Social Responsibility Discourse Research Articles

Plastic Politics of Delay: How Political Corporate Social Responsibility Discourses Produce and Reinforce Inequality in Plastic Waste Governance

Abstract As the global plastics pollution crisis grows in severity and complexity, diverse solutions are being proposed across the public and private sectors. Notably, multinational corporations (MNCs) from the petrochemical and consumer goods sectors have become increasingly involved. From providing recycling infrastructure to directly participating in drafting action plans and policies, MNCs are engaging as political actors in plastics waste governance, influencing discourses and actions globally, a process referred to as political corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, I examine Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste initiative as a case study of this process. I evaluate how Coca-Cola frames the problems of plastics waste, their solutions, and the roles that Coca-Cola asserts within this complex, transboundary environmental governance issue. Borrowing from literature on corporate climate delay tactics, I demonstrate how the initiative implements discourses and practices of delayed action, hindering comprehensive governance strategies. Through this analysis, I argue that political CSR actions can exacerbate the global plastics pollution crisis through ineffective and inequitable waste governance approaches that perpetuate uneven plastics pollution burdens.

Governing at a distance to change corporate social responsibility discourse: Navigating through institutions and actors

AbstractIn this paper, we demonstrate what influences the evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) debates. Using the idea of ‘governing at a distance’ (Rose & Miller, 1992) from the Foucauldian governmentality perspective, we identify the mechanisms behind CSR's context‐based evolution. Examining 72 academic texts on CSR from the 1940s to the 2000s, we find that spatial political contexts and power interests shape CSR. We argue that CSR discourse is linked to governing systems and was part of a post‐WWII restructuring to support capitalism against communism in the global order. Our study reveals that academic journals and scholars introduced American CSR concepts to Turkish academia through strong ties to institutions like Harvard Business School and the Ford Foundation, influencing the emergence and change of CSR over time. Changes in CSR discourse are contextually embedded and politically laden with its emergence having a strong governmentality dimension for which academics (through their texts, academic acumen, and affiliated institutions) play a key role as intermediaries governing at a distance. While the critical perspective emphasizes the issues of coercion and contestations, our paper suggests the importance of cooperation and concerted efforts in shaping the global construction of CSR. We have demonstrated the nuanced interplay between the local and global governance of business and academic associations, challenging the perceived rigidity of their boundaries.

Corporate social responsibility communication in the ICT sector: digital issues, greenwashing, and materiality

Digitalization brings with it new social and governance issues and heightened responsibility, particularly for corporations. In recent years, society has demanded more transparency from companies about digital technology practices, oversight, and impacts. One sector that sharpens the view on these dynamics is information and communication technology (ICT). This study introduces for the first time an examination of corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse on digital issues among large ICT firms by using signaling theory to analyze a broad set of media (sustainability, ESG, CSR, integrated, impact, purpose, consolidated management, and annual reports as well as issue briefs and webpages). It clarifies how ICT firms present materiality—a reporting concept associated with fair representation and relevance of information—in their CSR reporting on digital topics. It then discusses implications for greenwashing and makes recommendations for improving disclosure credibility.Graphical

Public issues and public expectations: Disentangling responsibility discourse dimensions in CSR and sustainability books

This study aims to understand how society views modern business practices and what is expected of businesses. To do this, we unearth the covert patterns and latent themes of corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse in popular CSR and sustainability books. Building upon Habermas' discourse ethics, CSR and sustainability constructs are examined from societal perspectives, assuming that the notion of conceptualization is embedded in the societal context. We find two main themes which consistently refer to five dimensions of discourse: economic, social, environmental, philosophical, and political dimensions. Further, we found that an “expectation gap” exists between what the public expects business to accomplish, and what businesses believe they must accomplish in their responsibility agendas. We argue that the term CSR remains relatively academic and has limited exposure in public media.

