Labor Practices in Global Supply Chains: Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives

Catalog description

This course focuses on the evolution, current trajectories, and methods to improve labor practices in global supply chains. We will examine the key issue of why, after 25 years of corporate efforts and intensive consumer activism, there have not been sustainable improvements in labor practices in the global supply chains in the apparel industry. Taking both a Corporate Social Responsibility, and Global Value Chains perspective, we will examine a range of problems and issues that inhibit sustainability, and explore new innovative developments that show promise. Several stakeholders from corporations, NGOS, monitoring firms, and/or suppliers will engage with the class, either in person or through videoconferencing. The course will end with an evaluation of approaches that are both innovative and promising. Students will be expected to write position papers on current developments, which will be circulated to multiple stakeholders so that the output from the course is relevant. The course also offers opportunities for students to engage more deeply in research projects that are currently underway.