People want to work, yet most have to labour: Towards decent work in South African supply chains

In this introduction to our book, Inclusive Dualism, we revisit W. Arthur Lewis’s famous model of development with surplus labour. Lewis emphasized the benefits of dualism, by which he meant economic differentiation and the coexistence of sectors (and of firms within sectors) characterized by different levels of productivity and wages. He proposed an expansion of relatively low-wage, labour-intensive jobs that would raise productivity by drawing ‘surplus’ labour out of subsistence activities. When such surplus labour dried up, wages would rise. In contrast to Lewis, post-2000 advocates of decent work fundamentalism promote wage increases as an instrument to increase labour productivity irrespective of labour market conditions. In the presence of surplus labour, this can have dystopic consequences, as the South African case shows. In South Africa, with its very high unemployment rates, strategies to promote relatively high-wage, high-productivity jobs came at the cost of labour-intensive development and even job destruction, thereby exacerbating poverty and inequality.

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Contribution of Biomass Supply Chains for Bioenergy to Sustainable Development Goals

Land ◽

10.3390/land10020181 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 181

Author(s):

M. Jean Blair ◽

Bruno Gagnon ◽

Andrew Klain ◽

Biljana Kulišić

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Supply Chains ◽

Case Studies ◽

Sustainable Development Goals ◽

Expert Knowledge ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Indigenous Communities ◽

Decent Work ◽

Biomass Supply ◽

Development Goals

This work evaluates the relationships between bioenergy and related biomass supply chains and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using Nilsson et al. (2016) seven-point scoring framework, the relationships between biomass supply for bioenergy and the SDGs were evaluated based on existing synthesis papers, modeling studies and empirical analyses, and expert knowledge. To complement this, contributions to SDG targets of 37 best practice case studies from around the world were documented. In reviewing these case studies, it was found that when supply chains are implemented appropriately and integrated with existing systems, they can have overwhelmingly positive contributions. Beyond directly contributing to SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), at least half of all case studies supported progress toward SDGs 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), and 12 (Responsible Production and Consumption); however, the ways in which supply chains contributed often differed. Agricultural biomass supply chains (energy crops and residues) were most likely to contribute to SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), while waste and forest supply chains were most likely to contribute to SDG 15 (Life on Land). The development of bioenergy systems in rural and indigenous communities also indirectly supports societal SDGs such as SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Inequality), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). This work informs how SDGs can be used as a normative framework to guide the implementation of sustainable biomass supply chains, whether it is used for bioenergy or the broader bioeconomy. Recommendations for key stakeholders and topics for future work are also proposed.

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What do South African supermarket retailers disclose about the sustainability of suppliers?

Journal of Contemporary Management ◽

10.35683/jcm20087.101 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 173-193

Author(s):

Lorren K. Haywood ◽

◽

Willem de Lange ◽

Constansia Musvoto ◽

Benita de Wet ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Supply Chains ◽

South African ◽

Annual Reports ◽

Managerial Implication ◽

The Status ◽

Consistent Manner ◽

Annual Reporting ◽

Research Questions ◽

And Performance ◽

Sustainable Sourcing

Background: As intermediaries between producers, manufacturers and consumers, retailers are uniquely positioned to influence production practices and consumption trends. Supermarket retailers are increasingly imposing responsibility on their suppliers to improve the sustainability of their supply chains. Purpose of study: The ways in which supermarket retailers disclose their sustainable sourcing initiatives are not well understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate the manner in which South African supermarket retailers disclose their sustainable sourcing practices and performance. The objective was to understand if sustainable sourcing is a key aspect of disclosure in the annual reporting of these retailers and if so, what information and performance measures are communicated. Design/Methodology/Approach: The annual reports of the five largest supermarket retailers in South Africa were downloaded from the internet. Content analysis was used to obtain information from the annual reports. Research questions were formulated from which the content categories were defined, for which in turn coded data was extracted from the reports. A scoring system was developed to score the status quo of the coded sustainable sourcing disclosure information. Results/Findings: The results show inconsistency in what information which the different supermarket retailers disclose with regard to sustainable sourcing and how they present it. It is difficult to compare sustainable sourcing practices and performance measurement amongst supermarkets. This has the potential to compromise the competitive advantage of the retailer. Recommendations: The authors recommend a standardised reporting protocol to aid the verification of sustainable sourcing claims and to enable comparisons between retailers. Managerial implication: Being able to disclose information on sustainable sourcing in the supply chains of retailers in a consistent manner, will enable performance comparisons amongst competing businesses. Using a standardised reporting protocol will facilitate the process of consistent and comparable disclosure, providing a basis for continuous improvement.

