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Manufacturing Engineering & Management The Proceedings

Green Supply Chain Management: A Case Study from Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry
Sanjeev Kumar 1 - Somnath Chattopadhyaya2 - Vinay Sharma3
1 2 3

Mech. Engg. Department, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India, Email: Sanjeevkg9@gmail.com ME&MME Department, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India, Email: somuismu@gmail.com, Production Engg. Department, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, India, Email: vinay1970@gmail.com

ARTICLE INFO:
Category : Original Scientific Paper Received : 20 September 2012 / Revised: 21 October 2012 / Accepted: 11 November 2012

Keywords: (in causal order)

Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry Sustainable Supply Chain Environmental Performance Steel Industries Case Study

Abstract:
This study aims to investigate the sustainable supply chain management practices likely to be adopted by the manufacturing industry of steel in India. The approach of the present research includes a literature review, in depth interviews and questionnaire surveys. The relationship between sustainable supply chain management practices and environmental performance is studied. The results indicate that performance of steel industry regarding eco procurement, eco accounting, eco logistic design, eco product design, eco manufacturing practices, marketing & communication, economic performance, environmental performance, operational performance, customer co-operation, internal environmental management performance, stakeholders vendor management etc. in response to the current wave of national & international green issues and also environmental performance of the respective industries.

Citation: Kumar, S., Chattopadhyaya, S., Sharma, V., Hloch, S., : Green Supply Chain Management: A Case Study from Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry, 2nd International Conference Manufacturing Engineering & Management 2012, (2012), p. 27-32, ISBN 978-80-553-1216-3

INTRODUCTION
Environmental issues have become very important in present times due to their high level of visibility. Organizational management is forced to incorporate environmental management into corporate practices (Chen-Lung Yang et al. 2010) [3]. Nature changes with the time. There is need to cope with the changes in the management system for its survival and sustainability with respect to time (V.R.Pramod and D.K.Rawat, 2010) [8]. Environmental pollution is the main problem which may lead to the extinction of mankind on earth if not addressed in time. Regulations and legislation related to environment and the green branding drive has triggered the adaptation and practice of green techniques in supply chain management (Sikhar Barari et al. 2012) [6].The concept covers all the phases of a products life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials through the design, production and distribution phases to the use of the product by consumers and their eventual disposal of same (Bearing point, 2008) [2]. The number of organizations ruminating the integration of environmental practices into their strategic plans and daily operations is continuously increasing. With global warming being recognised as one of the biggest challenges of this century, carbon emissions are increasingly becoming the centre of attention. Global warming is the result of increasing CO2 (carbon dioxide) concentration in the atmosphere. The study of the impact of supply chains on the environment is relatively new and a rapidly growing research area. The green or sustainable supply chain is an approach with attempts to minimize a product or services ecological footprint (Bearing point, 2008) [2]. (2009) [9] have developed a methodology to identify those customers, who are ready for paying more for green products. Yuang and Kielkiewicz-Yuang (2001) [11] presented an overview of current practices in managing sustainability issues in supply networks. Cross functional teams consisting personnel from sales, environment, purchase and personnel from other relevant departments, can be found in organizations with the advanced strategies for sharing sustainability-oriented information. Organizations provide to their consumers/ suppliers their sustainability procurement policy, goals and future targets. Organizations have specific criteria and recognized standards (ISO14001), technical (lead-free soldering) and performance specifications that its suppliers must meet to be recognized as preferred suppliers. Supplier performances can be enhanced through on-site thirdparty auditing or periodic self-assessment by suppliers. Training is administered to companies that provide not only advice on sustainability issues in purchasing, but also to deliver to suppliers to provide them with information on product life cycle through collaboration with suppliers. Nagel (2000) [5] developed the tool to evaluate the supplier's environmental performance based on life-cycle analysis. Two different approaches; one showing absolute supplier performances in environmental perspective, the other describing a relative supplier performance in a business perspective were given. Gil et al. (2001) [1] indicated that GSCM has a positive relationship with an organization's economic performance. Brink et al., (1998) [7] devised a system called ECO-QUEST. The system provides a questionnaire for suppliers to self-audit their environmental performance and gives them some solutions to improve the environmental profile of their product. The system functionality is limited since it focuses on suppliers in the electronics industry and the comparison of different suppliers performances is not assessed. Deans, (1999) [4] indicated that an environmental initiative is on-going process within the US utilities industry which ensures that environmental

LITERATURE REVIEW
There are only a few studies related to sustainable supply chain management. Approaches towards Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practice have been identified by various researches; they are briefly outlined below. Considering the consumers behavior for green products as an important business issue, Wang et al.

