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

Nglaa Ahmad, Shamima Haque and Muhammad Azizul Islam

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 2021, vol. 35, issue 1, 216-228

Abstract: Purpose - This article aims to examine how non-governmental organisations (NGOs)' narratives portray the vulnerability of workers in global clothing supply chains during the COVID-19 crisis. Design/methodology/approach - The research analyses the rhetoric in global clothing retailers' and NGOs' counter-rhetoric during the first seven months of 2020. Findings - During this period, retailers employed rhetorical strategies to legitimise irresponsible actions (corporate hegemony prevailed), while NGOs embraced forms of counter-rhetoric trying to delegitimise the retailers' logic, stressing the role of neoliberalism in worsening the situation. Originality/value - The authors contribute to the literature by providing new insight into the consequences of COVID-19 for retailers' neoliberal practices and the livelihood of workers in global supply chains. Findings of this study extend authors’ knowledge about retailers' COVID-19 measures: These have contributed to the plights of workers working for their supply factories in the global South.

Keywords: COVID-19; Neoliberalism; NGO counter-Rhetoric; Global clothing retailers; Transparency; Workers' vulnerability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:aaajpp:aaaj-08-2020-4794

DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-08-2020-4794

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