THE ROLE OF PURCHASING IN CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A STRUCTURAL EQUATION ANALYSIS

Researchers over the past several years have advocated that the role of logistics must expand to encompass social responsibility (Bowersox 1998; Poist 1989; Stock 1990). Most recently, Murphy and Poist (2002) noted that research in the area of socially responsible logistics has lagged behind that of other functional areas of the firm, despite logistics managers' beliefs that social responsibility is an important component of logistics that will increase in importance over time. Somewhat similarly, the subject of purchasing and supply management has received insufficient coverage in the past (La Londe 1988) and continues to be underrepresented vis-a-vis other logistics topics (Miyazaki, Phillips, and Phillips 1999), despite the key role that purchasing plays in a firm's overall logistics system including product design and selection, procurement of transportation and third-party logistics services, supplier selection, and the management of inventory and supplier relationships (Bowersox et al. 1992; Cavinato 1992; Gentry and Farris 1992; Lambert and Stock 1993).