Corporate Social Responsibility Debate Research Articles

With Statoil as a Prism: Revisiting Key Features and Concerns in Western Oil Companies’ Evolving Human Rights Awareness, From the Mid-1990s to the 2000s

This article uses Statoil (Equinor since 2018) as a prism to explore some key features and concerns of Western oil companies’ evolving human rights awareness from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. This period saw the first human rights lawsuits brought against oil companies and a gradual change in their human rights awareness. The article uses insights from the business history literature and new archival material from the oil industry to explain why business ethicists and legal scholars are wrong to argue that the relationship between business and social responsibility, on the one hand, and business and human rights, on the other, are inherently problematic and profoundly disparate due to their divergent historical origins. In so doing, the article offers a historical take on the so-called debate between business human rights (BHR) and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and it repudiates the argument that a so-called minimal understanding of human rights has hindered business from undertaking proactive human rights initiatives. Mapping onto both the business history literature and the BHR–CSR debate, the article aims for a richer understanding of the experiences and ideas that incentivized oil companies to “get serious” about human rights.

Ideologies of Corporate Responsibility: From Neoliberalism to “Varieties of Liberalism”

Critical scholarship often presents corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a reflection or embodiment of neoliberalism. Against this sort of sweeping political characterization we argue that CSR can indeed be considered a liberal concept but that it embodies a “varieties of liberalism.” Building theoretically on the work of Michael Freeden on liberal languages, John Ruggie and Karl Polanyi on embedded forms of liberalism, and Michel Foucault on the distinction between classical liberalism and neoliberalism, we provide a conceptual treatment and mapping of the ideological positions that constitute the bulk of modern scholarly CSR debate. Thus, we distinguish between embedded liberalism, classical liberalism, neoliberalism, and re-embedded liberalism. We develop these four orientations in turn and show how they are engaged in “battles of ideas” over the meaning and scope of corporate responsibilities—and how they all remain relevant for an understanding of contemporary debates and developments in the field of CSR and corporate sustainability.

CSR Uptake in Non-Western Contexts: the Impact of Institutional Environment and Entrepreneurs

The impact of institutional environment and institutional entrepreneurs for corporate social responsibility (CSR) uptake, practice and process in the context of Western countries has been extensively examined. However, while these examinations are insightful, it is not clear if other conditions and influencing factors in relation to the institutional environment and institutional entrepreneurs foreign to the West exist. If indeed they do, this raises questions related to the extent to which they may influence CSR practice and process. The paucity of such research restricts and prevents a more comprehensive understanding of the role and impact of institutional dynamics and underlying processes for CSR. From a practice perspective, CSR managers and organisational leaders miss the opportunity to utilise CSR as an instrument serving organisational interests and legitimacy. Consequently, this study investigates the impact of institutional environment and institutional entrepreneurs for CSR uptake, practice and process from a non-Western perspective. Employing an exploratory research design within a range of public and private sector organisations, we interrogate the phenomenon from the perspective of key actors involved in its formulation. The findings evidence a set of distinct institutional dynamics and institutional entrepreneurs that contribute to the formulation of specific CSR. The identified forms of CSR reveal organisational attempts for adaptation to the institutional dynamics and for preserving organisational legitimacy. Therefore, our work provides important contributions to the CSR debate by outlining factors and conditions specific for non-Western countries that result in context-driven forms of CSR. These findings offer a number of insightful and substantives considerations for practitioners and policy makers involved in the development of CSR.

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility in mining industries

The mining sector plays a fundamental role in the global economy since it provides vital raw materials and energy for a large number of industries but mining activities are commonly criticized due to the effects on workers’ health and local communities, and are seen as a threat to society in general. For these reasons, companies have to deal with the compatibility between the productive activity and the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Under this context, this paper aims to examine CSR communication in the mining sector on Twitter and identify the main topics of CSR and the main participants in the creation of content. A software framework has been developed in order to manage big text data in the study of CSR and sentiment computational content analysis to classify the tweets as positive, negative or neutral. Twitter was chosen since it is one of the three most commonly used social network sites by mining companies for information sharing and stakeholder engagement. The data collection period was from February 2019 to December 2019 and it resulted in 2,000,000 Twitter posts. The results show the CSR debate is increasingly growing in developing countries and in countries with a bad reputation of environmental and health mining conditions. The debate is mainly centered on the impact of mining industries on the land, and many stakeholders advocate for more environmental responsibility since they consider that mining activities are still controversial.Also, results reveal that the mining sector should improve the CSR disclosure and adopt a stakeholder engagement strategy grounded in the corporate stakeholder relationship perspective, the two-way symmetrical communication, and the dialogic theory of public relations. Social network sites such as Twitter can lead to positive outcomes for companies since they are not only a way to advertise what the company does with regards to CSR, but also to receive input from other for their CSR activities.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Review of Academic Literature

