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Staking Cosmopolitan Claims: How Firms and NGOs Talk About Supply Chain Responsibility

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  • Dirk C. Moosmayer

    (Nottingham University Business School China)

  • Susannah M. Davis

    (University of Nottingham Ningbo China)

Abstract

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) increasingly hold firms responsible for harm caused in their supply chains. In this paper, we explore how firms and NGOs talk about cosmopolitan claims regarding supply chain responsibility (SCR). We investigate the language used by Apple and a group of Chinese NGOs as well as Adidas and the international NGO Greenpeace about the firms’ environmental responsibilities in their supply chains. We apply electronic text analytic methods to firm and NGO reports totaling over 155,000 words. We identify different conceptualizations of cosmopolitanism in this discourse: a legalistic approach to cosmopolitanism for Apple and a group of Chinese NGOs and a moralistic approach for Adidas and Greenpeace. We argue that these differences connect to the roles that the firms are expected and perhaps willing to take in SCR: legalistic discourse connects to a governmental function of rule development and enforcement; in contrast, moralistic discourse connects to a citizenship function that focuses on doing good to the global community. We discuss implications for companies’ non-market strategies and future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Dirk C. Moosmayer & Susannah M. Davis, 2016. "Staking Cosmopolitan Claims: How Firms and NGOs Talk About Supply Chain Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 403-417, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:135:y:2016:i:3:d:10.1007_s10551-014-2456-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2456-5
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    5. Anne-Kathrin Weber & Lena Partzsch, 2018. "Barking Up the Right Tree? NGOs and Corporate Power for Deforestation-Free Supply Chains," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, October.
    6. Fatao Wang & Lihui Ding & Hongxin Yu & Yuanjun Zhao, 2020. "Big data analytics on enterprise credit risk evaluation of e-Business platform," Information Systems and e-Business Management, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 311-350, September.
    7. François Maon & Valérie Swaen & Kenneth de Roeck, 2021. "Coporate branding and corporate social responsibility: Toward a multi-stakeholder interpretive perspective," Post-Print hal-03275858, HAL.
    8. Kayleigh Bruijn & Panikos Georgallis & João Albino-Pimentel & Arno Kourula & Hildy Teegen, 2024. "MNE–civil society interactions: a systematic review and research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(2), pages 136-156, March.
    9. Alessandro Brun & Hakan Karaosman & Teodosio Barresi, 2020. "Supply Chain Collaboration for Transparency," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-21, May.
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