Aspects Of Social Responsibility Research Articles

Are investments in material corporate social responsibility issues a key driver of financial performance?

AbstractIn this study, we address a lesser‐studied aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR): distinguishing between investments in material versus immaterial CSR issues. The financial performance of stock portfolios formed according to material and general CSR issues is examined over the period 2007 to 2018 in the European Union and the United States. We find that materiality is relevant to finding the best and worst firms both in terms of CSR and financial performance, more significantly in the EU than in the US market. However, general CSR scores, including material and immaterial issues, do not discriminate the best firms.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Biotechnology Companies: Ethical, Environmental and Physical Implications

The biotechnology sector, renowned for its groundbreaking advancements, is increasingly subject to examination regarding its ethical and environmental obligations. The present study examines the ethical and environmental aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the context of biotechnology companies. The objective is to gain a deeper understanding of how these firms can effectively integrate scientific advancements to promote societal and ecological welfare. Our comprehensive study encompasses various aspects, such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, ethical dilemmas, environmental impacts, stakeholder perspectives, and best practices. The study's results emphasize the importance of ethical clinical trial practices and community engagement, the frequency of ethical dilemmas associated with gene-editing technologies, and the significance of energy consumption and the ecological consequences of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Furthermore, various stakeholders, including employees and the community, perceive corporate social responsibility (CSR) as productive. This study enhances our comprehensive comprehension of the transformative capacity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the biotechnology sector. It guides conducting responsible scientific research and deploying technology to advance societal and environmental well-being.

Financial Stability in Companies with High ESG Scores: Evidence from North America Using the Ohlson O-Score

The benefits and advantages of the incorporation of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governing)-related policies have been discussed extensively. However, research articles focus not only on the socioecological aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) but also on the underlying effects on a corporation’s corporate financial performance (CFP). In this regard, the current study aims to analyze the impact of ESG parameters on corporations’ financial stability. A sample size of 691 companies in North American countries was investigated in order to test the hypothesis that ESG has an effect on the likelihood of a company going bankrupt using the Ohlson O-score. This is conducted using regression models and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Furthermore, a follow-up hypothesis on the relationship between firm size and ESG is also tested in order to evaluate a tendency of corporate growth through ESG-based sustainable development. The results of the study conclude that the governing pillar of ESG factors has the highest positive impact on corporations’ financial success. Furthermore, the analysis conducted in the study with its sample size confirms the hypothesis that larger firms tend to have higher ESG scores.

The Innovative Approach to the Evaluation of the Social Responsible Small and Medium Sized Enterprises

Understanding social responsibility importance pushes businesses to assume not only the behaviour of law-abidingness but also to carry the voluntary participation in the implementation of corporate contribution to the development of the community and the territory and establishing social partnership relations with the state. However, it should be noted that no aspects of social responsibility have been analysed appropriately. In particular, some authors pointed out that it is necessary to increase the number of studies related to the social responsibility perception of small and medium enterprises because these companies often lack a clear understanding and conscious recognition of socially responsible importance. Such a situation has motivated the authors to do research in this area. The food service sector was chosen for an investigation in Ukraine, Portugal, and Slovakia. The purpose of the paper is to find out the most important factors that influence the socially responsible perception of small and medium-sized enterprises among food service enterprises in Ukraine, Portugal, and Slovakia from the viewpoint of the economic pillar. Primary data were collected by conducting a questionnaire survey of Ukraine, Portuguese, and Slovak small and medium-sized enterprises working in the food sector. The research was conducted in selected cities of each country (Portugal: Lisbon, Porto, Faro; Slovakia: Bratislava, Nitra, Košice, and Ukraine: Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa). The city selection could be explained by the fact that the before-mentioned cities are the most visited ones in the selected countries. The study received 107 answers from Ukraine, 102 from Portugal, and 101 from Slovakia. Statistical analysis was performed by using IBM SPSS software and MS Excel. It could be concluded that the research describes that the company's financial situation has the most significant influence on its performance. In addition, enterprises with a short-term existence display better social responsibility performance. The results have several practical implications for organisations' policymakers. Results showed that adopting the socially responsible concept greatly depends on the company's financial situation. However, several socially responsible activities are neutral concerning the costs. The companies could focus on collaboration with other small and medium-sized enterprises, getting involved in community service activities and collaboration with nonprofit organisations, charity camps organisation, team building activities, organisation of masterclasses for children, resources donation, and reuse activities.

