‘For the English to see’ or effective change? How supply chains are shaped by laws and regulations, and what that means for the exposure of modern slavery

Pinheiro, Silvia Marina; Emberson, Caroline; Trautrims, Alexander

doi:10.5871/jba/007s1.167

Cited by 14 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This represents worker exploitation, which is a characteristic of modern slavery (Parker and Chung, 2018). In addition, reports surface from time to time of factory suicides and physical abuse of workers by managers and supervisors, which is also consistent with a form of modern slavery (Stevenson and Cole, 2018;Christ et al, 2019;Landman and Silverman, 2019;Mende, 2019;Pinheiro et al, 2019;Voss et al, 2019;Flynn and Walker, 2020). This paper examines 'how' power/distance and uncertainty avoidance aspects of Chinese culture affect control mechanisms used by managers to control worker behaviour in a way that results in working conditions that are a form of modern slavery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…The interviews discussed above highlight working conditions that are consistent with modern slavery (Stevenson and Cole, 2018;Christ et al, 2019;Landman and Silverman, 2019;Mende, 2019;Pinheiro et al, 2019;Voss et al, 2019;Flynn and Walker, 2020): workers are expected to work long hours without overtime pay, they can be unfairly dismissed, and they must give gifts to their managers in order to keep their jobs. In some cases, managers impose fines and physically punish workers they are displeased with.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Servitude, in the form of forced labour, occurs when the victim does not consider themselves free to cease providing their labour or services or to leave their place or area of work because of the use of coercion, threats or deception labour (Franceschini, 2017;Stevenson and Cole, 2018;Mende, 2019). To be in a condition of servitude, the victim must also be significantly deprived of their personal freedom (Franceschini, 2017;Stevenson and Cole, 2018;Landman and Silverman, 2019;Mende, 2019;Pinheiro et al, 2019;Voss et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The findings reported in this paper show how a Confucian culture results in workplace relationships that create a power/ distance hierarchy and worker uncertainty. The paper concludes that such a work culture coupled with limited legal protection of workers' rights, poor pay and constant fear of dismissal result in a demanding '996' routine that is a form of modern slavery (Stevenson and Cole, 2018;Mende, 2019;Pinheiro et al, 2019;Voss et al, 2019;Flynn and Walker, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

How managers use culture and controls to impose a ‘996’ work regime in China that constitutes modern slavery

Wang

2020

Accounting & Finance

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The paper investigates how unrestricted global capitalism and a Confucian culture of hierarchy and obedience combine to create a form of modern slavery in China. The cases cited involve semi‐structured interviews with 11 managers and 19 workers working in the hospitality and manufacturing sectors. The interviews are analysed to determine how managers use controls to exploit power/distance, high levels of insecurity, and unenforced labour rights to impose harsh working conditions. Prior research has examined what mechanisms are imposed in a society that retains a Confucian legacy of obedience but not ‘how’ they are imposed in a way that constitutes a form of modern slavery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How managers use culture and controls to impose a ‘996’ work regime in China that constitutes modern slavery

Wang

2020

Accounting & Finance

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“…We were specifically interested in how these supply chains across different legal systems are structured and governed, and how that impacts the risk of modern slavery. We found that the laws and regulations governing these supply chains often only address individual parts or tasks in the supply chain and are not aligned with the connected logic of an end-to-end supply chain (Pinheiro, Emberson, & Trautrims, 2019). Particularly in the case of beef, the supply chain becomes highly fragmented and -in the current business model -untraceable at the stages prior to the point when cattle are being sold to the large globally-operating beef processors.…”

Section: Effective Responses To Modern Slavery Require Changes In Intmentioning

confidence: 96%

Modern Slavery Responses Need International Business Scholarship

Trautrims

2020

AIB Insights

Self Cite

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Modern slavery poses a challenge to many areas of international business and sometimes questions the legitimacy of underlying business models. All businesses are exposed to modern slavery in one way or another through their supply chains, but their actions to address the issue differ hugely. Some blame the complexity and anonymity of international supply chains or the limits of their market power to push for change. These are of course familiar experiences of international business practitioners, but no excuse to avoid action. This article hopes to offer routes and inspiration for international business scholars to contribute to ending modern slavery.

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The UK construction and facilities management sector's response to the Modern Slavery Act: An intra‐industry initiative against modern slavery

et al. 2020

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The United Kingdom's Modern Slavery Act exposed companies to a new ethical challenge in their supply chains. An estimated 40.3 million people worldwide are in modern slavery, working in a range of supply chains, including construction and facilities management. In this article, we show how the UK construction and facilities management sector responded to this challenge through an intra‐industry initiative and went through a process of collaborative sense‐making and sector‐wide agreement on a joint approach to challenge modern slavery in the sector's operations and supply chains. The research takes an engaged research approach whereby the researchers have been able to gain deep and continued access to the phenomenon from participation in a multi‐company initiative on the implementation of responses to the UK Modern Slavery Act in supply chain and procurement activities of their sector. We identify and discuss key areas for supply chain and procurement practitioners tasked with addressing a human rights topic in their operations and supply chains: Motivation, risk hot‐spots, challenges and response and provide a rich understanding of an intra‐industry initiative which creates a basis for further research on collective sustainability approaches by businesses who are otherwise commercial competitors. The study's results and insights are useful for policymakers and practitioners who are aiming to apply market‐based approaches for sustainability improvements in supply chains.

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‘For the English to see’ or effective change? How supply chains are shaped by laws and regulations, and what that means for the exposure of modern slavery

Cited by 14 publications

References 18 publications

How managers use culture and controls to impose a ‘996’ work regime in China that constitutes modern slavery

How managers use culture and controls to impose a ‘996’ work regime in China that constitutes modern slavery

Modern Slavery Responses Need International Business Scholarship

The UK construction and facilities management sector's response to the Modern Slavery Act: An intra‐industry initiative against modern slavery

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