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Green Supply Chain Management: A Case Study from Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry

considerations are a significant factor in purchasing policy and in the selection process for suppliers. Wei et al. (1997) [10] discuss about the neural network for the supplier selection. Neural networks save a lot of time and money for system development when compared to conventional models for decision support system. The supplier-selecting system is based on two functions: one is the function measuring and evaluating performance of purchasing (quality, quantity, timing, price, and costs) and storing the evaluation in a database to provide data sources to neural network. The other is the function using the neural network to select suppliers. This method incorporates qualitative and quantitative criteria. The weakness of this method is that it demands software and requires a qualified personnel expert on this subject.

convention, if the p-value is less than 0.05, it is concluded that the null hypothesis can be rejected). Tab.1 Performance of Eco Procurement [Factor 1] (Average Mean score: 1.566)
DIMENSION Provides design specification to suppliers that include environmental requirements for purchased item Co-operation with suppliers for environmental purchasing Existence of cell for environmental audit for suppliers internal management Procurements mainly from ISO14000 certified suppliers Second-tier suppliers environmentally friendly practice evaluation Implementation of ecolabeling/eco-logo of products Work with other business functions to discuss and improve purchasing procedures. Provision of education/assistance to suppliers on environmental matters in order to increase supply chain efficiency. Communication regarding environmental procurement criteria/requirements to marketing staff, employees, stakeholders, and customers Co-operation with customers for environmental packaging MEAN (STD.DEV.) 1.56 (0.527) t p

8.854

0.000

2.000 (0.500) 12.000 1.555 (0.527) 8.854 1.444 (0.527) 8.222 1.222 (0.440) 8.315 1.666 (0.707) 7.071 1.444 (0.527) 8.222

0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Investigate the practice and implementation of sustainable supply chain management in Indian Small and Medium Scale Steel manufacturing industries.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
It has been observed that the contribution of steel industries in India and around the world is large in the growth of industrial economy. The Competitive Strategies and Best Practices Benchmarking Questionnaire have been developed. Based on review of studies, finally researcher had arrived at set of 105 dimensions after eliminating the redundant dimensions by submitting the statements/dimensions to respondents and discussing with experts, who were believed to have knowledge of the subject for fair judgment. The questionnaire consists of total 14 factors with 105 underlying dimensions. Industries performance strategies will depend upon their aggregate score. The model aims to explore possible near future developments in the competitive strategies of the companies by addressing their competitive priorities, manufacturing objectives and action plans. The target respondents of survey were requested to indicate, using a five-point Likert scale (1- Below average/Completely disagree, 2-Average/ Rarely agree, 3-Good/ Partly agree, 4 Very good/ Rather agree, 5- Excellent/Completely agree), the extent to which they perceived their industries implementing each of the dimensions of Sustainable Supply Chain Management practices. Dimension analysis was conducted for each of the 105 statements/dimensions through a mean score, t-test and p test.

1.444 (0.527) 8.222

0.000

1.444 (0.726) 5.965

0.000

1.888 (0.927) 6.107

0.000

Eco Procurement, which has 10 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Co-operation with suppliers for environmental purchasing (2.000) and the least important dimension is Second-tier suppliers environmentally friendly practice evaluation (1.222). Tab.2 Performance of Eco Accounting [Factor 2] (Average Mean score: 1.355)
DIMENSION Environmental costs associated with operations and processes (e.g. monitoring and abatement equipment, waste disposal etc.) are taken care Accounting the costs to the customers associated with the use and disposal of the products Communication of environmental costs to customers and within the industry in key business functions Assisting in evaluation of environmental cost with respect to capital purchases and new technology Generate activity based costing in various department or business function MEAN (STD.DEV.) t p

