Climate change and modern slavery in public procurement:Research Report

Existing links between modern slavery and climate change are becoming clearer as the need increases for a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Yet, how organisations attempt to address these risks, either separately or simultaneously, is not understood in depth. In particular, the role of public procurement, which can be a powerful method for driving responsible behaviours into public and private operations alike, remains conceptually understood but under-investigated. We sought, through this project, to address this important knowledge gap by engaging with the public procurement ecosystem. We partnered with London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) and UK modern slavery charity Unseen UK to work with those organisations and, through LUPC, with public buyers and their suppliers and risk management data platforms. We ultimately conducted over 70 hours of interviews and focus groups with professionals and consultants, including those with lived experience of the issue at those organisations. We developed recommendations for public purchasing through a study of: (i) the actions that public sector buyers are taking to manage the risks of modern slavery and climate change in their operations and supply chains; (ii) the actions that tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers to the public sector are taking to address these risks; (iii) the role of public sector purchasing consortia in managing modern slavery and climate change risks through public tendering and contract negotiations on behalf of public buyers; (iv) how and the extent to which the sustainability data platforms used by public buyers to assist in decision making and risk management work for their public sector clients. By studying the factors involved from a multi-party perspective, we intended to better understand the links between the efforts of the various stakeholders involved in responsible procurement in the public sector.Through members of LUPC and consultants introduced to us by Unseen UK, who have lived experience of modern slavery, we were able to triangulate our findings in two focus groups. In this way, we gained valuable insights from different perspectives on the findings of the study and to enhance the recommendations we were developing.Following publication of this report, we will publish a policy brief aimed at policymakers in relevant UK government departments and begin work on articles for academic journals

The Fine Line Between Decent and Indecent Work in Italy and the US: Agricultural Work at the Intersection of the Community, Supply Chains and the State

Considering the importance and centrality of agricultural supply chains in the global economy and the related structures of vulnerability that are intrinsic in how food is produced, where food represents both a need and an important source of profit, and therefore of inequalities, agriculture can be viewed as one of the organizational fields most characterized by episodes of labour exploitation. In more detail, labour in agriculture is characterized by an interconnection of different domains, that is immigration, housing, transportation, and health, as well as a lack of labour protections to mention some of the different areas of intersection. Thus, agriculture compared to other industries represents the area of the economy where alternative and creative forms of labour organizing appear to be more necessary and required. On this subject, community unionism represents one important response. Nevertheless, despite the peculiarity of agricultural labour, research at the intersection of agricultural labour and community unionism is still underdeveloped, especially with a comparative approach aimed to highlight systematically the common trends at the global level. This doctoral research aims to advance this literature on community unionism by proposing a conceptualization of community unionism in agriculture that is empirically grounded on a comparative research about community unionism in Italy and the US. From a theoretical perspective, I draw on critical sensemaking, the related concept of sensegiving, and Freire’s critical pedagogy theory. This choice is motivated by the adoption of Freire’s popular education by many workers’ organizations, and by the intention to propose a framework that, through Freire’s reflection on oppression, is a critical reconstruction of alternative organizing in agriculture as a set of sensemaking and sensegiving processes aimed to reshape agricultural contexts. Therefore, this research expands existing literature regarding community unionism, by proposing a conceptualization of exploitation and community unionism in agriculture. This conceptualization is based on three contexts of power and agency at which challenges to decent work – and therefore responses to them - happen, i.e., community, supply chains, and the state

Exploring Modern Slavery (MDS) in Nigeria's Mining Sector and the Examination of the Role of CSR and Other Factors in the Continuity of the Issue

