Area Of Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Birds, bees and CSR managers: why is biodiversity conservation challenging for companies?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to learn what kinds of obstacles Indian businesses face when trying to make biodiversity protection a top priority as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. Interventions are proposed to elevate biodiversity protection to the ranks of CSR priorities among Indian businesses. Design/methodology/approach This study applies an interpretive phenomenological analysis strategy to glean information from in-depth interviews with leaders and professionals in CSR. Findings The findings of the study revealed that the main factors influencing Indian companies’ CSR area choices are existing processes and stakeholder pressures. Companies prioritise engaging with local communities and employees when selecting CSR activities. The major challenge is integrating biodiversity into business plans, with CSR heads struggling to secure investment due to long gestation periods and limited media coverage. Implementing agencies face issues with project deliverables, mainly due to land ownership and lack of local government support. Companies can also encourage employee involvement in pro-environmental behaviours. The study also provides practical solutions for Indian companies to enhance their CSR engagement in biodiversity conservation. Research limitations/implications The research only focuses on the opinions of CSR specialists and leaders, so it may only consider part of the situation’s complexity inside the organisation. The results may only apply to the business climate in India; hence, extra care is warranted when extrapolating them to other countries. Nonetheless, the study provides valuable insights into the interplay between CSR and biodiversity protection that might inform future studies and policy initiatives. Originality/value This research fills a gap in the literature by investigating an uncharted territory: the role of CSR in protecting biodiversity in India. Examining obstacles and variables affecting CSR objectives illuminates business involvement in biodiversity conservation. The recommended treatments have real-world consequences for improving CSR involvement in this critical area.

Does corporate social responsibility dimensions effects on employees’ satisfaction and retention for sustainability?

This study investigates the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) dimensions and employees’ satisfaction and retention for sustainability in banks. Four components (economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic) are analyzed CSR activities and their effects on employee’s satisfaction and retention in the company. Purposive and convenient sampling method was used to get the information from 221 participants. The entire form of the dataset is utilized to execute regression and correlation analysis using SPSS. In order to find out the relationship between economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic factors and employee’s satisfaction and retention, regression beta coefficient and correlation were used to analyze. This study also examines the relationship between job satisfaction and intentions to retain with an organization. The findings demonstrate that the CSR aspects of ethical and philanthropic have a considerable and favorable influence on employee’s satisfaction. The outcome also demonstrates a good and prominent influence of legal CSR on the satisfaction of employee’s to retain with the firm. Moreover, this study demonstrates that economic aspect of CSR has no significant impact on employee’s retention and satisfaction. Correlation analysis depicts that economic CSR is positively and significantly connected with employee’s retention and satisfaction. This research came to the conclusion that enhancing employees view regarding CSR activities such as economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic will increase employee’s satisfaction. Therefore, executives and managers in the banks should take steps to influence how employees see CSR areas in order to raise employee’s satisfaction and retention in the banks for sustainability.

Corporate volunteering of employees as a tool to influence the reputation of a commercial bank

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in commercial banks plays an important role in improving their reputation, increasing employee engagement and developing corporate culture. The article examines the key features of CSR programs of commercial banks in comparison with companies in other industries, as well as analyzes successful examples of corporate volunteerism and its impact on the bank and society. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) of commercial banks is a strategic approach to integrating social and environmental aspects into the daily activities of banks. The main areas of CSR include financial literacy, improving access to financial services for vulnerable groups, sustainable financing and combating fraud. These programs help to improve the reputation of banks, increase employee engagement and satisfaction, and contribute to solving urgent social and environmental problems. Successful examples of CSR programs include the initiatives of Danske Bank, BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank, which actively participate in corporate volunteering and other social projects, demonstrating their responsibility to society and the environment.

