COVID-19 and global clothing retailers' responsibility to vulnerable workers: NGO counter-rhetoric

Ahmad, Nglaa; Haque, Shamima; Islam, Muhammad Azizul

doi:10.1108/aaaj-08-2020-4794

Cited by 12 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Only a few accountability studies focus on the not-for-profit sector. Haque et al (2022), for example, noted the role of NGOs in identifying inadequate accountability practices in the fashion retail industry in the times of crises. Finchum-Mason et al (2020) surveyed charity officials and found that philanthropic foundations were responsive to the pandemic, with grantee relationships being affected the most.…”

Section: Ingos' Practices Of Being Accountable Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the global pandemic on online accountability practices in INGOs

Uygur

Napier

2023

JAEE

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PurposeDespite increasing public attention and media coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic, little research was conducted on how the crisis affected accountability practices in the not-for-profit sector. This study focusses on international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) that operate in emerging economies worldwide but are registered in England and Wales and examines how their online accountability practices changed after the Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the theoretical lens of the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) and a contingency approach to not-for-profit governance in order to assess how accountability practices have been shaped by the response given by INGOs to preserve their reputation which is argued to be damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic. They use Dumont's (2013) nonprofit virtual accountability index (NPVAI) for statistical analysis. They examine whether the five dimensions of the NPVAI have changed significantly as a policy of response to the Covid-19 pandemic. They also examine the documents used to disclose information on performance, governance and mission to understand if their content was affected by the pandemic.FindingsThe authors found two of the NPVAI dimensions: accessibility and engagement to be statistically different compared to before the pandemic. They also examined the documents used to disclose information on performance, governance and mission in order to understand if their content were affected by the pandemic. Their findings suggest that INGOs focussed on keeping their donors' attention and their fund flow rather than informing how they performed and how their governance has changed as a result of the pandemic. No statistically significant change was found regarding the dimensions of performance, governance and mission.Research limitations/implicationsINGOs which focus on humanitarian relief and crises management mainly in emerging economies were also affected by the pandemic. However little attention has been given to how accountability was being shaped by the Covid-19 pandemic. An analysis of how not-for-profit sector accountability practices were affected by the pandemic is, therefore, needed. Due to the nature of the pandemic online accountability practices is an area where research could focus on, until now few studies have been conducted on online accountability. The study contributes methodologically by assessing the applicability of the NPVAI for comparisons across different time periods rather than across different types of organisation at a specific point in time. The authors conclude that the NPVAI must be supplemented by some analysis of the content of key online documents and other material.Practical implicationsThe authors’ findings provide important implications for crisis management and its effect on accountability practices in INGOs that operate in emerging economies and the not-for-profit sector in general. The findings suggest that the crisis led to only limited changes in mission and governance as changes in these dimensions tend to occur over the long term. Although they expected the pandemic to lead to more performance information being released, this did not happen. The enhancement of online accountability practice in the engagement and accessibility dimensions shows that INGOs focussed more on maintaining their fund flow rather than on actions to target the pandemic. This is especially apparent as regardless of size the donation and fundraising links have increased throughout the pandemic. Overall, the study provides important findings specific to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on online accountability practices in the not-for-profit sector. The study's empirical contribution is to assess how not-for-profit organisations shape their online accountability practices to preserve their reputation and legitimacy.Social implicationsThe authors have expanded the discussion of the paper's contribution to theory, methodology and knowledge about online accountability and crisis management in the conclusion section of the paper. They found that INGOs have reacted to the pandemic by becoming more anxious about their ability to generate funds, and content analysis showed that there was little additional information about how INGOs' performance had been affected by the pandemic, which suggests that INGOs need to pay more attention to how they manage accountability in times of crisis.Originality/valueThe authors construct a conceptual framework using theories that have the potential to explain how external factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic can affect online accountability practices. Their paper also responds to the call for studies of the effectiveness of various accountability mechanisms in NGOs (Unerman and O’ Dwyer, 2006). Unlike previous studies they did not compare various sectors at a single point in time, but rather they assessed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the reaction of INGOs by comparing online disclosures across time. This is a novel use of Dumont's NPVAI and therefore provides an important contribution to the literature.

