Title: Corporate responsibility in the fast fashion industry: how media pressure affected corporate disclosure following the collapse of Rana Plaza

Authors: Elise Auke; Ana Simaens

Addresses: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Av. das Forças Armadas 376, 1600-077 Lisboa, Portugal ' Business Research Unit (BRU-IUL), Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal

Abstract: The concept behind fast fashion is that of quickly-produced, low-priced, fashion items and, for many, it constitutes the opposite of sustainability. The collapse of Rana Plaza factory in 2013 generated greater focus on CSR issues within the fast fashion industry and raised important questions about whether the industry can be sustainable. This research aims to explore the reasons for which companies engage in CSR initiatives and whether global news media attention has an effect on companies' CSR disclosure and initiatives. The study draws upon legitimacy and media agenda setting theory to explore the link between CSR disclosure and news coverage. The research shows that CSR disclosures varied according to the companies' CSR profiles, and that media coverage differed according to companies' CSR initiatives and proactivity. This paper contributes to the literature by qualitatively exploring the relationship between media attention and corporate disclosure in the ready-made garment industry after a disaster.

Keywords: corporate disclosure; corporate social responsibility; CSR; media pressure; Rana Plaza; ready-made garment industry; corporate social responsibility communication; legitimacy theory; media agenda setting theory; corporate social responsibility initiatives; sustainability reporting.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEIM.2019.100800

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2019 Vol.23 No.4, pp.356 - 382

Received: 15 Sep 2017
Accepted: 26 Nov 2017
Published online: 18 Jul 2019 *

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