Does Lean Improve Labor Standards? Management and Social Performance in the Nike Supply Chain
Management Science, Forthcoming
Watson Institute for International Studies Research Paper No. 2013-09
45 Pages Posted: 9 Oct 2013 Last revised: 15 Sep 2015
Date Written: August 29, 2015
Abstract
This study tests the hypothesis that lean manufacturing improves the social performance of manufacturers in emerging markets. We analyze an intervention by Nike Inc. to promote the adoption of lean manufacturing in its apparel supply chain across eleven developing countries. Using difference-in-differences estimates from a panel of over three hundred factories, we find that lean adoption was associated with a 15 percentage point reduction in noncompliance with labor standards that primarily reflect factory wage and work hour practices. However, we find a null effect on factory health and safety standards. This pattern is consistent with a causal mechanism that links lean to improved social performance through changes in labor relations, rather than improved management systems. These findings offer evidence that capability-building interventions may reduce social harm in global supply chains.
Keywords: corporate social performance, global supply chains, lean manufacturing, human resource management, labor standards
JEL Classification: M11, M54, J50
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