Collaborative socially responsible practices for improving the position of Chinese workers in global supply chains

Hofman, Peter S.; Wu, Bin; Liu, Kaiming

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate three projects with the participation of 40 supplier firms in several Chinese coastal provinces representing multi-stakeholder efforts to provide alternative channels through which workers can voice their concerns. The supplier firms took on these projects to reduce worker dissatisfaction and employee turnover. The projects fill an institutional void in employer–employee relations within Chinese supplier firms as they provide alternative channels for workers to voice their concerns. The role of civil society organisations focusing on labour interests was a crucial feature of the projects, through capacity-building for workers and by providing independence. The supplier firms and their workers have benefitted as firms take measures to enhance worker satisfaction, while the reduced employee turnover positively impacted firm performance. We propose that these collaborative socially responsible practices are a potential way to strengthen the positions of workers and supplier firms in global supply chains

Citation

Hofman, P. S., Wu, B., & Liu, K. (2014). Collaborative socially responsible practices for improving the position of Chinese workers in global supply chains. Journal of Current Chinese Affairs, 43(4),

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Deposit Date: Sep 1, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 1, 2015
• Journal: Journal of Current Chinese Affairs
• Print ISSN: 1868-4874
• Electronic ISSN: 1868-4874
• Publisher: German Institute of Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 4
• Keywords: China, corporate social responsibility, employee voice,; global supply chains, stakeholders, employee turnover, supplier firms
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/998851
• Publisher URL: http://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jcca/article/view/801