Browse > Article
http://dx.doi.org/10.5850/JKSCT.2016.40.1.26

Korean Fashion Companies' Strategic CSR Implementation with Focus on Incorporation of Consumers' CSR Expectations  

Chung, Kyunghwa (Dept. of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design, Seoul National University)
Lee, Yuri (Dept. of Textiles, Merchandising, and Fashion Design, Seoul National University/Research Institute of Human Ecology, Seoul National University)
Publication Information
Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles / v.40, no.1, 2016 , pp. 26-40 More about this Journal
Abstract
The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) implementation is increasing and CSR activity has become a core activity for firms. The increase on CSR activity expenditures also increases the need for strategic. When firms implement CSR strategically, firms need to consider consumers' perspectives toward CSR. This research investigated how Korean fashion companies integrate consumers' CSR expectations into CSR implementation. Through a qualitative study, we researched a firm's consideration of consumers which are reflected in detailed procedures of CSR implementation. We conducted in-depth interviews with executives and managers in charge of CSR and found the following results. First, motivations for CSR implementation were both strategic and moral along with consumers who play a crucial role in CSR motivation. Second, firms conducted various strategic CSR activities differentiating themselves using a specific resource. Third, self-CSR evaluation was not active and structured. Few companies were collecting consumer responses to CSR activities. Last, executives and managers have difficulties to perform CSR activities due to gaps between ethical consumption consciousness and the ethical consumption behavior, measurement of CSR effect, and lack of understanding of strategic CSR. The results of our study show that firm's consideration of consumers is insufficient despite executives and managers who strongly agree with the need for strategic CSR.
Keywords
Strategic CSR; Korean fashion companies; Consumer; In-depth interview;
Citations & Related Records
Times Cited By KSCI : 7  (Citation Analysis)
연도 인용수 순위
1 Xu, S., & Yang, R. (2010). Indigenous characteristics of Chinese corporate social responsibility conceptual paradigm. Journal of Business Ethics, 93(2), 321-333. doi: 10.1007/s10551-009-0224-8   DOI
2 Yin, R. K. (2003). Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
3 Ahn, S. K. (2013). Comparison of ideal versus actual fashion corporate social responsibility from a consumer perspective. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 37(5), 631-644. doi:10.5850/JKSCT.2013.37.5.631   DOI
4 Ahn, S. K., & Ryou, E. J. (2011). Corporate social responsibility-Contents analysis of Korean fashion corporations websites-. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 35(4), 455-465.   DOI
5 Ahn, S. K., & Ryou, E. J. (2013). CSR expectation from fashion firms and its impact on brand equity. Fashion and Textiles Research Journal, 15(1), 73-83. doi:10.5805/SFTI.2013.15.1.073   DOI
6 Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120.   DOI
7 Bronn, S. P., & Vidaver-Cohen, D. (2009). Corporate motives for social initiative: Legitimacy, sustainability, or the bottom line? Journal of Business Ethics, 87(1), 91-109. doi:10.1007/s10551-008-9795-z   DOI
8 Battaglia, M., Bianchi, L., Frey, M., & Iraldo, F. (2010). An innovative model to promote CSR among SMEs operating in industrial clusters: Evidence from an EU project. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 17(3), 133-141. doi:10.1002/csr.224   DOI
9 Berg, B. L. (2009). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
10 Bray, J., Johns, N., & Kilburn, D. (2011). An exploratory study into the factors impeding ethical consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(4), 597-608. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0640-9   DOI
11 Brown, T. J., & Dacin, P. A. (1997). The company and the product: Corporate associations and consumer product responses. Journal of Marketing, 61(1), 68-84. doi:10.2307/1252190   DOI
12 Burke, L., & Logsdon, J. M. (1996). How corporate social responsibility pays off. Long Range Planning, 29(4), 495-502.   DOI
13 Choi, M. Y. (2012). Brand attitude formation according to consumers' cognition of CSR fit and CSR motivation. Journal of the Korean Society of Fashion Design, 12(1), 75-92.
14 Choi, M. Y., & Sung, H. (2013). A study on social responsibility practices of fashion corporations. Korean Journal of Human Ecology, 22(1), 167-179. doi:10.5934/KJHE.2013.22.1.167   DOI
15 Clarkson, M. B. E. (1988). Corporate social performance in Canada, 1976-1986. In L. E. Preston (Ed.), Research in corporate social performance and policy (Vol. 10, pp. 241-245). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
16 Ferreira, D. A., Avila, M. G., & de Faria, M. D. (2010). Corporate social responsibility and consumers' perception of price. Social Responsibility Journal, 6(2), 208-221. doi:10.1108/17471111011051720   DOI
17 Cooke, F. L., & He, Q. (2010). Corporate social responsibility and HRM in China: a study of textile and apparel enterprises. Asia Pacific Business Review, 16(3), 355-376.   DOI
18 Cooper-Martin, E., & Holbrook, M. B. (1993). Ethical consumption experiences and ethical space. Advances in Consumer Research, 20, 113-118.
19 Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 65-91.   DOI
20 Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Boston, MA: Pitman.
21 Freeman, R. E., Wicks, A. C., & Parmar, B. (2004). Stakeholder theory and "The corporate objective revisited". Organization Science, 15(3), 364-369. doi:10.1287/orsc.1040.0066   DOI
22 Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine, pp. 122-126.
23 Galbreath, J. (2009). Building corporate social responsibility into strategy. European Business Review, 21(2), 109-127. doi:10.1108/09555340910940123   DOI
24 Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago, IL: Aldine.
