing resource requirements
33 Using smart grids 0.521
27 Using energy efficient air- 0.516
conditioning
5 Rating products on energy 0.491
consumption
21 Enforcing employee self-service 0.631
19 Reducing defects 0.622
12 Keeping electronic records 0.604
22 Pushing for lower utility costs 0.513
16 Offering online services 0.488
20 Using e-signatures 0.458
17 Optimizing operations 0.445
14 Using refurbished components 0.443
9 Ensuring minimum environmental 0.424
impact
7 Reducing transportation (internal/ 0.697
external)
4 Reducing electricity consumption 0.648
3 Reducing use of water 0.537
2 Using solar energy 0.527
8 Procuring environmentally 0.481
friendly products
6 Implementing green assessment of 0.464
suppliers
1 Reducing use of paper 0.457
28 Monitoring and regulating 0.706
emissions
29 Ensuring zero flaring to the 0.665
atmosphere
34 Training for GSCM 0.561
36 Investing in wind energy 0.513
32 Outlining detailed procedures for 0.510
re-use and recycling
11 Avoiding non-bio-degradable 0.493
materials
30 Using motion-sensitive lights 0.474
45 Using AI and IOT 0.728
46 Improving digital communication 0.728
44 Reducing CO2 footprint 0.635
Average variance extracted 10.90 % 10.87 % 10.85 % 10.07 % 9.75 % 6.36 %
Construct reliability 0.908 0.888 0.886 0.858 0.868 0.755

requirements,” “building eco-friendly infrastructures,” “green results of the model estimation are shown in Figs. 5 and 6.
computing,” “avoiding risks and uncertainties,” and “monitoring utili­ The first-order model for testing greenness (Fig. 5) implies that the
ties” as a priori factors of greenness in a service unit. In the first-order six identified factors are correlated but not governed by a common latent
model, these factors are correlated measurement factors for greenness factor. Although χ2 is significant (p = 0.000), other fit indices, which are
implementation. Alternatively, greenness implementation may be shown in Fig. 5, acceptably support the first-order model for greenness
operationalized as a second-order model, where the six factors are in service facilities (Froehle and Roth, 2004).
governed by a higher-order factor, i.e., “greenness” implementation. The The test of the second-order model (Fig. 6) implies that a higher-

8
M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Table 4
Construct validity analysis.
Managing Operations χ2 /dof RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings

3.11 0.074 0.967 0.953 0.15

24 Reducing wastage 0.76

23 Ensuring green-wash for vehicles 0.75
26 Reducing dependence on synthetics 0.67
25 Reducing use of plastic 0.75
13 Reporting opportunities for reducing resource requirements 0.69
33 Using smart grids 0.68
27 Using energy efficient air-conditioning 0.72
5 Rating products on energy consumption 0.64

Reducing resource requirements RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings

3.11 0.075 0.957 0.938 0.14

19 Reducing defects 0.69

21 Enforcing employee self-service 0.70
12 Keeping electronic records 0.63
22 Pushing for lower utility costs 0.68
16 Offering online services 0.66
14 Using refurbished components 0.72
17 Optimizing operations 0.65
20 Using e-signatures 0.66
9 Ensuring minimum environmental impact 0.71

Building ecofriendly infrastructures χ2 /dof RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings
1.68 0.043 0.986 0.966 0.17

43 Implementing regular eco-compliance audit 0.69

37 Diversifying product functionality 0.75
40 Investing in research and development 0.73
39 Balancing short-term and long-term objectives 0.72
35 Allocating budget for green initiatives 0.72
41 Ensuring recycle bins around premises 0.72
38 Following Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision 0.68
31 Filling trucks with multiple orders/consignments 0.69
15 Deploying a green monitoring team 0.71
42 Designing eco-friendly buildings 0.66

Green computing χ2 /dof RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings

2.63 0.066 0.975 0.960 0.12

7 Reducing transportation (internal/external) 0.64

4 Reducing electricity consumption 0.68
3 Reducing use of water 0.74
2 Using solar energy 0.71
8 Procuring environmentally friendly products 0.66
6 Implementing green assessment of suppliers 0.67
1 Reducing use of paper 0.67