Review and prospect of corporate social responsibility research

In this paper, through the review of corporate social responsibility related research, the concept of corporate social responsibility, impact factors, impact results, action mechanism and other aspects of the integrated analysis. The results show that there is no unified definition of corporate social responsibility at present, but they all emphasize a point of view, that is, enterprises must consider the impact on stakeholders in various business activities. In addition, according to our analysis, we find that most research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is conducted at the corporate level, but there is a growing interest in the analysis of individual level, especially employee level. However, the existing literature shows that the impact of CSR on potential employees has not been fully studied. In addition, when discussing the impact of corporate social responsibility on enterprises, few studies consider the impact of context. From these findings, we determine the direction of future research.

Moderasi Profitabilitas Atas Pengaruh Corporate Social Responsibility terhadap Nilai Perusahaan

The purpose of this study is to determine whether profitability can moderate the relationship between corporate social responsibility as well as to see whether there is an influence between corporate social responsibility on corporate value in consumer goods sector companies listed on the IDX during 2017 until carrying out the pandemic period in 2019. Research linking the relationship between these variables and testing it empirically. The results showed a relationship between the social aspects of corporate social responsibility in a company to firm value, either partially or simultaneously. The data analysis method used was linear regression. This method was chosen because the reference shows that there is a match between the analysis tool and the variables studied. The sample in this study uses purposive sampling so that the number of samples is 51 companies taken with the selected criteria. The results of the study indicate that profitability can moderate the relationship between corporate social resonance and there is a positive but insignificant influence between corporate social responsibility and firm value. The results of the study reject the theory and the first hypothesis which suggests that there is a significant influence on firm value, this is because some companies during the pandemic did not carry out corporate social responsibility or did not report it on their annual reports, while the results of this study accept the second hypothesis which states that profitability is able to moderate. the influence of corporate social responsibility on company value, this proves the economic relationship in the social contract which explains that the higher the profit, the greater the company's ability to fulfill its social responsibility and gain the trust of its stakeholders, thereby increasing the company's value.Keywords: Profitability, CSR , Company Value

Selected Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Industry Related to the Production and Supply of Energy

The development of the economy is related not only to its benefits, but also its negative aspects. One of the negative impacts is the impact on the environment and society. Many types of industry and, in a narrower sense, of enterprises, adversely affect their surroundings. It is one of the many factors that has contributed to the growing popularity of the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). It is important to balance business and industry with the environment and community impacts. This study presents selected aspects of corporate social responsibility, such as society, the environment, and corporate governance in relation to the industry responsible for energy production and distribution. This group includes the energy sector (mining oil, gas, consumer fuels, and energy equipment and services), the materials sector (metallurgy and mining), as well as distribution (gas, electricity supply, independent energy producers, and renewable energy). The aim of the article was to present the level of implementation of the concept of corporate social responsibility in enterprises responsible for the production and supply of energy. The article uses the analysis of the literature and the statistical analysis showing the level of use of the described concept in the analysed entities. It was based on an analysis of 1904 companies from 41 countries around the world. The article presents the level of implementation of the concept of corporate social responsibility in selected sectors, divided into three areas: social, environmental, and corporate governance. In each of them, the analysis was performed with regard to the selected, most important factors. In addition, an analysis of the described industry, in relation to the others, is presented, which shows the level of use of individual CSR aspects. Thus, it shows which criteria are followed by enterprises in their activities and indicates the real areas of CSR impact on companies.

The Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Job Candidates’ Recruitment and Selection Processes in a Teal Organization

(1) Background: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept, which from its very beginning, has been dividing researchers and practicians into its supporters and opponents. The owners of some organizations can still see in it its great value and implement its premises, among other things, in the human resources management processes. (2) Methods: The aim of the research presented within this article was to define the aspects of CSR in the processes of recruitment and selection of candidates to work in the teal organization and the motifs of implementing the aspects of CSR into these processes. A qualitative research strategy was applied in order to achieve reliable research results, and a single embedded case study was used as a tool of this research. The research information was gathered with the use of the following research methods: interviews, analysis of the documents, and analysis of the audio–visual materials (video recordings). The research was carried out in one of the leading teal companies in Poland, Marco Company Ltd. (3) Results: In the organization being researched, the aspects of the teal organization were identified in ten elements of the job candidates’ recruitment and selection processes. They permeate the entire process of recruitment constituting its inherent feature. The inclusion of CSR aspects into the processes of the job candidates’ recruitment and selection allows the company to gain such candidates who will make up the unique organization culture in cooperation with other Marco Company employees and will also fulfil corporate fundamental vision and mission. (4) Conclusions: The processes realized within the analysed company, including those in the field of job candidates‘ recruitment and selection, are to create a socially responsible and timeless business as the foundation of the welfare of the customers, suppliers, employees, company partners and local society. In order to achieve this purpose, the company needs suitable people, and that is the reason why CSR aspects are already included in the process of job candidates’ recruitment and selection.