Capturing the dynamic tension in CSR discourses: Toward an integrative circuit of culture model

This paper adopts the Circuit of Culture (COC) – an interpretive approach to international public relations practice based on its five moments (i.e., regulations, production, representations, consumption and identity) – as a guiding framework to analyze corporate social responsibility discourses of Wilmar, a multinational corporation based in Singapore. Sustainability reports from 2009 to 2019 were first accessed to examine the negotiation dynamics that occur in textual discourse when the company dealt with the talk-action relationship through the Communication as Constitutive of Organization (CCO) approach. These were integrated with the contextual propositions nurtured in the five moments of COC to identify the negotiating mechanisms that Wilmar constructed to make sense of, explain, and justify tensional situations between set commitments and actual performance. This study aims to demonstrate how CCO can complement COC to offer a holistic interpretive approach to understand the situated communication dynamics and discursive construction process of talk-action relationship in an international public relations context.

Distilling the curriculum: An analysis of alcohol industry-funded school-based youth education programmes.

Background and aimFor decades, corporations such as the tobacco and fossil fuel industries have used youth education programmes and schools to disseminate discourses, ideas and values favourable to their positions, and to pre-empt regulation that threatens profits. However, there is no systematic research into alcohol industry-funded youth education programmes. This article serves to address this important gap in the literature.MethodsUsing a discourse theoretical approach informed by poststructural discourse theory and critical discourse analysis, we analysed teaching materials from three school-based youth education initiatives which focus on alcohol consumption and health harms: Drinkaware for Education, The Smashed Project (funded by Diageo), and Talk About Alcohol (Alcohol Education Trust). These materials, some of which are disseminated internationally, are provided to schools through intermediary bodies in receipt of alcohol industry funding.FindingsThe analysis found that these materials drew from and presented discourses of personal responsibility, moderate alcohol consumption, and involved a narrowing of the problem definition and causes. The locus of the problem is located by the discourses within individuals including youth, with causes of youth alcohol consumption repeatedly presented as peer pressure and ‘poor choices’, with little or no mention of alcohol industry marketing or other practices. All programmes promoted familiarisation and normalisation of alcohol as a ‘normal’ adult consumer product which children must learn about and master how to use responsibly when older. The discourses constructed in these materials closely align with those of other alcohol industry corporate social responsibility discourses which employ selective presentation of harms, including misinformation about cancer, and ambiguous terms such as “responsible drinking”. Furthermore, the role of alcohol price, availability and access, and the impacts of alcohol and the industry on inequities were not articulated within the discourses. The research was limited to an analysis of teaching materials and further research is needed to explore their impact on youth, teachers and wider discourses and social norms.ConclusionAlcohol industry-sponsored youth education programmes serve industry interests and promote moderate consumption while purportedly educating children about harms and influences of alcohol use. There are considerable conflicts of interest in the delivery of alcohol education programmes funded by the alcohol industry and intermediary bodies in receipt of such funding. Alcohol education materials should be developed independent from industry, including funding, and should empower children and young people to understand and think critically about alcohol, including harms and drivers of consumption, and effective interventions needed to protect them and others from alcohol-related harms. Independent organisations can use this analysis to critique their materials to strengthen alignment with meeting student and public health interests. The ongoing exposure of children and young people to such conflicted and misleading materials needs urgent attention from policymakers, practitioners, teachers and parents, and resources dependent on industry support should cease being used in schools.

Network Analysis of CSR Spending Practices of Indian Extractive Sector

We examine Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) discourse to compare the change in themes across two time periods separated by policy intervention. The paper further explores internal governance and external implementation mechanism of affirmative CSR policy. We use Text Network Analysis of CSR related expenditure to evaluate the CSR discourse of a sample of metal and mining companies from Indian extractive sector. Results are presented in the form of network graphs. We conclude that CSR initiatives in the extractive sector are primarily devoted to local social development, with little emphasis on environmental sustainability. Further, companies have adopted two-tier governance structures for managing CSR. The top tier comprises board members who formulate CSR programs, and the second tier has executives responsible for the implementation. Another tier of governance involving local domain experts is emerging. The three-tier implementation mechanisms will give firms a tighter control on spending and enhance the effectiveness of initiatives.

