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Socially responsible activities of construction companies in international supply chains

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This special topic forum (STF) features four articles that focus on sustainability, which is generally defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (World Commission on Environment and Development – WCED, 1987). Our own research of the 500 most cited studies on sustainability shows that scholars and managers often struggle with the concept and applications of sustainability. To some, sustainability is about environmental preservation, to others, it is about addressing societal needs, and yet for those who use a financial lens, sustainability is primarily about the economic bottom line. Then, there are scholars and managers for whom sustainability is synonymous with corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethical issues, shared value creation, and/or legal compliance. Naturally, all of the above are critical, and efforts in these areas should continue. But as we explain, none of these are sustainability per se and to date, no firm is truly or fully sustainable. Also, most research and practice in sustainability follows a preservation view. We advance a new paradigm and evince that sustainable practices—whether in supply chain management or any other business activity—are a function of two inseparable principles: (i) they must enhance ecological health, follow ethical standards to further social justice, and improve economic vitality; and (ii) they must prioritize the environment first, society second, and economics third. Our introduction to this STF elaborates on what sustainability is and is not, and it also summarizes the four articles in the STF. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Although sustainability and its adoption have been talked about for many years, attention to social sustainability in the literature as well as practice has been rather limited. In the developing countries, glaring social issues, such as inequality, poor living conditions, child and bonded labour, inappropriate wages and gender discrimination, combined with increased stakeholder awareness, are exerting pressure on the corporates for social sustainability. This research identifies the social sustainability barriers and their inter-relationships, so as to determine the practices that can lead to the adoption of social sustainability in the supply chain of manufacturing industries. The barriers to social sustainability have been identified through an extensive literature review and their relevance has been ascertained through a questionnaire survey and interviews with the experts. The interpretive structural modelling approach has been used to model the contextual relationships among the barriers. The findings show that lack of pressure from the employees’ unions, with high driving power and low dependence, leads at the bottom of the digraph. Lack of pressure by stakeholders occupies the second level, while lack of customer requirements, lack of pressure from social organisations and lack of zeal on the part of the skilful policy entrepreneurs are positioned at the middle level. The fourth level is occupied by lack of social concern and inadequate competitive pressure, while at the top of the digraph come lack of regulatory compliance and lack of awareness of social sustainability. The model has been developed based on the opinions of the academics and industry experts, yielding a hierarchical structure of the social barriers and their interrelationships, which is expected to help the supply chain practitioners and policy makers to address the problems in the adoption of social sustainability in manufacturing supply chain.
Social sustainability and supply chain management: Methods and tools
  • M D'eusanio
  • A Zamagni
  • L Petti
  • V Mani
  • R Agrawal
  • V Sharma
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