Safeguarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) in global supply chains: how codes of conduct are managed in buyer‐supplier relationships

Abstract In the wake of globalization, companies are becoming increasingly aware of the social and environmental aspects of international production. Companies of today not only have to be profitable, but they also have to be good corporate citizens. In response to the increasing societal pressure, many companies adopt the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by introducing codes of conduct that are expected to ensure socially responsible business practises throughout the chain—from supplier of raw materials to final end‐users. However, there are several challenges to the management and control of codes of conduct in global supply chains. Active commitment is a precondition for the successful implementation of the codes, but the incentive to comply with the codes does not necessarily extend to all the actors in the chain. Moreover, it is difficult to enforce codes of conduct in global supply chains, because the involved companies are separated geographically, economically, legally, culturally and politically. In consequence, introducing codes of conduct in global supply chains raises a series of agency problems that may result in non‐compliance. Realizing that non‐compliance can have severe consequences for the initiator (due to consumer sanctions, negative press, capital loss, government interventions, damaged brand etc.), the article analyses how the interests of the actors in the supply chain can be aligned with the terms of the codes. IKEA is used as a ‘best case’ example to illustrate how codes of conduct can be effectively managed in the supply chain. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.