What Leads to Better Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: A Case Study of Apparel Factories in China

Abstract

The diffusion of manufacturing supply chains worldwide has provoked a fierce debate over how to effectively monitor and promote compliance with labor standards in supply chain factories (Frenkle and Scott 2002; Fung, O’Rourke, and Sabel 2001; O’Rouke 2003; Weil 1996). In this paper we aim to identify the factors that lead to better working conditions through a structured comparison of two factories in the same supply chain.