What does it mean for a corporation to take responsibility for its supply chain?

Abstract

Purpose Through the lens of ethical appreciation, this paper aims to discuss what it means for a company to claim taking responsibility for its supply chain and whether this is a reasonable demand to make by corporations. Design/methodology/approach The place of ethics in economic and legislation is not selfevident. The intersection of ethics and economics through the topic of supply chains is approached by breaking down, respectively, the integral features of supply chains and the ethical considerations in compliance regulations. Findings The transnational nature of global supply chains, the depth of manufacturing tiers and the power asymmetries between buyer and seller are some of the fundamental sticking points in dissecting corporate social responsibility. Originality/value This paper uses a unique parallel perspective of the broad ethical concerns, which have developed under the umbrella term of responsibility, as well as the finer ethical details which are integral to supply chains as international structures of dependency.