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FACTOR, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table: 1 to 14 and Figure: 1 explains about the comparative analysis of effectiveness sustainable supply chain factors with 105 underlying dimensions for Indian steel industries. As discussed earlier, 14 sustainable supply chain factors with 105 underlying dimensions considered in this study and each dimension has its own importance for effective sustainable supply chain performance. As per the literature review & experts view, used linkert scale in this questionnaire, where 1 employs below average & 5 employs excellent. Each scale signifies how these factors for an industry for effective sustainable supply chain factors. For these scores have been calculated the competitive mean score witht and p value. Consider null (0) hypothesis that no significant differences of green supply chain factors. An alternate hypothesis there is significant differences of sustainable supply chain factors. Here p is the probability of acceptance (The p-value is a numerical measure of the statistical significance of a hypothesis test. It tells how likely it is that sample data have responded even if the null hypothesis is true. By

1.555 (0.726) 6.424

0.000

1.222 (0.440) 8.315 1.222 (0.440) 8.315

0.000 0.000

1.333 (0.500) 8.000

0.000

1.444 (0.726) 5.965

0.000

Eco Accounting, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Environmental costs associated with operations and processes (e.g. monitoring and abatement equipment, waste disposal

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Green Supply Chain Management: A Case Study from Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry

S.Kumar et al.

etc.) are taken care (1.555) and the least important dimension is Accounting the costs to the customers associated with the use and disposal of the products (1.222). Tab.3 Pperformance of Eco Logistics Design [Factor 3] (Average Mean score: 1.622)
DIMENSION Reverse logistics applied in stock planning Application of environmental issues in the design of logistics management Identification, Collection & distribution of products/parts that will be recycled, reused Recollection planning for packaging material Minimizing the use of packaging considered MEAN (STD.DEV.) 1.444 (0.527) 1.222 (0.440) t 8.222 8.315 p 0.000 0.000

1.222 (0.666) 1.222 (0.440) 3.000 (0.500)

5.500 8.315 18.00

0.001 0.000 0.000

remanufacturing (1.777). Eco Manufacturing, which has 15 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is minimizing toxic/hazardous waste during manufacturing (2.444) and the least important dimension is Inclusion of recycling program for manufacturing operation (1.222). Marketing and Communication, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is assisting customers to improve their environmental performance (1.666) and the least important dimension is Environmental requirement and activities of customer concern are monitored (1.444). Economic Performance, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Reduction in cost of energy consumption (2.666) and the least important dimension is Waste discharge methodology for reducing cost (2.000). Tab.5 Performance of Eco Manufacturing [Factor 5] (Average Mean score: 1.770)
DIMENSION Possibility of product being recyclable, reusable Avoid or minimize the amount of hazardous material used in product production Are designers using life cycle engineering to improve the environmental performance and production efficiency of the products Measures taken to reduce material, water & energy used in manufacturing Optimizing the use of energy generated from renewable sources in manufacturing operations Inclusion of recycling program for manufacturing operation Industry has established program to increase the service intensity of the products Determination of environmental impacts and costs of the products throughout their life-cycle Minimizing toxic/hazardous waste during manufacturing Optimum energy consumption during manufacturing process Integrated environmental & efficiency criteria implementation in process design Minimizing use of natural resources during manufacturing is considered Consideration of environmental issue in the process of production planning and control Environmental issue considered during selection of manufacturing process Reduced setup time MEAN (STD.DEV.) 1.888 (0.600) 2.111 (0.333) t 9.430 19.000 p 0.000 0.000

