From CSR Concepts to Concrete Action: Integrated Approaches to Improvement at the Factory Level

Abstract

The emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives over the past two decades to address voluntary labour, social and environmental issues has been well documented.¹ A myriad of factors have provided momentum to the CSR movement, including the risk of being exposed and receiving bad publicity,² reputation risks³ and arguments for a ‘business case.’⁴ In the current context of a global economic crisis, this latter factor, the possibility of a positive relation between the voluntary practices adopted by a company and its competitiveness, has become increasingly important.⁵ At the same time, it has been well documented that implementing CSR initiatives in the disaggregated supply chains of modern production models is a complex and multifaceted task that requires training and hands-on change management assistance at the factory level.⁶ This is particularly the case when it comes to addressing labour issues.