Supply chain social sustainability perceptions in a selected retail supplier in South Africa: A critical case

Abstract

As chair of the WCED, Gro Brundtland was explicit that economic growth needs to be both environmentally and socially sustainable for future generations to thrive. However, social sustainability is the most vague and least researched pillar of sustainability. Recent literature has called for more research into social sustainability, especially in the supply chains of developing countries. Sustainable development in supply chains is an essential step toward achieving the global objective because it connects developing and developed countries. However, supply chains are complex and interconnected systems. Therefore, any social initiatives in supply chains must be studied to understand the resultant unexpected outcomes, trade-offs and tensions. This mono-method qualitative study was framed using stakeholder theory and explored supply chain employees’ perceptions of social sustainability initiatives. The study was interpretive and employed an inductive research approach in a critical case study design, involving 20 participants who were interviewed, triangulating their contributions in terms of publically available secondary data. Five themes naturally emerged from the data that answered the research question and offered additional insights. The findings showed that the supplier's retail clients, who were interviewed, have not been practising social sustainability in their supply chains. However, the retailers have been requiring ongoing audited assurance from a third-party (SIZA) that the supplier conforms to social/ethical standards which align with the retailers’ corporate responsibility commitments. In conclusion, this study proposes several models that intend to promote the theoretical and practical application of the concepts that emerged in this study. This study was also able to propose impactful recommendations for business and theory.