O papel mediador da colaboração e do engajamento no efeito das trocas sociais na sustentabilidade da cadeia de fornecedores

Abstract

This thesis had as main objective to verify the mediating role of the Collaboration and the Engagement between Social Exchanges and Sustainability in the Supply Chain. To achieve this goal, three studies were carried out and in the first study and the second study being carried out concomitantly and the third study carried out in the sequence. Study One, proposed and validated a Social Exchange Scale in the Supplier Chain and was originated from the Social Exchange Theory. To achieve this goal, the Framework for Proposition of Scales was followed, suggested by Study One and was a result of the harmonization of the steps proposed by the authors that discuss the development of scales, being said Framework a contribution to the methodological field. The results obtained in Study One indicate that the Construct Social Exchange in the Supply Chain is of second order and formed by the dimensions Reciprocity, Commitment and Trust, and the resulting scale is a contribution to the Theory of Social Exchange. Study Two adapted and validated the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) for the context of the supply chain and thus followed the Framework for Proposition of Scales and the results indicated that the UWES second-order factor structure remained and was formed by the Vigor, Dedication and Absorption dimensions. The Supplier Chain Engagement Scale that was validated represented a contribution to the theory. In Study Three the analysis of the mediating effect of Collaboration and Engagement in the relationship between Social Exchanges and Sustainability in the supplier chain was made. In order to measure the Constructs Social Exchange and Engagements in the Chain of Suppliers, the scales proposed and validated in Studies One and Two were used and for measuring Sustainability and Collaboration in the Supply Chain, existing scales were used. In order to test the relationships between the measured constructs, a direct path model was also proposed, which resulted in five hypotheses and the indirect path model, which resulted in two mediation hypotheses. All the hypotheses that were tested with the Multivariate Analysis of Structural Equations (PLS) technique were supported, including those of mediation, indicating that Collaboration and Engagement presented this effect in the relation between Social Exchanges and Sustainability in the Supply Chain and this result adds contributions to the areas of sustainability, engagement, operations management and Social Exchange Theory.