The evolution from corporate social responsibility to supply chain responsibility: the case of Waitrose

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to investigate the evolution from corporate social responsibility to supply chain responsibility via the examination of Waitrose, a leading UK food retailer. These two concepts differ substantially and illustrate contrasting approaches in terms of social responsibility development and application. Design/methodology/approach -A qualitative case study methodology is used where managers from Waitrose and its suppliers, industry experts and representatives from professional bodies are interviewed. An observation of an ethical audit with a Waitrose supplier was also conducted. Findings -Findings show an example of good practice in the area of corporate social responsibility in the supply chain and illustrate the substantive progress that can be made in achieving supply chain responsibility. At the same time, the paper provides the specific challenges in developing from a corporate social watchdog approach to one in which the power in the chain is more balanced and where a holistic approach requires to be taken to achieve social responsibility. Originality/value -Considering the scarcity of work examining empirically the issue of corporate social responsibility in food supply chains, this study demonstrates an evolutionary process and its stages based on an examination of Waitrose's supply chain and the corporate social responsibility approach it has taken with its suppliers. The authors also illustrate a range of key implications that need to be considered by both managers and policy makers and it provides a range of areas where further research is required.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Is it Beneficial for Top-Tier Suppliers to Market their Capability to Ensure a Responsible Supply Chain?

“…Moreover, we concur with the notion that companies act responsibly when "they do not knowingly do anything that could harm their stakeholders" and that "they […] rectify it whenever the harm is discovered and brought to their attention" (Campbell 2007: 951). However, in buyer-supplier relationships the buying firm has incomplete information about its supplier's operations and hence must rely on top-tier supplier capabilities to ensure a responsible upstream supply chain (Spence and Bourlakis 2009). At the level of the top-tier supplier's own organization, the purchasing function manages the upstream supply chain, a function that scholars have only recently recognized as strategic (e.g., Gadde and Hakanson 2001;Monczka, Trent, and Handfield 2005).…”

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

“…In a traditional view of supply networks this is demonstrated by the "corporation" acting as the driving force for implementing CSR through selective commercial pressures on organisations in its upstream supply network. It operates as a hub for stakeholder engagement, on the implicit assumption that the principles of the corporation have precedence over those of other organisations within the network [23]. This is echoed by Jorgensen and Knudsen [73] who note that larger buyers, acting as change agents, exert pressure on their supplier tiers to comply with their environmental and social requirements.…”

“…However, recognising that "sustainability" includes social equity, supply networks need to be more than just sequences of activities operating within ecological constraints; a supply network can be viewed as a set of relationships that convey benefits in both directions [23,38]. This view is exemplified by the fair trade movement, but has a more general significance in informing concepts of sustainable consumption [22].…”

“…This is echoed by Jorgensen and Knudsen [73] who note that larger buyers, acting as change agents, exert pressure on their supplier tiers to comply with their environmental and social requirements. It has been argued [23,74,75] that, as the corporation develops these relationships, it moves beyond an adversarial negotiating stance to one of co-operation as it seeks to propagate its own principles through the supply network. This would appear to be the current position with modern slavery: the corporation, driven by legislation and supported by NGOs, tries to require specific social values to be upheld throughout the supply network.…”

“…There is a widespread view that sustainable consumption and production can only fully be achieved if the objectives of performance (economic, environmental and social) and principles of behaviour (quality) are shared, leading to common objectives, targets and requirements throughout the whole value network (e.g., [9,20,22,23]). This is not yet observed in the construction sector.…”