Social sustainability in developing country suppliers: An exploratory study in the ready made garments industry of Bangladesh

International Journal of Operations and Production Management

Volumn 34, Issue 5, 2014, Pages 610-638

  Huq, Fahian Anisul ^a   Stevenson, Mark ^a   Zorzini, Marta ^a  

^a LANCASTER UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Bangladesh; Developing country suppliers; Exploratory case study; Ready made garments industry; Social sustainability; Transaction cost economics

Indexed keywords

EID: 84899768144     PISSN: 01443577     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1108/IJOPM-10-2012-0467     Document Type: Article

References (118)

1. Akhter, S., Salahuddin, A., Iqbal, M., Malek, A., Jahan, N. (2010), "Health and occupational safety for female workforce of garment industries in Bangladesh" in Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 65-70.
2. Awaysheh, A., Klassen, R.D. (2010), "The impact of supply chain structure on the use of supplier socially responsible practices" in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 30, No. 12, pp. 1246-1268.
3. Baden, D.A., Harwood, I.A., Woodward, D.G. (2009), "The effect of buyer pressure on suppliers in SMEs to demonstrate CSR practices: an added incentive or counter productive?" in European Management Journal, Vol. 27, No. 6, pp. 429-441.
4. Barratt, M., Choi, T.Y., Li, M. (2011), "Qualitative case studies in operations management: trends, research outcomes, and future research implications" in Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 329-342.
5. BBC (2013a), "Dhaka building collapse: factories and buyers", available at: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22474601 (accessed 29 June 2013).
6. BBC (2013b), "Bangladesh garment industry looks to revive image", available at: www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21007699 (accessed 2 October 2013).
7. Belal, A.R. (2002), "Stakeholder accountability or stakeholder management: a review of UK firms' social and ethical accounting, auditing and reporting (SEAAR) practices" in Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 8-25.
8. Belal, A.R., Momin, M. (2009), "Corporate Social Reporting (CSR) in emerging economies: a review and future direction" in Tsamenyi, M. and Uddin, S. (Eds.), Accounting in Emerging Economies (Research in Accounting in Emerging Economies, Volume 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp. 119-143, available at: www.emeraldinsight.com/books.htm?chapterid=1827036.
9. Berg, A., Herich, S., Kempf, S., Tochtermann, T., McKinsey (2011), "Bangladesh ready made garment landscape", available at: www.mckinsey. com (accessed 27 October 2012).
10. Beschorner, T., Müller, M. (2007), "Social standards: toward an active ethical involvement of businesses in developing countries" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 73, No. 1, pp. 11-20.
11. Bloomberg (2012), "Wal-Mart, SEARS must put out factory fires in Bangladesh", 2 December, available at: www.bloomberg.com/articles/2012-12-02/wal-mart-sears-must-put-out-fires-in-bangladesh-factories-view (accessed 2 October 2013).
12. Boyd, D.E., Spekman, R.E., Kamauff, J.W., Werhane, P. (2007), "Corporate social responsibility in global supply chains: a procedural justice perspective" in Long Range Planning, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 341-356.
13. Bryman, A., Bell, E. (2007), Business Research Methods, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.
14. Burchielli, R., Delaney, A., Tate, J., Coventry, K. (2009), "The fairwear campaign: an ethical network in the Australian garment industry" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 575-588.
15. Carter, C.R., Easton, P.L. (2011), "Sustainable supply chain management: evolution and future directions" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 46-62.
16. Carter, C.R., Jennings, M.M. (2002a), "Logistics social responsibility: an integrative framework" in Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 145-180.
17. Carter, C.R., Jennings, M.M. (2002b), "Social responsibility and supply chain relationships" in Transportation Research. Part E, Logistics & Transportation Review, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 37-52.
18. Carter, C.R., Kale, R., Grimm, C.M. (2000a), "Environmental purchasing and firm performance: an empirical investigation" in Transportation Research. Part E, Logistics & Transportation Review, Vol. 36, No. 3, pp. 219-228.