CSR Initiatives and Practices: Empirical Evidence From Indian Metal and Mining Companies

This study investigates the corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse on community and environment by Indian metal and mining (extractive) sector. Specifically, we examine the change in internal governance and external implementation mechanisms in response to affirmative CSR policy actions. Applying text network analysis technique on CSR related expenditures provided in the annual reports and CSR annexures (2014–2018), our study reveals that CSR discourse of extractive firms improved significantly and became more focused after the introduction of post-affirmative policy. CSR initiatives in the extractive sector are primarily focused toward local social development, with little emphasis on the environmental sustainability. Furthermore, companies have adopted two-tier governance structures for managing CSR. The top tier comprises board members who formulate the CSR programs, while the second tier has executives responsible for the implementation. Another tier of governance involving local domain experts is emerging. The three-tier implementation mechanisms give firms a tighter control on spending and enhance the effectiveness of initiatives. We present the results visually in the form of network graphs.

Environmental justice and corporate social irresponsibility: the case of the mining company Vale S.A

Abstract After the Vale’s tailings dam failure in Brumadinho (Minas Gerais) in early 2019, a group of researchers and activists from around the world produced a thematic map in the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice (EJAtlas) including 30 cases of environmental conflicts in which Vale had a prominent role. In this paper, these cases are analysed in light of Vale’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourses and practices, aiming to explore the contradiction of high CSR standards in the company and in other large multinationals in the mining sector coexisting with many socio-environmental conflicts. The analysis indicates that the company’s performance contrasts with its CSR discourse and that, even when Vale considers its performance both responsible and exemplary, the company reproduces environmental injustices and is therefore rather practicing Corporate Social Irresponsibility.

Comparing Corporate Social Responsibility Discourses in the Letter to Shareholders: The Case of British and Spanish Banks

Comparing Corporate Social Responsibility Discourses in the Letter to Shareholders: The Case of British and Spanish Banks

Open for change but closed for transformation: A communicative analysis of managerial corporate social responsibility discourse on the issue of labor

Why do some researchers observe that managerial corporate social responsibility discourse contributes to increased awareness of and commitment to solving global environmental and social issues, while others reveal that the same discourse works to obfuscate and sidetrack positive social transformation? This article tries to bring together these procedural and structural perspectives on corporate social responsibility discourse by introducing a communicative approach, which embeds the critical study of corporate social responsibility discourse in a complex and emerging discursive field. The discursive strategies of managerial corporate social responsibility are therefore as shifting as the discourses it competes with are varied. This article, grounded in Deetz’s theoretical framework of systematically distorted communication and discursive closure, explores the US garment industry’s corporate social responsibility communication on labor-related issues in the global supply chain. I position garment industry corporate social responsibility discourse within broad labor policy debates at the operational, institutional, and structural levels. I find that corporate-initiated corporate social responsibility communication operates through several internally coherent frames: establishing ethical standards, providing essential services, and innovating labor management systems. Each frame responds to alternative discourses about supply chain labor with discursive closure and non-closure strategies, that is, corporations choose to acknowledge, engage, or agree with some alternative discourses, while ignoring, suppressing, or eliding over others. I argue that the pattern of choosing discursive strategies for different types of alternative discourses is important in understanding systematically distorted communication in the context of a complex, fragmented discursive field.

