A Framework for Understanding Ethical Supply Chain Decision Making

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review the domain of ethical decision making in supply chain management for the purpose of suggesting how further research in this area may be developed. We examine the evolving nature of supply chain management and current efforts to include ethical decision making in supply chain management decision making. We show that, while there is growing concern with ethics, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability, the current state of the field is fragmented with the majority of articles reviewed focusing on specific issues rather than a more holistic approach. We then review ethical decision making models from Ferrell and Gresham (1985) and Hunt and Vitell (1986) widely used in analyzing marketing ethics and use these models to suggest a framework for ethical decision making in supply chain management.

KEYWORDS:

• marketing ethics
• supply chain ethics
• supply chain management