Avoiding risks and uncertainties χ2 /dof RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings
1.72 0.044 0.990 0.976 0.12

28 Monitoring and regulating emissions 0.76

29 Ensuring zero flaring to the atmosphere 0.70
34 Training for GSCM 0.69
32 Outlining detailed procedures for re-use and recycling 0.71
36 Investing in wind energy 0.64
11 Avoiding non-bio-degradable materials 0.72
30 Using motion-sensitive lights 0.65

Monitoring utilities χ2 /dof RMSEA CFI NFI α − Avg Corr Loadings

1.53 0.003 0.975 0.990 0.01

46 Improving digital communication 0.75

45 Using AI and IOT 0.73
44 Reducing CO2 footprint 0.66

order latent factor, i.e., the overall trait of “greenness” implementation, Thus, as indicated in Table 5, all the hypotheses in the section are true. It
governs the correlations among the six identified factors. The second- can be seen that the highest and the lowest impact of greenness appear
order model also produces acceptable goodness of fit. An examination to be on “reducing resource requirements” and “monitoring utilities,”
of the second-order model of the greenness construct reveals that all of respectively.
the coefficient estimates (“managing operations,” “reducing resource
requirements,” “building eco-friendly infrastructures,” “green
5.5. Nomological validity test
computing,” “avoiding risks and uncertainties,” and “monitoring utili­
ties”) that describe the relationships or paths of the six factors on the
Nomological validity verifies if the latent variables explain re­
higher-order construct of greenness implementation are significant.
lationships as per the theoretical framework. Instrument can be

9
M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Fig. 5. – First-order measurement model for indicators of greenness.

considered nomologically valid when all factors positively correlate greenness was placed as a dependent factor in the nomological network
with one another (p < 0.01) (Straub et al., 2004). In this study, the as shown in Fig. 6. The hypothesized model has an acceptable fit (χ 2 =
nomological validity of the proposed greenness measure was tested for 2349, dof = 896, CFI = 0.848, TLI = 0.839 and RMSEA = 0.07). As
its consistency with theories and literature (Nunnaly, 1978). The shown in Fig. 6 and Table 5, greenness is positively and significantly

10
M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Fig. 6. Second-order measurement model for indicators of greenness.

impacted by managing operations (β = 0.92, p < 0.01); reducing resource 6. Discussion and implications
requirements (β = 0.95, p < 0.01); building ecofriendly infrastructures (β =
0.94, p < 0.01); green computing (β = 0.93, p < 0.01); avoiding risks & Advancement in technology has had far-reaching ramifications for
uncertainties (β = 0.91, p < 0.01); avoiding risks & uncertainties (β = 0.73, businesses. Consequently, it has become crucial for firms to produce
p < 0.01). The suggested model has a satisfactory predictive capability cheaper products in an efficient, flexible, and reliable manner. The use
as it explains a significant fraction of variance in greenness, i.e. R2 = of appropriate strategies can help businesses achieve this goal. The
0.72. implementation of greenness can help firms to bolster their

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M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