Diffusion of sustainability and CSR discourse in hospitality industry

PurposeThe authors’ focus is on the way in which sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourses and practices emerge in the collaboration of multinational companies (MNCs) with the local hotels in developing country contexts. This paper aims to identify the prevailing institutional orders and logics that bring about CSR and sustainability discourse in tourism industry in Turkey. It also investigates how and to what extent the CSR and sustainability practices align with the local institutional logics and necessities.Design/methodology/approachEmpirical evidence is generated through case studies covering Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (Hilton), its Turkish subsidiary and a local hotel chain to ensure data triangulation. Primary data were collected through interviews with the executives of the selected case hotels, which was supported by extensive secondary data.FindingsSome components of CSR and sustainability logics developed in the headquarters diffuse into local affiliate hotel, not all. Local affiliate hotels seek to acquire local legitimacy in their host environment, despite a standard format imposed by their headquarters. Local necessities and priorities translate themselves into such initiatives in a very limited way in the affiliates of the Hilton where there is mostly a top-down approach. Similar approach has also been observed in the case of the local hotel which is part of a family business group. Family’s values and family business headquarter shape the CSR and sustainability strategy and the logics reflecting the local component.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper addresses a theoretical and empirical gap by demonstrating the role of MNCs in the diffusion of sustainability and CSR practices, as acknowledged by Forcadell and Aracil (2017). The authors contribute to the critical writings about the positive impact of CSR and sustainability in the context of the MNCs and their subsidiaries, which is not substantiated due to limited empirical evidence. In addition to these contributions to the CSR and sustainability literatures in tourism and hospitality domains, the authors add to the institutional theory by demonstrating the link between institutional orders and institutional logics. They also show the multiplicity of logics that emanate from the differences of logics developed in the headquarters (centrally imposed) and local affiliate organizations (context-specific) and contribute to theory by highlighting tensions.Practical implicationsThis study appeals to management teams and executives of hotels dealing with these issues of tailoring of CSR practices to local necessities. The authors do not only raise awareness of this consciousness but also demonstrate practical application of some of these strategies and prioritization by detecting market specificities and distinctive societal needs. Hotel managers should resist against the headquarter- or family business-driven uniform approach to CSR and sustainability and reflect on corporate policies through checking isomorphic tendencies. This entails being cognizant of local conditions and necessities and respond to them in a flexible and accommodating way. It involves engaging with a full spectrum of stakeholders, including the leadership in headquarters as well as local organizations (e.g. NGOs, suppliers, etc.) and other institutional forces (e.g. state) to align their sustainability and CSR practices with the locally dominant logics. Managers should be aware of certain logics governing CSR and sustainability practices; some of these logics might be constraining critical thinking and innovative practices.Social implicationsManagers should be proactive in interpreting different institutional logics and process them through critical reflection and boundary spanning and mapping of new opportunities. Moreover, MNC hotel executives should be aware of the limitations of a blanket approach toward CSR and sustainability and increase their sensitivity toward local conditions.Originality/valueThrough this study, the authors are able to add further value to the critical writings about the positive contribution of CSR and sustainability in the context of the MNCs and their subsidiaries, which is not substantiated due to limited empirical evidence.

The antecedents of corporate social and environmental responsibility discourse in Pakistan: Multiple theoretical perspectives

The primary purpose of the study is to explore the antecedents of corporate social and environmental responsibilities discourse practices in Pakistan. The industry sensitivity, government shareholding, block holder ownership, print media coverage, environmental monitoring programs, and strategic posture are examined as antecedents of corporate social and environmental responsibility practices. A multidimensional theoretical perspective namely stakeholder theory (ST), institutional theory (IT), agency theory (PAT), and legitimacy theory (LT) is used to conceptualize the phenomena. All the four of perspective theories (positive accounting theory, legitimacy theory, stakeholder theory, and institutional theory) claim that there are ‘pressures’ that impact the organization. How much ‘pressures’ are recognized, managed or satisfied differs from one perspective of theory to the other. To estimate the data, this study uses three sets of panel data models, i.e., the pooled ordinary least squares model (POLS) or constant coefficients model, fixed effects (FEM or least squares dummy variable/LSDV model) and random-effects models. The final sample is comprising of 173 firms over eight years from 2011 to 2017. The firms listed in PSX are included in the sample. Overall the findings of the study have shown agreement with the proposed results. However, the study has provided more support to the institutional theory and stakeholder theory. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Stakeholders Theory, Agency Theory, Pakistan

FARMERS’ SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO LOCAL COMMUNITY: DOES EDUCATION MATTER?

