Social sustainability in the supply chain: analysis of enablers

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to identify various enablers and the inter-relationships among them in adopting social sustainability measures in the supply chain. Social sustainability in the supply chain has received growing attention in the recent years, due to growing awareness on equity, health and safety, education, child and bonded labor and ethical practices in corporates. Design/methodology/approach – Various enablers and their contextual relationships were identified. The enablers were classified based on dependence and driving power (DP) with the help of MICMAC analysis. In addition to this, a structural model of the enablers to the social sustainability problem has been put forward using the interpretive structural modeling technique. Findings – In this study, 14 relevant enablers were identified from literature review and subsequent discussions with experts from academia and the industry. Competitive pressure leads at the bottom of the digraph with high DP, followed by customers ' requirements, financial liquidity and social concern. Social sustainability awareness was found to be at the last level with less DP. Research limitations/implications – Enablers were developed based on literature survey and expert opinions. Hence, the model is not statistically validated. This model also does not quantify the adverse effect of each of the variables on social sustainability practices in the supply chain. Practical implications – The development of a hierarchy not only helps the supply chain managers to understand the enablers better, based on their importance, but also helps in decision making in the supply chain, which in turn enables the corporations to be competitive. Social implications – Findings of this article will help the corporations to be more socially sustainable by understanding the various enablers and their contextual relationships in the supply chain. Originality/value – The structured social sustainability model helps supply chain managers and experts to understand interdependence of the enablers. This also helps in identifying different enablers with different degree of importance, which will be very much useful in adopting social sustainability measures in the supply chain.