Project Details
Project Description
This research is being conducted jointly by Monash University and Oxfam Australia (under the Monash Oxfam Partnership). The aim of this study is to conduct in-depth research to identify the impact of sourcing practices of selected brands leading to poor wage and working conditions of the women making clothes in production countries.
In order to achieve this, the partners propose to:
1.Identify the different sourcing channels used by the 14 Brands and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each one and its impact on working conditions in factories in Bangladesh;
2.Identify the impact on garment producing factories and their workers (health, wages and wellbeing) of the specific purchasing practices by Brands and/or their Agents (aggressive price negotiation, inaccurate forecasting, late orders, short lead time, and last-minute changes etc.);
3.Rank different purchasing practices used by the Brands and/or Agents as an obstacle to business success. This will be presented in a graph to demonstrate which different sourcing practice/s are more problematic than others from the factory management perspective and the Brand’s perspective;
4.Link between different purchasing practices and supervisors’ stress levels. This will be presented in a graph to demonstrate which different sourcing practice/s are more stressful for supervisors to manage. This will be followed by an analysis of its impact on workers;
5.Three case studies on poor sourcing practices and its impact on business;
6.One positive case study on changing purchasing practices;
7.Identify factories supplying to selected five non-transparent brands;
8.Assess purchasing practices of selected brands sourcing from Bangladesh based on selected criteria;
9.Identify how current purchasing practices are aligned with the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (MSA);
10.Compare sourcing practices of selected brands with European brands. This analysis may be presented separately in our webpage through an infographic.
In order to achieve this, the partners propose to:
1.Identify the different sourcing channels used by the 14 Brands and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each one and its impact on working conditions in factories in Bangladesh;
2.Identify the impact on garment producing factories and their workers (health, wages and wellbeing) of the specific purchasing practices by Brands and/or their Agents (aggressive price negotiation, inaccurate forecasting, late orders, short lead time, and last-minute changes etc.);
3.Rank different purchasing practices used by the Brands and/or Agents as an obstacle to business success. This will be presented in a graph to demonstrate which different sourcing practice/s are more problematic than others from the factory management perspective and the Brand’s perspective;
4.Link between different purchasing practices and supervisors’ stress levels. This will be presented in a graph to demonstrate which different sourcing practice/s are more stressful for supervisors to manage. This will be followed by an analysis of its impact on workers;
5.Three case studies on poor sourcing practices and its impact on business;
6.One positive case study on changing purchasing practices;
7.Identify factories supplying to selected five non-transparent brands;
8.Assess purchasing practices of selected brands sourcing from Bangladesh based on selected criteria;
9.Identify how current purchasing practices are aligned with the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (MSA);
10.Compare sourcing practices of selected brands with European brands. This analysis may be presented separately in our webpage through an infographic.
| Short title | Sourcing practices of iconic brands in Australia |
|---|---|
| Status | Finished |
| Effective start/end date | 1/12/19 → 1/07/20 |
Funding
- Oxfam (Australia): A$10,000.00