Supply Chain Structure as a Critical Driver of Sustainable Supplier Practices

Amrou Awaysheh and Robert D. Klassen
Additional contact information
Amrou Awaysheh: IE Business School, Instituto de Empresa
Robert D. Klassen: School of Business, University of Western Ontario

Chapter Chapter Eleven in Cross-Sector Leadership for the Green Economy, 2011, pp 195-219 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract As technology improves the transfer of information, a broader range of customers and stakeholders gain access to more information about what happens within supply chains. As a result, issues like poor worker conditions in suppliers’ facilities are increasingly pushed into the limelight. What used to be hidden behind long distances and language differences is more visible (Lee, 2002; Van Der Zee & Van Der Vorst, 2005). As a result, consumers, governments, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are demanding that companies be held more accountable for what happens. Concerns include the use of sweatshop labor, the provision of safe working conditions, and the payment of a living wage to their employees. In response, a growing number of firms are exploring how to identify, assess, and monitor supplier-related social issues and practices. They can monitor their suppliers to ensure adherence to social expectations, conduct audits, or use a certification provided by an independent third-party. Fairtrade (Fairtrade, 2007) is one such thirdparty certification for agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa beans. Following an audit, certification is granted to cooperative farms in developing countries that adhere to a number of sustainability-related principles, including safe working conditions for employees, payment of fair wages, and environmentally friendly cultivation techniques. In contrast, other firms choose to develop their own standards internally, for example Starbucks’ system for assessing and working with farmers, termed Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE).

Keywords: Supply Chain; Supply Chain Management; Cultural Distance; Global Reporting Initiative; Sustainable Practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-01589-1_11

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9781137015891

DOI: 10.1057/9781137015891_11

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().