Abstract
Performance Monitoring has evolved as a powerful sustainability measurement tool for supply chains. It allows managers to look beyond providing services or investments to actually understand the outcomes generated in the field. COSA and WDI help organizations to apply technically functional Performance Monitoring tools within diverse supply chains. Even with the sometimes difficult circumstances in developing countries, Performance Monitoring can provide information feedback loops so that managers can track sustainability performance throughout the project lifespan and thereby improve the likelihood of having successful outcomes. This chapter examines the challenges and benefits of implementing Performance Monitoring in supply chains, offers best practices in implementation, and illustrates lessons and limitations with case studies of the tool in use.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
Note that Performance Monitoring (PM) and Impact Assessments are complementary tools that have different functions, but can be paired for maximum results. While a comprehensive Impact Assessment can tell you if an investment or project has had its intended effect over a period of time (usually multiple years), PM allows you to capture a point-in-time picture of a project to contribute to ongoing strategic decision making for overall project success.
- 2.
COSA uses the SMART principles in the design of indicators to quantify and clarify sustainability information in smallholder agricultural systems in a manner that promotes the understanding of key environmental, economic, and social issues (https://thecosa.org/what-we-do/our-approach/define-the-pathway/).
- 3.
For focus groups in particular, the approach will require some adaptation to accommodate the dynamics of a group and reduce the bias of groupthink.
- 4.
COSA (https://thecosa.org) is a non-profit and independent, global consortium of partners dedicated to accelerating agricultural sustainability through robust information systems that is financed in part by leading agencies including the Swiss Government (SECO), Ford Foundation, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
- 5.
See the Danone Ecosystem Fund website for details about the Semilla project: http://ecosysteme.danone.com/projectslists/semilla/.
References
Acumen (2015) The lean data field guide: tips for collecting customer data to build more impactful businesses. http://acumen.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Lean-Data-Field-Guide.pdf. Accessed 31 Jan 2019
COSA – The Committee on Sustainability Assessment (2013) The COSA measuring sustainability report: Cocoa and Coffee in 12 countries. COSA, Philadelphia
Gertler PJ, Martinez S, Premand P, Rawlings LB, Vermeersch CMJ (2016) Impact evaluation in practice, 2nd edn. Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank, Washington, DC. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-0779-4
Giovannucci D, von Hagen O, Wozniak J (2014) Corporate social responsibility and the role of voluntary sustainability standards. In: Schmitz-Hoffmann C, Schmidt M, Hansmann B, Palekhov D (eds) Voluntary standard systems: a contribution to sustainable development. Natural resource management in transition, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, pp 359–384
Lean Research Initiative (2015) The lean research framework: principles for human-centered field research. http://fic.tufts.edu/assets/LeanResearchGuideRev8.15.pdf. Accessed 31 Jan 2019
London T (2009) Making better investments at the base of the pyramid. Harv Bus Rev 87(5):106–113
Sustainable Food Lab (2016) Towards a shared approach for smallholder performance measurement: common indicators and metrics. http://www.sustainablefoodlab.org/performance-measurement/tools-resources/deep-dive/. Accessed 31 Jan 2019
WDI – William Davidson Institute (2015) Danone Ecosystem Fund: Semilla Impact Assessment. http://wdi.umich.edu/programs-projects/danone-ecosystem-fund-semilla-impact-assessment/. Accessed 31 Jan 2019
Willis GB (2005) Cognitive interviewing: a tool for improving questionnaire design. Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mullan, J., Esper, H., Giovannucci, D. (2019). Performance Monitoring: An Agile New Tool for Facilitating Sustainability in Value Chains. In: Schmidt, M., Giovannucci, D., Palekhov, D., Hansmann, B. (eds) Sustainable Global Value Chains. Natural Resource Management in Transition, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14877-9_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-14877-9_19
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-14876-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-14877-9
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)