The agrarian discourse of social responsibility as a scientific paradigm is rarely addressed in research. Thus the problem arise how to apply the paradigm of social responsibility to the agrarian discourse so that it could help disclose farmers’ social responsibility to local community and it’s affecting factors. The aim of this study is to propose a methodology for assessing the social responsibility of farmers to local communities with regard to education and to explore further possibilities of its application. The research is based on original empirical data collected through structured telephone interviews from 1108 Lithuanian farmers in January-February 2017. The results of the study confirm that the agrarian discourse of social responsibility as a scientific paradigm is applicable to disclose farmer’s social responsibility to local community with regard to education. Assessment of other factors affecting farmer’s social responsibility is on demand for future research.

Policing Corporate Social Responsibility: The Case of the London Metropolitan Police

Studies on why and how public sector organisations decide to adopt corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and discourse within their business practices are limited within the CSR literatur...

Four Varieties of Social Responsibility: Making Sense of the 'Sphere of Influence' and 'Leverage' Debate Via the Case of ISO 26000

One of the key controversies in social responsibility discourse is whether an organization’s responsibility should be based on its capacity to influence other parties or only on its actual contribution to social and environmental outcomes. On one side of the debate are those who argue that the limits of an organization’s responsibility should be defined in terms of its “sphere of influence” (SOI): the greater the influence, the greater the responsibility to act. On the other side are those who reject the SOI approach as ambiguous, misleading, normatively undesirable and prone to strategic manipulation. Foremost among the critics is the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative for business and human rights, Professor John Ruggie, who rejects SOI as a basis for defining the boundaries of the business responsibility to respect human rights. The newly published ISO 26000 guidance standard on social responsibility was at the centre of this controversy during its final stages of drafting. This paper examines how the concept of SOI is articulated in ISO 26000 and the extent to which it responds to the concerns identified by critics. It proposes a four-part matrix of “influence-based” responsibility, defined by the intersection of two distinctions that are often elided in SR discourse: the distinction between “influence as impact” and “influence as leverage,” on one hand, and the distinction between negative and positive responsibility, on the other. The paper argues that ISO 26000 avoids the conceptual ambiguity identified by critics by defining SOI exclusively in terms of “leverage”; that it avoids the main operational ambiguity identified by its critics by eschewing the problematic concept of “proximity;” that it embraces all four varieties of social responsibility to varying degrees, repudiating the normative claim that social responsibility is only negative and impact-based; and that it provides at least a partial response to the problem of strategic gaming.

Crimen corporativo y el discurso de la responsabilidad socioambiental: el bueno, el feo y el perfumado

Las críticas a la noción de responsabilidad social corporativa establecen que se trata de un movimiento ideológico usado para legitimar el poder de las grandes corporaciones. En esta investigación, se analizan los discursos de responsabilidad social de una corporación que ha sido protagonista de un crimen ambiental, con el objetivo de identificar la relación entre lo que se declara o pregona y lo que se practica. Al ser una investigación documental, metodológicamente se estudian archivos de la compañía y de la Alcaldía del municipio donde ocurrió el crimen. Se encontró como resultado que la mencionada empresa utiliza el discurso de la responsabilidad socioambiental para ocultar prácticas indebidas que perjudican al medio ambiente y la comunidad; es decir que para no ser considerada una corporación mala o fea, perfuma sus prácticas con discursos de protección al entorno natural.

