Implementing codes of conduct: how businesses manage social performance in global supply chains

Abstract

As manufacturing and trade become increasingly globalised, there is a need to ensure that the practices of multinational companies and suppliers operating in developing countries meet minimum standards in terms of employment conditions and rights, health and safety, and environmental practices. This publication sets out research findings on the emerging nature of corporate social responsibility and the implementation of codes of conduct in global supply chains. It draws on research undertaken in the sports footwear, clothing and retail sectors, and on interviews with hundreds of company managers and suppliers, activists, government officials, factory workers and worker representatives in a range of developed and developing countries.