Table 5 confirmatory factor analysis were employed. The results indicated a

Hypothesis testing. six-factor model of greenness measures with a total of 46 items. These
Hypotheses Path Coefficient p- Decision two techniques resulted in a framework of six indicators: “managing
value operations,” “reducing resource requirements,” “building eco-friendly
H1 Managing Operations → 0.92 0.000 Accepted infrastructures,” “green computing,” “avoiding risks and un­
Greenness certainties,” and “monitoring utilities.”
H2 Reducing Resource Reqmt. → 0.95 0.000 Accepted With the drivers of greenness for a service organization, the re­
Greenness lationships between the six factors are demonstrated in the exploratory
H3 Eco-friendly Infrastructures → 0.94 0.000 Accepted
Greenness
model for greenness. The model predicts 58.80 % of the variance of
H4 Green Computing → Greenness 0.93 0.000 Accepted greenness. This explanatory power is caused by different aspects of
H5 Avoiding Risks/Uncertainties 0.91 0.000 Accepted green practices, the desire for reputation, and quality awards. The six
→ Greenness indicators have been found to have a significant impact on greenness in
H6 Monitoring Utilities → 0.73 0.000 Accepted
service activities in the UAE.
Greenness
Within the context of the UAE, people are more knowledgeable about
green issues and the environment, guided by the principles and out­
competitiveness by cutting down on unnecessary waste. Notably, the comes laid out in the country’s Vision 2030, which encompasses the
adoption of GSCM by organizations is intended to put pressure on their three pillars of sustainability and aims to position the UAE among the
suppliers to conform to the relevant environmental standards. Suppliers best nations in the world in this respect.
are bound to ensure that their operations do not lead to the pollution of The present research confirms that multiple factors and their mea­
the environment. Some of the prominent advantages of greenness are surement items should be comprehensively incorporated to obtain an
cost minimization, enhanced efficiency, and profitability. overall view of greenness implementation in organizations. There is a
This paper aims to explore the extent to which organizational prac­ need for organizations to promote greenness drivers from a holistic
tices triggered by indicators lead to a higher level of greenness imple­ perspective. By focusing on each driver in isolation from others, orga­
mentation in service supply chains in the UAE. While business nizations are disregarding the benefits that might be obtained if actions
organizations integrate different aspects of sustainability, they appear to were taken to motivate stakeholders in all five areas combined. Our
struggle while attempting to implement greenness. As this is the result of findings reveal that organizations must follow a comprehensive and
a conflict of interest of different stakeholders, the lack of an empirical coherent approach to develop more supportive perceptions regarding
research framework for greenness makes it difficult both for managers greenness in service.
and researchers to understand the theoretical and practical issues of This multi-dimensional view provides many benefits to service sup­
greenness, which, in turn, creates a gap in the academic and practical ply chains in the UAE by increasing the competitive advantage of the
areas. supply chain in comparison to other regions in the world. Moreover, it
Therefore, to fill this gap, the present research aims to broaden the helps the government coordinate all service stakeholders’ efforts by
knowledge of greenness by providing empirical evidence on how UAE- increasing communication and information sharing efficiently, which
based service facilities implement greenness initiatives. More specif­ will eventually lead to high-quality service and, therefore, foster a cul­
ically, the purpose of this paper is to address the factors that drive a ture of “prevention is better than cure.”
service supply chain’s decision to focus on integrating greenness and
exploring the extent to which those drivers lead to tangible performance 7. Limitations and future research directions
outcomes concerning sustainability in the context of service. To this end,
this paper is the first to combine stakeholder theory and resource-based This paper, like any research, has some limitations, which highlight
view in the literature on greenness. The findings are mostly consistent areas for future research. Though the empirical results are in line with
with these theoretical views, and the paper offers a theoretical contri­ those in Al Aomar and Weriakat (2012) and Malik et al. (2016), who
bution to the area of greenness in the broader context of a supply chain. explored the notion of greenness and environmental concerns in the
First, this paper highlights the stakeholder perspective on the UAE, more research is needed to validate the theoretical model. One
adoption of greenness. Stakeholder theory has been popularized as a might also examine the framework in the manufacturing sector in the
helpful lens to view stakeholder influence on specific corporate objec­ UAE. Testing the model in the service industries in other countries is also
tives and decisions (Poddi and Vergalli, 2009). Second, the results of this a promising future research direction.
paper provide synthesizing perspectives on RBV for the utilization of The developed model can also be applied by regional and municipal
resources throughout a business. The proper allocation of resources can authorities and commercial organizations conducting the tender process
provide insights into the impact of integrating greenness into service for the selection of contractors and suppliers of equipment for the con­
facilities and drive changes to support sustainability practices (Marshall struction of efficient homes. Also, an ecological and economic model
et al., 2015). may be designed for managers for the long-term management of resi­
Using 371 responses from service units in the UAE, the key research dential buildings and the reduction of operating costs for the period of
objectives to which this research is aimed are: (1) to explore the ante­ operation, hence reducing end-users’ overall service costs and payments
cedents of greenness in the UAE’s service facilities; (2) to propose a for utilities.
comprehensive framework of greenness in service supply chains; and,
(3) to investigate and validate the relationship among these dominant Acknowledgements
factors by introducing first- and second-order CFA models. The criterion-
related validity of the measures in the framework was investigated with The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the office of
convergent and discriminant validity. research at Abu Dhabi University, UAE.
Moreover, exploratory factor analysis and first- and second-order