25 Goworek, H. (2011). Social and environmental sustainability in the clothing industry: A case study of a fair trade retailer. Social Responsibility Journal, 7(1), 74-86. doi:101108/17471111111114558   DOI
26 Huh, E. (2011). The determinants of consumer's attitude and purchase intention on ethical products. Journal of Consumer Studies, 22(2), 89-111.
27 Graafland, J. & van de Ven, B. (2006). Strategic and moral motivation for corporate social responsibility. Journal of Corporate Citizenship, 22, 111-123.
28 Harrison, R., Newholm, T., & Shaw, D. (2005). The ethical consumer. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
29 Hong, Y. G., & Song, I. (2010). The concept and practice areas of ethical consumption. Consumer Policy and Education Review, 6(4), 91-110
30 Huh, E., & Kim, W. S. (2012). Consumers' ethical consumption behavior and related factors. Journal of Consumer Studies, 23(4), 105-130.
31 Jeon, J. H. (2011). The effect of corporate social responsibility on the corporate image and purchase intention. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 35(5), 547-560.   DOI
32 Lattemann, C., Fetscherin, M., Alon, I., Li, S., & Schneider, A. (2009). CSR communication intensity in Chinese and Indian multinational companies. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(4), 426-442. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8683.2009.00758.x   DOI
33 Laudal, T. (2010). An attempt to determine the CSR potential of the international clothing business. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(1), 63-77. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0449-6   DOI
34 Lee, J., & Lee, Y. (2014). The effect of benevolence perception of fashion companies' philanthropic responsibility on purchase intention: The mediating effect of reciprocity perception and the moderating effect of ethical consumerism. Journal of Consumer Studies, 25(6), 45-63.
35 Lim, S. J., & Philips, J. (2008). Embedding CSR values: The global footwear industry's evolving governance structure. Journal of Business Ethics, 81(1), 143-156. doi:10.1007/s10551-007-9485-2   DOI
36 Lee, J., & Shin, S. (2011). Impact of the perceived fit of a fashion company's CSR activities on the recommendation and purchasing intention of consumers. Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles, 35(7), 816-827. doi:10.5850/JKSCT.2011.35.7.816   DOI
37 Lee, J. H., & Lee, J. H. (2013). The influence of fashion company's CSR on consumer's purchase intention-Based on the mediating effect of ethical consumerism-. Journal of Marketing Management Research, 18(3), 1-28.
38 Levitt, T. (1958). The dangers of social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 36(5), 41-50.
39 Lockett, A., Moon, J., & Visser, W. (2006). Corporate social responsibility in management research: Focus, nature, salience and sources of influence. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 115-136. doi:10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00585.x   DOI
40 Maignan, I., Ferrell, O. C., & Ferrell, L. (2005). A stakeholder model for implementing social responsibility in marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 39(9/10), 956-977. doi:10.1108/03090560510610662   DOI
41 Mamic, I. (2005). Managing global supply chain: The sports footwear, apparel and retail sectors. Journal of Business Ethics, 59(1), 81-100. doi:10.1007/s10551-005-3415-y   DOI
42 Mann, M., Byun, S. E., Kim, H., & Hoggle, K. (2014). Assessment of leading apparel specialty retailers' CSR practices as communicated on corporate websites: Problems and opportunities. Journal of Business Ethics, 122(4), 599-622. doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1766-3   DOI
43 Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded source book (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
44 Maon, F., Lindgreen, A., & Swaen, V. (2009). Designing and implementing corporate social responsibility: An integrative framework grounded in theory and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 87(1), 71-89. doi:10.1007/s10551-008-9804-2   DOI
45 Mason, J. (2002). Qualitative researching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
46 Merriam, S. B. (1998). Qualitative research and case study applications in education: Revised and expanded from case study research in education (2nd Rev. ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.
47 Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), 853-886.   DOI
48 Mohr, L. A., Webb, D. J., & Harris, K. E. (2001). Do consumers expect companies to be socially responsible? The impact of corporate social responsibility on buying behavior. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 35(1), 45-72. doi:10.1111/j.1745-6606.2001.tb00102.x   DOI
49 Neuendorf, K. A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
50 Nicholls, A., & Lee, N. (2006). Purchase decision making in fair trade and the ethical purchase 'gap': 'Is there a fair trade twix?'. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 14(4), 369-386. doi:10.1080/09652540600956384   DOI
51 Oberseder, M., Schlegelmilch, B. B., & Gruber, V. (2011). "Why don't consumers care about CSR?": A qualitative study exploring the role of CSR in consumption decisions. Journal of Business Ethics, 104(4), 449-460. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-0925-7   DOI
52 Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2), 62-77.
53 Park-Poaps, H. (2010). Public pressure against sweat shops as perceived by top-management of apparel and footwear companies. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 14(2), 300-311. doi:10.1108/13612021011046129   DOI
54 Perry, P., & Towers, N. (2009). Determining the antecedents for a strategy of corporate social responsibility by smalland medium-sized enterprises in the UK fashion apparel industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 16 (5), 377-385. doi:10.1016/j.jretconser.2009.05.003   DOI
55 Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2006). Strategy and society: the link between competitive advantage and corporate social responsibility. Harvard Business Review, 84(12), 78-92.
56 Romani, S., Grappi, S., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2013). Explaining consumer reactions to corporate social responsibility: The role of gratitude and altruistic values. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(2), 193-206. doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1337-z   DOI
57 Silverman, D. (2004). Qualitative research: Theory, method and practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
58 Spradley, J. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
59 Strauss, A. L., & Corbin, J. M. (1990). Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
60 The Federation of Korean Industries. (2014). 2014 기업.기업 재단 사회공헌백서 [Corporate community relations white book 2014]. Seoul: Author.