IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v162y2020i2d10.1007_s10551-019-04198-5.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

No-Size-Fits-All: Collaborative Governance as an Alternative for Addressing Labour Issues in Global Supply Chains

Author

Listed:
  • Sun Hye Lee

    (Loughborough University)

  • Kamel Mellahi

    (University of Warwick)

  • Michael J. Mol

    (Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham
    Copenhagen Business School)

  • Vijay Pereira

    (University of Wollongong in Dubai)

Abstract

Labour issues in global supply chains have been a thorny problem for both buyer firms and their suppliers. Research initially focused mostly on the bilateral relationship between buyer firms and suppliers, looking at arm’s-length and close collaboration modes, and the associated mechanisms of coercion and cooperation. Yet continuing problems in the global supply chain suggest that neither governance type offers a comprehensive solution to the problem. This study investigates collaborative governance, an alternative governance type that is driven by buyer firms setting up a coalition with competitor firms to increase leverage and address the supplier and/or host country-specific labour issues. Based on interviews with managers involved in the establishment and management of such coalitions and supplier firms in the garment industry, we examine the rationale behind collaborative governance and discuss its opportunities and challenges in addressing labour issues in global supply chains.

Suggested Citation

  • Sun Hye Lee & Kamel Mellahi & Michael J. Mol & Vijay Pereira, 2020. "No-Size-Fits-All: Collaborative Governance as an Alternative for Addressing Labour Issues in Global Supply Chains," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 291-305, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:162:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-019-04198-5
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-019-04198-5
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-019-04198-5
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-019-04198-5?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miguel Rivera-Santos & Carlos Rufín, 2010. "Odd Couples: Understanding the Governance of Firm–NGO Alliances," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(1), pages 55-70, July.
    2. Stephen Frost & Margaret Burnett, 2007. "Case study: the Apple iPod in China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(2), pages 103-113, May.
    3. Haesun Park-Poaps & Kathleen Rees, 2010. "Stakeholder Forces of Socially Responsible Supply Chain Management Orientation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(2), pages 305-322, March.
    4. Banu ATREK & Maria Rosaria MARCONE & Gian Luca GREGORI & Valerio TEMPERINI & Laura MOSCATELLI, 2014. "Relationship Quality in Supply Chain Management: A Dyad Perspective," Ege Academic Review, Ege University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, vol. 14(3), pages 371-381.
    5. Jeffrey H. Dyer, 1997. "Effective interim collaboration: how firms minimize transaction costs and maximise transaction value," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 535-556, August.
    6. Suk-Jun Lim & Joe Phillips, 2008. "Embedding CSR Values: The Global Footwear Industry’s Evolving Governance Structure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(1), pages 143-156, August.
    7. Peter Lund-Thomsen & Adam Lindgreen, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Value Chains: Where Are We Now and Where Are We Going?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(1), pages 11-22, August.
    8. Rob van Tulder & Ans Kolk, 2001. "Multinationality and Corporate Ethics: Codes of Conduct in the Sporting Goods Industry," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(2), pages 267-283, June.
    9. Zhixi Wan & Brian Wu, 2017. "When Suppliers Climb the Value Chain: A Theory of Value Distribution in Vertical Relationships," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(2), pages 477-496, February.
    10. Vivek Soundararajan & Jill A. Brown, 2016. "Voluntary Governance Mechanisms in Global Supply Chains: Beyond CSR to a Stakeholder Utility Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 83-102, March.
    11. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Claudia Bird Schoonhoven, 1996. "Resource-based View of Strategic Alliance Formation: Strategic and Social Effects in Entrepreneurial Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 7(2), pages 136-150, April.
    12. Locke, Richard M. & Qin, Fei & Brause, Alberto, 2007. "Does monitoring improve labor standards? Lessons from Nike," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59405, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    13. Dorothea Baur & Hans Schmitz, 2012. "Corporations and NGOs: When Accountability Leads to Co-optation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 9-21, March.
    14. Erica L. Plambeck & Terry A. Taylor, 2016. "Supplier Evasion of a Buyer’s Audit: Implications for Motivating Supplier Social and Environmental Responsibility," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 18(2), pages 184-197, May.
    15. Ans Kolk, 2003. "Trends in sustainability reporting by the Fortune Global 250," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(5), pages 279-291, September.
    16. Niklas Egels-Zandén & Evelina Wahlqvist, 2007. "Post-Partnership Strategies for Defining Corporate Responsibility: The Business Social Compliance Initiative," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 70(2), pages 175-189, January.