Library instruction and Wikipedia: investigating students' perceived information literacy, lifelong learning, and social responsibility through Wikipedia editing.

Objectives:This article presents a multiyear pilot study delineating practical challenges, solutions, and lessons learned from Wikipedia editing experiences with first-year medical students at the John A. Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. The purpose of our project was to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of Wikipedia editing to improve information literacy and lifelong learning skills and to investigate aspects of social responsibility in first-year medical students.Methods:Lessons were provided through a combination of in-person and online instruction via the WikiEdu learning management system (LMS). Students next selected a health-related Wikipedia article to edit. After the editing experience, structural completeness data were collected from the WikiEdu LMS. Feedback was collected via an anonymous retrospective pre-post survey to assess the students' attitudes toward their perceived information literacy skills and the social responsibility of improving Wikipedia articles. Nonparametric tests were conducted to compare pre versus post outcomes.Results:Fifty-seven (79%) participants in the 2018 cohort and forty-nine (64%) participants in the 2019 cohort completed the retrospective pre-post survey. In both cohorts, respondents showed statistically significant increases (p<.05) in self-rating of all ten domains of information literacy and social responsibility after completing the program.Conclusions:This study showed that medical students are competent editors of Wikipedia and that their contributions improve both the quality of the articles and their own perceived information literacy. Additionally, editing medicine-related articles provides an opportunity to build students' social responsibility by improving content on an open platform that reaches millions each day.

Environmental corporate social responsibility initiatives and green purchase intention: an application of the extended theory of planned behavior

PurposeThis study aims to integrate the perspective of consumer social responsibility with the theory of planned behavior to explore the impact of environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) initiatives on intention to buy environmentally friendly products among Vietnamese consumers. Also, the moderating role of gender on the associations of antecedents and green purchase intention is tested in this study.Design/methodology/approachThe data of 823 consumers using the tool of the mall-intercept survey recruited from several big cities in Vietnam. Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analysis has been used to test the reliability and validity of scales; then, structural equation modeling and PROCESS approach was used to test the fitness of the research model, formulated hypotheses and the indirect associations.FindingsThis study presented that ECSR initiatives were strongly and positively correlated with attitude towards green products, subjective norms, perceived behavioral and green purchase intention. Perceived behavioral control was found to be a partial mediator in the link between ECSR initiatives and intention to engage in pro-environmental consumption while the meditating roles of attitude towards green products and subjective norms in this linkage were not statistically significant. Additionally, this study illustrated that the impacts of subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and ECSR initiatives on green purchase intention were stronger for females than males.Practical implicationsThis study provides several useful insights for policymakers and administrators to foster pro-environmental behavior of consumers as well as to inspire corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of firms.Originality/valueEven though there is a growing interest in investigating the impacts of CSR activities on consumers’ purchase behaviors, there is a lack of studies considering the aspect of consumer social responsibility on their sustainable consumption behavior. There is a need to enrich one’s knowledge about the effect of ECSR initiatives on consumer’ green purchase intention.

Moral capital of CSR and firm performance: Does a shift from voluntary to mandatory policy matter in an Indian context?

