scholarly journals The Ethical Consumer and Codes of Ethics in the Fashion Industry

Laws ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Esther Cerchia ◽  
Katherine Piccolo
Keyword(s):  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Purchasing Decisions ◽  
Safety Standards ◽  
Hard Time ◽  
Ethical Consumer ◽  
Labor Safety ◽  
Corporate Social

Sustainability is a central challenge of the fashion industry. In an era where Internet and social networks allow information to spread quickly, more consumers are familiar with the call for “ethical fashion” as disasters such as Rana Plaza resound worldwide. However, consumers interested in buying “ethical” clothing could have a hard time orienting themselves amongst the abundance of brands claiming to be ethical on the market. Consumers might make purchasing decisions based on their knowledge of a brand. In this context, it is imaginable that corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications, including codes of ethics, could constitute one way a consumer can learn more about a company’s values. These codes may serve a variety of purposes—they are undoubtedly one of the ways a brand communicates its commitment to ethical principles. Indeed, by analyzing the codes of ethics of some of the industry’s well-known brands, it is evident that they primarily focus on employment and workers’ rights (including equality and discrimination issues), labor safety standards, bribery and anti-corruption, counterfeiting and unfair business practices, as well as respect for (and sometimes improvement of) the environment. A company’s code of ethics is also a powerful tool for improving brand image by adopting a code that responds to the issues that consumers care about. It is therefore necessary to distinguish between companies that are truly ethical and those that merely appear so. In order to protect consumer confidence in such documents, a fil rouge across legal systems may be found (although the specific characteristics may vary greatly) in the laws that protect consumers from misleading advertising.

scholarly journals Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Codes of Ethics of Companies in the Czech Republic Operating Nationally or Internationally

2021 ◽  
Vol 92 ◽  
pp. 08005
Author(s):  
Zdeněk Caha ◽  
Michaela Ruso ◽  
Michaela Procházková
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Qualitative Comparative Analysis ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Level Of Importance

Research background: Ethical conduct is considered a pillar of strength within the context of corporate social responsibility. The basic tool for achieving this is a code of ethics, which should form the basis for the ethical management of any company. Globalisation and internationalisation have brought with them the need to have a high-quality code of ethics in place, one that is balanced in terms of content. Purpose of the article: The aim of the research presented in this contribution is to determine, by means of qualitative comparative analysis, to what extent codes of ethics meet key preconditions for efficacy. Methods: The analysis was carried out on a sample set of 40 companies from various industrial sectors, and of various size, ownership structure and origin. All the companies were active in the Czech Republic at the time. The main preconditions for determining the efficacy of a code of ethics, and which therefore formed the basis for the qualitative comparative analysis, were set in advance. Findings & Value added: The results of the analysis revealed that significant differences exist between companies with national and international spheres of activity with regards to the content and form of their codes of ethics. As a consequence, the preconditions for efficacy were judged not to have been fully met. The primary reason for the differences was the level of importance managements and owners of companies assign to a code of ethics and the emphasis they place on adherence to the provisions set forth in them.

scholarly journals CSR Statements in International and Czech Luxury Fashion Industry at the Onset and during the COVID-19 Pandemic—Slowing Down the Fast Fashion Business?

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3715
Author(s):  
Radka MacGregor Pelikánová ◽  
Tereza Němečková ◽  
Robert K. MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Fast Fashion ◽  
Slowing Down ◽  
Comparative Review ◽  
Corporate Social

COVID-19 leads to a reinforced need to address sustainability at the economic, environmental, and social pillars, and the six categories of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of businesses, that is, their self-commitment to integrate sustainability in their policies and strategies and to become more effective and efficient. Luxury fashion businesses refer heavily but not identically, to their CSR, by formally issuing CSR reports and Codes of Ethics, and informally voicing their pro-CSR statements. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and brought important changes. This burning issue translates into three objectives in this paper—assessing the CSR statements of International and Czech Luxury Fashion Industry businesses (i) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and (iii) identifying new trends. To address them, a holistic and interdisciplinary case study exploration was performed entailing 10 International Luxury Fashion businesses and 10 Czech Luxury Fashion businesses. The resulting data were explored via Meta-Analysis and content analysis, teleological interpretations, etc. The critical and comparative review revealed six interesting trends indicating a shift in perception of sustainability and CSR caused by COVID-19. The review offers propositions for how the COVID-19 threats could become an opportunity for rebuilding this industry.

scholarly journals Perception of Consumers’ Awareness about Sustainability of Fashion Brands