19. Carter, C.R., Rogers, D.S. (2008), "A framework of sustainable supply chain management: moving toward new theory" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 360-387.
20. Carter, P.L., Carter, J.R., Monczka, R.M., Slaight, T.H., Swan, A.J. (2000b), "The future of purchasing and supply: a ten year forecast" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 14-26.
21. Castka, P., Balzarova, M.A. (2008), "ISO 26000 and supply chains - on the diffusion of the social responsibility standard" in International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 111, No. 2, pp. 274-286.
22. Ciliberti, F., De Groot, G., De Haan, J., Pontrandolfo, P. (2009), "Codes to coordinate supply chains: SMEs' experiences with SA8000" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 117-127.
23. Coase, R.H. (1937), "The nature of the firm" in Economica, Vol. 4, No. 16, pp. 386-405.
24. Creswell, J.W. (2009), Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.
25. Daugherty, P.J. (2011), "Review of logistics and supply chain relationship literature and suggested research agenda" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 16-31.
26. De Brito, M.P., Carbone, V., Blanquart, C.M. (2008), "Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: organisation and performance" in International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 114, No. 2, pp. 534-553.
27. Dobers, P., Halme, M. (2009), "Corporate social responsibility and developing countries" in Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 16, No. 5, pp. 237-249.
28. Ehrgott, M., Reimann, F., Kaufmann, L., Carter, C.R. (2011), "Social sustainability in selecting emerging economy suppliers" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 98, No. 1, pp. 99-119.
29. Eisenhardt, K. (1989), "Building theories from case study research" in Academy of Management Review, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 532-550.
30. Elg, U., Hultman, J. (2011), "Retailers' management of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their supplier relationships - does practice follow best practice?" in The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, Vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 445-460.
31. Elkington, J. (1998), "Partnerships from cannibals with forks: the triple bottom line of 21st century business" in Environmental Quality Management, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 37-51.
32. Emmelhainz, M.A., Adams, R.J. (1999), "The apparel industry response to 'sweatshop' concerns: a review and analysis of codes of conduct" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 35, No. 3, pp. 51-57.
33. Fox, T. (2004), "Corporate social responsibility and development: in quest of an agenda" in Development, Vol. 47, No. 3, pp. 29-36.
34. Guardian (2013), "Bangladeshi factory deaths spark action among high-street clothing chains", available at: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/23/rana-plaza-factory-disaster-bangladesh-primark (accessed 29 June 2013).
35. Gimenez, C., Tachizawa, E.M. (2012), "Extending sustainability to suppliers: a systematic literature review" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 17, No. 5, pp. 531-543.
36. Graafland, J.J. (2002), "Sourcing ethics in the textile sector: the case of CandA" in Business Ethics: A European Review, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 282-294.
37. Grover, V., Malhotra, M.K. (2003), "Transaction cost framework in operations and supply chain management research: theory and measurement" in Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 457-473.
38. Gugler, P., Shi, J. (2009), "Corporate social responsibility for developing country multinational corporations: lost war in pertaining global competitiveness?" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 3-24.
39. Hall, J., Matos, S. (2010), "Incorporating impoverished communities in sustainable supply chains" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 40, Nos 1/2, pp. 124-147.
40. Handfield, R.B., Melnyk, S.A. (1998), "The scientific theory-building process: a primer using the case of TQM" in Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 321-339.
41. Harrison, J., Freeman, R. (1999), "Stakeholders, social responsibility, and performance: empirical evidence and theoretical perspectives" in Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 479-485.
42. Hartley, J. (2004), "Case study research" in Cassell, C. and Symon, G. (Eds.), Essential Guide to Qualitative Methods in Organizational Research, Sage, London, pp. 323-333.
43. Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G.J. (2005), Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind: Intercultural Cooperation and Its Importance for Survival, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
44. Hossain, M.M., Rowe, A.L. (2011), "Enablers for corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSER) practices: evidence from Bangladesh", Conference on Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR), University of Tasmania, Launceston.