Appendix

12
M. Khan et al. International Journal of Production Economics 241 (2021) 108257

INDICATORS OF GREENNESS IN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS

Greenness is a marketing term that refers to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that claim reduced, minimal, or no harm upon ecosystems or the environment

A. GENERAL INFORMATION
1 You are serving in this organization as a part of Middle Management Top Management
2 Total number of employees in your organization x < 500 500 < x < 1000 x > 1000
3 Total revenue of the organization in million AED x < 10 10 < x < 50 x > 50
4 Ownership of your organization is Local Foreign Body Mixed
Please select “one” response to each of the following questions:
Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly
B. INDICATORS OF GREENNESS Disagree Agree
1 Reducing use of paper
2 Using solar energy
3 Reducing use of water
4 Reducing electricity consumption
5 Rating products on energy consumption
6 Implementing green assessment of suppliers
7 Reducing transportation (internal/external)
8 Procuring environmentally friendly products
9 Ensuring minimum environmental impact
10 Pushing to offset financial and environmental risk
11 Avoiding non-bio-degradable materials
12 Keeping electronic records
13 Reporting opportunities for reducing resource requirements
14 Using refurbished components
15 Deploying a green monitoring team
16 Offering online services
17 Optimizing operations
18 Implementing waste management
19 Reducing defects
20 Using e-signatures
21 Enforcing employee self-service
22 Pushing for lower utility costs
23 Ensuring green-wash for vehicles
24 Reducing wastage
25 Reducing use of plastic
26 Reducing dependence on synthetics
27 Using energy efficient air-conditioning
28 Monitoring and regulating emissions
29 Ensuring zero flaring to the atmosphere
30 Using motion-sensitive lights
31 Filling trucks with multiple orders/consignments
32 Outlining detailed procedures for re-use and recycling
33 Using smart grids
34 Training for GSCM
35 Allocating budget for green initiatives
36 Investing in wind energy
37 Diversifying product functionality
38 Following Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision
39 Balancing short-term and long-term objectives
40 Investing in research and development
41 Ensuring recycle bins around premises
42 Designing eco-friendly buildings
43 Implementing regular eco-compliance audit
44 Reducing CO2 footprint
45 Using AI and IOT
46 Improving digital communication

