Aspects Of Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Corporate social responsibility practices and disclosures in Thailand

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the patterns of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and disclosures of firms listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET). Design/methodology/approach A total of 43 CSR indices under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s nine CSR components were used to quantify the CSR disclosures. The nine CSR components are good governance, environment, consumer protections, fair business practices, human rights, labor standards, community and society, innovation and anti-corruption. The common patterns of the CSR disclosures were subsequently identified using factor analysis. Findings The factor analysis identified four domains of the CSR disclosures of the SET-listed firms: employee relations, environment, anti-corruption and philanthropic efforts. Importantly, an increasing number of Thai firms are now attaching greater significance to the employee relations aspect of CSR, as opposed to in the past. In addition, an increasing number of the Thai companies have either initiated or participated in the anti-corruption campaigns. Originality/value The research offers an insight into the current development in CSR practices and disclosures in Thailand, as compared to a decade ago. To that end, this research conducted a survey on the CSR disclosures in relation to the nine CSR components, and factor analysis was used to establish the patterns of CSR practices. The findings are of great use to regulators in formulating legal frameworks and strategies to engage companies in CSR and also provide further evidence on the CSR practices in an emerging economy. Furthermore, the findings offer businesses and industries a disclosure benchmark, against which firms decide on the nature and extent of CSR information to disclose in the annual statements.

Green Marketing as a Vital Approach to Support the Social Responsibility in Enterprises

This study aims at highlighting the role played by green marketing in supporting the socialresponsibility of economic enterprises as they have common objectives that serve the interests of societies.The descriptive approach was used to inform the theoretical aspect of corporate social responsibility, greenmarketing and analysis to highlight the effect of green marketing on supporting the corporate socialresponsibility. The study concluded that green marketing enterprises can effectively support their socialresponsibility. As it found the hypothesis and considered green marketing as a vital approach to supportsocial responsibility in the enterprises, to the green marketing mix supports corporate social responsibilitythrough all of its elements (green product, promote, pricing and green distribution).

Do companies that claim to be socially responsible adequately manage occupational safety and health?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasing demand in companies around the world. We have assessed the degree of CSR in 112 Ecuadorians companies (671 participants), of which 58.9% were multinational, from all sectors and geographical country areas. This was done with the objective of knowing the degree of implementation of occupational safety and health management, and whether there is a correlation between these values and those of CSR. A validated questionnaire was used for the institutional and legitimacy part, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for the social part, and mandatory audits on occupational health and safety management. An indicator was also added with perceived priorities of social aspects of CSR for the studied population obtained through DELPHI methodology. More than 90% of the studied companies have quality, occupational health and safety, and CSR management systems. 51% of the companies claim to have an adequate system, while only 6.3% of them exceeded the minimum threshold required by Ecuadorian regulations. The women in boards of directors are less than 1% and there are differences between multinational and national companies, as well as in the trading activity of organizations in the institutional context, in legitimacy, and in social aspects. We conclude that the assessment of social aspects with the Global Reporting Initiative seems to be overestimated when compared with the occupational health and safety management system audits or with an indicator created on perceived priorities of CSR social aspects.

Corporate culture versus CSR in Polish companies of the energy sector

The purpose of the article is to indicate those CSR activities and assumptions that may play a significant role in creating and maintaining corporate culture. The article outlines basic elements and factors that shape level of the corporate culture. The determinants of the corporate culture, which significantly affect both internal shape and image of the whole corporation in society, were indicated. The solutions indicated in the article come from observations and interviews with middle management employees in energy sector companies. Additionally, some aspects of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) were mentioned. While considering the fact that CSR is often treated as a PR tool or sales tool, the authors also attempted to show that the CSR activities have impact on the corporate culture of a given organization. The article pays special attention to such activities, which are significantly combined with the corporate culture and contribute to its improvement. The corporate culture, together with all its determinants, should not only function as a mere declaration, but its principles should be implemented and sustained in daily operations of the company. The CSR policy is often coincident with the declarations of the culture of an organization, which should contribute to collaboration between such two scopes of operations of the companies. The article contains examples of CSR impact on the level and shape of the corporate culture within selected companies of the energy sector.