Co-evolutionary dynamics and heterogeneity in corporate social responsibility: A case study on multinational corporation subsidiaries

This study aims to understand the heterogeneity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) approaches across subsidiaries of the same multinational corporations (MNCs) and determine the co-evolutionary dynamics that enhance the global cohesiveness of MNCs' CSR strategies and performance. The study draws on co-evolutionary theory and adopts an explanatory research design based on embedded multiple case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews with top management and employees responsible for CSR or related areas were conducted, and secondary data collection was done for triangulation and validation. The findings suggest that MNCs experience heterogeneity in their CSR, particularly in the implementation approaches, philanthropic and environmental CSR dimensions, and that MNCs with significant heterogeneity at the strategic level have less cohesive strategic CSR practices. The study also found that MNCs that encourage and facilitate active collaboration between subsidiaries have more cohesive and strategic CSR, and each MNC's CSR is driven by different co-evolutionary dynamics. The study contributes to the expansion of co-evolutionary theory to the study of CSR and offers a dynamic CSR co-evolution model explaining MNC CSR heterogeneity in real-world situations, along with potential levers to achieve more globally cohesive strategic CSR.

Empirical Examination of the Relationship between Supply Chain Effectiveness and a Company’s Overall Success

The relationship between the effective management of supply chains and overall organizational success is not fully explained in the literature. The differences in the effectiveness of supply chains as well as the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of supply chain companies in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific are not broadly studied. This article attempts to bridge that gap in the literature using data from the Gartner Supply Chain Group, Brand Finance, American Consumer Satisfaction Index, and Bloomberg Finance. Pertinent statistical tools including multiple regression, ANOVA, t-tests, and chi-square tests were utilized in the study. SCM top performers were found to have higher customer satisfaction than their industry counterparts; supply chain variables used currently do not have a statistically significant impact on the overall success of those companies; North American companies have experienced significantly higher supply chain effectiveness than their counterparts in Europe and Asia Pacific; and European supply chain companies are significantly ahead of companies in America and Asia in the area of CSR. The findings can help managers in companies to benchmark with their global peers. The main contribution of this research is that it demonstrates the value of supply chain effectiveness while underscoring the need for further research to link supply chain effectiveness with organizational performance. Supply chain managers need to explore operational or internal process metrics that have a more significant impact on overall company success.

Sustainability data distortions: the use of visual impression management techniques in corporate sustainability reporting

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the utilization of visual impression management techniques within sustainability reporting. Specifically, the study aims to determine whether Italian companies employ impression management tactics in the presentation of graphs within their sustainability reports and, thus, problematize visual data communication in corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachThe research adopts a multimodal content analysis of the 58 sustainability reports from Italian listed companies that are GRI-compliant. The analysis focused on three types of graphs: pie charts, line graphs and bar graphs. In total, 860 graphs have been examined.FindingsThe study found evidence of graphical distortion techniques being employed by companies in their sustainability reports to create a favorable impression. Specifically, graph distortions are found in column graphs and not in line or pie charts. In particular, selectivity, presentation enhancement and measurement distortion techniques seem to be extensively used when adopting column graphs in sustainability communication. Moreover, social sustainability–related topics tend to be more represented of other area of CSR reporting. This suggests that companies, whether consciously or unconsciously, engage in impression management techniques when using graphs in their sustainability reports.Social implicationsThe study findings suggest that more consciousness is needed for companies when engaging in the construction and selection of graphs in their sustainability reports and that decision-makers should develop a clear guide for ethical visual communication.Originality/valueThe paper systematically analyzes visual impression management techniques in communicating sustainability data and, in particular, advances literature on graphical distortion. The value lies in empirical evidence of distortion adoption in GRI-compliant reports as well as problematizing visual data communication as a fundamental challenge for sustainability communication management.

Corporate social responsibility as a framework for gender equality: Mapping of gender equality standards for sustainable development

AbstractCorporations address gender equality issues in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable development. As in other areas of CSR, various standards, certifications, and similar initiatives have been proposed to promote gender equality. Despite an increasing number of self‐regulation and signaling schemes being proposed, their study has been overlooked by the scholarly literature. This article tries to shed light on these standards through a two‐stage exploratory study. First, the main worldwide initiatives that focus on gender equality standards are scrutinized and mapped. Second, their main characteristics are analyzed, based on a content analysis of the information disclosed by organizations that foster the most relevant initiatives. A systematic analysis of relevant gender equality standards is provided. This work highlights a dispersion and lack of uniformity in terms of missions, results, measurement, and even the definition of gender equality or the term used to refer to it. No framework has prevailed. Gender equality standards lack gender mainstreaming and intersectionality is invisible. The business case appears to be the main driver of gender equality standards. The present study is one of the first attempts to thoroughly examine the institutional design of gender equality standards, their standard‐setting process as well as their enforcement. We suggest a rethink of the policies that promote the gender equality standards in organizations, as well as a need for collaborative work between managers and policymakers towards the use of common terminology, indicators, and uniformity regarding the terms to be certificated.

