Responsible Business Conduct in Commodity Trading—A Multidisciplinary Review

Henrietta Dorfmüller (), Wangui Kimotho (), Isabel Ebert (), Pascal Dey () and Florian Wettstein ()
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Henrietta Dorfmüller: University of St. Gallen
Wangui Kimotho: University of St. Gallen
Isabel Ebert: University of St. Gallen
Pascal Dey: Bern University of Applied Sciences
Florian Wettstein: University of St. Gallen

Journal of Business Ethics, 2024, vol. 195, issue 3, No 1, 449-473

Abstract: Abstract Responsible business conduct (RBC)—the corporate activities and initiatives that proactively address corporate involvement in human rights, environmental, and governance threats—has become an increasingly used means to counteract and prevent adverse effects of global businesses. Unlike other business sectors whose adverse impacts and RBC efforts (or lack thereof) are well documented, a comprehensive understanding of the state of commodity trading (CT), has been missing. In response, this paper uses a multidisciplinary literature review to provide an integrative understanding of the current state of research on the relationship between CT and RBC. Based on a review of 131 articles, we advance a granular understanding of the current and prospective role of commodity traders in RBC by grouping extant research into three overarching themes: (1) industry self-regulation and co-regulatory initiatives, (2) government-led regulatory initiatives and policy responses, and (3) company-level management strategies impacting RBC practices. In addition to illustrating the themes through existing research and identifying gaps along the overarching themes, we use our literature review to suggest avenues for future research. The paper’s overarching contribution is, first, to synthesize previously fragmented findings into a coherent framework of CT and RBC. And second, to offer guidance on how scholarship in this important domain can be developed into a more mature, legitimate and practical stream of research.

Keywords: Commodity trading; Responsible business conduct; Global value chains; Human rights; Environment; Sustainability; Literature review; Multidisciplinarity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-024-05635-w

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