STAYING ELEGANT WHILST NAVIGATING CSR IN A STORMY WORLD OF CRISIS WITHIN THE FASHION INDUSTRY : CSR As A Tool To Mitigate Future Global Crisis On The Fashion Industry

Abstract: Date: 30-05-2023 Level: Bachelor Thesis In Business Administration, 15 cr Institution: School of Business, Society & Engineering, Mälardalens University Authors: Otrakci Zehra, Akimova Daria, Pousette Joar Title: Staying elegant whilst navigating CSR in a stormy world of crisis within the fashion industry: CSR as a tool to mitigate future global crisis on the fashion industry Supervisor: Konstantin Lampou Keywords: Crisis Management, CSR, Fashion, Covid-19, Crisis Mitigation Purpose: Existing literature has explored the relationship between CSR and crisis management,as well as effects of CSR on brand reputation, financial performance, and competitive advantage. Lastly, some studies investigated the use of CSR as a response to crises. The aim of this study isto explore and gain a deeper understanding of how fashion brands use CSR as a tool to mitigatenegative effects of future global crises on the fashion industry. Research question: How are fashion companies using CSR as a tool to mitigate the negativeeffects of future global crises? Method: The research method is qualitative and exploratory in nature, data was gathered viainterviews with non probability sampling. Results were obtained via an inductive contentanalysis. A few limitations of the study are time constraints, a limited sample size, as well asgeographic limitations. Conclusion: Key findings of the research are that fashion brands focus on supply chainresilience to create economic sustainability. CSR activities that fashion brands are doing whichassist in the mitigation of the negative effects associated with global crises are: embedding CSRinternally to enhance reputation, including providing a safe and fair working environment; onlineeducation aiding in crisis preparation; more control on the supply chain to monitor CSR