Corporate Responsibility Challenges and Institutional Forces Facing Smes
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
J Bus Ethics DOI 10.1007/s10551-016-3071-4 The Fine Jewellery Industry: Corporate Responsibility Challenges and Institutional Forces Facing SMEs 1 2 1 Marylyn Carrigan • Morven McEachern • Caroline Moraes • Carmela Bosangit3 Received: 9 May 2014 / Accepted: 1 February 2016 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract There has been limited coverage of the corporate across the fine jewellery industry, and demonstrates the inter- responsibility (CR) practices of small and medium-sized relationships that exist across the different stages of the fine enterprises (SMEs) in the mainstream CR literature. Fur- jewellery harm chain. Findings suggest that institutional thermore, there has been no systematic analysis of the forces are coalescing towards a more responsible agenda for responsibilities of the high value jewellery industry and the fine jewellery industry. Moreover, while CR is a tool to jewellery SMEs in particular. This study explores the disrupt harmful institutional norms and practices within such potential for harm and value creation by individual stake- an industry, it requires the co-creation of new transformative holders in fine jewellery production. Using the harm chain business models and multi-stakeholder involvement and institutional theory to frame our investigation, we seek to including firms (SMEs and MNEs), trade associations, non- understand how small businesses within the fine jewellery governmental organisations and consumers. Solutions industry respond to the economic, social and environmental include national and international legislation, price adjusted challenges associated with responsible jewellery production, certification routes for small firms, harmonisation of industry and to investigate how they perceive and negotiate the ten- CR standards to reduce overlap in certification and regula- sions between responsibility and the resistance derived from tion and gem and precious metal ‘‘track and trace’’ schemes. the operational norms of secrecy and autonomy within the industry. Our exploratory research provides illustrative Keywords Corporate responsibility Á Harm chain Á examples of how complex harm networks operate within and Institutional theory Á Jewellery Á SME Á Small business & Caroline Moraes Introduction [email protected] Marylyn Carrigan The jewellery industry enjoys a high profile worldwide, yet [email protected] is often critiqued for the way their business is conducted Morven McEachern down the supply chain, particularly now with the growing [email protected] expectancy that firms should become socially responsible Carmela Bosangit and address the influence of institutional forces (Brammer [email protected] et al. 2012). Although corporate responsibility (CR) has 1 moved into the mainstream (Baden et al. 2011), CR Centre for Business in Society (CBiS), Faculty of Business, research has focused primarily on large organisations Environment & Society, Coventry University, Priory Street, 1 Coventry CV1 5FB, UK rather than small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs ) 2 Salford Business School, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, UK 1 In this study, we adopt the terminology suggested by Spence 3 Management and Systems Section, School of Management, (2007), and use SME interchangeably with ‘small business’, since Swansea University, Bay Campus, Fabian Way, SME is a less familiar term in North America, and small business Swansea SA1 8EN, UK captures those firms with up to 250 employees. 123 M. Carrigan et al. (Carrigan et al. 2011; Jamali et al. 2009; Morsing and literature to incorporate the harm chain and institutional Perrini 2009), rendering the transferability of existing forces that impact on embedding socially responsible theory inappropriate to smaller firms (Sen and Cowley behaviour in small business culture. Finally, this study 2013; Baden et al. 2011; Preuss and Perschke 2010). The delivers comparative primary data that have the potential to limited amount of research on the SME sector is also dis- contribute, both theoretically and practically, to ongoing proportionate to its economic impact, since it represents debates about responsible business practices within com- 99 % of all enterprises (European Commission 2013a; plex and fragmented industry sectors such as the fine Pedersen 2009; Jamali et al. 2009; Spence 2007). There- jewellery industry. The paper now briefly reviews the key fore, while the impact of individual SMEs on social literature on CR and SMEs, followed by an overview of the responsibility is likely to be small, their collective impact is theoretical frameworks. substantial (European Commission 2013b; Carrigan et al. 2011; Jenkins 2009; Roberts