Corporate Social Responsibility Framework Research Articles

Building responsible and sustainable supply chain frameworks: limits of international investment law and the CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China

ABSTRACT Supply chains play a pivotal role in global economic relations, fostering growth, employment, and poverty alleviation. Multinational enterprises (MNEs) are central actors in these chains, bearing responsibilities towards workers and the environment. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards guide MNEs in assessing the societal and environmental impacts of their activities, though these standards remain largely voluntary. Recent investment treaty practice shows a trend to incorporate CSR provisions in international investment agreements (IIAs), but such clauses fail to impose direct human rights, labour and environmental obligations on investors. Amidst this landscape, the EU and China, major players in global trade and investment, have established diverging legal and policy frameworks to build responsible and sustainable supply chains. Considering these developments, the objectives of this article are twofold. First, the article explores the integration of CSR in international investment law. Second, it evaluates the different CSR initiatives taken by the EU and China that frame their foreign direct investments. Focusing on EU–China FDI relations, the article delineates implications for global supply chain governance offering insights into the evolving landscape of CSR frameworks, and the plagued path in adopting mandatory corporate responsibility standards.

Practices of Selected Pharmaceutical Companies on Integration of Community Empowerment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Development of Holistic and Sustainable CSR Framework

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a way to inspire business firms to perform in a manner appropriate to the desires of their stakeholders, thus, producing them to act dependably for the benefit of the business and society or community through creating a sustainable development program that could, in turn, gain credibility, positive image and reputation. This study highlights pharmaceutical companies’ practices in terms of CSR integration covering the four levels of CSR - philanthropic, ethical, legal, and economic. It will also discuss how do pharmaceutical companies integrate community empowerment in their CSR activities and up to what extent is the level of integration of community empowerment in terms of levels of society – micro, meso and macro. This research study will use the mixed method which are: qualitative and quantitative methods. The following are criteria in the selection of participants for interview. For qualitative approach, there will be twenty participants from five pharmaceutical companies. For quantitative approach (using survey questionnaire), there will be 360 respondents coming from 30 pharmaceutical companies. The extent of integration of community empowerment in CSR is highly linked to the extent of contribution to holistic and sustainable development.

A systematic framework for compilation of critical raw material lists and their importance for South Africa

Mineral resources are important contributors to the global economy and societal wellbeing. Directly, they provide employment, revenue and taxes through the extraction, processing and sale of minerals. Indirectly, they are essential to all modern industries, including: energy, manufacturing, construction, biotic and abiotic resource extraction and agriculture. The principle that ‘one cannot understand the value of what they have until they measure it’ is particularly relevant with critical raw materials (CRMs). CRM is a concept that categorises select resources (mainly minerals and metals) as critical in the sense that, at a national level, they are essential and difficult to replace, and their supply is prone to disruption. It is becoming increasingly recognised that the continuity of civilisation and living standards as some have envisioned them in the future is constrained by the quality and quantity of various minerals. National-level strategic planning, including energy policy, foreign relations policy, geopolitical operations, national defence, education and infrastructure planning, among others, all require knowledge of the requirement and supply of raw materials towards a practical strategic implementation. Hence, a national CRM framework is essential for a prosperous, productive and stable future. To effectively manage the supply and use of CRMs, it is important to comprehend both their formal (e.g., economic) and informal (e.g., social and environmental) values, and to measure and monitor these values effectively over time. This study examines international practices and methodologies as components of a comprehensive CRM framework. We then propose a prototype CRM framework for South Africa as such a framework is currently missing.All CRM frameworks feature one or more rating schemes to identify the degree of criticality of raw materials. The actual rating metrics are divided into dimensions (or factors), such as: socio-economic importance, technological importance, environmental, social and governance risks. Such dimensions are important due to the following reasons.•Delineating criticality from non-criticality: by rank-ordering CRMs based on various factors, a country can identify which ones are the most important for its economy, industry and national security. This information can help policymakers prioritise the development of domestic production and secure a stable supply of CRMs.•Assessing resource sustainability and supply stability: by rating CRMs based on environmental, social and ethical factors, a country can assess the sustainability of its resource use and identify areas for improvement. This information can help policymakers develop strategies to mitigate resource depletion, and supply chain disruption, minimise negative environmental and social impacts, and promote responsible resource management.•Supporting informed decision-making: an ordered ranking of CRMs provides quantitative and qualitative information to governmental bodies, industry and other stakeholders to support informed decision-making, including strategic planning. This information can help stakeholders make informed choices about the sources and types of CRMs they use and the sustainability of their resource use.•Promoting transparency and accountability: adopting suitable business ethical dimensions, such as through a corporate social responsibility framework, enables a country to promote transparency and accountability in its resource use and supply chains. This approach can help reduce illicit financial flows, corruption, and abuse of power, while increasing trust and confidence in the resource sector.•Innovation and investment opportunities: a CRM framework enables a nation to establish policy conditions that foster innovation and investment in key activities such as measuring, monitoring, sustainability, extracting, responsible processing, and efficient use of CRMs.Findings from this study underscores the necessity of a structured CRM framework in South Africa to effectively manage the complexities of resource management, economic ground, and sustainability. Integrating these frameworks into national policies can enable South Africa to secure a sustainable, economically viable, and environmentally responsible future. Such strategic initiatives are impor tant for national security, industrial policy, structural transformation, and economic stability, as well as aligning with global initiatives for responsible sourcing and climate change.

