Antecedents and outcomes of downstream environmental logistics practices

This paper considers the antecedents and outcomes of downstream environmental logistics practices within green supply chain management amongst a sample of respondents based in the UK food industry. Framed through the conceptual lens of the natural resource-based view (NRBV) this research specifically considers (i) whether environmentally proactive companies implement environmental practices downstream in their supply chains as an extension of internal environmental practices and (ii) whether such downstream environmental practices influence performance, particularly when there has been engagement with key stakeholders in their implementation. The paper begins by developing a theoretical model grounded in the NRBV. This model and associated hypotheses are tested using Multivariate Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression analysis using data from a sample of 149 firms within the UK food industry. The results provide support for a number of the assumptions implicit in the NRBV confirming the link between environmental proactivity and downstream environmental logistics and the important role of internal environmental practices in facilitating this link. The findings also support a direct link between downstream environmental logistics and both environmental and cost performance, which may be enhanced in the presence of high levels of environmental engagement with customers.

Education for global citizenship in Scotland: reciprocal partnership or politics of benevolence?

Links between schools in the United Kingdom and partner schools in developing countries are an increasingly popular approach to teaching global citizenship. This study addresses the limited empirical research to date on the influence of such links on pupils' learning and understanding. Following an overview of the curricular theme of global citizenship in the Scottish curriculum and in the context of a partnership between Scotland and Malawi, challenges and potential pitfalls of teaching global citizenship are illustrated by the voices of pupils at four schools. Data is analysed through the themes of knowledge and understanding, concerns about fairness, and giving and helping. We reflect on whether our study indicates the intended reciprocal partnership or a 'politics of benevolence'.