Supply chains, production networks and the employment relationship

Abstract

Supply chains, production networks and other complex inter-organisational relationships are defining features of contemporary business organisations. This article reviews the scholarship on the impact of supply chain pressures on work, employment relations and human resource management, with a particular emphasis on domestic-oriented supply chains. It focuses on several themes: key theoretical frameworks for analysing supply chains and employment relations; the relationship between outsourcing and business strategies; the implications of different supply chain configurations for the employment relationship; the challenges of regulating labour standards in supply chains; and the strategies adopted by unions, civil society organisations and regulatory agencies in response to these pressures. It also provides an overview of the articles contained in this special issue.