Pushing or Sharing as Value‐driven Strategies for Societal Change in Global Supply Chains: Two Case Studies in the British–South African Fresh Fruit Supply Chain

Abstract

Business strategy is linked to organisational values and culture, which is determined to some extent by national culture. This can provide a challenge in a global supply chain where culture and values at one end of the chain do not correspond with culture at the other end. This paper contends that shared values contribute to effective sustainability changes in supply chains. Two case studies from the South African-British fresh fruit export chain present two contrasting business strategies for achieving socially sustainable practices: (i) a unilateral, prescriptive approach (pushing), mirroring a paternalistic value system, in which a company prescribes norms of socially responsible behaviour at the ground level (the Tesco case) and; (ii) a bilateral, collaborative approach (sharing) in which business and non-governmental organisations work together to improve working conditions (the Waitrose case). Outcomes of these approaches are observed over a 3-year period. It is concluded that within this specific supply chain a shared value approach is a more successful initiative than paternalistic pushing initiatives.

Organizations Driving Positive Social Change

“…Yet empirical research exploring potential positive effects of organizations' CSR activities on targets outside the firm and on society remains scant. For exceptions identified in our review, see for example, Carrigan, Moraes, and Leek (2011) and Muller, Vermeulen, and Glasbergen (2012).…”

“…An example relates to surface-level strategies using threat and fear, for instance, when large firms used coercive pressure over their suppliers to stimulate more sustainable behaviors in their supply chain. The reviewed evidence suggests that threats may be less effective in stimulating PSC than more collaborative, deep-level strategies in the same domain (Muller et al, 2012;Raynolds, 2009). Threat and fear are also often used in attempts to change health behavior (e.g., healthy eating or smoking; see Alleyne, Basu, & Stuckler, Note: Asterisks indicate that a mechanism/practice is supported by strong evidence, such as evidence derived from randomized control trials, (quasi-)experiments, and controlled longitudinal studies, as opposed to correlational, cross-sectional research and case studies.…”

A Literature Review on the Linkage between Supply Chain Challenges and Key Success Factors for Small and Medium Size Enterprises

“…In such context supply chain management seeks for internal and external integration of the flows of materials, information and funds at the same time extending traditional competitive priorities, such as quality, cost, delivery, flexibility and innovation, to areas such as globalization, risk, and sustainability (Sanders et al, 2011). The latter requires also a shared value system or a certain culture that dictates commitment, trust and reciprocal respect (Muller et al, 2011). The sustainability of product chain (through management of the whole product life cycle) is another sustainability challenge to be dealt with by small and medium sized enterprises where additional expertise and new information needs are limited (Vermeulen, Rar, 2006).…”

The promotion of corporate social responsibility in English private law

“…640 Global supply chains function across different countries and different cultures. 641 This process of outsourcing to suppliers is particularly prevalent in labour-intensive production industries such as the garment industry and also in the food industry. 642 The buyers in these supply chains are often multinational companies.…”