Abstract
This paper contributes to the theoretical debate in agri-food economics focusing on corporate social responsibility. Specifically, it aims to define an interpretative model of the processes of social responsibility and value creation in the food industry. An empirical investigation was conducted using an analysis of case studies—representative of sustainable innovation and social responsibility models—as well as in-depth interviews and focus groups with managers of food industries and the sector’s experts. The paper focuses on a topic that has yet to be analysed in agri-food economics literature: corporate social responsibility as a value-creating strategy. Further, it proposes a life cycle model of social responsibility in business processes. The study findings reveal that corporate social responsibility actions may affect the agri-food process and/or the product. Specifically, the investigated case studies reveal that the production sector in which a company operates strongly influences its orientation towards one or more corporate social responsibility dimensions. This study’s results contribute to the debate on the topic and provide useful insights for practitioners and policy-makers.
Highlights
IntroductionThe corporate social responsibility (CSR) concept was first introduced in management literature in the 1950s as “the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, and to follow those lines of action that are desirable in relation to the objectives and values of our society” [3]
Changes in citizens’ values, lifestyles, and preferences—as well as a new business culture that considers the environmental and social impacts of productive activity [1,2]—have increased interest in the agricultural economics field towards the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR).The CSR concept was first introduced in management literature in the 1950s as “the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, and to follow those lines of action that are desirable in relation to the objectives and values of our society” [3]
This study focuses on the idea that the sequence of CSR developmental stages can be explained thrSouustaginhabtihlitey l2i0f2e0,c1y2c, l1e28m7 odel [50], as illustrated in the following Figure 2
Summary
The CSR concept was first introduced in management literature in the 1950s as “the obligations of businessmen to pursue those policies, to make those decisions, and to follow those lines of action that are desirable in relation to the objectives and values of our society” [3]. Scholars, in their research, have implemented either the definitions provided in management literature [2] or those developed in the community context. In the latter, CSR has been defined [6] as “the voluntary integration of companies’ social and ecological concerns in their business operations in strict collaboration with stakeholders” [6]. To be socially responsible, companies must both accomplish and surpass their legal duties by investing in human capital, the environment and their relationships with stakeholders
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