PurposeThere is a current agitation by community leaders, global leaders and society on the morality aspect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of firms. The change in policy raises the question of whether moral capital is affected. Therefore, this study aims to examine whether the shift from voluntary to mandatory reporting increases the moral capital of CSR and also whether moral capital affects the firm performance of listed firms in India.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines 800 firm-year observations on the Bombay Stock Exchange (split into 320 firm-year observations for the voluntary period and 480 firm-year observations for the mandatory period). This study uses panel regression with random effect assumptions for data interpretation.FindingsThe first findings show that a shift from voluntary to mandatory policy on CSR increases the moral capital value of listed firms in India. The second and third findings show that voluntary reporting of moral capital has no significant association with market performance (stock price returns [SPR]) or firm value (Tobin’s q). The fourth findings show a negative and statistically significant association between mandatory reporting of moral capital and SPR but an insignificant association with Tobin’s q. This study conducted a robustness test, and results show that the previous year 1 and 2 moral capital for voluntary and mandatory periods has no association with SPR and Tobin’s q.Originality/valueAlthough prior research has examined the effect of change in policy from voluntary to mandatory reporting on firm performance, little is known about the impact of moral capital on firm performance for the emerging economies, including India.

Some Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Company Reputation

Research question: This paper examines some aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and company reputation (CR) in the Serbian business environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Motivation: The survival, growth and development of companies in the current business environment are conditioned by their capability to reach socially responsible decisions and carry out activities that meet the expectations of different stakeholders. The main motive for this research has stemmed from the current global corona virus pandemic and the way this state of affairs has affected socially responsible behaviour of companies. The research of activities Serbian companies carried out in the time of crisis prompted us to explore the possible relationship between corporate social responsibility and its effects on corporate reputation, and consequently business results. Research idea: An empirical research has been conducted with the view to investigate the position of the public on the importance and impact of CSR on corporate reputation, and also to determine the key factors that guide the decisions of people living in the Republic of Serbia to shop, bearing in mind the socially responsible behaviour of companies. Data: The sample included 173 respondents, the number that allowed valid conclusions. The questionnaire was anonymous; all the respondents were residents of Serbia with access to the internet and willing to fill in the questionnaire, either by following the link advertised on social media or replying to the e-mail. Tools: The gathered data were processed and analysed using descriptive and explorative statistics. Research hypotheses were tested by: Frequency tables, Crosstable procedures, Paired Samples t-test, Spearman`s coefficient of correlation, Chi-square test, and Phi coefficient of correlation, resulting in conclusions and corresponding suggestions. Findings: Respondents perceive companies as social actors driven not only by profit, but by the interest of the community and their business environment. They believe companies can assume their responsibilities through different aspects of doing business, especially by contributing to the improvement of their consumer’s lifestyle. The majority of respondents tend to buy from companies they perceive as socially responsible from the point of view of further development of the society and their ethical behaviour towards the community. Contribution: The findings can encourage the company’s management to direct their financial and organizational resources into the better management of the CSR, especially during the crisis, because solidarity and care for the most vulnerable part of the population lead to an improvement in the reputation and business results of a company.

Do Consumers Really Care about Aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility When Developing Attitudes toward a Brand?

The present study assesses the relationship between the dimensions of perceived corporate social responsibility (PCSR) and consumer perceptions about a brand. The approach taken herein for PCSR is based on the sustain-centric paradigm. Under this model, PCSR comprises three dimensions: economic, social, and environmental. Accordingly, a system of 11 hypotheses embedded in a conceptual framework is proposed and empirically tested. Measurements for the constructs in the hypotheses are assessed using a structured questionnaire with 521 respondents. The participants evaluated the brands of two major companies in Mexico. Path structural equation modeling is used to test the hypotheses. The results show that, of the three dimensions of PCSR, only economic and social dimensions affect variables related to brand perceptions. The proposed model suggests an explanatory power over attitude toward a brand through firm credibility, brand identification, and perceived functional value. The results imply that consumers disregard firm environmental responsibility when evaluating brands despite growing social efforts attempting to encourage environmental consciousness.

Belt and Road Initiative, globalization and institutional changes: implications for firms in Asia

Research on Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is rising but far from complete. This special issue (SI) aims to enhance our understanding of how firms in Asia and beyond strategically respond to the BRI and what new theories and investigations are needed to better elucidate this new environment. In this editorial, we present a brief description of BRI, a review of related studies in the international business (IB) domain, a summary of the articles included in the SI and their contributions to the study of BRI, and an agenda for future research. We suggest that more attention should be given to examination of organizational heterogeneity under the BRI theme. In particular, there exists a variety of players like the governments of the host countries, non-government institutions, firms with different ownership structures, managers with different backgrounds, and their idiosyncratic characteristics should be incorporated in BRI studies. Moreover, future studies should find fine-grained ways to theorize and operationalize the policy effects of BRI. We call for further investigation of the consequences of BRI, including but not limiting to different aspects of IB activities, innovation, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility.

