Remedial In Progress: Varied Stakeholder Pressures According to Workplace Compliance in Bangladeshi Apparel Factories

Abstract

The stakeholder influences on workplace compliance among Bangladeshi apparel factories across different compliance statuses were investigated. Six prominent stakeholders of the issue were identified: Buyers, owners, government, competitors, workers, and NGOs. Using the Accord’s inspection records, a modified stratified sampling, and an online survey method, responses from 43 "compliant" and 45 "behind-schedule" factories were analyzed. The result revealed that the factories behind the remedial process reported a higher degree of pressure from the government and NGOs as well as their workers than the compliant factories. The data confirmed the buyers as the most pressing stakeholder for both factory groups. The results suggest that the factories that are behind the schedule face an increased level of pressure from the local stakeholders, especially from their workers. The findings carry significant implications for the current transition to the government-controlled inspection and worker protections as well as for non-linear nature of stakeholder influences.