CSR has gained more attention in recent years in both developing and developed countries and among the ancient debate questions concerning CSR is determining if it is important for companies to pay societal demands. Still date, this query has been a vital initiate for several studies, several researchers have stated that an answer to this question is yet to be found. The difference in CSR significances calls for a literature study so as to shed light on the debate and permit the drawing of a conclusion. Although for many developing countries like Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, CSR is not yet a priority for managers of firms, this study reveals several relationships between CSR and financial performance that include; positive, negative, U-shaped and even no relationship. Some studies have different opinion about CSR and performance but they are mostly outdated materials. There has been a lot of changes since the beginning of the CSR debate, hence one can say with conviction that “Good Ethics is Good Business”. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Financial performance, Literature review DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-18-05 Publication date: September 30 th 2020

Corporate Social Responsibility Application in the Healthcare Sector

This article reviews the literature to understand the current state of corporate social responsibility (CSR) application and communication in the healthcare sector. First, the authors provide a bibliometric analysis that quantifies the number of scientific publications regarding CSR in healthcare of the last ten years (2007-2016). Then, they present the theoretical framework. Starting from a brief summary of CSR literature, the authors explain peculiarities of the healthcare sector and contextualize the CSR debate in the healthcare context, identifying its current application and gaps. The authors review not only the application of CSR in healthcare but also analyze the topic of CSR communication, as well as the tools adopted by healthcare organizations to communicate their CSR activities in this sector.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Vietnam: a conceptual framework

As the phenomenon of corporate social responsibility (CSR) establishes itself more globally, the question arises as to the nature of CSR in developing countries. Vietnam is one example of a developing country undergoing rapid economic growth coupled with societal challenges, driven by increased business activity. To date, however, there is a dearth of context-sensitive research on CSR in Vietnam, while the distinct political, economic, social and cultural context makes Vietnam an appropriate environment for critiquing the relevance of universal CSR theories in a local context. This paper provides a critical review of the peculiarities of the Vietnamese context, and proposes a conceptual framework consisting of three specific institutional level factors that potentially influence the nature of CSR in Vietnam. These contextual factors include tradition, political governance and modernity. In addition to emphasizing the context in which CSR is conceptualized and practiced, this paper also builds a theoretical foundation that aids in the development of CSR debates, in particular the parameters influencing CSR conceptualizations (CSR Thinking) and the implementation of CSR (CSR Doing) in Vietnam.

Epistemological development of corporate social responsibility: the evolution continues

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social performance (CSP) in literature from its inception to 2013.Design/methodology/approachUsing a bibliometric technique, the authors examine CSR’s epistemological orientation and determine whether it is primarily composed of authors building on each other’s work (“progressive”), or comprises the development of alternative constructs (“variegational”), or whether both orientations exist side-by-side within a dynamic, multidimensional concept.FindingsThe paper reviews bibliometric analysis of the epistemological evolution of the CSR concept within the management literature, from 1972 to 2002, using a dataset to that time of approximately 500 articles. Since then, the evolving CSR/CSP literature has transitioned the main CSR debate from a “whether or not to”, to a “how to” implement CSR debate, and the body of literature has grown to over 8,000 articles. The authors find that the progression of the CSR construct is both variegational and progressive. They identify that the predominant theoretical theme is based on stakeholder theory.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this research, identifying that the epistemological evolution of the CSR concept within the recent management literature can be characterised as being both variegational and progressive, adds a valuable contribution to the ongoing and increasing body of knowledge relating to CSR.Originality/valueThe results of this study may be of practical importance to scholars in identifying relevant foci for their future research into the CSR construct.

The role of ethnic directors in corporate social responsibility: Does culture matter? The cultural trait theory perspectives

This paper investigates the effect of cultural differences between ethnic directors on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Public Liability Companies (PLCs) in Nigeria. Using the cultural trait theory, the study focuses on how the ethnic directors are influenced when making decisions concerning CSR. Adopting multiple regression analysis of data, the study investigates the three major ethnic groups (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) and finds cultural differences between the ethnic directors affect the adoption of CSR. Empirical results indicate that ethnic directors (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) were positively and significantly related to CSR. The paper contributes to the corporate governance and CSR debate concerning how ethnic directors’ decisions impact on CSR activities, particularly on the directors who are individualistic and collectivists towards CSR.

