Labour Exploitation: A Case of CSR Violation in Primark

Patel, Dhruvikkumar Nitinlal (2025) Labour Exploitation: A Case of CSR Violation in Primark. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The paper examines the discrepancy between the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) statements and real-life application of labour practices in fast fashion companies through a case study of Primark. Although the company has been reporting widely publicised efforts to address labour exploitation through such initiatives as “Primark Cares,” the brand is still being perceived as a labour abuser halting mainly in its supply chains. The study expounds on the impact of such contradictions on brand awareness, the trust of a stakeholder and customer loyalty (Tyler and Vachhani, 2021; Uddin et al. 2023).

Quantitative, positivist, and deductive approach to research was undertaken. The key data sources to be used in this research study are primary data obtained via the use of a Likert-based research questionnaire that will be carried out among the 64 employees of diverse levels in Primark. Regression, ANOVA, General Linear Modeling (GLM) are examples of statistical analyses that were carried out to test the relationships between CSR perceptions, labour ethics and brand outcomes.

The results also show that there is a high positive correlation between the implementation of CSR and brand reputation (R2 = .299, p = .001), whilst there is a much stronger negative impact of labour exploitation on credibility of CSR (R2 = .789, p < .001). csr was however found not to have a significant effect on customer lover (p>0.05) indicating consumer scepticism and price sensitivity. Trust between stakeholders, nonetheless, showed a positive correlation with strategic CSR practices (η² =.907, p =.012).

The research adds to academia about CSR in ethically sensitive fields, suggesting the use of participatory means, open communication, and independent checks as the ways to harmonize corporate messages with ethical treatment of labour (Nahid-Ull-Islam et al. 2025; Zervoudi et al. 2025).

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Ramirez, Rachel UNSPECIFIED
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Large Industry. Corporations. > Corporate Governance H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Specific Industries > Retail Industry
Divisions:	School of Business (- 2025) > Master of Arts in Human Resource Management
Depositing User:	Ciara O'Brien
Date Deposited:	09 Dec 2025 13:44
Last Modified:	09 Dec 2025 13:44
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9019

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