MMN525951: Evaluating Western Fashion Brands & Asian Garment Workers

This report critically evaluates how Western fashion brands respond to the controversy surrounding the treatment of garment workers in Asia, focusing on ethical issues in marketing, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and public relations. It highlights the challenges faced by garment workers, including low wages and poor working conditions, and examines the role of CSR in ensuring ethical practices within the fashion industry. The report also discusses potential public relations issues for Western brands, such as lack of understanding, budget constraints, and high client expectations. Real-world examples, like H&M's experience in China, are used to illustrate the potential consequences of failing to address these ethical concerns. The report concludes that marketing plays a vital role for Western fashion brands, but ethical issues must be addressed to maintain a positive brand image and foster sustainable practices.

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
International Marketing Management
(MMN525951)
Assessment 2
Critical evaluation of Western fashion brands’ response to the controversy surrounding
the treatment of garment workers in Asia.
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I declare that this coursework is an original piece of work and is not based on
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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
Critically evaluate how Western fashion brands should respond to the controversy surrounding
the treatment of garment workers in Asia....................................................................................3
Threats:........................................................................................................................................4
CSR..............................................................................................................................................4
Public Relations...........................................................................................................................5
Evaluation....................................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
All concept of marketing have their own ethical issues. Marketing is considered as the
procedures to explore, develops and deliver value for meeting the requirements of targeted
marketplace in respect of items and services; potentially incorporating choices of targeted
customers. Additionally, Manufacturers from the 6 nation which develops various world’s
clothes which have forged a common front for negotiating effective terms with Western fashion
brands, that cancelled orders devastated Asian garment staff early within pandemic. In addition
to this, To by garment makers, the functioning circumstances for the piece of fashion brands are
critical. luckily, utilizing different providers helps us a ton on our excursion to plan and create a
mindful creation of maintainable design.
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1.INTRODUCTION
Ethical issues in marketing raise from the conflicts as well as lack of agreement upon specific
problems. Parties included into transactions of marketing have a set of anticipations related to
how the relations of business would undertakes shape and how several transactions required to
be performed. In addition to this, all concept of marketing have their own ethical issues.
Marketing is considered as the procedures to explore, develops and deliver value for meeting the
requirements of targeted marketplace in respect of items and services; potentially incorporating
choices of targeted customers (Khan and Lund-Thomsen, 2019). Additionally, it is the practices,
set of institutions and procedures for forming, communicating, delivering and exchanging
offerings which have value for clients, consumers, partners and society at huge. The aim of this
report is to critically evaluate how Western fashion brands should respond to the controversy
surrounding the treatment of garment workers in Asia.
2.1. Brand-related Issues Surrounding Manufacturing Conditions in Asia
Manufacturers from the 6 nation which develops various world’s clothes which have
forged a common front for negotiating effective terms with Western fashion brands, that
cancelled orders devasted Asian garment staff early within pandemic.
Threats:
Double-dealing in the area of Western fashion brands is a worldwide issue. Reports exhibit
that specialists in Bangladesh are the most reduced paid on the planet and frequently procure not
exactly the lowest pay permitted by law set by the public authority in Bangladesh. Style retailers
have a corporate social obligation to guarantee that there is equivalent treatment among the
production network; nonetheless, they don't necessarily in every case consent. Manufacturing
plants will regularly exhaust their representatives to rapidly acquire benefit. The Conscious
Challenge crusade specifies that "94% of Cambodian manufacturing plants" investigated breaks
of extra time guidelines and viewed that as "an industrial facility excused 40 specialists for
declining to accomplish extra time work". As per Human Rights, garments that are created in
Asia, Eastern Europe, and different regions of the planet "track down their direction" to stores in
nations like the US and Canada, so the issue isn't limited. The issues inside the piece of clothing
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industry make the establishment for work misuse and segregation — for instance, production line
proprietors terminating pregnant ladies or denying their maternity leave (Kondo, 2020).
