Corporate Social Responsibility Guidelines Research Articles

The corporate social responsibility reports of global pharmaceutical firms

This article revolves around the assessment of corporate social responsibility in relation to pharmaceutical firms. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is becoming an increasingly important dimension in the corporate landscape. The rise of ethical awareness of stakeholders has prompted many global corporations to adopt CSR policies. This study shines the light on pharmaceutical firms to gauge the level of CSR in this industry. Five of the largest pharmaceutical firms were evaluated using the global reporting initiative (GRI) guidelines as a benchmark. The results showed an unexpectedly large variety in the performance of the companies, with some areas of CSR being emphasised, while others were largely ignored. This is partly due to lack of relevance of certain GRI performance metrics to the pharmaceutical industry. We conclude that the pharmaceutical industry's CSR initiatives require much improvement to be deemed comprehensive. Current major CSR guidelines, including GRI, are largely not industry specific so there needs to be a move to construct relevant CSR guidelines that target issues pertaining to the pharmaceutical industry. There should also be a focus on impact-orientated CSR guidelines, as opposed to simple reportability, in order to promote more meaningful CSR initiatives.

Corporate Social Responsibility as Shaped by Managers’ Role Dissonance: Cleaning Services Procurement in Israel

Public procurement provides an excellent window into the shaping of corporate social responsibility of companies contracted by the government. To this emerging scholarly realization, we want to add that public procurement provides also the opportunity to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) as practiced by public sector organizations. This opportunity enables the investigation of the conditions under which public sector organizations endorse CSR guidelines, adherence to which demonstrates accountability for their service providers’ legal, employment-related practices. Our study examined the possibility that public sector organizations’ CSR is enhanced by maintenance managers’ role dissonance emerging in response to an ethical mismatch between them and their organizations’ official stance concerning whether unethical employment practices of service providers should be sanctioned. We analyzed interviews with 13 managers in charge of contract administration in the area of cleaning and maintenance. Our findings suggest that the role dissonance that emerges in cases of mismatch in ethical orientation rarely enhances more responsible treatment of cleaning employees. We introduce a model indicating the conditions supporting this incident.

The impact of government CSR supporting policies on economic growth

In this paper, we explore the link between socially responsible companies and economic growth across 25 countries during the 2000–2008 period. We extend the growth equation by incorporating corporate social responsibility (CSR) variables and a dummy variable to measure the impact of government CSR-supporting policies. We find that CSR firms are important for economic growth (positively affect growth) and that countries that strongly support CSR achieve higher growth rates. Specifically, countries without an organized and supportive CSR environment and guidelines can hardly expect to increase economy performance through the new growth channels generated by CSR companies (new markets and customers). It is thus important to investigate how CSR companies affect economic growth towards reconsideration of the government's role in CSR promotion as a means to boost economic growth.

Linking public sector Corporate Social Responsibility with sustainable development: lessons from India

Economic think tanks predict India to be the world's largest economy by 2050. This would require India to accelerate its industrial and infrastructure development. Industrialization based economic development will have a negative impact on the environment and hence sustainable development. Such steps could affect the social and environmental bottom line of the national economy. In recent years, a number of regulatory measures have been proposed by the Indian government to ensure corporate support to the goals of sustainable and inclusive development. The objective of these regulations is to achieve triple bottom line based growth. Notable among them is the mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) guidelines for public sector undertakings, first issued in April, 2010. I study the possibility and problems created by this effort by analyzing the policy documents and interviewing managers responsible for implementing CSR programmers in Indian public sector. Managers interviewed came from hydropower, coal, power distribution and shipping industries. Based on the study, four areas are identified that requires attention for effective linking between sustainable development and CSR; stakeholder engagement, institutional mechanisms, capacity building and knowledge management. Both government-public sector and public sector-community engagements have to be more streamlined. Institutional mechanisms have to be developed to see that CSR projects are effective and delivering. Importantly, managers at all levels need a better understanding of CSR and sustainable development. Since most projects are in rural areas, understanding of rural issues and sustainability is very important. Finally, such a large scale exercise in CSR should have a knowledge management mechanism to learn from the achievements and mistakes of the early years. I discuss the implication of the findings on India and other emerging economies many of which are struggling to balance growth and inclusive development. I conclude that the mandatory CSR guidelines for Indian public sector has the potential of achieving sustainable development only if early action is taken on the identified areas.