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 594
Author(s):  
Doroteja Mandarić ◽  
Anica Hunjet ◽  
Goran Kozina
Keyword(s):  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Consumer Attitudes ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Fashion Industry ◽  
Purchasing Decisions ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Fashion Products ◽  
Sustainable Fashion ◽  
And Behavior

Consumers’ perception, awareness, and behavior toward sustainable fashion were surveyed with a questionnaire in which 263 respondents participated, and obtained data were primarily analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. The focus of this research was consumer attitudes toward sustainable business practices of fashion brands. Based on the conducted research, differences were found between sexes in the perception of their own awareness of sustainability in fashion, where women consider their own awareness to be higher than men’s. The perception of fashion sustainability awareness in women younger than 35 and those over 36 was also examined. The research showed a gap between consumers’ awareness, their positive attitude toward sustainable fashion, and a lack of action in that direction when making purchasing decisions. The results of these studies provide a better understanding of one’s own perception of awareness in terms of fashion sustainability and various connected factors, as well as difference in both sexes’ awareness of these factors, which may influence consumer behavior related to sustainable fashion products. Thus they can facilitate the implementation of relevant strategies in the fashion industry.

Hollow Notion of Corporate Social Responsibility. Introduction of a Frame Field Model to Investigate CSR in Public Discourses

MedienJournal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franzisca Weder
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Field Model ◽  
Communication Studies ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Frame Field ◽  
Quantitative Content ◽  
German Speaking ◽  
Corporate Social

The present study examines the relevance and framing of Corporate Social Responsibility in the mass media. Challenged by the ethically (over)loaded issue of responsibility, communication studies are searching for a new understanding of framing to investigate phenomena of new economic values like Corporate Social Responsibility in public discourses. For the quantitative content analysis put forward herein, frames are described as footprints of diverse positions, which determine a given public discourse. The longitudinal analysis of 26 German-speaking newspapers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland between 1999 and 2008, a phase where CSR was aligned in business practices and CSR communication established in public discourses, aims at identifying CSR-frames as well as inquiring into the existence of a public discourse about CSR. The results show that there is no discourse on CSR itself. Instead of the assumed multiple issue-specific frames, CSR itself is (ab)used as a masterframe or “buzz word” in economic discourses.

scholarly journals When Rights Enter the CSR Field: British Firms’ Engagement with Human Rights and the UN Guiding Principles

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvise Favotto ◽  
Kelly Kollman
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Global Markets ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
New Governance ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
Market Competitiveness ◽  
Guiding Principles ◽  
Corporate Social

AbstractThe adoption of the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights by the United Nations (UNGPs) in 2011 created a new governance instrument aimed at improving the promotion of human rights by business enterprises. While reaffirming states duties to uphold human rights in law, the UNGPs called on firms to promote the realization of human rights within global markets. The UNGPs thus have sought to embed human rights more firmly within the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to use CSR practices to improve corporate human rights accountability. In this paper, we explore how this incorporation of human rights into the CSR field has affected the business practices and public commitments British firms have made to promote human rights. We analyse the CSR reports published by the 50 largest British firms over a 20-year period starting in the late 1990s and interview senior CSR managers of these firms. We find that these firms have expanded how they articulate their responsibility for human rights over time. These commitments however remain largely focused on improving management practices such as due diligence and remediation procedures. Firms are often both vague and selective about which substantive human rights they engage with in light of their concerns about their market competitiveness and broader legitimacy. These outcomes suggest that, while firms cannot completely resist the normative pressures exerted by the CSR field, they retain significant resources and agency in translating such pressure into concrete practices.

scholarly journals The Incidence of Social Responsibility in the Adoption of Business Practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felipe Arenas-Torres ◽  
Miguel Bustamante-Ubilla ◽  
Roberto Campos-Troncoso
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Collective Impact ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Relevant ◽  
Corporate Social

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies are evidenced by adopting socially relevant business practices for people, communities, companies, and related institutions. Based on this conception, the present work determines the incidence of ethics and CSR on practices regarding diversity, environment, and community of Chilean companies. The method, applied to a sample of 3179 Chilean companies, was descriptive and correlational. Results demonstrate an incipient level of standardization in the adoption of social responsibility practices. The dimension regarding diversity presented a higher cumulative correlation coefficient, which could lead to a change in CSR practices. It is concluded that the collective impact of the ethics and CSR policies was positive and significant in the adoption of practices related to diversity, environment, and community.

