Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize

Food retailers are increasingly held responsible for the impact they have in and on societies. Unfortunately, many social and environmental challenges occur beyond their direct sphere of influence, at distanced sites in multiple-layered production chains. So far, the literature in the field of susta...

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Main Author: Bergacker, Jorieke
Format: H2
Language:Inglés
Published: SLU/Department of Molecular Sciences 2021
Subjects:
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author Bergacker, Jorieke
author_browse Bergacker, Jorieke
author_facet Bergacker, Jorieke
author_sort Bergacker, Jorieke
collection Epsilon Archive for Student Projects
description Food retailers are increasingly held responsible for the impact they have in and on societies. Unfortunately, many social and environmental challenges occur beyond their direct sphere of influence, at distanced sites in multiple-layered production chains. So far, the literature in the field of sustainable production has mainly considered the improvement of environmental conditions and the social conditions are given less attention. Therefore, this study focuses on the social dimension of sustainable development. This project aims to explain what retailers can do to improve working conditions at upstream agricultural production levels. Through the lens of the Social Practice Theory, this case study shows how the context of a retailer’s sourcing practices, influences the degree of sustainable development in the chain, and thus the working conditions of farmworkers. Previous research has pointed to different factors that enable positive impact, such as strategic relationships, long-term perspectives in the achievement of both financial and social value-adding, insight into chain-specific conditions and tools that stimulate collaboration. The results in this study highlight how conventional commercial beliefs and mainstream sourcing strategies seem to constrain these factors. For instance, buyers of commodity products usually aim for the highest-short term profit by putting price pressure on suppliers. Hence, the findings indicate how retailers need to optimize their procurement context to support buying associates in achieving sustainable development.
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institution Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
language Inglés
publishDate 2021
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spelling RepoSLU170602022-05-31T23:15:03Z Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize Förbättra arbetsförhållande på gårdsnivå : rollen för dagligvaruhandelsaktör, Ahold Delhaize Bergacker, Jorieke corporate social responsibility food value chains ethical/sustainable sourcing social sustainability human rights working conditions multi-tier sustainable supply chain management (sub-) supplier-buyer relations certifications social practice theory Food retailers are increasingly held responsible for the impact they have in and on societies. Unfortunately, many social and environmental challenges occur beyond their direct sphere of influence, at distanced sites in multiple-layered production chains. So far, the literature in the field of sustainable production has mainly considered the improvement of environmental conditions and the social conditions are given less attention. Therefore, this study focuses on the social dimension of sustainable development. This project aims to explain what retailers can do to improve working conditions at upstream agricultural production levels. Through the lens of the Social Practice Theory, this case study shows how the context of a retailer’s sourcing practices, influences the degree of sustainable development in the chain, and thus the working conditions of farmworkers. Previous research has pointed to different factors that enable positive impact, such as strategic relationships, long-term perspectives in the achievement of both financial and social value-adding, insight into chain-specific conditions and tools that stimulate collaboration. The results in this study highlight how conventional commercial beliefs and mainstream sourcing strategies seem to constrain these factors. For instance, buyers of commodity products usually aim for the highest-short term profit by putting price pressure on suppliers. Hence, the findings indicate how retailers need to optimize their procurement context to support buying associates in achieving sustainable development. SLU/Department of Molecular Sciences 2021 H2 eng https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/17060/
spellingShingle corporate social responsibility
food value chains
ethical/sustainable sourcing
social sustainability
human rights
working conditions
multi-tier sustainable supply chain management
(sub-) supplier-buyer relations
certifications
social practice theory
Bergacker, Jorieke
Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title_full Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title_fullStr Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title_full_unstemmed Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title_short Improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer Ahold Delhaize
title_sort improving working conditions at farm level : the role for food retailer ahold delhaize
topic corporate social responsibility
food value chains
ethical/sustainable sourcing
social sustainability
human rights
working conditions
multi-tier sustainable supply chain management
(sub-) supplier-buyer relations
certifications
social practice theory