CSR
Corporate social responsibilities is undertaken as self – acting model which enclose whole
activities through firms for upholding intension of sustainable growth with the intent of being
socially accountable. Through corporate social responsibility, entities required to be
economically viable, affirmatively impact society, as well as regards and preserve the
atmosphere. Additionally, there are not such aspects as the only path for practicing CSR. At
present, this much embedding activities of corporate social responsibilities into its entity in a
manner which is consistent with their brands.
To by garment makers, the functioning circumstances for the piece of Western fashion
workers are critical. luckily, utilizing different providers helps us a ton on our excursion to plan
and create a mindful creation of maintainable design. at by piece of clothing creators, they have a
corporate manageability obligation to the article of clothing laborers, and they visit creation
offices consistently to ensure the specialists are taken great consideration of, concerning their
functioning circumstances and government assistance overall. the painstakingly picked industrial
facilities produce moral, manageable apparel under protected and sound working circumstances
and pay the article of clothing laborers lawful wages. being consistent with the essential
standards of by piece of clothing creators and to guarantee that every one of our providers are
socially mindful, we put resources into accomplishing the best quality of accreditation inside
economical style.
Public Relations
Public relation is considered as the set of techniques as wel as tactics associated with
managing how data regarding person or firm is disseminate to public and mainly the media. Its
fundamental objectives are to disseminate vital firm events or news, maintaining a reputation of
brand ass well as place an affirmative spin upon pessimistic events for reducing it fallout. With
all western fashion brands, public relations considers as a crucial aspect which keeps their
images as well as external relations afloat. Moreover, this is shield that reduce risk as well as
damages on progress, initiating robust development and evolution. Without this, detrimental
crisis as well as would incurs inevitably. Some of the potential public relations issues that may
arise with Western customers due to the situation in Asia are described below:
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Absence of Understanding
One of the issues with advertising is that advertising are a propelling field is the most developing
nations around the world. This has caused a hindered development of the business on the planet.
There is a biased discernment that advertising is only a simple subject in mass correspondence or
promoting in proficient foundations (Rivoli, 2019). Everything being equal, advertising is an
inside western style brand is immense perspectives that expects top to bottom skill. Until these
experts ascend to the event, this could possibly threated the finish of advertising rehearses.
Financial plan Constraint
Associations that are specific on their spending plan slices and dispersions prompts unfortunate
supporting administration of the advertising division. Monetary limitations can wreck the
advancement and endeavors of advertising. Associations are reluctant to spend somewhat more
income they hang on further developing their media picture. Unexpectedly, it ought to be the
ideal time for them to better their profile and accomplish a more grounded custom
Exclusive requirements
Clients will more often than not have elevated standards towards the PR division to perform
wondrous work to understand their favored assumptions. They anticipate that you should work
inside any given expense. Clients have unfeasible assumptions for media relations, inclusion and
how broad their spending plan will extend. Confronted with these issues, a specialist would have
to make tight changes towards his/her mission to accomplish any outcomes.
An excessive number of Communication Platforms
Correspondence stages give a helpful, compelling approach to sending messages across to the
interest group; however the impediments to pick the most reasonable correspondence mode for
clients could be inconvenient. Web-based entertainment are helpful and for nothing subsequently
has become well known universally (Rosen, 2022). Notwithstanding, a ton of time should be put
to be placed in to associate with the right crowd, sending legitimate messages across to them and
accomplishing wanted objectives.
Unfortunate Appreciation
Another of the issues with advertising is that most association's chiefs seldom have any
affirmation for the division. They will generally accept that anybody could accomplish crafted by
advertising whenever given the assignment (Welford and Frost, 2019). These pioneers usually
have a limited point of view of the calling so they feel like that there is no requirement for
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drawing in both In-house advertising and specialists to deal with their standing. Regardless of
whether they in the long run do, they would simply utilize them to run soirees or other
superfluous tasks.
Tracking down the Right Talent
Advertising can confound. For instance, the range of abilities of a PR chief is partaken in various
ventures like correspondences and morals, and the executives and showcasing. As such you
might find rehearsing writers, creators, business staff, and therapists in PR administrative jobs.
