2.4. Organizational performance requirements
To complete this decision framework specific organizational
performance requirements are included. The categorization
of elements for these requirements for our
example includes cost, quality, time and flexibility.
These generic strategic performance requirements,
which may not be environmentally based, are necessary
to help identify how well various alternatives can perform
on these factors. They are necessary because the
alternative that is selected should not only best support
the green supply chain, but also make business sense.
The use of these organizational performance measures
have been supported by a number of strategic thinkers
(see [7] and [18], for example). One characteristic of
Fig. 1. Functional model of an organizational supply chain with environmentally influential practices (adapted from Sarkis [14]).
these performance measures is that they are not static.
They tend to change over time and will be greatly influenced
by the product life cycle. That is, in the introduction
phases, flexibility and time may be more important
than cost. Whereas cost efficiencies tend to gain importance
in more mature environments. These dynamical
characteristics are incorporated into the decision framework.