ОЦІНЮВАННЯ РІВНЯ РОЗВИТКУ КОРПОРАТИВНОЇ СОЦІАЛЬНОЇ ВІДПОВІДАЛЬНОСТІ НА ПРИКЛАДІ ПрАТ «КАРЛСБЕРГ УКРАЇНА»

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) includes not only a variety of theories but also a number of controversial and difficult approaches. It has become an essential element of the business world over the last two decades. As a result, cooperation between business and society has strengthened. Earlier, enterprises were mostly concerned with economic results of their activities; today, on the contrary, enterprises have to consider ethical, moral, ecological and social consequences of their work. CSR and maintaining high ethical standards are not optional but compulsory for all enterprises. There exists a certain influence of a private sector on workforce, consumers, society, environment, business opponents, investors, stockholders and other interest groups. This article is devoted to methodological approaches for determining the influence of stakeholders on the functioning of enterprises and ensuring the level of corporate social responsibility. Based on our research, key stakeholders groups were identified for corporate social responsibility for individual enterprises and organizations, as well as their impact on shaping various aspects of corporate social responsibility for these groups. The research was based on the use of a stakeholder the matrix, which is used to display and identify key stakeholders in corporate social responsibility and to determine the levels of corporate social responsibility for specific groups. The process of globalization has intensified, competition has grown all over the world. The tendency of companies to be socially responsible and gaining competitive advantage is becoming an important factor for corporate social responsibility practices. Today there is a strong link between strategic management and CSR. Consequently, the concept of CSR becomes a part of the strategy of each modern company. CSR acts as the main principle of the company's activities, which is applied on a permanent basis in relations with the interested parties. At the moment, it should be associated with the system of strategic and corporate governance, which includes nonfinancial risk management, social investment, and stakeholder relations. Without such a strategic management tool as CSR, it will be difficult for business to stay ahead of the business and form a complete business model that is fully responsive to challenges of time. The purpose of the article is to study the methodological approaches for assessing corporate social responsibility and provide recommendations for their improvement. In the field of the study was also the impact of the strategy of corporate social policy on the activities of enterprises, as well as determining the factors and ways to increase the efficiency of the enterprise through the introduction of an integrated management system, taking into account CSR. CSR may turn into one of the most efficient instruments for practical realization of the stakeholder theory. Stakeholders provide organizations with necessary resources for achieving their business goals, influence corporate activity and productivity of enterprises. As a result of their relationships with these organizations, the stakeholders win or lose.

Sentiment analysis on organisational resilience

By applying a sentiment analysis, we examine how firms can achieve organisational resilience by focusing on two different operational strategies in their responses to adverse events: anticipatory responses or reactionary responses. We examined 210 firms and found that firms that focus on an anticipatory strategy of investing in corporate social responsibility benefited from increased organisational resilience. We also found that firms that focus on a reactionary focus of risk management practice in their daily operations also benefited from increased organisational resilience. Furthermore, our study revealed that firms that focus on the economic and environmental aspects of corporate social responsibility and the risk assessment process benefited from higher levels of organisational resilience.

The Correlation of CSR and Consumer Purchase Intent: A Study of IT Professionals

There is evidence that purchase choice behaviour of consumers is motivated by utility, value for money, and social betterment. It results in a phenomenon called Consumer Social Responsibility (CnSR). This research paper aims to examine whether consumers’ purchase intent will be influenced when they are made aware of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) information and would this information induce them to pay extra for the product in question. Consumer’s vote in the form of positive purchase intent and willingness to pay premium for social features of the product would actually provide a business case for enterprises to engage in CSR both as a normative ethical conduct and to mitigate the challenges of externality effects their business conduct might generate, the social reactions to such situations and potential state intervention. We conducted an analysis on the correlation pattern between CSR and consideration to purchase. It was found that consumers do not discriminate between levels of CSR involvement by enterprises but show sharp negative responses when the hypothetical enterprise in the study has done poorly on the environmental aspect of CSR. This implies that consumers do not possess the same level of liking or sympathy to different social issues.

Mandatory CSR – Can It Help Indian Firms?

