Liu, YHS, Napier, E, Runfola, A et al. (1 more author) (2020) MNE-NGO partnerships for sustainability and social responsibility in the global fast-fashion industry: A loose-coupling perspective. International Business Review, 29 (5). 101736. ISSN 0969-5931
Abstract
Stakeholders are increasingly aware of the environmental and human rights issues related to highly conspicuous fashion merchandising. To mitigate the negative responses from environmentally conscious consumer groups, fashion merchandisers have sought to partner with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). While there is a growing body of literature on sustainability and social responsibility (SSR), the increasingly popular practice of fast-fashion industry partnering with NGOs has been neglected, and so far, remained under the radar. Such partnerships may be of success, but at the same time while promising on the surface, they can actually go awry, resulting in adverse outcomes for both parties. We build upon the loose-coupling theory to explain the relationships between fast-fashion multinational enterprises (MNEs) and NGOs. We discuss three causes (casual indeterminacy; fragmented external environment; discrete internal environment) and four key benefits (adaptability to environmental changes, flexibility, innovation, and firewalls for separate identity) for loosely-coupled partnerships. We then explore the dark side of such partnerships, identifying three challenges (power imbalance, mistrust and opportunism, and misaligning goals). Finally, we offer a set of propositions as a way of advancing our knowledge of partnerships in fashion merchandising industry.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an author produced version of a paper published in International Business Review. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Partnering success; Sustainability; Social responsibility; Fast-fashion merchandising; Non-governmental organizations; Loose-coupling theory; NGOs; MNEs |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > International Business Division (LUBS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Management Division (LUBS) (Leeds) > Management Division Strategy and Organisation (LUBS) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 22 Jul 2020 13:03 |
Last Modified: | 14 Jan 2022 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101736 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:163479 |