Modern slavery challenges to supply chain management

Abstract

The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of record. If you wish to cite this item you are advised to consult the publisher's version. Please see the repository url above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription. 2 Abstract PurposeAlthough many international supply chains are (most often unknowingly) connected to slave labour activities, supply chain managers and research have so far neglected the issue. This will most likely change soon as civil society lobbying and new legislation imposes increasing litigation and reputational risks on companies operating international supply chains. Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a definition of slavery, explores potentials for knowledge exchange with other disciplines, discusses management tools for detecting slavery as well as suitable company responses after its detection, and outlines avenues for future research. FindingsDue to a lack of effective indicators, new tools and indicator systems need to be developed that consider the specific social, cultural and geographical context of supply regions. After detection of slavery, multi-stakeholder-partnerships, community-centred approaches, and supplier development appear to be effective responses. Research limitations/implicationsNew theory development in supply chain management is urgently needed to facilitate the understanding, avoidance and elimination of slavery in supply chains. As a starting point for future research, we conceptualize the challenges of slavery to supply chain management, focussing on capabilities and specific institutional context. Practical implicationsThe paper provides a starting point for the development of practices and tools for identifying and removing slave labour from supply chains. Originality/valueAlthough representing a substantial threat to current supply chain models, slavery has so far not been addressed in supply chain management research.

The Impact of Supplier Sustainability Risk on Shareholder Value

“…Those issues are sometimes clearly associated with suppliers’ ethical/moral aspects (e.g., intentional acts, see Speier et al., ), which are the focus of this study, but neglected from a sustainability perspective. Sweatshop labor within the supply chain is now an emerging topic in the OSCM literature (e.g., Gold et al., ); however, only few studies have linked it to supplier sustainability (responsibility) but not from a risk perspective. More importantly, the question remains of how detrimental those issues are to buying firms.…”

“…Sweatshop labor is the term often used to describe oppressive working conditions. The term is often synonymous with “modern slavery” (Gold, Trautrims & Trodd, ; New, ), which is pervasive in practice but has received less attention in the OSCM literature. This negligence applies also to workplace safety, better known as occupational health and safety (OHS) (Lo, Pagell, Fan, Wiengarten & Yeung, ).…”

Conflict Minerals and Supply Chain Due Diligence: An Exploratory Study of Multi-tier Supply Chains

“…Conflict minerals are those, whose systematic exploitation and trade in a context of conflict contribute to, benefit from or result in the commission of serious violations of human rights, violations of international humanitarian law or violations amounting to crimes under international law (Global Witness, 2014). Being a scourge for a whole region, conflict minerals do not only involve child and slave labor, but also generate considerable funds for armed groups (Gold et al, 2015). Thus, they contribute to the continuation or outbreak of violent conflict and undermine national endeavors towards development, good governance, and the rule of law.…”

Can the SDGs Provide a Basis for Supply Chain Decisions in the Construction Sector?

“…Even in relatively short supply networks, such as within the UK, mapping labour practices can become complex. Complexity can make the different forms of modern slavery, which are frequently informal and transient in nature, hard to detect and therefore persistent [56][57][58].…”