Industry and Business play a crucial role in the social and economic development of a nation. It is a creative entrepreneurial process that provides livelihoods for the majority of the world’s people. It has been instrumental in bringing about sustainable development. CSR is an increasingly important part of the business environment and constitutes a complex aspect of the relationship between business and society. It is not just about building schools or providing scholarships, but about doing business that companies do not regard as being an obligation ensuring sustainability of business. It is an extension of efforts to foster strong corporate governance. It is a multi dimensional concept evolved over the years from Corporate Philanthropy to Stakeholder management and Sustainable development. CSR brings positive change inside businesses. It sets the framework and defines the manner in which a business must operate to be able to meet the ethical, legal, commercial and public expectations that a society has of any company. Corporations are now involved in all aspects of public and private life and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been propelled into the limelight in recent years due to increasing influence and power of corporations. CSR extends beyond the interests of shareholders to the interests and needs of diverse stakeholders. It includes environmental, social, and governance issues’. Law is the codification of basic human values. The goal of CSR is to implement these values in corporations, thus CSR develops and functions in a legal framework that is feasible and has the support of all the stakeholders concerned. Codification helps in defining the purpose and gives clarity. Further it ensures consistency and credibility. There need to be laws, of course, and regulations to force compliance. Compulsory laws and regulations tend to be rigid for controlling self-interest. The very nature of right and power, obligation and responsibility implies that social obligation is inherent in almost every legal right, legal power or actual power. Thus best model for CSR is voluntary compliance with sensible social codes. Social responsibility needs to take care of the changes and hence companies need to have choice. CSR require long-term perspective to have any major beneficial impact in society. The perception of the public concerning business is important. Governments need to take the initiative of bringing all the segments in society to discuss CSR to ensure minimum legal standards as well. CSR could exist at three levels: Compliance in letter of the law; Observing norms of common morality, like ethics and fair play, in its internal management and dealings; and A social trusteeship mindset in deploying its resources for sustainable development. The main focus of CSR should continue to be a voluntary one while the role of Government needs to be that of a facilitator. They may set the appropriate policy framework with the right mix of tools including fiscal and regulatory measures where appropriate to boost socially and environmentally responsible performance. Regulations need to be well designed and focused if it is the right solution. But CSR should continue to take compliance with legal requirements as the base and go beyond that in the interests of business and the rest of society. Above and beyond this understanding, business firms should move toward a spirit of trust at all times but more in matters that are integral to the existence of the firm such as data privacy. Finally it is also essential to have proper measurement systems to track, control and implement CSR initiatives that are both sustainable as well as beneficial to all stakeholders. This is the first part of the research on the legal aspects of CSR in India before it became mandatory in 2013. The second part will discuss the post 2013 scenario of mandatory CSR.

The Level of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation in all Social Responsibility Aspects in Jordan’s Zain Telecommunication Company

A relatively new concept in the business world, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has resonated widely in the global economy. As well as integrating into the cultures of many organizations, CSR has become an important business strategy component of corporations worldwide. Many large companies in Jordan realize the importance of adopting social responsibility, especially companies that help build society as well as develop and increase productivity by providing distinct programs for small projects, as these contribute to solving problems of unemployment and poverty. This study explores the extent to which Zain Telecom in Jordan covers the three aspects of social responsibility in the same depth and level. The research methodology is qualitative analytical and is based on secondary data such as previous studies and the analysis of Zain’s annual report of social responsibility for 2018. The study concluded that the abovementioned company is significantly concerned with the social and employee aspects of CSR, but pays little attention to environmental aspects. The study made a number of recommendations, including focusing on all dimensions of social responsibility equally.

CSR-consumption paradox: examination of UK apparel companies

Purpose Despite extensive study into various aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the effect on consumer behaviour is less explored. A growing amount of research is concerned with the phenomenon that CSR has a minor effect on actual purchases although CSR practices enhance consumers’ purchase intentions. This is documented as the CSR-consumption paradox and is yet to be resolved. The purpose of this paper is to further understand this paradox. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaires were administered face-to-face to consumers in Birmingham. These questionnaires concern consumer behaviour in relation to CSR practices of 21 popular apparel companies in the UK. Findings Results suggest that consumers’ pro-social priority is significantly related to pro-social consumption and that consumers’ awareness of CSR practices is insignificantly associated with their purchase behaviour. The pro-social consumption does not differ significantly among different demographic groups. Research limitations/implications To explore the external motivational factors in consumers’ decision making will be a potential research direction in future. Practical implications The empirical results provide implications for UK apparel marketers and policy makers to engage and motivate socially responsible consumers so as to reap strategic rewards for their CSR efforts. Originality/value This paper contributes to the knowledge of socially responsible consumption and how it is affected by CSR.

How different are corporate social responsibility motives in a developing country? Insights from a study of Indian agribusiness firms

Against the backdrop of increasing foreign direct investment flows in the developing economies in Asia, the investigation of topical aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the region increases in importance. We examine the CSR motives of four large indigenous agribusiness firms in India with a view of assessing the validity of the claim that CSR in this country, compared to developed countries, is influenced substantially more by moral, cultural, and religious considerations and less by self‐interest and profit seeking. Unlike numerous other investigations of CSR that rely on questionnaires and company reports, our data are drawn from in‐depth interviews and theme analysis revealing some intricate motives behind CSR behavior and business conditions that inspire them. Our findings challenge some previously reported results and indicate that the degree to which such a behavior is affected by the state of economic development and cultural differences may be smaller than is often argued.

Exploring Twitter for CSR Disclosure: Influence of CEO and Firm Characteristics in Latin American Companies

Social networks, which are characterised by accessibility and interactivity, offer great potential for dialogue between companies and stakeholders, for example as platforms for publishing information on aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this paper, we use a synthetic index to analyse levels of CSR disclosure via Twitter, and identify explanatory variables of this disclosure by studying the demographic characteristics of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and of the company. This synthetic index was based on data for 93 companies located in the four countries of the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru), using categories based on the 2016 Global Reporting Initave (GRI) Standards. The tweets were compiled during a period of two months in 2017, immediately before and after the publication of each CSR report. The synthetic index was taken as the dependent variable and used as the basis for multivariate regression analysis to identify the relationship between the level of CSR disclosure on Twitter and the characteristics of the firm and its CEO. The results obtained show that firms operating in environmentally-sensitive industries present higher levels of CSR disclosure on Twitter than those in other sectors. By country of origin, the Colombian and Chilean companies offered higher levels of disclosure than those in Mexico and Peru. The regression analysis revealed a positive relationship between the firm operating in a sensitive industry and its level of CSR disclosure on Twitter, and an inverse relationship between the latter variable and the tenure of the CEO.

Which aspects of CSR predict firm market value?

PurposeThere is evidence that corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices predict higher firm value, but little evidence on which specific aspects of CSR drive this relationship. The purpose of this paper is to study this question in a sample drawn from 35 countries over 2003-2016.Design/methodology/approachThe authors employ a research design that analyzes observational data with panel data methods including ordinary least squares, firm-random effects, and firm-fixed effects.FindingsThe authors find in a sample drawn from 35 countries over 2003-2016 an economically significant relationship between an overall CSR measure and firm value. The overall CSR score builds on data from Asset4 and is comprised of three indices for environmental, social, and corporate governance aspects of CSR. The authors find that the social index consistently predicts higher market value. The authors also show that the use of particular elements of CSR can lead to substantial omitted variables bias when predicting firm value. The results also suggest a similar bias in studies that focus on a single index, which captures a specific aspect of CSR, but omits the remaining aspects.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is subject to limitations common to observational studies.Practical implicationsThe authors find robust evidence that CSR predicts market value using a country-benchmarked overall CSR index. The power to predict firm value comes solely from the social dimension of this measure, which captures firm-level practices related to treatment of employees and stakeholder relations including those with customers and the broader community. Three elements drive the social index: customer/product responsibility, human rights, and employment quality. None of the remaining 12 elements significantly predicts firm vale in an empirical setting with firm-FE and extensive covariates. The authors also show that omitted aspects of CSR can easily lead to an omitted variable bias and that the magnitude of this bias is potentially greater with an OLS specification.Social implicationsAmong the many dimensions of CSR, only a subset drives firm value. Policies that target to improve the CSR performance of firms adopt a broader definition of CSR.Originality/valueThe authors provide first-hand evidence on which specific aspects of CSR drive firm market value.

Research on Coal Enterprise Investor Sentiment Based on Regulation Algorithm

Academics have conducted extensive research on aspects of corporate social responsibility, but there are less involved in corporate social responsibility and investor sentiment. With the continuous transformation and upgrading of social economy, people pay more and more attention to corporate social responsibility. In order to better study corporate social responsibility, based on the quality of financial reporting, this paper examines the relationship between corporate social responsibility and investors by collecting second-hand data about the relationship between emotions. This paper focuses on how the relationship between corporate social responsibility and investor sentiment changes and how the relationship between the two changes with the quality of financial reporting. Through the research of this paper, we find that the higher the level of corporate social responsibility fulfillment, the greater the investor sentiment, the two are proportional. Under the same condition of the fulfillment of corporate social responsibility, the higher the quality of financial reports, the greater the investor sentiment.

Evaluating the quality of corporate social responsibility reports: The case of occupational health and safety disclosures

A good and safe workplace is a big challenge for the business community. Different stakeholder groups are placing pressure on firms to demonstrate their commitment to the continual improvement of working conditions. In the light of society’s demands, firms design and implement Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) actions as an integral part of the general corporate strategy and they also use various communication channels to inform stakeholders about OHS performance. CSR reporting is a popular communication tool whereby stakeholders can be informed about firms’ performance in various aspects of corporate social responsibility. However, a standard accounting methodology to evaluate non-financial information, such as OHS information, does not yet exist. Such a methodology would help managers and stakeholder assess the effectiveness of the OHS management practices adopted by firms. After considering the above weakness, this paper proposes an assessment methodology of OHS information disclosed in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. Based on GRI indicators, this methodology develops an objective scoring system which evaluates the quality and type of OHS information. The proposed methodology was used to investigate the OHS disclosing practices from an international sample of firms assessing the impact of various factors on the quality of the OHS information. In a nutshell, the quality of the OHS disclosures was very poor. The factors which influence the quality of OHS reporting practices are the industry sector, the continent in which firms operate and the OHSAS certification.

