Organisations aiming to improve sustainability in their operations and supply chains often face tensions that can’t be neatly resolved.
They may want to reduce environmental impact while keeping costs down, build resilient supply networks while staying lean, or pursue ethical sourcing while remaining commercially competitive. Instead of treating these tensions as temporary problems to fix, this project sees them as ongoing paradoxes that shape managerial decision‑making and organisational action.
The PhD would explore how firms recognise, frame and respond to contradictory demands in sustainable operations and supply chain management. It could examine paradoxes such as efficiency versus resilience, cost competitiveness versus social responsibility, global scale versus local responsiveness, or innovation versus operational stability. The study may look at how these tensions are discussed inside organisations, how they influence strategic and operational choices, and how some firms become better at working with contradiction rather than simplifying or suppressing it. The project would suit applicants interested in qualitative research, process theory, paradox theory and organisational analysis.
The aim is to develop a realistic and theoretically informed understanding of sustainability practices in operations and supply chain management. It recognises contradiction as a normal part of organisational life, especially where firms must balance competing operational, economic, environmental and social priorities. The topic is both academically significant and practically relevant for organisations seeking to embed responsible sourcing, sustainable production and other sustainability‑focused practices across complex supply networks.
