How collective supplier behavior influences CSR in Bangladeshi apparel supply chains

Working conditions in many supply chains continue to be poor and little is known about corporate social responsibility (CSR) drivers at the beginning of global value chains. This Misum Academic Insight argues for the importance of an inter-organizational network approach and examines how suppliers influence on each other shapes their CSR engagement.

Apparel supply chain in Bangladesh. Men and women sit by sewing machines, managers walk the corridors inspecting the work.

Image by Enrico Fontana

The Academic Insight is based on the article “Non Sibi, Sed Omnibus: Influence of Supplier Collective Behavior on Corporate Social Responsibility in the Bangladeshi Apparel Supply Chain” published in 2019 in the Journal of Business Ethics.

The research garnered empirical evidence from local executives atop 30 large first-tier supplier firms in the Bangladeshi apparel supply chain. Data in the form of interviews and fieldwork was collected in 2016.

Authors:

  • Enrico Fontana, Misum Affiliated Researcher with the Sustainable Business Development Through Entrepreneurship and Innovation Platform and Lecturer in Management and Organization at the Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University.
  • Niklas Egels-Zandén, Professor in Business Administration at the University of Gothenburg.
Read the Academic Insight

Enrico Fontana
Misum Affiliated Researcher and Lecturer in Management and Organization at the Sasin School of Management, Chulalongkorn University

enrico.fontana@sasin.edu

Contact Enrico