Stakeholders’ Pressure and CSR Engagement. A Case in the Apparel Sector

This paper, drawing on stakeholder and legitimacy theory, addresses the issue of stakeholders’ pressure effect on a firm’s CSR behavior. It focuses on the apparel sector as these companies, characterized by consumer proximity, are under the lens of stakeholders for their direct social performance as well as for their suppliers’ actions. We analyze the Nike case in order to study how stakeholders’ pressure shapes a firm’s engagement in CSR issues. Our study points out the dynamic nature of stakeholders and legitimacy, and it underlines the influence of two actors which are rarely considered as primary and most important stakeholders, namely media and social activist groups