In Lieu of a Sovereignty Shield, Multinational Corporations Should Be Responsible for the Harm They Cause

Some progress has been made in recent decades to articulate corporate social responsibility (CSR) and, more recently, to associate CSR with international enforcement of human rights. This progress continues to be hampered, however, by the ability of a multinational corporation (MNC) that violates human rights not only to shift liability from itself to a nation-state but even to win compensation from that nation-state for loss of profits due to restrictions on its business activities. In the process, the nation-state’s sovereignty is diminishing; and, in effect, though still attributed to nation-states, it is being transferred to the MNC. The main aim of this article is (1) to draw on normative considerations to claim that this MNC proto-sovereignty should be modified and (2) to contend that this can eventually be accomplished by adding to corporate adoption of CSR guidelines a regimen of global human rights enforcement. I base this contention on expectations about the internationalization of corporate criminal law and the globalization of civil society in general and of NGOs in particular. I consider various jurisdictions but I focus on US jurisprudence.

Corporate social responsibility for a sustainable inclusive growth in India

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Inclusive growth and Sustainability are essential aspects of the core strategy and business practices for cutting edge organizations. Sustainable development and CSR as an agenda, have matured rapidly, and is driven by demand for greater accountability by corporate to society in India. Views on corporate responsibility have contributed to mounting pressure on business to demonstrate its social accountability. The paper is aimed at formulating a conceptual framework for sustainable inclusive growth and also elaborates the CSR areas of Oil and Gas Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSE’s) in India for sustainable inclusive growth. The paper is based on secondary data and focuses on highlighting the CPSE approaches to CSR in the pre and post implementation of CSR guidelines in India. The paper also discusses cases demonstrating innovation by Indian companies to bring in sustainable inclusive growth.

The intersection of corporate social responsibility guidelines and indigenous rights: Examining neoliberal governance of a proposed mining project in Suriname

With neoliberal reforms and the growth of multinational mining investment in developing countries, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become notable (and debatable) for its potential to fill a social and environmental governance gap. As yet, there has been limited analytical attention paid to the political struggles and power dynamics that get reflected through specific CSR guidelines and their implementation in local contexts; this is particularly apparent with respect to the human rights dimension of CSR, and more specifically, indigenous rights. This study documents the debates, issues of accountability, and different interpretations of CSR between NGOs representing indigenous rights and a mining corporation. These debates focus on environmental impact assessments; indigenous rights to land; and the indigenous right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent. These exchanges illustrate the socio-political, as well as economic, positioning of these actors, and the different agendas associated with their positions that determine issues of accountability and shape alternate interpretations of CSR guidelines. The outcomes of these debates also reflect the different degrees of power that these actors hold in such contexts, irrespective of the strength or validity of their arguments about CSR. This dialogue is thereby a lens into the more complex and contentious entanglements that emerge with CSR as a mode of governance, as it plays out ‘on the ground.’ These findings also reinforce questions regarding what we can expect of CSR as a mode of governance for addressing human rights issues with resource extraction projects, particularly within the constraints of overriding political and social structures.

Corporate Social Responsibility: Is It a Matter of Ethics?

Recently, there has been an increasing trend of manufacturing organizations adopting the strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and expecting their suppliers, too, to adopt the CSR guidelines developed by them and be accountable. From a supplier’s perspective, it is important to comply with the key customer’s requirements to maintain the business relationships but adopting the customer’s operating principles may not always be feasible and practical. Situations in which disqualifying suppliers who fail to comply with CSR criteria could limit the number of suppliers or create higher dependency relationships on limited number of suppliers adding cost to production. What is ethical to a customer may not necessarily be ethical to its supplier. This is one of such cases, seeking to bring out the ethical dilemma of Mr Kumar, the General Manager of Pack-tech, a medium-sized flexible packaging company based in United Arab Emirates. The questions that are bothering him are as follows: Should he accept and implement the CSR principles of its customers? Should he follow the suggestions of his workers and manipulate the records to show compliance? And, can CSR principles payback the cost of its implementation?

