Communicating workers' wellbeing through photographs: A study on CSR websites of selected fashion companies

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dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.authorRaitala, Essi
dc.contributor.departmentJohtamisen laitosfi
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Management Studiesen
dc.contributor.schoolKauppakorkeakoulufi
dc.contributor.schoolSchool of Businessen
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-16T11:35:58Z
dc.date.available2016-08-16T11:35:58Z
dc.date.dateaccepted2016-06-14
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractObjective of the study The objective of the study was to examine how workers are portrayed in photographs on selected fashion companies' CSR corporate websites. The study focused on five fashion companies and the photographs depicting workers collected from the fashion companies' websites. Altogether 17 photographs were analyzed. It was assumed that through the photographs the fashion companies strive to convince their stakeholders about the sufficiency of their actions in terms of working conditions of the people who produce the clothing. Further, it was assumed that analyzing the photographs may provide indications about the fashion companies' overall understanding about the status of the workers. Methodology As the research data consisted of photographs, the study adopted the semiotic image analysis method to analyze the data. The analysis was done in accordance with the analytical framework developed by Kress and van Leeuwen (2006) and its three-metafunctions: representative metafunction, interpersonal metafunction and compositional metafunction. Findings and Conclusions The findings of the study indicated that the photographs are an effective tool in building an image about the status of the workers. The key dimensions in this respect are i) whether the worker is presented either as detached or involved with the viewer of the photograph and thus, whether the worker is seen as representing the same world with the viewer and ii) whether there is interaction between the worker and the viewer. In most of the analyzed photographs, the workers were detached from the viewer and there was no interaction between the worker and the viewer. The viewer was not expected to familiarize him- or herself with the worker. It can be assumed that this has an effect on the way the viewer cares about the wellbeing of the workers and thus, how the viewer assesses the social responsibility of the fashion company.en
dc.ethesisid14616
dc.format.extent95
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/21438
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-201609083652
dc.language.isoenen
dc.locationP1 I
dc.programme.majorInternational Business Communicationfi
dc.programme.majorInternational Business Communicationen
dc.subject.heleconviestintä
dc.subject.heleconcommunication
dc.subject.heleconyritysviestintä
dc.subject.heleconbusiness communication
dc.subject.heleconarvot
dc.subject.heleconvalues
dc.subject.heleconyhteiskuntavastuu
dc.subject.heleconcorporate responsibility
dc.subject.helecontyöntekijät
dc.subject.heleconworkers
dc.subject.heleconsemiotiikka
dc.subject.heleconsemiotics
dc.subject.heleconvisuaalinen
dc.subject.heleconvisual
dc.subject.helecontoimialat
dc.subject.heleconbusiness branches
dc.subject.heleconmuoti
dc.subject.heleconfashion
dc.subject.heleconvaatteet
dc.subject.heleconclothes
dc.subject.keywordCSR
dc.subject.keywordfashion companies
dc.subject.keywordworking conditions
dc.subject.keywordsemiotics
dc.subject.keywordimage analysis
dc.subject.keywordvisual communication
dc.titleCommunicating workers' wellbeing through photographs: A study on CSR websites of selected fashion companiesen
dc.typeG2 Pro gradu, diplomityöfi
dc.type.dcmitypetexten
dc.type.ontasotPro gradu tutkielmafi
dc.type.ontasotMaster's thesisen
local.aalto.idthes14616
local.aalto.openaccessno
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