Environmental CSR and the Purchase Declarations of Generation Z Consumers

Activities in the area of corporate social responsibility are more and more widely and willingly undertaken not only by large companies but also those in the SME sector. A very important part of these activities is environmental protection. Therefore, the question of how these activities are evaluated by their beneficiaries should be asked. One important group of recipients of CSR initiatives are consumers. We considered the opinions of young people from Generation Z to be particularly important because this generation is just entering the consumer market and thus will influence its formation for many years to come. We conducted a survey on a sample of 344 respondents from Generation Z to check whether the environmental CSR initiatives are perceived and appreciated by Generation Z consumers. The survey was expanded to include the influence of the gender factor and the type of education of the people surveyed (technical, business and humanities education). The results of this study indicate that young people (from Generation Z) declare the need to care about the environment and pay attention as consumers to pro-environmental activities implemented as part of CSR. Evaluations of these activities differ between genders. Also, the education profile matters in the perception of environmental CSR initiatives.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN INDIA-CURRENT SCENARIO AND CHALLENGES

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) was made mandatory in India by the Companies Act of 2013, thus the evaluation of CSR activities over the years has become inevitable. Any unit or business derives a lot from the society so it is the responsibility of the business or unit to contribute some portion of its annual profits. The belief that it should be allocated for the society is getting stronger today. As a result, this provision was made mandatory under Section-135 of the Companies Act, 2013. The main objective of this research paper was to know the meaning of CSR and to get information about the existing CSR legal framework. Also, to know the present rank of Indian companies, states in CSR activities and to study what problems in implementation of CSR in India have been observed in recent years. The entire data for this research has been obtained from secondary data. This information is presented in a simple table and classification. From the findings of the study, it is known that most of the Indian companies are still not registered on the portal of CSR, and the number of companies has been decreasing in recent years which is a matter of concern for India. Identified development areas of corporate social responsibility and disparity in spending by states were also observed and other challenges are studied in this paper. Government and key stakeholders have to play an active role to overcome this problem. KEY WORDS: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Company, Sustainable Development, Stakeholders

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibilities on Firm Value and Profitability in Pakistan

The research area of corporate social responsibility (CSRR) has seen rapid growth in the past decade. However, the real impact of CSRR on firm value has been inconclusive, often due to its qualitative data. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSRR) and firm value. For this purpose, the data of listed firms in the Pakistan Stock Exchange 100 index were collected from 2010 to 2021. Regression Analysis was conducted on panel data to accomplish the main objective of the research. The study finds that Corporate social responsibility in the case of Pakistan is adopted by 67%, consisting of all the listed firms. The results of regression reflect an important positive association between the behaviour of CSRR and firm value. This result is also associated with other researchers, who suggest that investors pay a premium in the capital market in a socially responsible manner to achieve long-term profitability. The study also found that CSRR had a value-enhancing power to adopt charitable behaviour via legitimacy, Stakeholders, and signalling theory.

Global analysis of Twitter communication in corporate social responsibility area: sustainability, climate change, and waste management.

Many people now consider social media to be an integral part of their daily routines, which has enabled companies to implement successful corporate social responsibility campaigns through these platforms. The direct interaction with stakeholders offered by social media helps companies to build understanding, trust, and their image. The aim of this study was to identify key topics and trends communicated in connection with corporate social responsibility on the Twitter social network from 2017 to 2022. Analysis of 520,638 tweets by 168,134 unique users identified a predominance of environment-related topics: Sustainability, Climate Change, and Waste management. However, Charity remains the largest single topic. Based on the trend analysis, the areas of ESG, Social Impact, and Charity were identified as growth areas in communication, while Green and Philanthropy, on the other hand, were identified as decreasing.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Advocacy among Consumers: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust

Despite the increasing interest in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there is a very limited understanding of the mechanism of perceived CSR and its effect on consumer behavioral outcomes. Additionally, there is limited evidence on the role of brand trust in influencing brand advocacy. The aim of this study is to examine the direct and indirect influence of consumer perception of CSR on brand advocacy behavior. This research proposes a framework and examines the relationship between CSR and brand advocacy behaviors, including the role of brand trust. This study is quantitative in nature. Data were collected from 336 consumers of retail banks in India. The results were analyzed using the SEM through AMOS 22.0. This present research made a contribution to the CSR literature by taking the important role of brand trust in the relationship between CSR and brand advocacy behavior.