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Section: Ingos' Practices Of Being Accountable Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the global pandemic on online accountability practices in INGOs

Uygur

Napier

2023

JAEE

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“…the State and international governmental bodies) and micro (e.g. the corporation) level actors to account (Ahmad et al , 2022). This paper focuses on the micro-rhetoric of Chevron Australia and its protagonist, the ITF, as the language or discourse designed to persuade.…”

Section: Rhetorical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, while rhetoric is often regarded as deceptive, it can also provide a solution or give detractors the opportunity to challenge dominant positions or arguments (Young, 2003). For example, Ahmad et al (2022) highlight the use of counter rhetoric by NGOs to expose neoliberal justifications for questionable corporate practices. Despite rhetoric being a well-established method, in-depth analyses to understand the construction of Aristotelian appeals at a micro level are limited (Gelmini et al , 2021).…”

Section: Rhetorical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Chevron Australia and Tax Justice Network: a case of rhetoric

Hamad

Moerman

Pupovac

2023

PAR

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Purpose This paper aims to use rhetorical theory to understand how actors mobilise persuasive communication to justify the arguments for and against transfer pricing and tax management schemes in an international context. The strategic adoption of transfer pricing by transnational corporations is controversial since it affects wealth transfers. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a micro-rhetorical analysis of submissions to a recent government Inquiry in Australia based on Aristotle's appeals of logos, ethos and pathos. The arguments used by Chevron Australia, and its protagonist civil society organisation, the Tax Justice Network highlight the vexed nature of tax management schemes. Findings Transfer pricing (TP) is more than a mere technical practice, as it involves wealth transfers initiated by powerful economic players. From a neoliberal justification of fair markets and shareholder wealth maximisation, the moral ambiguity is attenuated because it is accepted as a normative social ideal. Originality/value Prior studies on TP and tax schemes are primarily theoretical and conceptual. This paper adopts a rhetorical approach which provides important insights into the communication devices used to legitimate taken-for-granted ideas about corporate actions.

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“…One study found that in the UK, traditional public accountability of the government was suspended but replaced by informal forms of accountability facilitated by active and engaged civil society actors (Sian and Smyth, 2021). Similarly, during the emergency, counter-accounts by NGOs provided a tool to expose the rhetoric of fashion retailers and expose injustice to vulnerable workers (Ahmad et al , 2022). In the same context, Li et al (2021) found that political, organizational and moral forms of accountability developed in the garment industry via a digital platform that allowed for an open dialogue and created more awareness about human rights.…”

Section: Background Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Account(share)ability through social media during the COVID-19 emergency: the case of universities

Masiero

Leoni

Bagnoli

2022

MEDAR

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Purpose This paper aims at exploring how and to what extent universities enlisted Facebook, a social media platform, in the discharging and shaping of their accountability during the COVID-19 emergency. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the literature on accountability in the virtual world and crises, a netnographic analysis of the Facebook postings by a sample of Italian universities is performed to identify and interpret the accountability discharged via social media platforms by universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Universities used social media in a range of modes, from conveying simple instructions to rendering traditional accountability for their conduct during the crisis. However, in various Facebook postings, they give voice to various stakeholders’ thoughts and experiences, thereby completely reversing the traditional accountability relationship and making the various stakeholders feel included in the university community. Practical implications Social media can constitute a useful tool for organizations willing to deploy different modes of accountabilities, according to what is required by the specific situation. In the authors’ case, social media provided a forum for account-sharing during a critical situation that was common to both the account giver and the recipient. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the use of social media by universities for accountability purposes and to reveal their possibilities in supporting more ethical forms of accountability.

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COVID-19 and global clothing retailers' responsibility to vulnerable workers: NGO counter-rhetoric

Cited by 12 publications

References 29 publications

Impact of the global pandemic on online accountability practices in INGOs

Impact of the global pandemic on online accountability practices in INGOs

Chevron Australia and Tax Justice Network: a case of rhetoric

Account(share)ability through social media during the COVID-19 emergency: the case of universities

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