Eco Logistics Design, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is minimizing the use of packaging considered (3.000) and the least important dimension is Application of environmental issues in the design of logistics management (1.222). Tab.4 Performance of Eco Product Design [Factor 4] (Average Mean score: 1.944)
DIMENSION Design of products for optimum consumption of material/energy Product designed for reuse, recycle, recovery of material, components parts Design consideration of products to avoid or reduce use of hazardous of products Design of products to reduce waste & costs Products are design & develop meet environmental regulation and safety standards Co-operation & feedback with customer in developing ecodesign Products are design & developed for ease in dismantling & remanufacturing Application of value engineering/analysis in the design of products Evaluation of product durability Possibility of eliminating secondary processes (polishing/painting etc.) considered. MEAN (STD.DEV.) 2.111 (0.600) 1.888 (0.333) 2.000 (0.500) 1.888 (0.333) 2.000 (0.500) 2.111 (0.333) 1.777 (0.440) 1.777 (0.833) 2.111 (0.600) 1.777 (0.833) t 10.539 p 0.000

1.555 (0.527)

8.854

0.000

2.000 (0.500) 1.777 (0.440) 1.222 (0.440) 1.222 (0.440) 1.222 (0.440) 2.444 (0.527) 2.222 (0.440) 1.444 (0.527) 2.111 (0.600) 1.444 (0.726) 1.666 (0.866) 2.222 (0.971)

12.000

0.000

12.095

0.000

17.000

0.000

8.315 8.315

0.000 0.000

12.000 17.000

0.000 0.000

12.000

0.000

8.315

0.000

13.914 15.119

0.000 0.000

19.000

0.000

12.095

0.000

8.222

0.000

6.400 10.539

0.000 0.000

10.539

0.000

5.965

0.000

6.400

0.000

5.774 6.860

0.000 0.000

Eco Product Design, which has 10 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Design of products for optimum consumption of material/energy (2.111) and the least important dimension is Products are design & developed for ease in dismantling &

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Green Supply Chain Management: A Case Study from Indian Small and Medium Scale Industry

Tab.6 Performance of Marketing and Communication [Factor 6] (Average Mean score: 1.488)
MEAN (STD.DEV.) Assisting customers to improve 1.666 their environmental performance (0.707) Environmental requirement and 1.444 activities of customer concern are (0.527) monitored Awareness regarding 1.444 environmental information to (0.726) new and existing employees Departmental interaction and exchange of information 1.444 regarding environment, (0.726) performance, efficiency etc. Use of environmental information during product 1.444 marketing & communications (0.527) material DIMENSION t 7.071 8.222 5.965 p 0.000 0.000 0.000

Tab.9 Performance of Customer Co-operation [Factor 9] (Average Mean score: 2.422)

DIMENSION Co-operation from customers for eco-design Co-operation from customers for cleaner production Co-operation from customers for green packaging Co-operation from customers for using less energy during product transportation Co-operation with customers for environmental procurement MEAN (STD.DEV.) t p 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

2.555 (0.527) 14.546 2.666 (0.500) 16.000 2.333 (0.500) 14.000 2.444 (0.726) 10.094

5.965

0.000

2.111 (0.600) 10.539

0.000

8.222

0.000

Tab.7 Performance of Economic Performance [Factor 7] (Average Mean score: 2.222)

DIMENSION Waste discharge methodology for reducing cost Reduction in cost for materials purchasing without affecting the quality of the product Reduction in cost of energy consumption Effective waste treatment management for reducing cost Reduction of the fine for environmental accidents MEAN t (STD.DEV.) 2.000 12.000 (0.500) 2.222 (0.666) 2.666 (0.500) 2.222 (0.440) 2.000 (0.707) 10.000 16.000 15.119 8.485 p 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

Customer Co-operation, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Co-operation from customers for cleaner production (2.666) and the least important dimension is Co-operation with customers for environmental procurement (2.111). Tab.10 Performance of Customer Co-operation [Factor 9] (Average Mean score: 2.422)
DIMENSION Improvement in worker safety Motivate workers for environmental consciousness Increase supervisor training Use of energy efficient technologies Consultation with environmental experts before using new technology MEAN t p (STD.DEV.) 2.777 (0.440) 18.898 0.000 2.000 (0.500) 12.000 0.000 1.444 (0.527) 8.222 0.000 2.222 (0.666) 10.000 0.000 1.222 (0.440) 8.315 0.000

Tab.8 Performance of Environmental Performance [Factor 8] (Average Mean score: 1.900)

