How Do Family Firms Communicate Social Responsibility? A Comparative Analysis of Family Business Approaches in the German Apparel Industry

Purpose: Drawing on existent corporate social responsibility (CSR) and family business literature, this study attempts to shed light on how family firms in the German apparel industry communicate their CSR activities, and whether family firms possess a reputational benefit due to the familial character of their business. Methodology: This study conducts a two-step analysis, consisting of critical discourse analysis and participant survey. Firstly, critical discourse analysis is applied to the corporate websites of the case study companies to analyze communication strategies that are applied to manage the image of a socially responsible apparel firm. Secondly, the results of a participant survey reveal consumers’ perception of family firms in the apparel industry and whether the capitalization on familial characterization is beneficial. Findings: The comparative analysis yields the result that both case study firms apply similar communication techniques, namely the marketization of sustainability discourse and spurious sustainable apparel discourse. Moreover, the paper reveals that leveraging familial character can positively influence the corporate image as a socially responsible organization. Originality/value: The research paper contributes to the scarce literature on how German family firms in the apparel industry communicate CSR activities and formulates hypotheses that can form the foundation for further qualitative or quantitative research. The paper also reveals new findings about the problem of lack of transparency and honesty within CSR communication for consumers and other stakeholders