Labour Behind The Label: Critical Discourse Analysis of H&M
Author
Olsen, Jeanette Kjær
Term
4. term
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-06-02
Pages
114
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, hvordan H&M konstruerer en CSR-identitet gennem sproget i ledelsesberetningen/CEO-interviewet i virksomhedens bæredygtighedsrapport fra 2012, og om denne konstruerede profil stemmer overens med socialt konstruerede kerneværdier inden for CSR samt med H&M’s faktiske handlinger. Med udgangspunkt i en socialkonstruktivistisk og hermeneutisk kvalitativ tilgang anvendes Faircloughs tredimensionelle model for kritisk diskursanalyse integreret med Hallidays Systemic Functional Linguistics til at analysere tekstens ideationelle, interpersonelle og tekstuelle meta-funktioner samt dens diskursive og sociale praksisser. CSR-teori, herunder Carrolls CSR-pyramide, bruges som normativ referenceramme, og kritiske artikler inddrages for at sammenholde H&M’s kommunikation med dokumenterede praksisser i tekstilindustrien. Analysen peger på, at H&M via diskurser, modalitet, stil og genre formår at skabe en virksomhedsidentitet, der fremstår i overensstemmelse med udbredte CSR-værdier, men at denne profil ikke i tilstrækkelig grad korresponderer med virksomhedens faktiske handlinger, idet flere kritiske kilder fremhæver brud på egne standarder. Dermed afdækker specialet et spænd mellem kommunikeret ansvarlighed og praksis i en branche præget af vedvarende CSR-udfordringer.
This thesis examines how H&M constructs a CSR identity through language in the management commentary/CEO interview of its 2012 Sustainability Report, and whether this constructed profile aligns with socially defined CSR core values as well as with the company’s actual practices. Adopting a qualitative, social constructivist and hermeneutic approach, the study applies Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis integrated with Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics to analyze the text’s ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions alongside its discursive and social practices. CSR theory, including Carroll’s Pyramid of CSR, provides a normative frame of reference, and critical media articles are used to compare H&M’s claims with documented practices in the textile industry. The analysis suggests that H&M successfully uses discourse, modality, style, and genre to craft a corporate identity that appears consistent with prevailing CSR values, yet this profile does not sufficiently correspond to the company’s actions, as multiple critical sources highlight failures to meet its own standards. The thesis thus reveals a gap between communicated responsibility and practice within an industry marked by persistent CSR challenges.
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