INSTITUTIONAL PRESSURES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF GREEN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AMONG ISO 14001 CERTIFIED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN EAST AFRICA

Abstract

Increasing levels of environmental degradation by manufacturing firms has resulted inheterogeneous pressures from various organizational groups on the need for them toconduct environmentally friendly operations. A viable option for these firms has beenthe implementation of green supply chain practices. The key concern however is whatdrives organizations to implement these practices. The main objective of this studytherefore was to investigate the key institutional pressures that cause firms toimplement these practices. To achieve the objective, three hypotheses were formulated.The study employed descriptive cross-sectional research design. Based on the objective,the study established that coercive and normative pressures are significant in causingthe firms to implement GSCM practices while mimetic pressures are not significant.Since the study finds that government laws and policies on the environment are criticaland main drivers of GSCM practices implementation, it recommends that thegovernment should take steps in making the environmental regulations more stringent.This research adds to knowledge by advancing the evidence of the existence ofheterogeneity of pressures for GSCM practices implementation. The findings alsoextend understanding of the pressures of GSCM in East Africa and also in the contextof a developing country where the level of GSCM practice diffusion is still low. Futureresearchers’ are therefore provided with a useful conceptual and methodologicalreference to pursue further studies in this area especially in the African context.