Green supply chain management in Chinese firms: Innovative measures and the moderating role of quick response technology

Abstract

Abstract The last decade has witnessed a sharp rising trend in environmental awareness and protection in China. Green supply chain management (GSCM) has been regarded as an effective tool in China for mitigating the negative effects that firms have on the environment. However, the extent to which GSCM pressures influence GSCM practices, and whether and how GSCM practices affect GSCM performance are topics that remain under‐explored. Combining Institutional Theory, Resource‐Based View (RBV) Theory, and the literature on GSCM, our study sheds light on the relationship among GSCM pressures, practices, and performance under the moderating effect of quick response (QR) technology. Using statistical analysis of the collected data and case studies from companies in China, we establish several results. First, among different GSCM pressures, market and export pressures have significant impacts on GSCM practices, whereas cost pressure does not influence GSCM practices significantly. Second, internal improvement practice exerts a significant impact on GSCM practices, while external improvement practice negatively affects positive economic performance. In addition, ecology practice has significantly influenced environmental, positive economic, and operational performance. Third, QR technology suppresses the positive effect between internal improvement practice and negative economic performance. Two real cases from Huawei (telecommunications technologies) and Beijing Benz Automotive (automobile manufacturing) are conducted to verify the findings and generate additional insights. Our findings contribute to the literature and provide guidance to help governments and companies establish effective and innovative GSCM policies.