The issue here is that the entire is more prominent than the amount of its parts. Having simply
aspect of the range of abilities won't assist with fostering the right technique to prevail in
advertising inside western clients. To be a trustworthy PR specialist, you would need to go
through the right courses and schooling to place yourself in the right PR outlook, and no other.
With the right abilities and instruction, staying away from any PR disasters will be simpler.
For instance: Although many brands voiced their interests over China's supposed denials
of basic freedoms, the quick design goliath endured the worst part of the kickback. H&M was
cleaned off Taobao, JD.com, and Pinduoduo, its application was delisted, stores were cleared off
web-based maps, and around 20 actual areas were closed. In the three months to May, H&M
revealed that deals in China fell 23% year-on-year — a stunning deficiency of $74 million.
While the nation was its fifth biggest market in Q2 2021, it exited the main ten the
accompanying quarter. In any case, H&M has vowed to the trust and certainty" of its Chinese
customers. While its eponymous mark has unobtrusively gone about business, the gathering has
sloped up improvement of its more costly brands. In fall 2021, ARKET, known for its moderate
stylish, and womens wear brand and Other Stories both opened their most memorable physical
stores in Beijing and Shanghai, separately. Before this, the two had tried things out by sending
off on mall, drawing in more than 1 million and 256,000 fans, separately (Shiraev and Levy,
2020).
Evaluation
This has been evaluated that for the vast majority years unfamiliar organizations working in
Asia have confronted virtual entertainment fuelled buyer backfires, some of the time over
examples of social lack of care and once in a while over political controversies (Wade,
2020)."Anyone who outrages individuals ought to plan to follow through on the cost," was the
dull message from China's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying when gotten some
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information about various Western organizations confronting a blacklist after they
communicated worry over supposed denials of basic liberties in Xinjiang territory. H&M was the
principal target, yet the backfire likewise hit Nike, Adidas and Puma - all individuals from the
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a non-benefit bunch advancing maintainable cotton creation. The
Western design retailer is obstructed on China's major web based business stages and their actual
stores have evaporated from a few computerized maps. Twenty H&M stores stay shut. These
organizations aren't quick to confront a reaction in China and in all likelihood won't be the last.
However, the cost of these offenses appears to decisively change. The difficulty blows over
rapidly for certain organizations, yet aims enduring harm for other people (Turker and Altuntas,
2014).
CONCLUSION
As per the above report, it has been concluded that marketing plays vital role within western
fashion brands but along with it some ethical issues relate to this arises. As Ethical issues in
marketing raise from the conflicts as well as lack of agreement upon specific problems. Parties
included into transactions of marketing have a set of anticipations related to how the relations of
business would undertakes shape and how several transactions required to be performed. In
addition to this, all concept of marketing have their own ethical issues. Marketing is considered
as the procedures to explore, develops and deliver value for meeting the requirements of targeted
marketplace in respect of items and services; potentially incorporating choices of targeted
customers. Additionally, it is the practices, set of institutions and procedures for forming,
communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings which have value for clients, consumers,
partners and society at huge.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Crane, A., Matten, D., Glozer, S. and Spence, L., 2019. Business ethics: Managing corporate
citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, USA.
Khan, F.R. and Lund-Thomsen, P., 2019. CSR as imperialism: Towards a phenomenological
approach to CSR in the developing world. Journal of Change Management, 11(1),
pp.73-90.
Kondo, D., 2020. About face: Performing race in fashion and theater. Routledge.
Rivoli, P., 2019. The travels of a t-shirt in the global economy: An economist examines the
markets, power, and politics of world trade. New preface and epilogue with updates on
economic issues and main characters. John Wiley & Sons.
Rosen, E.I., 2022. Making sweatshops: The globalization of the US apparel industry. Univ of
California Press.
Shiraev, E.B. and Levy, D.A., 2020. Cross-cultural psychology: Critical thinking and
contemporary applications. Routledge.
