‘’From Law to Language: Framing responsibility under the UK Modern Slavery Act in the garment sector’’ Author: Despoina Kerasidou - s1108746 - International Business Email: despoina.kerasidou@ru.nl Supervisor: Dr. Nora Lohmeyer 2nd Examiner: Dr. A.U. Saka-Helmhout Date: 16-06-2025 Word count:
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2025-06-23
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en
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This thesis examines how two major UK garment retailers, ASOS and M&S, have framed their responsibilities for addressing modern slavery in response to the UK Modern Slavery Act (2015). Using framing theory and the Gioia methodology, it explores how these firms construct narratives across fifteen modern slavery statements published between 2015 and 2024. The analysis traces how diagnostic, prognostic and motivational framings evolved over time, from early moral appeals and externalized risk descriptions to more structured, procedural and strategically positioned accounts. While the companies expanded their disclosures and adopted formal governance tools, they continued to sidestep commercial drivers of exploitation. The findings suggest that responsibility was not simply reported but actively negotiated through language, allowing firms to adapt to shifting regulatory and reputational pressures. The study contributes to research on corporate transparency, framing and symbolic compliance by showing how modern slavery statements function as both ethical discourse and legitimacy work under disclosure-based regulation.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen