Yu-Corporate Ethics in Footwear in China英文版本.pdf

Journal of Business Ethics (2008) 81:513–529 Springer 2007 DOI 10.1007/s10551-007-9521-2 Impacts of Corporate Code of Conduct on Labor Standards: A Case Study of Reebok’s Athletic Footwear Supplier Factory in China Xiaomin Yu ABSTRACT. This study examines the social impacts of standards among key players in global supply chain; and labor-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) poli- (2) combining regulatory power of voluntary codes and cies or corporate codes of conduct on upholding labor compulsory state legislations. standards through a case study of CSR discourses and codes implementation of Reebok – a leading branded KEY WORDS: athletic footwear industry, China, cor- company enjoying a high-profiled image for its human porate codes of conduct, corporate social responsibility, rights achievement – in a large Taiwanese-invested ath- labor standards, Reebok, trade union, wages letic footwear factory located in South China. I find al- though implementation of Reebok labor-related codes has resulted in a ‘‘race to ethical and legal minimum’’ labor standards when notoriously inhumane and seriously illegal labor rights abuses were curbed, Chinese workers Introduction were forced to work harder and faster but, earned less payment and the employee-elected trade union installed Several decades of neoliberal economic globalization through codes implementation operated more like a has enabled global capital to flow more freely and ‘‘company union’’ rather than an autonomous workers’ swiftly across national borders, especially to low- organization representing worker’ interests. In or