et al. 2006). This represents a knowledge gap with regard to ‘‘a tailored perspective’’ on CR Practices and SMEs CR for small businesses within ‘‘a bespoke research agenda’’ (Spence 2007, p. 533). Universally accepted definitions of CR and CSR regarding Our research responds to this empirical gap and explores both large and small organisations remain elusive. For the challenges of embedding responsible business practices example, Spence (2007) adapts Davis’s (1973, p. 312) for SMEs that operate in complex and fragmented industries characterisation of social responsibility for her definition of such as fine jewellery; thus, providing a rich understanding CSR, which entails ‘‘the firm’s considerations of, and of CR in a previously under-researched sector. Limited response to, issues beyond the narrow economic, technical understanding of responsible business practices in SMEs has and legal requirements of the firm to accomplish social been further amplified by a failure to recognise differences (and environmental) benefits along with the traditional within SME categories and the contextual impacts found in economic gains which the firm seeks’’. Indeed, Spence local clusters or traditional sectors (European Commission (2007) CSR definition decidedly encompasses the eco- 2011; Spence 2007). By using the fine jewellery industry as nomic, social and environmental aspects of CR, and mir- context, this study addresses those knowledge gaps, and the rors the Global Reporting Initiative core performance paucity of studies in the creative industry sector (Carrigan indicators.2 However, Carroll et al. (2012) suggest that et al. 2013b; Chapain et al. 2010). The fine jewellery defining the responsibilities of businesses through the term industry operates from unique geographical clusters and corporate social responsibility becomes problematic due to distinctive networks of interdependent SMEs with local and the word ‘social’. The authors argue that, instead, we global connections built on trust, but it is criticised for its should address such responsibility considerations as CR lack of transparency and traceability (Pollard 2004). Under rather than CSR, as CR holds a middle ground between pressure to adopt more responsible sourcing and production capitalism’s critics and its advocates. We thus follow practices, the fine jewellery industry has the potential for Carroll et al. (2012) and use CR within this work. While both harm and value creation. the CR debate has predominantly focused upon ‘doing Our study seeks to explore the potential for harm and good’, little attention has been focused on ‘avoiding bad’ value creation by individual stakeholders in fine jewellery (Carrigan et al. 2013b; Lin-Hi and Muller 2013). Although production, to understand how small businesses within the smaller firms are not necessarily subject to global critique jewellery industry respond to the economic, social and when exposed as behaving irresponsibly, they are still environmental challenges, and to investigate how small vulnerable, particularly in their immediate communities, businesses perceive and negotiate the tensions between and business reputation remains a primary objective for responsibility and the resistance derived from the operational their engagement with CR (Sen and Cowley 2013). Con- norms of secrecy and autonomy within the industry. Social sequently, researchers must reflect on the distinctive responsibility and SMEs are often presented in terms of aspects of a small business perspective within CR (Spence opposition and tension (Morsing and Perrini 2009). Conse- 2007). quently, we explore fine jewellery practitioners’ under- Such aspects include the need to use a recognisable standings of the relationship between responsibility and vocabulary and approach rooted in the empirical reality of small business practice, taking care to address both positive the small business context; the lack of codification of CR in and negative aspects of this relationship. Our first research contribution is to extend knowledge of 2 small business responsibility within the CR and Corporate Global Reporting Initiative core performance indicators cover economic, environmental, labour practices and decent work, society, Social Responsibility (CSR) literature. Secondly, the paper human rights and product responsibility. See https://www.globalre represents a theoretical extension of the CR and SME porting.org/resourcelibrary/g3.1-quick-reference-sheet.pdf. 123 The Fine Jewellery Industry: Corporate Responsibility Challenges and Institutional Forces… small businesses; the importance of personal motivations to transition from value in exchange to value in use (see engage in CR by business owners; the moral proximity Vargo and Lusch 2004) suggesting that consumers are with community and customers experienced by