45. Huffington Post (2013), "In first interview since Bangladesh factory collapse, Benetton CEO confirms company's tie to tragedy", 8 May, available at: www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/08/benetton-bangladesh-factory-collapse_n_3237991.html (accessed 29 June 2013).
46. Huq, S., Ayers, J. (2008), "Climate change impacts and responses in Bangladesh", available at: www.europarl.europa.eu/activities/committees/studies/download.do (accessed 1 March 2011).
47. Hussain, M.F., Moina Hussain, R.A., Ijaz, R. (2012), "Eastern perspective of corporate social responsibility: an exploratory study" in African Journal of Business Management, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 1124-1129.
48. Illge, L., Preuss, L. (2012), "Strategies for sustainable cotton: comparing niche with mainstream markets" in Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 102-113.
49. Jiang, B. (2009), "Implementing supplier codes of conduct in global supply chains: process explanations from theoretic and empirical perspectives" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. 77-92.
50. Jorgensen, A.L., Knudsen, J.S. (2006), "Sustainable competitiveness in global value chains: how do small Danish firms behave?" in Corporate Governance, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 449-462.
51. Klassen, R.D., Vereecke, A. (2012), "Social issues in supply chains: capabilities link responsibility, risk (opportunity), and performance" in International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 140, No. 1, pp. 103-115.
52. Kleindorfer, P.R., Singhal, K., Van Wassenhove, L.N. (2005), "Sustainable operations management" in Production and Operations Management, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 482-492.
53. Kortelainen, K. (2008), "Global supply chains and social requirements: case studies of labour condition auditing in the People's Republic of China" in Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 17, No. 7, pp. 431-443.
54. Lee, K.-H., Kim, J.W. (2009), "Current status of CSR in the realm of supply management: the case of the Korean electronics industry" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 138-148.
55. Lim, S.J., Phillips, J. (2008), "Embedding CSR values: the global footwear industry's evolving governance structure" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 143-156.
56. Liu, A.M.M., Fellows, R., Tuuli, M.M. (2011), "The role of corporate citizenship values in promoting corporate social performance: towards a conceptual model and a research agenda" in Construction Management and Economics, Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 173-183.
57. Luken, R., Stares, R. (2005), "Small business responsibility in developing countries: a threat or an opportunity?" in Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 38-53.
58. Luken, R.A. (2006), "Where is developing country industry in sustainable development planning?" in Sustainable Development, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 46-61.
59. MacCarthy, B.L., Jayarathne, P.G.S.A. (2011), "Sustainable collaborative supply networks in the international clothing industry: a comparative analysis of two retailers" in Production Planning & Control, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 252-268.
60. Maignan, I., Hillebrand, B., Mcalister, D. (2002), "Managing socially-responsible buying: how to integrate non-economic criteria into the purchasing process" in European Management Journal, Vol. 20, No. 6, pp. 641-648.
61. Malhotra, N., Birks, D. (2007), Marketing Research: An Applied Approach: 3rd European Edition, Pearson Education, Harlow.
62. Manning, L., Baines, R., Chadd, S. (2006), "Ethical modelling of the food supply chain" in British Food Journal, Vol. 108, No. 5, pp. 358-370.
63. Matos, S., Hall, J. (2007), "Integrating sustainable development in the supply chain: the case of life cycle assessment in oil and gas and agricultural biotechnology" in Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 1083-1102.
64. Meehan, J., Bryde, D. (2011), "Sustainable procurement practice" in Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 94-106.
65. Meredith, J. (1993), "Theory building through conceptual methods" in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 3-11.
66. New York Times (2013), "Bangladesh factory, site of fire that trapped and killed 7, made European brands", 28 January, available at: www.nytimes.com/2013/01/28/world/asia/bangladesh-factory- site-of-fatal-fire-made-western-brands.html?_r=0 (accessed 2 October 2013).
67. Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., Willcocks, L.P. (2011), The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and Offshoring, Pagrave Macmillan, New York, NY.