Measuring the impact of corporate social responsibility practices on brand equity in the banking industry in Bangladesh

PurposeThe banking industry in Bangladesh is now conducting business under the growing pressure to conform to every aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the welfare of their clients and society. The value of CSR practices is attributed to the relationship between corporate image, brand awareness, brand equity (BE), competitive advantage and financial result. The purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of CSR on BE and to establish the moderating impact of corporate image and brand awareness.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses using a sample of 200 public and private bank customers in Bangladesh.FindingsThe results of this study demonstrated that CSR has a significant direct effect on the corporate image, brand awareness and BE. The results also confirm that corporate image and brand awareness partially mediate the relationship between CSR and BE.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that successfully CSR practices will enhance a bank’s image in the mind of customers. Customers will feel that they are contributing to social causes because they are receiving services from socially responsible organizations. CSR practices also create customer awareness regarding the financial services provided by a bank. Consequently, good reputation and brand awareness contribute to building strong BE for banks.Originality/valueThis research shows the mediating role of brand awareness and corporate image with CSR and BE in the context of the banking industry in Bangladesh which is rarely studied. Therefore, the findings of this study will add value to the existing literature.

Active, Reactive, and Proactive Approaches to Corporate Volunteering in Three Countries

This article explores discursive constructions of corporate volunteering (CV) across three countries. Based on the analysis of 29 qualitative interviews with employees working in small and medium size companies in Denmark, Slovenia, and the United States, we explore distinct discursive features of the embedded nature of CV in the broader context of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The findings reveal that different orientations to CSR inform and shape the ways participants working in the three countries construct CV as active, reactive, or proactive corporate practice. This study aids in understanding of the cross-cultural distinctiveness of discourses that pertain to CV from an employee perspective, while also challenging the common notion of CV as an aspect of strategic CSR.

How do companies reduce their carbon footprint and how do they communicate these measures to stakeholders?

Abstract With regard to ecological sustainability, an aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR), a shift in business practices towards a stakeholder orientation was observed. However, little research was done on the activities carried out with regard to these stakeholders and the drivers of these activities. Drawing from a resource-based view and stakeholder theory, the current research thus aimed to uncover activities undertaken by companies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and examine the ways they communicate these activities to stakeholders in an effort to establish relations with them. By means of 16 semi-structured interviews in 14 companies and using a flexible pattern-matching approach, the results identified contextual, conditional, and intervening conditions that define the basis for a carbon footprint and its quantification, and at the same time influence the actions taken by companies. The findings offer a contribution to ecological sustainability literature and practice by identifying five areas of carbon footprint actions including heating, building, travel, transportation, and green services and products; and by showing that companies direct different actions in these areas towards different stakeholders to build relations with them.

Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? An Exploratory Study on CSR

This research investigates various firm motives for practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR). More precisely, it examines whether a firm's primary motive for undertaking CSR is related to the type of actions performed. Such exploratory research is overdue following more than 40 years of scholarly contention on the financial rewards of doing (and looking) good. By uncovering and measuring specific aspects of CSR, I offer an initial understanding of interactions within firm CSR operations. Theory on types of CSR have surfaced, yet empirical studies are few. In this research, I address this disparity by using original quantitative measures of both motive and type. The outcomes of this investigation challenge certain extant notions of CSR, while introducing a measure of objectivity in some long-standing debates among scholars and corporate stakeholders.

Corporate social responsibility and the milk market in Poland

Sustainable development was initially associated only with the protection of the natural environment, and eco-development is now an aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Social responsibility refers to responsibility and service to stakeholders interslators, in which three goals should be reconciled: economic, environmental and social. There are more and more good practices, often innovative ones, which have shaped the competitive advantage of Polish companies on the market for some time. The aim of the publication is to analyze and evaluate the development of the concept of social responsibility in milk processing plants in Poland. The basis of the study is the subject literature and a description of practices on the example of TOP companies - the main centers of the dairy industry in Poland. The article is a contribution and a voice in the discussion about showing opportunities and creating a competitive advantage in the aspect of social innovations and changing business models.