Socially responsible buying policies : main factors, diffusion and changes brought. The case of three companies in the furniture industry
Over the last twenty years, the globalization of the economy has led companies to develop extensive networks of suppliers and subcontractors. Since the 1990’s, the globalization and the liberalization of economic activity have been gone hand in hand with the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) due to pressure from the different stakeholders. In the face of such evolutions, the firms’management has become more complex because of the combination of economic and social objectives. We study the CSR policies conducted by three companies in the furniture industry. From a qualitative study and a survey, this paper proposes to highlight the main factors of Socially Responsible Buying (SRB) Policies and the changes caused by these policies in these companies and their SME subcontactors. This research shows that type of subcontracting relation is a key factor to explain CSR strategies of the buyers. It also highlights what practices improve supplier performance.