68. Pagell, M., Wu, Z. (2009), "Building a more complete theory of sustainable supply chain management using case studies of 10 exemplars" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 37-56.
69. Pagell, M., Wu, Z., Wasserman, M.E. (2010), "Thinking differently about purchasing portfolios: an assessment of sustainable sourcing" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 46, No. 1, pp. 57-73.
70. Park-Poaps, H., Rees, K. (2010), "Stakeholder forces of socially responsible supply chain management orientation" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 305-322.
71. Porter, M.E., Kramer, M.R. (2006), "The link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility" in Harvard Business Review, Vol. 84, No. 12, pp. 78-92.
72. Porter, M.E., Kramer, M.R. (2011), "The big idea: creating shared value" in Harvard Business Review, Vol. 89, Nos 1/2, pp. 63-77.
73. Powell, W.W. (1990), "Neither market nor hierarchy: network forms of organization" in Staw, B.M. and Cummings, L.L. (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior, Vol. 12, JAI Press, Greenwich, CT, pp. 295-336.
74. Preuss, L. (2001), "In dirty chains? purchasing and greener manufacturing" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 345-359.
75. Pullman, M.E., Dillard, J. (2010), "Values based supply chain management and emergent organizational structures" in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 30, No. 7, pp. 744-771.
76. Quazi, A.M., O'brien, D. (2000), "An empirical test of a cross-national model of corporate social responsibility" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 33-51.
77. Reuter, C., Foerstl, K., Hartmann, E., Blome, C. (2010), "Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabilities in achieving competitive advantage" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 46, No. 2, pp. 45-63.
78. Rindfleisch, A., Heide, J.B. (1997), "Transaction cost analysis: past, present, and future applications" in the Journal of Marketing, Vol. 61, No. 4, pp. 30-54.
79. Sarkis, J., Helms, M.M., Hervani, A.A. (2010), "Reverse logistics and social sustainability" in Corporate Social - Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 17, No. 6, pp. 337-354.
80. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., Thornhill, A. (2009), Research Methods for Business Students, Pearson Education, Harlow.
81. Seuring, S., Müller, M. (2008a), "Core issues in sustainable supply chain management - a delphi study" in Business Strategy and the Environment, Vol. 17, No. 8, pp. 455-466.
82. Seuring, S., Müller, M. (2008b), "From a literature review to a conceptual framework for sustainable supply chain management" in Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. 16, No. 15, pp. 1699-1710.
83. Seuring, S.A. (2008), "Assessing the rigor of case study research in supply chain management" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 128-137.
84. Simon, H.A. (1957), Models of Man, Wiley, New York, NY.
85. Sloan, T.W. (2010), "Measuring the sustainability of global supply chains: current practices and future directions" in Journal of Global Business Management, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 1-16.
86. Spence, L., Bourlakis, M. (2009), "The evolution from corporate social responsibility to supply chain responsibility: the case of waitrose" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 291-302.
87. Svensson, G. (2009), "The transparency of SCM ethics: conceptual framework and empirical illustrations" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 259-269.
88. Telegraph (2013), "Tesco stops sourcing clothes from Bangladesh factory on safety fears", 15 June, available at: www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10122785/Tesco-stops-sourcing-clothes-from-Bangladesh-factory-on-safety-fears.html (accessed 29 June 2013).
89. Tencati, A., Quaglia, V., Russo, A. (2008), "Unintended consequences of CSR: protectionism and collateral damage in global supply chains: the case of Vietnam" in Corporate Governance, Vol. 8, No. 4, pp. 518-531.
90. Vachon, S., Klassen, R.D. (2006), "Extending green practices across the supply chain: the impact of upstream and downstream integration" in International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Vol. 26, No. 7, pp. 795-821.
91. Vachon, S., Klassen, R.D. (2008), "Environmental management and manufacturing performance: the role of collaboration in the supply chain" in International Journal of Production Economics, Vol. 111, No. 2, pp. 299-315.