DIMENSION Minimization of air emission Minimization of solid waste Improve production procedure/method for reducing waste/scrap Recovery through sale of scrap and used/rejected material Recovery through sale of excess capital equipment Recovery through sale of old/obsolete equipment Recycling of waste water Optimization of man power resources in production process Reduction of consumption for hazardous materials Reduction in frequency of environmental accidents MEAN (STD.DEV.) 2.222 (0.666) 2.555 (0.527) 2.222 (0.440) 1.777 (0.666) 1.333 (0.500) 1.222 (0.440) 1.444 (0.726) 2.666 (0.500) 2.000 (0.866) 1.555 (0.527) t p

10.000 0.000 14.546 0.000 15.119 0.000 8.000 8.000 8.315 5.965 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

16.000 0.000 6.928 8.854 0.000 0.000

Environmental Performance, which has 10 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Optimization of man power resources in production process (2.666) and the least important dimension is Recovery through sale of old/obsolete equipment (1.222).

Human and Technological Resources, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Improvement in worker safety (2.777) and the least important dimension is Consultation with environmental experts before using new technology (1.222).Internal Environmental Management Performance, which has 10 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Promotion of quality circles (2.111) and the least important dimension is Existence of policy related to green supply chain management linking environmental, economic, process performances (1.222). Operational Performance, which has 10 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Amount of goods delivered on time (3.000) and the least important dimension is Development of a prevention program to identify and eliminate sources of pollution (1.333). Stakeholders, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Consideration & application of environmental issues because of trade organizations (1.555) and the least important dimension is Consideration & application of environmental issues because of regulatory concerns (1.333). Vendor Management, which has 5 underlying dimension. In industry the most important dimension is Environmental awareness among the vendors (1.555) and the least important dimension is Environmental issues are regularly shared by vendors (1.333).

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Tab.11 Performance of Internal Environmental Management Performance [Factor 11] (Average Mean score: 1.500)
MEAN DIMENSION t p (STD.DEV.) Promotion of quality circles 2.111 10.539 0.000 (0.600) Existance of environmental and 1.555 8.854 0.000 auditing program (0.527) Provision of training in 1.666 7.071 0.000 environmental management (0.707) Implementation of ISO 14001 1.666 5.774 0.000 certification (0.866) Commitment of green supply chain 1.333 management policy by senior (0.500) 8.000 0.000 managers Awareness about the green supply 1.333 chain management measures 8.000 0.000 (0.500) adopted by the competitors Existance of total quality 1.444 5.965 0.000 environmental management (0.726) Updating the current and proposed environmental regulations and 1.333 8.000 0.000 legislation that may impact on (0.500) business Existence of policy related to green 1.222 supply chain management linking (0.440) 8.315 0.000 environmental, economic, process performances Support for green supply chain 1.333 management from junior & middle (0.500) 8.000 0.000 level managers/executive

of suppliers Consideration & application of 1.555 (0.726) environmental issues because of trade organizations Consideration & application of 1.444 (0.527) environmental issues because of employee concerns Consideration & application of 1.444 (0.527) environmental issue because of customer & market pressure

6.424 8.222 8.222

0.000 0.000 0.000

Tab.14 Performance of Vendor Management [Factor 14] (Average Mean score: 1.444)
DIMENSION Environmental performance is an important criteria in vendor selection Environmental awareness among the vendors Environmental certified vendor is considered Environmental issues are regularly shared by vendors. Feedback on environmental issues for the product supplied. MEAN (STD.DEV.) 1.444 (0.527) t 8.222 p 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

1.555 (0.726) 6.424 1.444 (0.527) 8.222 1.333 (0.500) 8.000 1.444 (0.527) 8.222

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

While analyzing the sustainable supply chain factors in steel industry it has been observed that (figure 1) the most important factor is customer co-operation (2.422) followed by Economic Performance (2.222) and the least important factor perceive is s Eco Accounting (1.355) followed by Stakeholders (1.444), Vendor Management (1.444). Therefore for the management point of view they should give more strength on Eco Accounting, stakeholders, Eco Procurement, Vendor Management Marketing and communication Internal Environmental Management Performance for improving sustainable supply chain factors.