This thesis explores Modern Slavery (MDS) in Nigeria, specifically in the context of the mining industry. It examines the impact of organizational factors, culture, corruption, legislation, and poverty, among other factors, on the continuity of MDS in the mining industry. The thesis commences by identifying three research questions, and they are as follows: • What is the nature of MDS in Nigeria’s mining sector? • What are the factors which influence the occurrence of MDS in the Nigerian mining sector? • What is the role of organizations in the Nigerian mining sector in mitigating the continued occurrence of MDS? The literature review examines extant literature relating to MDS, including available literature relating to the concept of slavery, different forms of MDS in practice, forced labor, psychological coercion, vulnerability, and other vital themes relating to MDS and factors which influence MDS. Reviewing the literature, it was identified that most studies examining the issue of MDS had only done so from a Western perspective, indicating gaps in the literature regarding MDS practices within the African perspective. The thesis identified that there were gaps in literature relating to CSR’s influence on MDS continuity, gaps relating to poverty, and its influence on MDS continuity. Additionally, gaps relating to legislation, poverty, and social dominance orientation and how these factors influence MDS continuity were identified. The thesis used a mixed research approach whereby a sequential approach was applied in the investigation. Questionnaires were distributed to miners working in the Mining and extractions industry, and the results were analyzed using SPSS. The survey explored how poverty, corruption, legislation, culture, and organizational factors influenced MDS and its continuity. The results revealed poverty as the only significant factor influencing MDS and its continuity. Using qualitative approaches, these factors were further probed to explore how they influence MDS and its continuity. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 retired miners from Nigeria’s mining sector. Analysis of the research data was done using thematic analysis, facilitated by NVivo software. The study findings revealed that poverty, corruption, legislation, regulatory enforcement, and poor national minimum wage influence MDS and its continuity

Learning to See Modern Slavery in Supply Chains through Paradoxical Sensemaking

AbstractMandatory annual reporting, to improve transparency of working conditions in firms’ supply chains, is the favoured approach of UK policymakers for reducing modern slavery risks in supply chains. Despite legislation and extensive guidance, annual corporate statements are disappointing, providing little evidence of substantive action. So far though, there has been little primary research of managers’ understanding of the phenomenon, or their perceived agency in tackling modern slavery. In a qualitative study, employing template analysis, data were drawn from multiple sources, including interviews with 32 managers from three large UK firms in a complex, high‐risk sector (construction). Four focus groups were used to establish credibility of the findings. As managers struggle with how to make sense of where to look, how to look, and what to see, they adopt narrowed perspectives and analogies that inhibit immediate, compelling action. Improved awareness of UK labour supply chain issues has distanced managers further from action relating to global materials supply chains. Through analogy with health and safety legislation, which developed over a considerable period, managers justify a wait‐and‐see approach, deferring action. Such convenience framing helps them to avoid issues relating to complexity, control, cost and (in)visibility. This framing needs to be disrupted for meaningful action to result. Drawing on sensemaking theory relating to paradoxical financial and sustainability objectives, the study suggests how extended legislation and governance may drive more substantive responses that transcend the constraints of business‐case logic.</jats:p

Change in rhetoric but not in action? Framing of the ethical issue of modern slavery in a UK sector at high risk of labor exploitation

This article shows how the ethical framing of the contemporary issue of modern slavery has evolved in UK construction, a sector in which there is a high risk of labor exploitation. It also examines how these framing dynamics have inhibited the emergence of a common framework of action to deal with the issue. We draw on both framing theory and the literature on the discursive construction of moral legitimacy. Our longitudinal analysis reveals that actors seeking to shape the debate bring their own moral schemes to justify and construct the legitimacy of their frames. Actors cluster their views around five evolving frames: human rights issue (later shifting to hidden crime), moral issue, management issue (later shifting to human moral obligation), social injustice issue, and decent work issue-which promote particular normative evaluations of what the issue is, who is responsible, and recommendations for action. Our study contributes to a dynamic and political understanding of the meaning making of modern slavery. We identify the antecedents and conditions that have forestalled the emergence of new patterns of action to tackle modern slavery in the UK construction sector thereby evidencing the effects of the interplay of morally competing frames on field-level change

