We've Got Nothing to Hide - A qualitative study of how corporate identity influence Swedish fashion companies’ commitment to supply chain transparency as a way to compete

Abstract

Motivated by the ambition to understand how supply chain transparency can be used as a tool for competition in an industry where environmental and social issues are alarming, this paper examines what influence corporate identity has on fashion companies’ commitment to supply chain transparency in regards of competition. A multiple case study was implemented, where five Swedish fashion companies were examined with respect to the theoretical framework covering transparency, rationales for transparency and corporate identity. One of the main findings presented in this paper is that corporate identity affects whether companies make use of transparency as a way to conform, differentiate and or influence. It is furthermore found that companies make use of the flexibility in the transparency concept, this in order to assign themselves with the values which the concept entails without affecting their corporate identity. The insights do in turn contribute to the argued importance of transparency in the overall development of the fashion industry.