1、 Pressure and the value of the stakeholders in environmental logistics The preservation of the environment has become an unavoidable variable in industrial activity.While some firms have adopted a reactive strategy, limiting themselves to the prevailing legislation, others have chosen more proactive
2、 strategies, introducing voluntarily practices focused on reducing their environmental impact. In particular, many of these practices are carried out in the area of logistics, where there is great potential for contributing to the environmental performance of firms (Wu and Dunn, 1995). It is therefo
3、re interesting to know which contingencies lead firms to develop proactive environmental initiatives in this area of activity, i.e.what circumstances favour the implementation of environmental practices in logistics. environmental logistics practices. Specifically, this paper analyses the effect of
4、the perceived stakeholder environmental pressure and the environmental awareness of managers and explores the extent to which the interaction between these two variables exists and is relevant. In this second respect, this paper expressly analyses the extent to which the environmental awareness of m
5、anagers moderates the relationship between the perceived pressure and the implementation of environmental logistics practices and the extent to which this pressure mediates the relationship between managerial values and the implementation of environmental logistics practices. First,environmental log
6、istics practices Different authors have pointed out that the environmental proactivity of firms is manifested not only through the transformation of their internal activities (product design and production processes) but also through the introduction of new practices in the logistics of supply and d
7、istribution that link them to other participants (suppliers and customers) in the value chain . A series of environmental practices has been identified or suggested for the management of physical flows that enter and leave an industrial organization, not only in the literature focused specifically o
8、n logistics , but also from the perspective of purchasing management or from the more generic and integrating perspective of the supply chain. Transportation is another aspect of logistics with considerable environmental impact . One of the easiest measures to improve environmental performance in th
9、is area consists of 长春大学光华学院 毕业设计（论文）译文纸 共 13 页 第 1 页 装 订 线 prioritizing shipment consolidation in the planning and programming of flows . This allows the capacity of the vehicles used to be maximized and the emission of contaminating gases reduced. Another, more strategic measure,or the hiring of r
10、ail transport instead of road transport are some examples of environmental actions in this sense. In the logistics of storage, manipulation and distribution, the aspects related to the packing,packaging and bottling of products are the ones with the most impact on the natural environment.Thus we mus
11、t distinguish between primary, secondary and transport packaging (Livingstone and Sparks, 1994). The first refers to the direct packaging of the product, which the consumer uses until the product is consumed. The second refers to any additional packaging (boxes, bags)used frequently with promotional
12、 aims or to facilitate the combined purchase of several units of the same product. Transportation packaging refers to the packaging used to facilitate the moving and storage of products (containers, boxes, pallets). Primary and secondary packaging is what most directly affects the consumers intentio
13、n of purchase, and therefore its modification responds more to commercial criteria than to logistic criteria. Efforts in this sense are usually focused on reducing the packaging and using recyclable materials or containers. Second， the role of stakeholder pressure and managerial values In this secti
14、on we analyze the role of stakeholder pressure and managerial motivation in the implementation of environmental logistics practices. Four research hypotheses are presented.This assumption, which turns out to be quite evident for the tactical practices considered in this analysis, has received empiri
15、cal support for the case of more strategic practices such as the integration of suppliers and customers .It implies that those contingencies that stimulate companies to reduce their environmental impact can also induce the adoption of environmental practices in logistics. (One)Stakeholder Environmen
16、tal Pressure Stakeholders are individuals and groups which can affect the companys performance or who are affected by a firms actions (Freeman, 1984). Clarkson (1995) distinguishes between primary stakeholders, those without whose participation and support the organization cannot survive(suppliers,
17、governments), and secondary stakeholders, which affect and are affected by the organization but are not engaged in transactions with it and are not essential for its survival(e.g. media, non-governmental organizations). As regards corporate social responsibility and, in particular, environmental res
18、ponsibility,stakeholders demand integrity, respect, standards, transparency and 长春大学光华学院 毕业设计（论文）译文纸 共 13 页 第 2 页 装 订 线 accountability . In fact, the environmental commitment of a firm implies harmonizing environmental performance with stakeholders expectations . There is certain empirical evidence
19、to this respect. Although with some nuances, the results of support the idea that environmental proactivity is associated with higher pressures from organizational stakeholders (e.g. customers, suppliers, employees,shareholders) and community stakeholders (e.g. non-governmental organizations, social
20、 groups),whereas environmental reactivity is associated with higher pressures from regulatory stakeholders (e.g. governments, trade associations) and the media. introduced the distinction between internal primary stakeholders (employees, shareholders and financial institutions) and external primary
21、stakeholders (customers and suppliers) and observed that only the former group motivates environmental proactivity. This result was explained by arguing that the sample studied consisted of producers of intermediate products and had scarce consumer contact.environmental practices in the hotel indust
22、ry responds to a higher stakeholder pressure. influence as a contextual variable which was measured by two constructs: public interaction, which assessed to what extent managers gather opinions from and provide environmental information to the public； and awareness of environmental regulation, which
23、 assessed to what extent plant personnel are informed regarding environmental regulation and evaluated on regulatory compliance. Both constructs showed positive effects on the degree of environmental proactivity. Another justification of the importance of stakeholders as motivators of the environmen
24、tal strategies of firms is that among the benefits attributed to environmental proactivity there is precisely improvement in the relationship with the different stakeholders and even the possibility of influencing some of them . (Two)Managerial Values: Environmental Awareness of Managers Several pap
25、ers point out the importance of the support and commitment of top management for the development of proactive environmental strategies . Other authors consider that the key question is not simply the existence of top management support for environmental initiatives.Rather, they propose that, dependi
26、ng on the managers beliefs, expectations, perceptions and opinions, the company will become inclined to implement a certain set of environmental practices. Thus, the environmental awareness of managers,understood as the degree to which they consider imperative the active participation of industry in
27、 achieving sustainable development, might influence the environmental behaviour of a firm.In the case of logistics, the implementation of environmental practices requires additional effort since, as mentioned earlier, in many cases it requires not only an internal effort but also the collaboration of other agents
