Studying the corporate social responsibility in apparel and textile industry

Abstract

In the apparel and textile industry in developing countries, there is a confusion over the definition of CSR, and, consequently, this conceptual vagueness reflects itself on the research of the phenomenon and the practices of CSR. Small and medium enterprises and large companies are eager to incorporate the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within their business strategies, policies and practices, especially in the era of globalization and international trade. This literature review articles aims to bring a better introduction to the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as studied by apparel/textile industry scholars. The first part of this review summarizes the different definitions, theories about CSR, and methods that have been used by management scholars working in the CSR field in both academic and practitioner management journals. As large corporations integrate the principles of CSR into their business policies and practices, company employees are expected to follow actions regarding the adopted corporate values. The authors in the second part of this review discuss different CSR frameworks applicable to the apparel/textile industry practice. The analysis shows that the CSR field is still evolving and the authors provide a set of recommendations on how to advance the CSR field to be applicable to the apparel/textile industry. Finally, the last part of this review highlights some methodological issues, originating from the adopted theoretical perspectives on CSR. A comparative review of different research approaches (quantitative/qualitative, inductive/deductive, explorative/ descriptive/explanatory) is also given.