How do financial markets reward companies tackling climate change concerns? A natural experiment based on the Brexit referendum

AbstractThis paper explores whether environmental management activities and corporate commitment to tackle climate change concerns play a role in hedging a company's market valuation after a political or economic shock. Based on the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and insurance‐like effects, this study advances knowledge on the impact of companies' engagement to tackle climate change on share price variation after the 2016 Brexit Referendum. The study also contributes to the limited number of studies using a difference‐in‐differences (DID) methodology in the CSR and climate change research area. Specifically, it uses DID, a natural experimental research design, and a multi‐variate regression analysis. The paper concludes that companies' concrete commitment to climate change has a buffer role in mitigating uncertainty related to Brexit. As the study found that financial markets reward companies that pay attention through the adoption of concrete actions and best practices on environmental issues during uncertain periods with respect to those that do not, the findings are in line with previous literature suggesting that corporate environmental commitment plays a buffering role during troubling periods. Results on the buffer role played by screenings, assessments, or disclosure activities to address environmental issues are unclear. We thus argue that during uncertain times, markets sustain companies taking proactive actions to tackle climate change.

Knowledge mapping in the area of corporate social responsibility and financial performance: a bibliometric and visualisation analysis

Knowledge mapping in the area of corporate social responsibility and financial performance: a bibliometric and visualisation analysis

Knowledge mapping in the area of corporate social responsibility and financial performance: a bibliometric and visualisation analysis

Knowledge mapping in the area of corporate social responsibility and financial performance: a bibliometric and visualisation analysis

Pondering Digitalization: An Exploratory Study on Organizational Capitalization of Digital Media for Disclosing CSR

Abstract The goal of this study had as a premise a perceived gap of knowledge regarding the use of digital media and platforms by Romanian organizations with the purpose to disclose corporate social responsibility (CSR) information. In the context of the ever-increasing digitalization process, the research aimed to explore the current situation within the organizational setting to provide evidence on the type of media and content used and with a view to identifying possible trends. To objectively assess the situation, the study employed models developed by various researchers to measure CSR disclosure on corporate websites, Facebook and Twitter accounts. The results of the study indicate that the selected Romanian companies make limited use of online media for the purpose to reveal CSR. They rather prefer corporate websites and Facebook accounts to communicate such information to stakeholders, while Twitter is rarely utilized. The findings point to the fact that education and social development are the areas of CSR where Romanian companies mostly contribute, but, at the same time, they signal that the advantages and advances availed by systemic digitalization are yet to be properly exploited against the backdrop of CSR disclosure.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CSR SPENDING & CSR REPORTING PRACTICES OF SELECTED BANKS IN INDIA

This paper seeks to identify the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices adopted by the selected dominant Indian Public Banks, Indian Private Banks & Foreign Banks Operating in India. One on hand of the research analysis, is the Banking Sector – a dominant service industry in India, that contributes considerably towards India’s growth by maintaining the equilibrium in the financial ecosystem, and on the other side of the research, is the contemporary concept of CSR, where the society, government and corporates have joint interest and leverage. And therefore, it will be quite interesting to review the CSR practices adopted by Banking Sector. In the present study, the researcher analyzes & compares the CSR practices adopted by the sample Banks with respect to CSR Spending and CSR Reporting patterns. Further, it is endeavored to determine the most preferred and most neglected CSR areas by the sample banks. And thereby some suggestions are presented to improve the CSR practices to better serve the society and fulfill the CSR legal obligations as per the Companies Act, 2013. The results of the study confirm that Indian Private Banks are the most compliant towards CSR spending & Reporting and the most preferred CSR areas are regular CSR areas of: Healthcare, Education, Environmental Sustainability etc., and most neglected CSR areas are also continuously same: Contributions to Technology Incubators, Slum Development Projects etc.