Tab.12 Performance of Operational Performance [Factor 12] (Average Mean score: 2.033)
DIMENSION Reduced inventory level Reduction in scrap Promote environmental quality products Optimization of capacity utilization Amount of goods delivered on time Monitoring the environmental and implementation for the improvement within industry Program to promote and track the reduction of waste Waste management program for compliance with all applicable regulations Selection and use of energy efficient equipments and fixture for electrical, mechanical and lighting application Development of a prevention program to identify and eliminate sources of pollution MEAN (STD.DEV.) 2.555 (0.527) 2.444 (0.527) 1.777 (0.440) 2.888 (0.333) 3.000 (0.500) 1.444 (0.527) 1.444 (0.527) 1.444 (0.726) 2.000 (0.866) 1.333 (0.500) t 14.546 13.914 12.095 26.000 5.987 8.222 8.222 5.965 p 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000

6.928

0.000

8.000

0.000

Tab.13 Performance of Stakeholders [Factor 13] (Average Mean score: 1.444)

DIMENSION Consideration & application of environmental issues because of regulatory concerns Consideration & application of environmental issues because MEAN (STD.DEV.) 1.333 (0.500) 1.444 (0.527) t 8.000 8.222 p 0.000 0.000

Fig.1 Comparative analysis of effectiveness of sustainable supply chain factors It is also observed that in all 105 dimensions of sustainable supply chain factors, the value oft is more than 2. It means that null hypothesis of these dimensions is rejected therefore it can be generalize that there is a significant differences of sustainable supply chain dimension among the industry. Also it very important that the management of the industry should give special focus on the least mean scored dimensions in their organization, so that industry leads to provide customer satisfaction through sustainable supply chain performance.

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CONCLUSION
Green/Sustainable Supply Chain Management (GSCM/SSCM) is a relatively new green issue for the majority of Indian industries. Research presents practitioners with a 105 item measurement scale for evaluating the different facets of their sustainable supply chain practices implementation. The present empirical study investigated the SSCM practices adopted by the Small and Medium Scale Steel industry in India. The pressures or drives to implement SSCM practices and the relationship between SSCM practices and as well as environmental performance were also studied. The approach adopted in the present study included a questionnaire. Importance of approach to sustainable supply chain as presented in table 1 to 14. It also assesses the relative importance of identified approaches that would affect the sustainable supply chain implementation and the development. From the survey of the industry, the score is not up to the mark. Industries should more concentrate their strategy. This will automatically improve the score card and thereby performance.

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[4] I. Deans, 1999.An approach to the environmental management of purchasing in the utilities sector, EcoManage. Audit. Vol. 6, No.1, pp.1117. [5] Nagel, M. H., 2000. Environmental supply chain management versus green procurement in the scope of a business and leadership perspective. International Symposium on Electronics & the Environment, San Francisco, Califomia, pp.219-224. [6] Sikhar Barari, Gaurav Agarwal, W.J.Zhang, Biswajit Mahanty, M.K.Tiwari, 2012. A decision framework for the analysis of green supply chain contracts: An evolutionary game approach. Expert system with Applications, Vol. 39, pp2965-2976. [7] S. Brink, J.C. Diehl, A. Stevels,1998 ECO-QUEST, an eco-design self audit tool for suppliers of the electronics industry, Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Electronics and the Environment, pp. 129132 [8] V.R.Pramod and D.K.Rawat, 2010. System modeling of telecom service sector supply chain: a SAP-LAP analysis. Int. J. Business Excellence, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp38-64. [9] Wang, Miao Ling, Kuo, Tsai Chi and Liu, Jia Wen, 2009. Identifying target green 3C customers in Taiwan using multi attribute utility theory. Expert Systems with Applications, Vol. 36, No.10, pp.1256212569. [10] Wei SY, Jinlong Z, Zhicheng LI, 1997. A supplierselecting system using a neural network. IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Processing Systems, Vol.1, pp468471. [11] Yuang, A.; Kielkiewicz-Yuang, A., 2001. Sustainable supply network management. Corp. Environ. Manage., Vol. 8, No. 3, pp.260- 268.

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