The Impact Challenge

This book explores the role of businesses in delivering positive societal and financial outcomes as they seek to bridge the gap between short-term organizational behaviors and long-range sustainability commitments. By addressing the inevitable data challenges associated with the strategic integration of a sustainability mindset, it enables faster adoption of social, environmental and governance metrics that generate lasting enterprise value. Inspired by the experience of practitioners that have successfully influenced the learning behaviors of complex organizations, this book helps readers drive systemic innovations as they leverage sustainability initiatives in a programmatic and intentional manner. Features: Defines a toolkit to generate sustainable business value by focusing on the organizational design underpinning sustainability-oriented initiatives. Provides a multidisciplinary lens on shaping the impact dialogue through applied frameworks. Discusses the need to analytically identify an organizational learning curve before developing impact targets and framing sustainability commitments around them. Combines theory and practice in a practical style by presenting a variety of real-life applications at a global level

Three Essays on Psychological Distance in Supply Chains

Operations management research predominantly models humans as rational and self-interested, with the ability to optimise objectively. However, human decision-making typically deviates from prescribed profit-maximising behaviour. For instance, decision biases in supplier and retailer contracting can lead to lower profits for suppliers, due to preferences for a more equitable distribution of profits between supply chain partners. Supply chain decisions and strategies are ultimately crafted and implemented by managers who are influenced by contextual elements of the decision-making environment. This thesis focuses on contextual factors like lead times, supplier locations, social relationships, and probable disruptions, which all influence perceptions of psychological distances. Using controlled experiments, this thesis addresses the research question of whether psychological distances affect the supply chain managers’ decision making and if so, how? The first study evaluates how psychological distance impacts managers’ trade-offs between cost and sustainability that were accentuated by the pandemic. The second study explores the effect of naturally occurring social and spatial psychological distances in domestic and international collaborations. The third study examines the effects of temporal and hypothetical psychological distances on inventory orders and allocations when engaging in dual sourcing. Overall, this work establishes that psychological distances arising in supply chains significantly influences managerial decisions

Activist Social Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of the Green Campus Co-operative

The globalization of the garment industry has encouraged transnational companies to further externalize their cost of production on workers and the environment around the world. Producing countries are engaging in what many scholars refer to as a “race to the bottom” regarding global wages and labor standards as these countries compete to attract foreign investment. There have been many attempts to push back against the egregious effects of this process through anti- sweatshop campaigns, laws, codes of conduct, union activism, and most recently, social enterprise. While these actors have traction in some ways we have yet to see significant changes in the behaviour of transnational corporations. This action- research case study introduces the concept of the activist social enterprise that not only engages in commercial activity but also advances a social and/or environmental mission through institutional entrepreneurship practices, in this specific case fair trade. Using institutional entrepreneurship theory, social capital theory and cognitive frames theory this case study attempts to create a normative framework to understand how social enterprises can begin to pave the way for systemic change in the garment industry by: 1. Fighting to capture and influence institutional norms and regulations of business behaviour. 2. Training managers to embrace the navigation of trade-offs between economic, social and environmental progress. 3. Leverage social capital to develop a radical mainstreaming distribution strategy when competing with traditional corporations

Labour Exploitation and Work-Based Harm

Labour exploitation is a highly topical though complex issue that has international resonance for those concerned with social justice and social welfare, but there is a lack of research available about it. This book, part of the Studies in Social Harm series, is the first to look at labour exploitation from a social harm perspective, arguing that, as a global social problem, it should be located within the broader study of work-based harm. Written by an expert in policy orientated research, he critiques existing approaches to the study of workplace exploitation, abuse and forced labour. Mapping out a new sub-discipline, this innovative book aims to shift power from employers to workers to reduce levels of labour exploitation and work-based harm. It is relevant to academics from many fields as well as legislators, policy makers, politicians, employers, union officials, activists and consumers