130 research outputs found
Global value chains, local collective action and corporate social responsibility: A review of empirical evidence
Reflections on the “Dark Side” of Impact Assessment
This paper considers the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standard impact assessment
in global value chains. CSR standards have proliferated in recent years, and several studies have
attempted to assess their effects on local producers, workers, and the environment in developing
countries. However, much less attention has been paid to the “dark side” of impact assessment – the
ethical and political dilemmas that arise in the process of carrying out impact studies. This paper
addresses this gap in literature, arguing that impact assessments of CSR standards may do more
harm than good to the intended beneficiaries - developing country firms, farmers, workers, and
communities - unless these ethical and political dilemmas are given serious consideration
Measuring the performance of business model configurations: A field study from the medico tech industry
Is there a sweet spot in ethical trade? A critical appraisal of the potential for aligning buyer, supplier and worker interests in global production networks
We undertake a critical appraisal of the existence of the so- called 'sweet spot' in ethical trade at which the interests of buyers, suppliers, and workers intersect to enable benefits for commercial buyers and suppliers and improvements in the conditions of workers at the base of global production networks. In turn, we take the perspectives of three central actors typically involved in ethical trade: buyers/brands, suppliers in the Global South, and workers at the base of these networks. By applying all three perspectives, we theorize about the circumstances in which the sweet spot in ethical trade might emerge, reflecting an amended version of Gereffi et al.'s (2005) theory of value chain governance. We conclude that the possibility of identifying a sweet spot in ethical trade improves as we move from market-based transactions toward hierarchical governance in global production networks.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/geoforum2019-03-30hj2018Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS
Corporate social responsibility in global value chains: where are we now and where are we going?
We outline the drivers, main features, and conceptual underpinnings of the compliance paradigm. We then use a similar structure to investigate the drivers, main features, and conceptual underpinnings of the cooperative paradigm for working with CSR in global value chains. We argue that the measures proposed in the new cooperation paradigm are unlikely to alter power relationships in global value chains and bring about sustained improvements in workers’ conditions in developing country export industries. After that, we provide a critical appraisal of the potential and limits of the cooperative paradigm, we summarize our findings, and we outline avenues for research: purchasing practices and labor standard noncompliance, CSR capacity building among local suppliers, and improved CSR monitoring by local resources in the developing world
Compliance and cooperation in global value chains:The effects of the Better Cotton Initiative in Pakistan and India
Towards An Analytical Framework
In this article, we explore the relationship between industrial clusters and social upgrading in developing countries. Our article focuses on the hitherto little-considered influence of the economic and regulatory environment on the social upgrading of a cluster and on its governance system. In doing so, we develop an analytical framework that seeks to explain how the enabling environment and different actors in cluster governance can either facilitate and/or hinder the process of social upgrading in cluster settings in developing countries. Finally, the conclusion outlines our main findings, the research and policy implications of our analysis
Industrial clusters and CSR in developing countries: the role of international donor funding
This article contributes to literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) exhibited by industrial clusters in developing countries. The authors conceptualize and empirically investigate the role of donor-funded CSR initiatives aimed at promoting collective action by cluster-based small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). A case study of the Sialkot football-manufacturing cluster in Pakistan indicates that donor-funded support of CSR initiatives in industrial clusters in developing countries may be short-lived, due to the political economy of aid, the national context of CSR implementation, tensions within SME networks, and negative perceptions of CSR by the cluster-based SMEs themselves. The findings and implications of this analysis can inform both research and policy making in this area
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