Organisations might put acceptable or recommended tools and techniques in place, but some suppliers find ways around the rules. Sometimes, they get tip-offs about auditor visits or cheat the system to pass evaluations. Some even create two or more factory floors: one clean and compliant area for the auditors to see and a larger, seedier factory floor hidden from public scrutiny (Bzoi 2016). Perhaps as a supply chain professional, you might have to ask yourself a few questions, such as how can you communicate with such unethical suppliers? Can you create a system to monitor suppliers actions? How can you motivate an unethical supplier to change its business tactics? In a world of mobile phones, social media and the 24-hour news cycle, trying to hide bad business practices is impossible. Whether companies do it for the right reasons or just to avoid negative headlines, developing ethical supply chains is no longer a choice it’s a requirement.
Imagine you are a supply chain manager for a global organisation and you discover that you have been dealing with a very unsavoury supply chain partner. What action(s) would you take?
Learners are required to search at least 2 or 3 academic articles and identify all sources/sites used.