    17. Dorli Harms & Erik G. Hansen & Stefan Schaltegger, 2013. "Strategies in Sustainable Supply Chain Management: An Empirical Investigation of Large German Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 205-218, July.
    18. Luc Fransen, 2013. "The Embeddedness of Responsible Business Practice: Exploring the Interaction Between National-Institutional Environments and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 213-227, June.
    19. Rasche, Andreas, 2012. "Global Policies and Local Practice: Loose and Tight Couplings in Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 679-708, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Michael J. Mol & Sun Hye Lee, 2024. "What produces corporate social irresponsibility in offshore outsourcing? The effects of interorganizational relationship governance and institutional distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(5), pages 577-592, July.
    2. Gregorio Guitián & Alejo José G. Sison, 2023. "Offshore Outsourcing from a Catholic Social Teaching Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 595-609, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Venkatesh, V.G. & Zhang, Abraham & Deakins, Eric & Mani, Venkatesh, 2021. "Antecedents of social sustainability noncompliance in the Indian apparel sector," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    2. V.G. Venkatesh & Abraham Zhang & Eric Deakins & Venkatesh Mani, 2021. "Antecedents of social sustainability noncompliance in the Indian apparel sector," Post-Print hal-04455594, HAL.
    3. Enrico Fontana & Muhammad Atif & Ammar Ali Gull, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility decisions in apparel supply chains: The role of negative emotions in Bangladesh and Pakistan," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1700-1714, November.
    4. Anthony Goerzen & Simon Peter Iskander & Joerg Hofstetter, 2021. "The effect of institutional pressures on business-led interventions to improve social compliance among emerging market suppliers in global value chains," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(3), pages 347-367, September.
    5. Sadaat Ali Yawar & Stefan Seuring, 2017. "Management of Social Issues in Supply Chains: A Literature Review Exploring Social Issues, Actions and Performance Outcomes," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 141(3), pages 621-643, March.
    6. Vivek Soundararajan & Jill A. Brown, 2016. "Voluntary Governance Mechanisms in Global Supply Chains: Beyond CSR to a Stakeholder Utility Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 83-102, March.
    7. Niklas Egels-Zandén, 2014. "Revisiting Supplier Compliance with MNC Codes of Conduct: Recoupling Policy and Practice at Chinese Toy Suppliers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 119(1), pages 59-75, January.
    8. Chunyun Li & Sarosh Kuruvilla, 2023. "Corporate codes of conduct and labour turnover in global apparel supply chains," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(3), pages 481-505, September.
    9. Michael J. Mol & Sun Hye Lee, 2024. "What produces corporate social irresponsibility in offshore outsourcing? The effects of interorganizational relationship governance and institutional distance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(5), pages 577-592, July.
    10. Mohammad Alghababsheh & David Gallear & Mushfiqur Rahman, 2020. "Balancing the Scales of Justice: Do Perceptions of Buyers’ Justice Drive Suppliers’ Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 125-150, April.
    11. Jean-Christophe Graz & Nicole Helmerich & Cécile Prébandier, 2020. "Hybrid Production Regimes and Labor Agency in Transnational Private Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 307-321, March.
    12. Slotnick, Susan A. & Sobel, Matthew J., 2022. "Collaboration with a supplier to induce fair labor practices," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 302(1), pages 244-258.
    13. Dorothee Baumann-Pauly & Andreas Georg Scherer & Guido Palazzo, 2016. "Managing Institutional Complexity: A Longitudinal Study of Legitimacy Strategies at a Sportswear Brand Company," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 31-51, August.
    14. Li, Dan, 2013. "Multilateral R&D alliances by new ventures," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 241-260.
    15. Fu Jia & Yan Jiang, 2018. "Sustainable Global Sourcing: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-26, February.
    16. Cameron Sabadoz, 2011. "Between Profit-Seeking and Prosociality: Corporate Social Responsibility as Derridean Supplement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(1), pages 77-91, November.
    17. Fahian Anisul Huq & Mark Stevenson, 2020. "Implementing Socially Sustainable Practices in Challenging Institutional Contexts: Building Theory from Seven Developing Country Supplier Cases," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 161(2), pages 415-442, January.
    18. Pisani, Niccolò & Kourula, Arno & Kolk, Ans & Meijer, Renske, 2017. "How global is international CSR research? Insights and recommendations from a systematic review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 591-614.
    19. Qian Wang & Yongguang Zhong & Guangye Xu, 2019. "Optimal Decisions and Coordination in a Socially Responsible Supply Chain with Irresponsibility Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-16, December.
    20. Kolk, Ans, 2016. "The social responsibility of international business: From ethics and the environment to CSR and sustainable development," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 23-34.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:162:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-019-04198-5. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.