RSE et frontières de l'organisation : Management de la relation fournisseur dans les grands groupes industriels

The importance of externalisation and sub-contracting is growing. In this context, this paper aims to analyze how and why managers enact the borders of their enterprises social responsibility. The study of principal international texts and the analysis of large industrial companies' sustainability reports revealed two representations of CSR at the border of organization : a "messianic "one and a "defensive" one. We examined case-studies of introduction of CSR practices into the supply chain management. We find that the more the companies are pro-active in CSR, the more they partake in a defensive logic ; after having externalized the risk, enterprises transfer the more or less formal obligation of CSR on their suppliers and the dilemma between economic and social and environmental objectives emerges quickly . Building on the patterns of inter-organizational relationships control ( Market, bureaucratic or trust and network based patterns), we define three main types of enactments of CSR borders depending on the view the managers have of the economic and financial interests of incorporating CSR into their purchasing strategy and we highlight the role of "CSR slack".