The Negro marketing dilemma

Purpose Terminologies such as “integrated marketing” and “market segmentation” may be common parlance in contemporary marketing literature, but, in post-war America, they had distinct racial orientations mediated by a history of segregation. This paper aims to examine the resonant discourses in the construction of the Negro market in post-war America and observes that the field of marketing provides a historiography, where Negro marketing was constructed as dilemmatic and through a duality of the black market impacting the well-established white market. A survey of marketing literature from the 1950s to the 1970s reflects a discursive turn from scepticism and caution in approaching the Negro market to evoking the ethical discourse and advocating equal rights for the black consumer. Design/methodology/approach A review of articles on the topic reveals that research occurred in other academic fields beyond the remit of marketing, and these different disciplines approached the issue of the Negro market from different research orientations and fields of enquiry. This paper focuses on academic literature that was published in marketing and business journals which were concerned with marketing to the black community. The journals reviewed in this paper include Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing/Communications, The Journal of Business, The Journal of Marketing and Journal of Advertising Research published from the 1950s to the 1960s. In reviewing the marketing literature from these journals, it highlights the recurrent and resonant themes and shifts in discourse in the period mentioned. Findings Despite the scepticism, there was a recognition among market researchers that they were in a unique position to influence significantly the future relationships between blacks and whites in America (Gould et al., 1970, p. 26; Kassarjian, 1971; Hair et al., 1977; Solomon et al., 1976). The marketing discourses also showed reluctance in supporting black media, as advertising agencies did not have a preference for it. Black advertising organizations, while providing access to the Negro market, were seen as having high preparation costs and high costs per thousand in terms of reaching the population. There was also dissatisfaction expressed with the results of the copy (Alexis, 1959). Originality/value The moral turn in advertising is evident in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where marketers spoke of intervention beyond market strategies. Cohen (1970, p. 3) argued fervently that there exists an opportunity for advertising to improve its social image by giving more attention to the black community. The moral discourse of social responsibility as marketers and advertisers sought to go beyond advocating consumer rights to recognising that structural changes and attitudinal shifts was required to reform the industry through recruitment and training of black staff in creative and consultative roles. Wall (1970, p. 48), in commenting on integrated advertising, observed that beyond producing advertisements which create a sense of equality in life style and values, black employment is vitally important in creative levels in the advertising industry to improve credibility and acceptance.

La precarización del Trabajo Social a través del voluntariado social: nuevos modos sociales de regulación en la relación capital-trabajo en el contexto puertorriqueño 2014-15

La precarización del trabajo social mediante el voluntariado social es un tema poco estudiado en Puerto Rico. Utilizamos teorías de la Escuela de la Regulación Francesa y la mcdonaldización de Ritzer (2007) para explicar cómo incide el voluntariado en la precarización de la profesión. Estas teorías estudian las relaciones socioinstitucionales desde su cristalización. Además, explican las dinámicas del Estado asumiendo políticas públicas para desplazar sus responsabilidades a la esfera privada. Jessop (1993) le llama a esto: Ahuecamiento shumpeteriano del Estado benefactor. Estas dinámicas se cristalizan y sistematizan a partir de políticas públicas y la normalización de las nuevas tendencias económicas. Observamos este proceso haciendo un análisis crítico del discurso (Van Dijk, 1999) de la Ley 261 del 2004 y del debate público de preaprobación de la misma. Esta Ley regula el voluntariado social en Puerto Rico y es conocida como Ley del Voluntariado de Puerto Rico. Observamos que el voluntariado social se instituye como nueva forma de trabajo y fomenta nuevas relaciones burocráticas entre instituciones y organizaciones privadas del tercer sector. Las nuevas formas de trabajo se justifican a través de discursos de participación ciudadana y responsabilidad social. Esto tiene un efecto de ahorros y ganancias para las clases capitalistas, tornándose en pérdidas económicas y sociales para los y las trabajadores/as sociales en este caso.

Building Blocks for Alternative Four-Dimensional Pyramids of Corporate Social Responsibilities

Carroll shaped the corporate social responsibility (CSR) discourse into a four-dimensional pyramid framework, which was later adapted to corporate citizenship and sustainability approaches. The four layers of the pyramid—structured from foundation to apex as economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic (or discretionary) responsibilities—drew considerable managerial attention. An important criticism of the economic foundation of the Carroll pyramid concerns the identification and ordering of the four dimensions, which are inadequately justified theoretically. The authors of this article propose an alternative approach that builds on the public value concept, which integrates a microfoundation of psychological research into basic human needs. Drawing on their Swiss Dialogue process, the authors argue that a four-dimensional pyramid does have heuristic value for managers. The advantage of this alternative pyramid logic is that it may be contingently adapted to different cultural contexts, because it allows adaptive internal reordering.