Turker, D. and Altuntas, C., 2014. Sustainable supply chain management in the fast fashion
industry: An analysis of corporate reports. European Management Journal, 32(5),
pp.837-849.
Wade, R.H., 2020. What strategies are viable for developing countries today? The World Trade
Organization and the shrinking of ‘development space’. Review of international
political economy, 10(4), pp.621-644.
Welford, R. and Frost, S., 2019. Corporate social responsibility in Asian supply
chains. Corporate social responsibility and environmental management, 13(3), pp.166-
176.
Zhu, S. and Pickles, J., 2019. Bring in, go up, go west, go out: Upgrading, regionalisation and
delocalisation in China’s apparel production networks. Journal of Contemporary
Asia, 44(1), pp.36-63.
Online:
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Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility Legislation around the World: Emergent
Varieties and National Experiences.2020[Online]. Availaible
through :<https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/business-law-blog/blog/2020/11/mandatory-
corporate-social-responsibility-legislation-around-world>
The power of fashion.2016[Online]. Availaible
through :<https://www.britishcouncil.org/research-policy-insight/insight-articles/
power-fashion#:~:text=Clothing%20has%20always%20been%20big,the
%20UK's%20largest%20creative%20industry. >
Asia’s Fashion Industry Looks to New Strategies to Overcome Pandemic Impacts.2022
[Online]. Availaible through :<https://blogs.adb.org/blog/asia-s-fashion-industry-looks-
new-strategies-overcome-pandemic-impacts>
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Evidence portfolio
1Lari, H.A., Foroudi, P. and Imani, S., 2021. Behavioural intentions in the UK fashion industry: The impact
of perceived fashion innovativeness on fashion brand image with the moderating role of social
media marketing and lovemark. In Building Corporate Identity, Image and Reputation in the
Digital Era (pp. 307-346). Routledge.
According to this study, Clothing has always been big business for the UK. The wool trade once
accounted for 80% of exports from the British Isles. Now the UK’s Fashion industry is worth
£26 billion & 800,000 jobs to the economy , making it the UK’s largest creative industry. Textile
and fashion exports alone are estimated to be worth over £6.5 billion (UKFT Manifesto, UKFT
2012), and the majority of British fashion businesses export to other countries
2 Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility Legislation around the World: Emergent
Varieties and National Experiences.2020
SR is more and more more understood as a control process, which conjures up process-orientated
laws. This regulatory method is to require agencies to become aware of social and environmental
dangers related to its enterprise operation and set up and execute affordable plans to save you
damage due to the diagnosed dangers. France’s responsibility of vigilance regulation, followed in
2017, spearheads this method. French regulation calls for massive French agencies to develop,
reveal and put into effect a vigilance plan as a way to become aware of dangers and save you
excessive human rights violations and environmental harm ensuing without delay or not directly
from the operations of the company,
3 The power of fashion.2016
London Fashion Week is itself influential, broadly acknowledged as one in all the ‘large four’
worldwide style gala's and a important exhibit for the UK’s enterprise and talent. As such it's far
an crucial plank of the British Fashion Council’s choice to put London as a hotbed of new,
young, and multicultural talent, rather than the focal point on extra conventional and installed
manufacturers regularly visible in New York, Paris, and Milan.
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4 Asia’s Fashion Industry Looks to New Strategies to Overcome Pandemic
Impacts.2022
Although SMEs keep the most important percentage of the marketplace in growing economies,
they generally tend to have restricted dependable protection nets and make little to no internet
sales of their first 4–6 months of business. Many also are now no longer absolutely organized for
digitalization, that could create a verbal exchange hole among purchasers and producers.
5 UK fashion industry statistics
Currently round 555,000 humans are hired in style, textiles and style retail withinside the United
Kingdom. Most jobs in style associated industries are withinside the retail sale of clothing. This
sub enterprise employs seventy five percentage with 414,000 humans running withinside the
retail sale of clothing. Also the retail sale of shoes and leather-based items presents a honest
quantity of jobs in style, approximately eleven percentage, 59,000,
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