The impact of community expectations on corporate community involvement disclosures in the UK

Despite increase mistrust between corporations and societies in the aftermath of the global corporate misbehaviours, the literature examining the impact of community concerns on corporate communications is undeveloped. Our paper is timely; it contributes to the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by considering the impacts of community expectations on Corporate Community Involvement Disclosures (CCID) using a ten-year panel study. We advance CSR communication research by providing a fresh theoretical perspective – media-agenda-setting theory – to the broad CSR debate and the CCID subset of this debate. Our findings support the media-agenda theoretical expectation and provide important practice and policy recommendations for improving interactions between corporations and their communities.

The Impact of Community Expectations on Corporate Community Involvement Disclosures in the UK

Despite increase mistrust between corporations and societies in the aftermath of the global corporate misbehaviours, the literature examining the impact of community concerns on corporate communications is undeveloped. Our paper is timely; it contributes to the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by considering the impacts of community expectations on Corporate Community Involvement Disclosures (CCID) using a ten-year panel study. We advance CSR communication research by providing a fresh theoretical perspective - media-agenda-setting theory - to the broad CSR debate and the CCID subset of this debate. Our findings support the media-agenda theoretical expectation and provide important practice and policy recommendations for improving interactions between corporations and their communities.

Out of the ordinary? Appraising ISO 26000 ' s CSR definition

Purpose– This paper aims to examine the definition of corporate social responsibility (CSR) as propagated by ISO 26000, the global comprehensive guidance standard for CSR, compare it to and position itvis-à-visother contemporary interpretations of CSR and formulate a critique on the standard’s definition of CSR.Methodology/Approach– This paper aims to examine the definition of CSR as propagated by ISO 26000, the global comprehensive guidance standard for CSR, compare it to and position itvis-à-visother contemporary interpretations of CSR and formulate a critique on the standard’s definition of CSR.Findings– ISO 26000’s definition of CSR is ‘out of the ordinary ' when compared to instrumental CSR definitions that are currently dominant, as it propagates an explicit moral perspective on corporate responsibilities towards society. While it resembles aspects of earlier definitions of CSR, this paper argues that the standard, being the end result of a global stakeholder dialogue, tries to make a strong plea for the return of morality in the CSR debate. Also, it is concluded that the ISO 26000 definition of CSR has several shortcomings, especially on the subject of corporate governance, which are addressed.Practical/implications– While the main gist of this paper is of a theoretical nature, it may have implications for practice as well. For instance, it may inform critical examinations of corporate commitments to CSR through adopting ISO 26000, and may inform future revisions of the standard.Originality/Value– This paper is the first to examine the ISO 26000 definition of CSR in a structured and detailed way.

Debate on Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an old age concept yet its flame of debate has not been put off. CSR is moving from just a company discretionary activity to a national demand backed by law. This mandatory requirement sparkle a new trend of arguments on CSR. This paper has joined this new course of CSR debate by raising some unconventional justifications on making CSR mandatory. To add to the existing argument of CSR, the paper brings out issues of triple taxation, killing of competitive spirit, multiplier effect, and deviation from natural law of donation among others. Although the paper criticize mandatory CSR practices, it recognise the benefit of CSR, been it mandatory or voluntary.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Rewriting the Relationship between Business and Society

The relationship between business and society has witnessed a dramatic change in the past few years. Globalization, ethical consumerism, environmental concerns, strict government regulations, and growing strength of the civil society, are all factors that forced businesses to reconsider their role in society; accordingly there has been a surge of notions that tries to explain this new complex relation between business and society. This paper aims at accentuating this evolving relation by focusing on the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). It differentiates between CSR and other related concepts such as business ethics and corporate philanthropy. It analyzes the different arguments in the CSR debate, pinpoints mechanisms adopted by businesses in carrying out their social responsibilities, and concludes with the link between corporate social responsibility and sustainable development.

On voluntarism and the role of governments in CSR: towards a contingency approach

In the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature, the principle of voluntarism is predominant and implies that responsible business activities are discretionary and reach beyond the rule of law. This principle fails to explain that governments have a great interest in CSR and exercise influence on firms’ CSR activities. Therefore, we argue in favour of a contingency approach on voluntarism in CSR. To this end, we analyse the academic literature to demonstrate how governments are part of the CSR debate. We selected 703 papers where the impact of governments is mentioned from five journals in our field (BEER, BEQ, BSE, BAS, JBE) in the period 1982–2011. We studied the titles and abstracts of these papers and provide an overview of: (i) the geographical orientation of the reviewed studies; (ii) the variety of government levels involved; and (iii) the various subjects where governments appear to be involved. In addition, an in‐depth reading of a subsample of 39 articles offers more details on the role of governments in the CSR literature. Hence, we offer a structured overview on the discussion of CSR and governments while stimulating a contingent understanding of the voluntarism concept in CSR.