Sustainable Development in the Digital Age of Entrepreneurship

The purpose of this article is to present a research model that examines dependencies of how aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR)—specifically, communication with stakeholders, knowledge management, and strategy—influence the building of a sustainable development model in enterprises. An instrument with four constructs (CSR-communication with stakeholders, CSR-knowledge management, CSR-strategy, and sustainable development) was prepared and served to entities from medium-sized enterprises. The collected data was analyzed by modeling the partial least squares structural equations using the least squares method. The results showed that all three constructs (CSR-communication with stakeholders, CSR-knowledge management, CSR-strategy) were positively and strongly associated with sustainable development model building in enterprises. The practical implications were intended to provide an understanding of behavior related to the development of business models oriented towards sustainable development in the small business sector. Research can help companies identify the advantages and disadvantages of retaining existing users and attracting new users by communicating with stakeholders, managing knowledge, and creating responsible strategies. This study enriches the literature by contributing to general knowledge about creating a model of sustainable development. Social reports on actions for sustainable development are of particular importance, and this topic is also important for the small and medium sized enterprises (SME) sector.

RETRACTED: Research on the impact of social responsibility of state-owned enterprises and private enterprises on financial performance

For the study of corporate social responsibility, the most fundamental problem is the relationship between Social Responsibility and Financial Performance on enterprises, which is related to whether the enterprise should bear social responsibility directly. For a long time, state-owned enterprises of China as the backbone of social responsibility, to shoulder a large number of policy burden. When corporates’ social responsibility rises to the height of the national strategic development level and becomes the focus of government attention, what is the impact of state-owned enterprise social responsibility on financial performance? Will the impact of social responsibility on financial performance in our country be different between private enterprises and state-owned enterprises? This article attempts to study these issues. The study shows that the social responsibility of Chinese enterprises has reduced its financial performance significantly. The more concerned on different aspects of social responsibility, the lower the financial performance. Secondly, compared with the private enterprises, the social responsibility of the state-owned enterprises will reduce its Financial performance, and especially in the areas where government intervention more.

Aspects of social responsibility in the formation of the librarian

As mudanças sociais e tecnológicas ocorridas nos últimos anos exigem das profissões uma sensibilização sobre as temáticas voltadas à responsabilidade social. Repensar a formação do profissional bibliotecário, definindo um perfil que atenda aos diferentes grupos sociais e que esteja vinculada a responsabilidade social, nos leva a questionar: quais são os aspectos da responsabilidade social abordados durante a formação do bibliotecário? A partir dessa questão, analisou-se aspectos conceituais das bibliografias dos programas das disciplinas do curso de biblioteconomia da Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC). Observou-se que a responsabilidade social foca a qualidade das relações para o crescimento da sociedade, tendo o profissional bibliotecário uma responsabilidade, como agente de transformador, no desempenho de suas atribuições na chamada sociedade da informação.

Influence of companies´ credibility and trust in corporate social responsibility aspects of consumer food products: The moderating intervention of consumer integrity

This study aims to explore and understand whether corporate social responsibility (CSR) could be considered as an indirect cue of certain product characteristics, turning it into an effective instrument to encourage credibility and trust in a food brand and thereby influence consumers’ purchase intention; the study also considers how consumers’ integrity influences these effects of trust and credibility. The proposed model and the mediation and moderation hypotheses were tested with conditional process analysis and were generally supported by data collected from 252 consumers. The results have important implications for companies, revealing that CSR dimensions impact consumer purchase intention by generating greater credibility and trust. Moreover, among consumers with higher integrity, the effects are more significant. Finally, it is the economic dimension of CSR that has the clearest impact on consumer intentions.

Does targeted poverty alleviation disclosure improve stock performance?

The involvement of enterprises in targeted poverty alleviation is a unique aspect of corporate social responsibility in China. Using an event-study methodology, this paper investigates the effect of the disclosure of targeted poverty alleviation information on the stock performance of Chinese listed companies. Our findings indicate that the disclosure boosts stock returns in a short time, and that the stock prices of private enterprises react more strongly to the disclosure than those of state-owned enterprises.

Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility Aspects Included in The Integrated Reports at OMV Petrom Group

The need to make future-oriented rather than past information available to users has arisen due to the competitive environment and in the context of accelerating the globalization process. Organizations are required to develop new strategies to remain competitive in the long term.