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Sellitto, M., Borchardt, M., Pereira, G., Gomes, L., 2012. Environmental performance Mehmood Khan is an associate professor of management at Abu Dhabi University. He has
assessment of a provider of logistical services in an industrial supply chain. Theor. served as the director of the center of excellence in Sustainable Business Processes, at Abu
Found. Chem. Eng. 46, 691–703. Dhabi University. He holds a PhD in Industrial Engineering from Toronto, Canada. He has
Shi, Y., Yu, Y., Wang, L., 2015. Operational impact on the environment: managing taught various courses in Operations Research/Management and Supply Chain Manage­
service systems with environmental deterioration. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 170, 310–320. ment at King Fahd University, Saudi Arabia; Brock University, Canada; Ryerson Univer­
Stevens, J.P., 2012. Applied Multivariate Statistics for the Social Sciences. Routledge, sity, Canada. His research interests span role of technology; internet of things; quality
London. control and sustainable supply chains. His work has been published in various top ranked
Straub, D., Boudreau, M.C., Gefen, D., 2004. Validation guidelines for IS positivist journals.
research. Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst. 13 (1), 24.
Stylos, N., Vassiliadis, C., 2015. Differences in sustainable management between four-
Mian M. Ajmal is currently working as an Associate Professor of Management at the Abu
and five-star hotels regarding the perceptions of three-pillar sustainability. J. Hospit.
Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He also holds Research Fellowship position at the
Market. Manag. 24, 791–825.
Industrial Management Department, University of Vaasa, Finland. He obtained his
Sureeyatanapas, P., Poophiukhok, P., Pathumnakul, S., 2018. Green initiatives for
Doctoral degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Vaasa,
logistics service providers: an investigation of antecedent factors and the
Finland. He has been involved in several European Union research projects in the past. His
contributions to corporate goals. J. Clean. Prod. 191, 1–14.
research interests pertain to knowledge, project and supply chain management, entre­
Testa, F., Grappio, P., Gusmerotti, N.M., Iraldo, F., Frey, M., 2016. Examining green
preneurship, sustainability and organizational behavior and culture. He has published
public procurement using content analysis: existing difficulties for procurers and
more than 60 research articles in several internationally well-known journals.
useful recommendations. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 18, 197–219.
Vanalle, R.M., Ganga, G.M.D., Godinho Filho, M., Lucato, W.C., 2017. Green supply
chain management: an investigation of pressures, practices, and performance within Angappa Gunasekaran is the director of the School of Business Administration at
the Brazilian automotive supply chain. J. Clean. Prod. 151, 250–259. PennState University, Harrisburg. He has served as a Special Assistant to the Provost for
Verma, R., Zhang, J.J., Joglekar, N., 2012. Pushing the frontier of sustainable service Academic Affairs and Student Success at California State University, Bakersfield. Prior to
operations management. J. Serv. Manag. 23, 377–399. this, he was the Dean and Professor at the School of Business & Public Administration from
Wong, C.W.Y., Wong, C.Y., Boon-itt, S., 2013. Green service practices: performance 2017 to 2021. He served as Dean of the Charlton College of Business from 2013 to 2017,
implications and the role of environmental management systems. Serv. Sci. 5, 69–84. Chairperson of the Department of Decision and Information Sciences from 2006 to 2012,
Xiao, C., Wang, Q., van Donk, D.P., van der Vaart, T., 2018. When are stakeholder and the founding Director of Business Innovation Research Center (BIRC) from 2006 to
pressures effective? An extension of slack resources theory. Int. J. Prod. Econ. 199, 2017 at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He has over 400 articles published in
138–149. peer-reviewed journals. He has presented about 50 papers, published 50 articles in con­
Yang, M., Hong, P., Modi, S., 2011. Impact of lean manufacturing and environmental ferences, and given a number of invited talks in many countries. He is on the editorial
management on business performance: an empirical study of manufacturing firms. board of several journals. He has organized several international workshops and confer­
Int. J. Prod. Econ. 129, 251–261. ences in the emerging areas of operations management and information systems.
Yeung, A.C.L., 2008. Strategic supply management, quality initiatives, and
organizational performance. J. Oper. Manag. 26, 490–502.
Abdulla H. Almarzooqi recently received his DBA from Abu Dhabi University, UAE. He is
Younis, H., Sundarakani, B., Vel, P., 2016. The impact of implementing green supply
a chemical engineering graduate from the University of Missouri-Rolla, USA. His research
chain management practices on corporate performance. Compet. Rev. 26, 216–245.
interest is in sustainable cultures, work motivation, job satisfaction, and human resource
Zhao, L., Zha, Y., Zhuang, Y., Liang, L., 2019. Data envelopment analysis for
development.
sustainability evaluation in China: tackling the economic, environmental, and social
dimensions. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 275, 1083–1095.
Zhou, F., 2009. Study on the implementation of green supply chain management in Bader K. AlNuaimi is a doctoral candidate at Abu Dhabi University, UAE. He is senior
textile enterprises. J. Sustain. Dev. 2, 75–79. procurement manager at a local firm. His research interests are in green procurement
Zhou, Z., Xiao, H., Jin, Q., Liu, W., 2018. DEA frontier improvement and portfolio behaviors and artificial intelligence in modern supply chains.
rebalancing: an application of China mutual funds on considering sustainability
information disclosure. Eur. J. Oper. Res. 269, 111–131.

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