The human rights of artisanal miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore how corporate social responsibility (CSR) in mining companies can contribute to the promotion of artisanal miners' human rights (HR) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).Design/methodology/approachFirst, the paper designs a framework for a public policy on artisans, then it incorporates the possible contribution of companies to this policy drawing from the existent CSR literature. This framework is applied to relationships between mining companies and artisans in Katanga, a low‐conflict Province of the DRC. Finally, CSR guidelines for the promotion of artisans' HR are formulated. The theoretical framework articulates a public policy approach – which includes different actors – and a CSR approach – which develops the specific role of one such actor: the company – in the promotion of artisanal miners' HR. Data used in the empirical part are qualitative and include primary data gathered from visits to different mining companies operating in the Province and an interview with a local specialist in artisanal miners.FindingsThe first finding is that artisanal miners are a heterogeneous group, with multiple HR problems. Therefore, a public policy and a CSR policy to promote their HR are equally complex issues. However, local practices in the specific context of Katanga suggest two suitable CSR strategies for promoting artisans' HR: supporting new sustainable economic activities where artisans have been displaced by a company; and promoting the formalization of artisanal activity where companies are the artisans' clients.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper does not include interviews with mining company managers in Katanga in order to design very specific actions in each one of these CSR strategies. The research does not include field work in high‐conflict areas.Practical implicationsThe heterogeneity and dynamism of artisanal miners' problems and the weakness of the Congolese State lead to a basic recommendation for responsible mining companies in low‐conflict areas: the implementation of dialogues with local communities and local governments in order to cover the needs of artisanal miners and discover innovation opportunities for the companies.Originality/valueAlthough there is abundant literature on artisanal miners, the connection of artisanal miners and CSR has scarcely been developed. As far as the author knows, the illustration of this connection for the DRC has not been addressed. Additionally, the design of public policies for artisanal miners – part of the informal economy – and the contribution of companies to such policies can help address problems arising from other informal activities in Africa.

Coupling Corporate Social Responsibility into Millennium Development Goals is a Mere Wishful Thinking?

The purpose of this study is to explore the opportunity of building the synergy between the government and private sector to accelerate the achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). From the content analysis, the indicators of CSR from various CSR Guidelines have the same motives and goals with those of MDGs. This indicates that CSR can be harmonised with government programs to achieve the MDGs. The individual and external environment aspect has less significant effect; institutional aspect becomes the central of attention in this study. The harmonisation mechanism between government and private sector in Indonesia is formulated through focus group discussion. The development programs designed by Indonesian government should comply with the principles of German government in AP 2015. Other countries can benefit this study that has same goal to achieve MDGs in 2015.

The Collapse of a European Bank in the Financial Crisis: An Analysis from Stakeholder and Ethical Perspectives

Fortis, the leading Benelux financial group, had been a success story of successive mergers of bank and insurance companies, with leadership in corporate social responsibility (CSR). One year after the acquisition of the major Dutch financial conglomerate ABN AMRO, the global financial crisis caused the collapse of the Fortis group. The purpose of this article is to use the case study of Fortis’s recent fall as a basis for reflective considerations on the financial crisis, from stakeholder and ethical perspectives. A selected number of key events of the history of the dramatic crisis at Fortis will be analysed from different ethical frameworks. Special consideration will be given to fairness of communication, shareholder activism and conflicts of interests of CEO’s mergers opportunities. A confrontation between the CSR policy and the reality raises the fundamental questions why the powerful CSR guidelines and ethical principles did not help in the assessment of the risks.

Communicating about corporate social responsibility: A comparative study of CSR reporting in Australia and Slovenia

This paper examines how two countries on opposite sides of the world, Australia and Slovenia, are addressing corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting issues. The authors see reporting as an important communication tool or channel which can ensure greater corporate transparency and enable a better engagement with multiple stakeholders. The paper aims to provide a review and a comparison of the CSR guidelines and reporting standards in both countries by which this communication is guided. In both countries, reporting is largely voluntary and appears to be driven by market pressures. However, differences appear in national culture as a driver with product, management and financial considerations influencing Australian reporting whereas Slovenian reporting is shaped by employee, community and environmental concerns. From Australian and Slovenian perspectives it seems to be important to increase reporting incentives in both countries and to connect and compare them to global reporting requirements.