Article Abstract
Forced labour poses a significant challenge within global supply chains, yet traditional compliance-based governance based on auditing has proven to be ineffective in addressing this issue. Non-government organizations and worker rights organizations can serve as crucial allies in supporting and safeguarding workers by assuming the role of a 'social intermediary' (SI) between supply chain firms and workers. However, these external organizations often hold limited power within these supply chains. In our paper, we examine the sources of power that SIs can cultivate and utilize to lead successful interventions against forced labour in supply chains. Through a comparative case study involving three SIs and their collaborative efforts with a global seafood brand, we explore various forms of non-mediated power and their underlying origins. By establishing these connections, we shed light on the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of interventions against forced labour. Our research makes three contributions. First, we contribute to ongoing research on forced labour in supply chains by emphasizing the constructive role that SIs can play to protect vulnerable workers. Second, we address a critical gap in the existing literature concerning power of SIs in supply chain relations. More specifically, we specify sources and types of non-mediated power that SI can leverage to design effective interventions against forced labour. Third, by comparing unique data on two worker groups vulnerable to forced labour – vessel workers and workers in seafood processing – we provide much-needed insights into how working conditions in non-factory settings can still be regulated.
Production and Operations Management, February 2024
About the researcher
Vikram Bhakoo is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management in the Department of Management & Marketing at the University of Melbourne, Australia. He is the area head of the Operations & Supply Chain Group.
His research within the supply chain domain can be broadly clustered under three themes: sustainability, buyer/suppler relationships and qualitative research methods. Currently, he is passionate about understanding and developing effective mechanisms for combating modern slavery in supply chains. He seeks to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach in his studies. He has conducted his fieldwork across a variety of industries such as healthcare, seafood, fashion, retail and construction typically employing qualitative research methods. He has been a visiting scholar at Copenhagen Business School, WU Vienna, University of Bath and Arizona State University.
His scholarship has been published in a variety of prestigious journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management and Organizational Research Methods amongst others. He is an Associate editor for the Journal of Supply Chain Management where he received the best Associate Editor award in 2022. In addition, he also serves on the editorial review boards of Journal of Operations Management and Decision Sciences. His program of research continues to draw support from the Australian Research Council, the government, industry partners and the University of Melbourne.
Dr Bhakoo holds a Bachelor of Economics (Hons) from the University of Delhi and a Masters in Information Systems and a PhD from Monash University.