Research and Reflections: The Greening of Supply Chain Management
In 2014 I read a news article that shocked me. A large semiconductor manufacturer in southern Taiwan was fined a paltry $90,900 for discharging untreated toxic wastewater (hydrochloric acid) into a river, affecting hundreds of acres of farmland and the health and livelihoods of thousands of people. What’s more stunning is that after a second trial the following year, the Taiwan High Court’s Kaohsiung branch reversed the lower court verdict and acquitted four executives and employees of all charges, clearing the company of the fine imposed by the District Court in the first ruling. How could this happen in an arguably “developed” country? Since I was born in Taiwan, I felt that I couldn’t remain silent or inactive. I was motivated to examine why this might happen and how to prevent it from happening again. I knew I could use what I’ve learned from studying supply chain management to share cutting-edge knowledge about sustainable (green) supply chain management with researchers and business executives in Taiwan. This Fulbright grant gave me the great opportunity to combine my desire to give back to my native country while also studying something about which I have been
