Doctoral thesis defence

LEXSECURE Project Researcher Isabell Storsjö defended her doctoral thesis “Supply Chains for Societal Outcomes” in the subject of Supply Chain Management and Social Responsibility (Department of Marketing) at Hanken School of Economics on November 1st, 2021. The thesis explores a supply chain perspective to strictly regulated public service settings and processes. It includes four articles focusing on legal processes in the justice system and public procurement and preparedness in health care, energy, and water services in Finland.

Currently, there is an increasing interest in research on supply chains in both public and non-profit sectors. Relevant topics include, inter alia, how organisations with motivations other than profit maximisation such as government agencies, NGOs, and social enterprises manage their supply networks. Even if the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the fragility of global supply chains and how disruptions can affect different sectors and systems in society, relatively little research has addressed the intersection of supply chains and government through policies, regulation, public agencies, and management strategies, structures and performance.

Storsjö’s thesis uses the “public value framework”, originally popularised by Mark Moore, to further the discussion on the integration of supply chain management, public value, and societal outcomes. This framework aims to focus managerial attention on the elements (and alignment) of public value, the authorising environment, and operational capabilities. It provides building blocks that are necessary for the consideration of societal outcomes such as justice (for maintaining a social equilibrium in society), civil preparedness (for resilience at the societal level), and innovation (for future growth).

The thesis is available through https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken/handle/10227/450308