Journal of Business Ethics 81 (3):513-529 (2008)
Abstract |
This study examines the social impacts of labor-related corporate social responsibility policies or corporate codes of conduct on upholding labor standards through a case study of CSR discourses and codes implementation of Reebok - a leading branded company enjoying a high-profiled image for its human rights achievement - in a large Taiwanese-invested athletic footwear factory located in South China. I find although implementation of Reebok labor-related codes has resulted in a "race to ethical and legal minimum" labor standards when notoriously inhumane and seriously illegal labor rights abuses were curbed, Chinese workers were forced to work harder and faster but, earned less payment and the employee-elected trade union installed through codes implementation operated more like a "company union" rather than an autonomous workers' organization representing worker' interests. In order to explain the paradoxical effects of Reebok labor-related codes on labor standards, I argue the result is determined by both structural forces and agency-related factors embedded in industrial, national and local contexts. To put it shortly, I find the effectiveness of Reebok labor-related codes is constrained not only by unsolved tension between Reebok's impetus for profit maximization and commitment to workers' human rights, but also by hard-nosed competition realities at marketplace, and Chinese government's insufficient protection of labor rights. Despite drawing merely from a single case study, these findings illuminate key determinants inhibiting the effectiveness of labor-related CSR policies or codes in upholding labor standards, and hence two possible way-outs of the deadlock: sharing cost for improving labor standards among key players in global supply chain; and combining regulatory power of voluntary codes and compulsory state legislations.
|
Keywords | Philosophy Quality of Life Research Management/Business for Professionals Economic Growth Ethics |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
DOI | 10.1007/s10551-007-9521-2 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Researching Corporate Social Responsibility: An Agenda for the 21st Century. [REVIEW]Paul C. Godfrey & Nile W. Hatch - 2007 - Journal of Business Ethics 70 (1):87-98.
Researching Corporate Social Responsibility: An Agenda for the 21st Century.Paul C. Godfrey & Nile W. Hatch - 2007 - Journal of Business Ethics 70 (1):87-98.
Value Priorities as Combining Core Factors Between CSR and Reputation – A Qualitative Study.Marjo Elisa Siltaoja - 2006 - Journal of Business Ethics 68 (1):91-111.
Toward a Unified Theory of the CSP–CFP Link.Isaiah Yeshayahu Marom - 2006 - Journal of Business Ethics 67 (2):191-200.
Asian Transnational Corporations and Labor Rights: Vietnamese Trade Unions in Taiwan-Invested Companies.Hong-zen Wang - 2005 - Journal of Business Ethics 56 (1):43-53.
View all 6 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Management of Social Issues in Supply Chains: A Literature Review Exploring Social Issues, Actions and Performance Outcomes.Sadaat Ali Yawar & Stefan Seuring - 2017 - Journal of Business Ethics 141 (3):621-643.
The Contribution of Environmental and Social Standards Towards Ensuring Legitimacy in Supply Chain Governance.Martin Mueller, Virginia Gomes dos Santos & Stefan Seuring - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 89 (4):509-523.
Instrumental and/or Deliberative? A Typology of CSR Communication Tools.Peter Seele & Irina Lock - 2015 - Journal of Business Ethics 131 (2):401-414.
Social Sustainability in Selecting Emerging Economy Suppliers.Matthias Ehrgott, Felix Reimann, Lutz Kaufmann & Craig R. Carter - 2011 - Journal of Business Ethics 98 (1):99-119.
Mandated Social Disclosure: An Analysis of the Response to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010.Rachel N. Birkey, Ronald P. Guidry, Mohammad Azizul Islam & Dennis M. Patten - 2018 - Journal of Business Ethics 152 (3):827-841.
View all 35 citations / Add more citations
Similar books and articles
Impacts of Corporate Code of Conduct on Labor Standards: A Case Study of Reebok’s Athletic Footwear Supplier Factory in China. [REVIEW]Xiaomin Yu - 2008 - Journal of Business Ethics 81 (3):513 - 529.
From Passive Beneficiary to Active Stakeholder: Workers' Participation in CSR Movement Against Labor Abuses. [REVIEW]Xiaomin Yu - 2008 - Journal of Business Ethics 87 (1):233 - 249.
Corporate Autonomy and Buyer–Supplier Relationships: The Case of Unsafe Mattel Toys. [REVIEW]Julia Roloff & Michael S. Aßländer - 2010 - Journal of Business Ethics 97 (4):517 - 534.
The Influence of Collegiate and Corporate Codes of Conduct on Ethics-Related Behavior in the Workplace.Kenneth D. Butterfield - 1996 - Business Ethics Quarterly 6 (4):461-476.
Revisiting Supplier Compliance with MNC Codes of Conduct: Recoupling Policy and Practice at Chinese Toy Suppliers.Niklas Egels-Zandén - 2014 - Journal of Business Ethics 119 (1):59-75.
Suppliers' Compliance with Mncs' Codes of Conduct: Behind the Scenes at Chinese Toy Suppliers. [REVIEW]Niklas Egels-Zandén - 2007 - Journal of Business Ethics 75 (1):45 - 62.
The Transparent Supply Chain: From Resistance to Implementation at Nike and Levi-Strauss. [REVIEW]David J. Doorey - 2011 - Journal of Business Ethics 103 (4):587-603.
Switching Costs as a Potential Motivator of Organizational Decoupling of Ethical Supplier Commitments.Scott R. Colwell & Michael J. Zyphur - 2007 - Proceedings of the International Association for Business and Society 18:9-11.
Transparency to Reduce Corruption?: Dropping Hints for Private Organizations in Brazil.Maria Virginia Halter, Maria Cecilia Coutinho de Arruda & Ralph Bruno Halter - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 84 (S3):373-385.
Child Labor and Multinational Conduct: A Comparison of International Business and Stakeholder Codes.Ans Kolk & Rob van Tulder - 2002 - Journal of Business Ethics 36 (3):291 - 301.
Codes of Ethics in Hong Kong: Their Adoption and Impact in the Run Up to the 1997 Transition of Sovereignty to China. [REVIEW]Robin S. Snell, Almaz M.-K. Chak & Jess W.-H. Chu - 1999 - Journal of Business Ethics 22 (4):281 - 309.
Child Labor and Multinational Conduct: A Comparison of International Business Andstakeholder Codes. [REVIEW]Ans Kolk & Rob van Tuldere - 2002 - Journal of Business Ethics 36 (3):291-301.
Corporate Perceptions of the Business Case for Supplier Diversity: How Socially Responsible Purchasing Can 'Pay'. [REVIEW]Ian Worthington - 2009 - Journal of Business Ethics 90 (1):47 - 60.
Corporate Codes of Conduct: The Effects of Code Content and Quality on Ethical Performance. [REVIEW]Patrick M. Erwin - 2011 - Journal of Business Ethics 99 (4):535 - 548.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2016-02-04
Total views
14 ( #680,916 of 2,409,983 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #348,054 of 2,409,983 )
2016-02-04
Total views
14 ( #680,916 of 2,409,983 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
2 ( #348,054 of 2,409,983 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads