Supply chain due diligence’s influence on supply chain strategies

: an analysis on the upcoming Norwegian Transparency Act

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to gain insight on how the Norwegian Transparency Act affects supplychain strategies, and further acquiring knowledge on which resources are being used andactivities done to meet the requirements of the act. For this purpose, quantitative and qualitativestudies were conducted in terms of a questionnaire answered by 29 companies and three indepth interviews with three companies. The research concludes that public policy andgovernmental regulations, exemplified by The Norwegian Transparency Act, have an impacton supply chain strategies. However, supply chain due diligence’s impact on supply chainstrategies is varying depending on several factors, like size of supply chains, suppliers’ location,implemented guidelines similar to the act and operations in countries with due diligence laws.The most implemented resources and activities are creation of specialized teams, informationsharing, use of legal services and other third-party contributions. The SCOR model (APICS,2017), useful for measuring performance of supply chains, seems to have received littleattention for its recently added 6th “enabling” process, which includes i.e., regulatory compliance management. This process should be greatly emphasized as due diligence has an increasing impact on supply chain management. The Norwegian Transparency Act has not yet entered into force. Hence, this thesis contributes by expanding knowledge of companies’awareness about the act and, if aware, how they prepare and adjust to meet new requirements. Further, it provides valuable insight for policy formulation, more effective implementation, and ultimately ensuring decent working conditions for all.

Date of Award	28 Jun 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Marta Bicho (Supervisor)