Abstract for: Beyond a Journey: A Theory of the Supply Chain Sustainability and Circularity Odyssey

In response to the increasingly complex challenges posed by technology, public expectations, social and environmental issues, organizational stakeholders seek a comprehensive understanding of managerial responsibilities. It is hoped that businesses can serve both economic and societal purposes by proactively engaging in industry-wide solutions and multi-stakeholder initiatives. Such initiatives often take the form of sustainable supply chains and material circularity efforts. This paper presents theory development which integrates key concepts from the vast literature on this topic while using an empirical case study of a UK-based initiative and simulation to precisely specify concepts, test assumptions, and analyze long-term implications. Policy analysis using the ODYSSEUS model (The LOng-Term DYnamics of Collective Responsibility of BusineSS and SociEty in SUStainability) echoes previous calls for collective learning, while also recommending greater attention to the importance of rigorous strategy design and stakeholder aspects of managerial responsibility, specifically discerning two distinct types of stakeholder policy. Using simulation to synthesize concepts from previous research raises numerous intriguing research questions for future study.