The role of risk avoidance mechanisms on media-reported environmental supply chain sustainability risks

摘要

As the complexity of supply networks increases and the sustainability awareness spreads globally, firms are exposed to pressures for superior environmental performance along their supply chains by various media stakeholders. Grounded in the agenda-setting theory and stakeholder theory, this study takes into account the complex interplay between buying firm's organizational characteristics and environmental sustainability levels and evaluates the effectiveness of risk avoidance mechanisms on media-reported supply chain sustainability risks. The findings suggest that for buying firms which belong to vulnerable categories, media-reported wrongdoings could be attenuated by pro-active (supplier selection) whereas augmented by re-active (contract termination) risk avoidance mechanisms.