Marie Schwimmer

Title of Dissertation:
Exploring boundary conditions of aspirational CSR communication through a business ethics lens – evidence from the garment industry

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Andreas Suchanek
University: HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management
Scholarship: KSG Scholarship
Cohort: 5. Cohort, 2018-2021

• Short Abstract

  Companies are increasingly confronted with the demand to respond to an increased level of stakeholder sensitivity to ethical, social, and environmental issues. Consequently, corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication serves as a strategic means to counter negative public outcry, build reputation, as well as to attain legitimacy (Palazzo & Scherer, 2006). However, in a context of public suspicion and distrust, discrepancies between CSR talk and action are being perceived as sources of hypocrisy or greenwashing and potential threats to organizational authenticity, the call for consistency seems to be appropriate (Christensen et al., 2013). A recent example is H&M’s “Conscious collection” which is part of the company’s ambitious plan to only use organic or recycled materials by 2040. The company claimed on their website, that every piece in the collection is made from sustainable sourced material, such as 100 percent organic cotton, Tencel or recycled polyester. However, some products of the collection were made of only 5 percent recycled materials, and 95 per cent non-recycled polyester, misleading consumers (Alexandra Mondalek, 2020). In the shadows of green washing accusations, H&M’s public commitments to sustainability, seemingly fail to respond to the public’s expectations of consistency in walking the CSR talk. Yet, such requests ignore the performative nature of communication and the prospect of aspirational corporate messages to stimulate further exploration and developments in the CSR arena, leading to social change (Christensen et al., 2013). Therefore, the aim of this research is to answer the following research question: under which conditions can aspirational CSR talk unfold its the performative potential?

  Answering the call for more theoretical exploration as well as empirical research on the performative nature of CSR communication (Christensen et al., 2013; Schoeneborn et al., 2020), the thesis will combine both approaches.

  First of all, the concept of self-commitment, relevant inconsistencies as well as the concept of the double syllogism (Suchanek, 2015) will serve as a conceptual foundation for a systematic analysis of boundary conditions of aspirational talk as signals. The concept of self-commitment will serve as a starting point to analyze the moral implications of aspirational talk as well as under which conditions it can be successful.

  The ethical of concept of self-commitment has been chosen, due to its ability to make sense of the space between talk and action. This space might hold some insights about the effectives of aspirational talk, since it presents time to navigate certain (re)actions. Due to a remaining lack of regulatory framework concerning corporate responsibility, organizations commit themselves (voluntary) to be guided by certain aims and values under restrictions such as competition and scarce resources. The concept of self-commitment refers to a reflected behavior, aiming to reach ones goals and values, by increasing the cost of opposing courses of actions (Suchanek, 2015).

  Due to the relative scarcity of empirical research on aspirational CSR communication, and more specifically of research into its boundary conditions, grounded theory methods are employed in this study in a second step. To explore and describe under which conditions aspirational talk turns from being motivational to being perceived as hypocrisy, a case study approach is suitable (Eisenhardt, 1989). Therefore, perspectives of different stakeholders will be gathered in order to gain insights into their daily experiences with aspirational talk, to identify certain incidents and learn more about the practice and potential boundary conditions of aspirational CSR communication.

  Data collection will be built on several in-depth qualitative interviews with experts working in the apparel industry. The focus of this research is the apparel industry, where significant challenges need to be addressed to ensure sustainable production of garments within complex and global supply chains. The interviews will be approached in a semi-structured way, with the overall aim of discovering how organizational members are making sense and experiencing the process of communicating CSR goals and intentions. The concept of self-commitment will be used as a structure for the interview guide.

  Until this point, the case selection in terms of geographical scope and organizational size is not clear yet. Further the hierarchical level of the interviewed organizational team member has not been defined yet. Potentially, extreme cases, so-called polar types will be chosen for analysis.

  Identifying boundary conditions, under which aspirational talk can unfold its full potential could lead to valuable strategic implications for CSR management. Especially, by gathering practical insights from CSR managers about how they experience challenges in the process of aspirational talk, could lead to best or worst practices derivations.

  From a theoretical perspective, this research answers the demand for more conceptual and empirical research on aspirational CSR communication (Christensen et al., 2013; Schoeneborn et al., 2020). Applying a business ethics frame, using the concepts of self-commitment, relevant inconsistencies and the double syllogism, adds a normative perspective to the discussion and broadens the view on aspirational talk.

  Literature:

  Alexandra Mondalek. (2020, Mai 18). How to Avoid the Greenwashing Trap. Business of Fashion. https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/professional/greenwashing-fashion-sustainability-marketing

  Christensen, L. T., Morsing, M., & Thyssen, O. (2013). CSR as aspirational talk. Organization, 20(3), 372–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/1350508413478310

  Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building Theories from Case Study Research. The Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532. https://doi.org/10.2307/258557

  Palazzo, G., & Scherer, A. G. (2006). Corporate Legitimacy as Deliberation: A Communicative Framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 66(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9044-2

  Schoeneborn, D., Morsing, M., & Crane, A. (2020). Formative Perspectives on the Relation Between CSR Communication and CSR Practices: Pathways for Walking, Talking, and T(w)alking. Business & Society, 59(1), 5–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650319845091

  Suchanek, A. (2015). Unternehmensethik: In Vertrauen investieren. Mohr Siebeck.

   

• PhD Related Publications

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