92. Van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2001), "'The importance of pilot studies', social research update", available at: www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU35.html (accessed 27 October 2012).
93. Voss, C. (2008), "Case research in operations management" in Karlsson, C. (Ed.), Researching Operations Management, Routledge, pp. 162-195.
94. Vurro, C., Russo, A., Perrini, F. (2009), "Shaping sustainable value chains: network determinants of supply chain governance models" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 90, No. 4, pp. 607-621.
95. Walker, H., Jones, N. (2012), "Sustainable supply chain management across the UK private sector" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 15-28.
96. Welford, R. (2004), "Corporate social responsibility in Europe and Asia: critical elements and best practice" in The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, No. 13, pp. 31-47, Spring.
97. Welford, R. (2005), "Corporate social responsibility in Europe, North America and Asia: 2004 survey results" in The Journal of Corporate Citizenship, No. 17, pp. 33-52, Spring.
98. Welford, R., Frost, S. (2006), "Corporate social responsibility in Asian supply chains" in Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 166-176.
99. Werner, W.J. (2009), "Corporate social responsibility initiatives addressing social exclusion in Bangladesh" in Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, Vol. 27, No. 4, pp. 545-562.
100. Williamson, O., Ghani, T. (2012), "Transaction cost economics and its uses in marketing" in Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 74-85.
101. Williamson, O.E. (1971), "The vertical integration of production: market failure considerations" in The American Economic Review, Vol. 61, No. 2, pp. 112-123.
102. Williamson, O.E. (1975), Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications, Free Press, New York, NY.
103. Williamson, O.E. (1985), The Economic Institutions of Capitalism: Firms, Markets, Relational Contracting, Free Press, New York, NY.
104. Williamson, O.E. (2008), "Outsourcing: transaction cost economics and supply chain management" in Journal of Supply Chain Management, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 5-16.
105. Wall Street Journal (2012), "Bangladesh fire: what wal-mart's supplier network missed", 10 December, available at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324024004578169400995615618.html (accessed 2 October 2013).
106. Wu, Z., Pagell, M. (2011), "Balancing priorities: decision-making in sustainable supply chain management" in Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 29, No. 6, pp. 577-590.
107. Yakovleva, N., Sarkis, J., Sloan, T. (2011), "Sustainable benchmarking of supply chains: the case of the food industry" in International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 50, No. 5, pp. 1297-1317.
108. Yin, R. (2009), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA.
109. Yu, X. (2008), "Impacts of corporate code of conduct on labor standards: a case study of Reebok's athletic footwear supplier factory in China" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 81, No. 3, pp. 513-529.
110. Dargusch, P., Ward, A. (2010), "Understanding corporate social responsibility with the integration of supply chain management in outdoor apparel manufacturers in North America and Australia" in International Journal of Business and Management Science, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 93-105.
111. Kolk, A., Tulder, R.V. (2002), "The effectiveness of self-regulation: corporate codes of conduct and child labour" in European Management Journal, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 260-271.
112. Lamberti, L., Lettieri, E. (2009), "CSR practices and corporate strategy: evidence from a longitudinal case study" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 153-168.
113. Maloni, M.J., Brown, M.E. (2006), "Corporate social responsibility in the supply chain: an application in the food industry" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 68, No. 1, pp. 35-52.
114. Spekman, R.E., Davis, E.W. (2004), "Risky business: expanding the discussion on risk and the extended enterprise" in International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, Vol. 34, No. 5, pp. 414-433.
115. Tsoi, J. (2010), "Stakeholders' perceptions and future scenarios to improve corporate social responsibility in Hong Kong and Mainland China" in Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 91, No. 3, pp. 391-404.
116. Vasileiou, K., Morris, J. (2006), "The sustainability of the supply chain for fresh potatoes in Britain" in Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 317-327.
117. Williamson, O.E. (1979), "Transaction-cost economics: the governance of contractual relations" in Journal of Law and Economics, Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 233-261.
118. Williamson, O.E. (1996), The Mechanisms of Governance, The Free Press, New York, NY.