On 14 March 2016 Dr Alok Choudhary from Loughborough University delivered a research presentation entitled 'Caught Between Two Stools: Using the Paradox Lens to Understand Sustainability in Supply Chains'.

The research argues that given the focus on different dimensions of sustainability, firms do not have the option of preferring one dimension of sustainability over another, and the inherent tensions between different dimensions make it difficult for firms to reconcile them. Thus, firms have to manage these tensions, which are categorized as paradoxes. This research invokes a paradox lens to discuss the possible tensions that firms could witness when they embrace different supply chain (SC) practices in their operations. In addition, a number of different paradoxes are identified to better understand the tension that exist among different dimensions of sustainability. A holistic framework is presented to better understand sustainability of supply chain using paradox lens. This research is first of its kind which uses paradox theory and integrates it with institutional theory and Resource Based View to understand the sustainability in SC holistically.

The empirical analysis suggests that firms often encounter tensions related to various environmental initiatives. Specifically, firms often encounter performing and organizing paradoxes. Nevertheless, firms often engage in such initiatives to improve their environmental performance. The results also suggest that firms often work closely with their suppliers to manage such paradoxes. Contrary to our expectation, OEMs give less attention to social sustainability relative to environmental sustainability in various initiatives reported by them. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Dr Alok Choudhary is a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the School of Business and Economics at Loughborough University, UK. Prior to joining Loughborough, Dr Choudhary was a Lecturer and a Founding Director of the MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management at the University of Sheffield. He was a visiting lecturer at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (2011), and a visiting researcher at Harvard Business School (2012). He has authored and co-authored over 70 research publications in leading international journals and peer reviewed international conferences.