Capturing Online Presence: Hyperlinks and Semantic Networks in Activist Group Websites on Corporate Social Responsibility

The rise of Internet-mediated communication poses possibilities and challenges for organisation studies, also in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business and society interactions. Although social media are attracting more and more attention in this domain, websites also remain an important channel for CSR debate. In this paper, we present an explorative study of activist groups’ online presence via their websites and propose a combination of methods to study both the structural positioning of websites (hyperlink network analysis) and the meanings in these websites (semantic co-word maps). We focus on the websites of SOMO, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, and of one of its campaigns, makeITfair, concerned with labour conditions in the IT industry worldwide. This allows us to show how this combination of methods can further our understanding of the way activist networks’ online presence can provide insights into the tactics these networks apply to achieve institutional change on CSR issues. Meanwhile, we identify some notable differences between styles and word use in the two organisations’ websites. We conclude with a set of suggestions for future research.

Corporate social responsibility and corporate social irresponsibility: Introduction to a special topic section

This introduction outlines the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSI) from its origins to today, identifies the major trends in the field, and points towards some troubling developments in the recent CSR debate. This sets the scene for the papers included in this special issue. A brief summary for each of the 17 articles included in this special issue follows. The article also concludes with a note of appreciation to the reviewers of the nearly 100 submissions received and to Arch G. Woodside the Journal of Business Research Editor-in-Chief.

Should Firms Go “Beyond Profits”? Milton Friedman versus Broad CSR1

ABSTRACTWhen attempting to articulate the nature and scope of corporate social responsibility (CSR), a variety of opinions emerge. The primary CSR issue appears to be: Should firms go “beyond profits”? In order to address this normative question, this article will explore the theoretical underpinnings of CSR and its practical application. Part one of the paper begins by discussing common CSR definitions. Part two outlines the CSR debate in terms of the “narrow view” of CSR (as represented by Milton Friedman) versus the “broad view” (i.e., beyond profits). Part three applies both the narrow and broad approaches to CSR in analyzing two classic business and society cases: (1) the Ford Pinto; and (2) Merck's river blindness pill. The article concludes with a proposed synthesis of the CSR approaches discussed.

Social partners or full‐fledged stakeholders?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to question the status of trade unions on corporate social responsibility (CSR) today in the European Union (EU). How do they go from being social partners to a full‐fledged stakeholder status? The paper examines this question both from the point of view of stakeholder theory and from a field study in three different European countries.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is qualitative, i.e. based on a series of face‐to‐face interviews conducted in three different European countries (France, Germany, the UK) with different stakeholders, union representatives, non‐governmental organizations, experts, employers' associations.FindingsThe main findings are: inadequacy between stakeholder theory and the reality of European trade unionism and the CSR debate; trade unions are not “natural” stakeholders, rather “stake‐seekers”; the national business approach is relevant, in that national differences account for major differences among the three countries studied; and the European and global implications of trade unions into CSR help them gain full stakeholder status.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is a bit limited; it would be interesting to enlarge the scope of European countries. Also, it would also be relevant to interview shop‐floor members to analyze the gap between union officials and rank and file members.Practical implicationsThis paper can help unions consider CSR in a better way, so as to integrate CSR issues into their agenda.Social implicationsThe status of trade unions in the CSR debate has largely been overlooked, whereas their role in European countries is quite important.Originality/valueThere has been very little previous research on trade unions and CSR. The cross‐cultural dimension of this research and the EU dimension add value to the paper.

Corporate Social Responsibility After Disaster

The corporate social responsibility debate asks whether the managers of large, publicly traded corporations may sacrifice profits to pursue other socially valuable goals. Most scholars contend that the dominant role of corporations in society is to maximize value for shareholders and that managers have a fiduciary obligation to put shareholder interests first. However, progressive scholars argue that public corporations receive special benefits from the state and therefore owe a broader responsibility to society. This Article contends that the standard story of corporate social responsibility is incomplete because it leaves out the role of smaller, locally owned businesses. In the context of disaster recovery, the omission is especially glaring. Although large corporations can contribute economic resources, long‐term community recovery depends upon the rebuilding of social capital. Local business owners live where their customers live and business ties overlap with other networks (school, church, recreation) that together form the fabric of a place. Thus, business decisions are embedded in a context of community connections and reciprocal obligations. Moreover, the visible commitment of local business can have a social as well as an economic consequence - providing a critical signal that the community will be restored. A vision of corporate social responsibility and disaster recovery that focuses on the economic capital of large, public corporations overlooks the importance of bottom-up efforts by local business owners. Accordingly, by providing a fuller account of the social dynamics that influence economic decision making, we seek to extend the corporate social responsibility debate to include locally owned business. By broadening the corporate responsibility discussion, we highlight the vital role of locally owned business in comprehensive disaster planning.