Africa and Sustainable Global Value Chains

This book contains a collection of studies on the interactions between businesses in Africa and Global Value Chains (GVCs) in terms of social, environmental and economic sustainability. This is particularly pertinent given the asymmetrical power distribution between the global buyer and the African supplier, their governance relationships and the ongoing competitive pressures to reduce costs and increase flexibility to meet GVC demands. Rather than focusing on the sustainability of a single organization, GVCs address the sustainability of inter-firm value chains and global industries as a whole. With little differentiation between value chain creation and social / environmental degradation extending to people and raw material extraction (upstream) and disposal or recycling (downstream), sustainability issues need to be at the forefront of African business research interests. Nowadays, sustainability is considered a competitive advantage for a firm looking to join a GVC. Whether sustainability is approached from the viewpoint of an exporting firm motivated to join a GVC in its respective industry or whether a firm's continuing contractual or collaborative relationship with a buyer depends on its compliance with sustainability standards, both approaches focus on the ability of firms in Africa to benefit from joining sustainable GVCs.

Author: Regina Frei
Publisher: Springer
Published: 02/08/2023
Pages: 325
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.07lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.72d
ISBN: 9783030787936

About the Author

Dr Regina Frei is a Chartered Engineer and Associate Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Southampton Business School, University of Southampton, UK. She leads the Product Returns Research Group. Her research interests include sustainable business, sustainable value chains, reverse supply chains, product returns in retail, plastics recycling, and the Circular Economy. She is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and a Friend of the African Circular Economy Network (ACEN).

Dr Sherwat E. Ibrahim is an Associate Professor of Operations Management and Director of the MBA programs at the School of Business, American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt. Her research interests include Africa sustainability, global value chains, supply chain governance, strategic outsourcing, and technology adoption. She is a council member of the International Forum on Sustainable Value Chains (ISVC) and a founding member of PRME Africa Chapter.

Dr Temidayo Akenroye is a Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK. His research interests cover circular economy, sustainable procurement, agricultural value chain, health supply chain and international logistics. He is a Member of the Board of Directors (Trustees) at Agritech and Social Innovation Hub, Nigeria, and sits on the Research Advisory Panel for Africa Resource Centre, South Africa.