Work

“Fool Me Once” Or “Slippery Slope”? A Study of Purchasing Managers' Reaction to Repeated Supplier Sustainability Incidents

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Sustainability incidents (e.g., human rights violations, pollution, bribery, etc.) in supply chains continue to manifest globally. Yet, evidence from practice shows such incidents tend to recur within the same supply chains despite stakeholder attention. We investigate the manifestations of supplier sustainability incidents (SSIs) and purchasing managers' reaction to them over time, looking for traces of the slippery slope effect. We also test whether moral disengagement and psychological distance can further impact decisions toward SSIs. Through a series of experiments on both social and environmental SSIs and a follow‐up qualitative study (683 participants in total), we find evidence for the impact of moral disengagement and psychological distance on purchasing managers' reaction to SSIs. However, results for the slippery slope effect were mixed. Our supplementary qualitative study found evidence for the slippery slope effect, as well as moral licensing/cleansing and moral psychology.

Source: Journal of Business Logistics

DOI: 10.1111/jbl.12394

Authors: Mehrdokht Pournader, Andrew P. Kach

Institutions: The University of Melbourne, Willamette University

Language: English

Topic: Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Subfield: Strategy and Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,400