scholarly journals Measurement properties of the construct of the code of ethics content: The South African experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercy Mpinganjira ◽  
Mornay Roberts-Lombard ◽  
Goran Svensson ◽  
Greg Wood
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Measurement Properties ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sampling Frame

Background: Many organisations develop codes of ethics to help guide business conduct. However, not much is known about the contents of codes of ethics. Objectives: This article aims at investigating the code of ethics content construct and its measurement properties using a sample of firms from South Africa. Method: The study followed a quantitative research approach. The sampling frame consisted of the top 500 companies in South Africa. A structured questionnaire was administered using the telephone survey method. The respondents consisted of company secretaries and heads or managers responsible for ethics in the respective companies. At the end of the data collection period, a total of 222 usable responses were obtained. Results: The findings show that South African top companies have comprehensive codes of ethics as evidenced by the high mean values obtained from all of the content items under investigation. The findings also support the notion that the code of ethics content construct is multidimensional. Seven different dimensions were confirmed in the analysis. The measurement model of the ethics content construct was found to be valid as evidenced by the goodness-of-fit measure and measures of validity. Conclusion: The study shows that the code of ethics construct is multi-dimensional in nature. The framework provided in this study can also be used in developing, evaluating and strengthening existing codes where such need arises. This study contributes to theory on business ethics and presents the first tested measurement model of the code of ethics construct in South Africa.

scholarly journals An Analysis on the NASDAQ’s Potential for Sustainable Investment Practices during the Financial Shock from COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3748
Author(s):  
Rachel Shields ◽  
Samer Ajour El Zein ◽  
Neus Vila Brunet
Keyword(s):  
Business Practices ◽  
Sustainable Business ◽  
Global Crisis ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Investment ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Sustainable Investments ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Garch Model ◽  
Difficult Times

There is a growing demand for sustainable business practices and for sustainable and impact investment as has been signaled by the Sustainable Development Goals ratified by all the United Nations members. However, there is not that much evidence on how sustainable investments perform during crises compared to regular investments. This paper investigates if sustainable investments within the NASDAQ have a lower volatility rate when reacting to a significant global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It groups the shares of businesses with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices that are ranked 70% or higher given by CSRHub, Inc. and compares it to business shares with the lowest-ranked CSR business practices at 30% or lower. The top 30% and bottom 30% CSR stocks’ volatility will be predicted using variations of the GARCH model. The top 30% CSR stocks of the NASDAQ had a lower rate of volatility for a global crisis than the bottom 30% CSR stocks. Technology is the only sector whose top 30% showed higher volatility. However, the top 30% of companies in the Health Care and Utilities sectors show a higher increase in returns and a lower drop in returns. These results signal the higher uncertainty associated with some cutting-edge products and services offered by the top 30% of technology companies and the preference for more established companies that offer higher quality services when it comes to satisfying basic needs such as health and utilities in difficult times.

Delivering warmth and expediting love: just-in-time CSR in the midst of COVID-19 mega disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiwei (CJ) Lin ◽  
IpKin Anthony Wong ◽  
Shuyi Kara Lin ◽  
Yun Yang
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Research Problem ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Resonance ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Crisis Responses

Purpose This study aims to move beyond the current understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to propose the concept of just-in-time (JIT) CSR as a metaphor that reflects hospitality operators’ endeavors to expedite socially responsible measures to both internal and external organizational stakeholders during times when functional and emotional supports are urgently needed. Design/methodology/approach This research used a qualitative approach in two studies. Study 1 engaged a media analysis to better grasp the knowledge of the research problem at hand. Study 2 involved interviews from stakeholders to assess their emotions and perceptions of meanings of major contents discerned from the first study. Findings This research highlights a process in which operators’ CSR practices (e.g. for business practices, for organizational strategy and for stakeholder well-being) during the COVID-19 crisis are imbued with connotative meanings (e.g. place-as-safety, place-as-partnership and place-as-warmth) that ultimately give shape to three core outcomes (e.g. individual rejoinder, brand resonance and societal resilience). Research limitations/implications While JIT CSR is not an antidote for all devastations caused by COVID-19, it is posited as a needed mechanism that operators could use to ameliorate the situation and to go beyond their own stake to bring a broader array of societal benefits to humanity. Originality/value This research underscores how hospitality operators expedite crisis responses to the pandemic, and how their societal objectives transform the image of a place from a commercial venue into a place imbued with meaning associated with safety, partnership and warmth.

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