Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose: Identify the practices adopted by companies to monitor and prevent contemporary slavery and the elements that differentiate companies that adopt monitoring practices for prevention of slavery and those that do not. Originality/value: This question is investigated from the perspective of management, reputation and institutional environment literature, pointing out the reasons that lead companies to adopt or avoid contemporary slavery. Design/methodology/approach: We used secondary data from Melhores Empresas para Voce Trabalhar [Best Companies to Work] 2014 on 305 companies, which filled a questionnaire about their management practices and policies to monitor the working conditions in the supply chain in relation to the use of slave labor. Findings: Results show that the practice adopted by most companies is related to sanctions on contracted suppliers who are caught using slave labor, and the element that differentiates groups of companies that adopt monitoring practices from those that do not is the fact of whether they are or not signatories of the National Pact to Eradicate Slave Labor [Pacto Nacional pela Erradicacao do Trabalho Escravo].
Highlights
In the age of knowledge management, the persistence of slavery causes shock, indignation and questionings
While most of the researches sought to understand and assess the incidence of slave labor and the characteristics of its stakeholders, the focus of the study reported in this paper is to present an overview of the monitoring and prevention practices of contemporary slavery adopted by companies that seek to be the best to work for in Brazil
With respect to the labor-intensive sectors considered more vulnerable to contemporary slave labor (Crane, 2013), it was expected that the companies involved in these activities would adopt a greater number of monitoring practices since they applied to be the best companies to work for
Summary
In the age of knowledge management, the persistence of slavery causes shock, indignation and questionings. It is estimated that the profit obtained by companies that engage in this criminal practice is around US$ 150 billion per year. Most of this illegal profit comes from the AsiaPacific region, where almost 12 million of these workers are concentrated, representing 56% of the total worldwide. This region is characterized by fragile labor laws, low educational level of the population and low production costs. In Brazil, according to the Global Slavery Index (2016), around 160,000 people work under slavery This number is high, the country has been prominent in the development of actions to prevent and combat slave labor. Individual and legal entities registered in the list have access to financing and credit suspended, and are blocked by the signatories of the National Pact to Eradicate Slave Labor, called “Pacto” in Brazil
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