Knowledge management and corporate social responsibility interactions in theory and practice

Knowledge management (KM) in the context of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a new and challenging topic. The possibilities of effectively introducing this process within an organisation and the global trend of its implementation are signals that the topic is worth taking a closer look at. Knowledge management brings the benefits necessary to effectively conduct business. When designed consciously and appropriately, they can increase the effectiveness of business activities and strengthen a company's competitive position. On the other hand, many companies have made the principles of sustainable development a part of their strategy. Knowledge management in the area of CSR is related to important challenges. One of them is a commitment of the board of directors. Particular attention should also be paid to the needs of people in various positions and different company departments. Companies spend huge amounts of money to accumulate knowledge in various forms. However, they cannot turn this knowledge into concrete actions. This article aims to identify common areas of KM and CSR. How the application of both of them will enhance company performance. It utilizes the methods of literature analysis and company reports analysis, as well as own observations. The research was conducted in two stages. Stage 1: literature analysis and synthesis. Stage 2: Analysis of non-financial reports of selected entities. The research question is, how to use knowledge management in the context of CSR. The goal of this article is to show the resonance between knowledge management and corporate social responsibility. The conclusions presented in the article can be valuable for business professionals, small business owners, entrepreneurs, academics, researchers, and business students.

Peculiarities of non-financial reporting development in Ukraine

Under the condition of sustainable development, corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes more important, and can be the key to improving the company's image and competitiveness on the market. Areas and forms of CSR implementation are numerous, one of which is the company's reporting on socially responsible practices. The importance of non-financial reporting is also emphasized by the Concept of state policy in the field of promoting corporate social responsibility in Ukraine until 2030 that highlights the necessity to publish non-financial reporting, which substantiates the topic of this scientific article. The purpose of the article is to determine the features of the introduction and dissemination of the practice of compiling and forms of non-financial reporting in Ukraine as a direction of manifestation of social responsibility of business. Methods of the article include analytical, statistical, comparison, and extrapolation ones etc. Theoretical analysis allows determining the main standards by which non-financial reports can be generated. These include: Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), UN Global Compact Report, AA1000 Standard, SA 8000: 2001 Social Responsibility Standard, and ISO 26000 Standard. Among the most common are the GRI Standard and UN Global Compact Report. The practical results of the study reveal that in Ukraine the number of GRI reports has increased compared to 2008, but this development is uneven. A comparison of the number of non-financial reports in Ukraine and Europe according to the Corporate Register found out that the number of reports in European countries has different trends: a decrease in 2017-2018 in some countries (UK, Germany, and France) and a subsequent revival to gradual growth in all countries. Analysis of the Transparency Index, calculated by the Center for the Development of Corporate Social Responsibility that considers the websites of companies based on CSR information for the period 2012-2020 reflects a change of countries that are leaders in this indicator. A positive characteristic is that among the TOP-10 companies there are not only private enterprises, but also state-owned ones. Overall indicators of CSR practices tend to increase and reflect the growing importance of this area of corporate social responsibility.

Corporate social responsibility as a significant factor of competitive advantage - a case study of energy companies in Poland

Adapting enterprises to a rapidly changing world pursuing the goal of sustainable development is accomplished through a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Due to its holistic nature, this concept can permeate business activities at every level of the supply chain, allowing for the perception of the company’s opportunities in various areas.This article presents an assessment of CSR indicators that impact the competitive advantage (CA) of companies in the energy sector. The analysis was based on data collected from 392 surveys conducted with management representatives of the power sector in Poland. The scientific resources and standardisation documents on the intersection of CA and CSR were analysed. This enabled the selection of key indicators within three CSR areas: social, economic, and environmental.This case study provides meaningful insights into the most important aspects of CSR implementation. The findings indicate that the social dimension of CSR has the largest impact on CA, particularly offering products and services of the highest quality, which was considered the most crucial indicator among those analysed. Among the remaining social groups, the education of participants throughout the supply chain and relationships with suppliers were also important. The environmental aspect, in particular energy security, also has a significant effect on the CA of energy companies. Furthermore, economic indicators had the most negligible impact on CA. The resulting hierarchy of selected indicators is a guide to achieving CA and understanding how the energy sector perceives CSR.