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Inclusive Dualism

10.1093/oso/9780198841463.001.0001 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nicoli Nattrass ◽

Jeremy Seekings

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Development Strategy ◽

Developing Economies ◽

Labour Productivity ◽

Health And Safety ◽

Decent Work ◽

The South ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

African Countries ◽

Surplus Labour

W. Arthur Lewis, the founding father of development economics, saw developing economies as dualist, that is, characterised by differences in earnings and productivity between and within economic sectors. His famous model of development, in which ‘surplus’ (unemployed and underemployed) labour was drawn out of subsistence activities and into manufacturing, was reflected in the subsequent East Asian development trajectory in which labour was drawn into low-wage, labour-intensive manufacturing, including in clothing production, before shifting into higher-wage work once the supply of surplus labour had dried up. This development strategy has become unfashionable, the concern being that in a globalized world, labour-intensive industry promises little more than an impoverishing ‘race to the bottom’. A strong strand in contemporary development discourse favours the promotion of decent work irrespective of whether surplus labour exists or not. We argue that ‘better work’ policies to ensure health and safety, minimum wages and worker representation are important. Decent work fundamentalism—that is, the promotion of higher wages and labour productivity at the cost of lower-wage job destruction—is a utopian vision with dystopic consequences for countries with high open unemployment, including most of Southern Africa. We show, using the South African clothing industry as a case study, that decent work fundamentalism ignores the benefits of dualism (the co-existence of high- and low-wage firms), resulting in the unnecessary destruction of labour-intensive jobs and the bifurcation of society into highly-paid, high-productivity insiders and unemployed outsiders. The South African case has broader relevance because of the growth in surplus labour—including in its extreme form, open unemployment—across a growing number of African countries. Inclusive dualism, as a development strategy, takes the trade-off between wages and employment seriously, prioritizes labour-intensive job creation and facilitates increased productivity where appropriate, so that jobs are created, not destroyed.

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The Zara Case in Brazil: Juridical Effectiveness of Soft Law Measures Concerning Decent Work in Global Supply Chains

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3411472 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Ligia Ramia Munerati

Keyword(s):

Supply Chains ◽

Soft Law ◽

Global Supply Chains ◽

Decent Work

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External job satisfaction factors improving the overall job satisfaction of selected five-star hotel employees

South African Journal of Business Management ◽

10.4102/sajbm.v45i2.127 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (2) ◽

pp. 97-107 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L. Coughlan ◽

H. Moolman ◽

R. Haarhoff

Keyword(s):

Job Satisfaction ◽

Work Environment ◽

South African ◽

Western Cape ◽

Decent Work ◽

Close Link ◽

Tourism Sector ◽

People Development ◽

Overall Job Satisfaction ◽

Satisfaction Factors

One of the 2011 South African National Tourism Sector Strategy objectives is to "provide excellent people development and decent work within the tourism sector". The hospitality industry is, however, not regarded as a provider of decent work and a close link exists between decent work and job satisfaction. External job satisfaction can be defined as satisfaction relating to the work environment of employees. The purpose of this study was to identify the external job satisfaction factors which contribute to overall job satisfaction of employees in selected five-star hotels. The instrument used to gather the quantitative data was a newly developed index based on the literature review conducted. The empirical study was conducted among 124 employees of four five-star hotels in the Western Cape. All three factors identified (supervision, work environment and work itself) were found to be significantly and positively correlated with overall job satisfaction in five-star hotels in the Western Cape.

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