The Influence of Internal Corporate Social Responsibility Factors on the Innovation Climate of Employees in the Healthcare Industry

This study examined the relationship between employee innovation and employee-initiated corporate social responsibility (CSR) elements in medical diagnostic enterprises in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research identified nine variables of employee-driven CSR, including communication, empowerment, and work satisfaction. Theoretical framework of the study based on theory of corporate social responsibility and expectancy theory of motivation. It evaluated their effects on the atmosphere for employee innovation using statistical analysis by using SPSS and after collecting data by using a survey questionnaire. The study population was employees working in the healthcare industry in Pakistan. The findings showed that employee-driven CSR and innovation were significantly correlated, with work satisfaction having the most impact. Overall, this quantitative study provides important insights for both theoretical understanding and practical application in fostering innovation through CSR initiatives. It emphasizes the critical role of job satisfaction as a key motivating factor for innovation within the framework of employee-driven CSR in the medical diagnostics sector.

Exploring the three-dimensional effect of corporate social responsibility on brand equity, corporate reputation, and willingness to pay. A study of the fashion industry

The fashion sector is considered one of the largest generators of the greatest negative externalities, and the results support this. However, they are making important efforts through actions within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility to improve their commitment to society and sustainability. This research aims to evaluate the value that consumers place on Corporate Social Responsibility activities in the economic, social and environmental dimensions in the generation of brand equity, corporate reputation and willingness to pay. To achieve this, a methodology based on structural equations (PLS-SEM) has been used based on a questionnaire completed by 269 people. The findings show that each of the CSR dimensions contributes differently to the generation of BE, CR and WTP, also highlighting the value of brand credibility as a variable with an important mediating effect.

The Power of Responsibility: Unlocking the Potential of CSR in Hospitality’s Fight against Food Waste

This research focuses on the significant role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in shaping employees’ behavior towards the reduction of food waste in the hospitality industry that has been under scrutiny for its environmental impact. The study aimed at understanding how CSR, coupled with employees’ moral attitudes, admiration for their organization, and climate change awareness influences sustainable practices by realizing the complex interplay between company initiatives and personal psychology. The participants were staff members who worked in several hotels in China where there were active CSR programs. Using established scales, we collected 422 valid responses over three waves to strengthen our data collection process. Empirically, it was found that CSR directly influenced food-waste-reduction behavior. Additionally, it was discovered that this relationship was mediated by moral attitudes and employee admiration as well as moderated by awareness of climate change. The findings have substantial theoretical implications regarding the interaction between emotional and cognitive factors within the CSR framework to influence behavior among employees. This paves the way for creating well-rounded strategies that appeal to staff and encourage sustainability in the hotel business. While focused on China’s hospitality industry, this research creates room for future studies in other places around the world using various methods. The conclusions drawn underline the critical role of CSR in promoting environmental sustainability in the hospitality industry, providing a pathway for organizations to engage employees in meaningful and impactful sustainability initiatives.

Motivations, activities, timing, and employee engagement: three approaches to business involvement in disasters.

The alarming rise in occurrences of disasters, along with the positive development of corporate social responsibility (CSR), has led to the growing need for and involvement of businesses in disaster relief. However, this involvement differs greatly across organisations, and the fragmented research that exists has not offered an understanding of these differences and how they affect disaster relief. This study provides a comprehensive model of companies' involvement in disaster relief by integrating two disaster relief frameworks (activities and timing) into two CSR frameworks (motivation and employee engagement). The result is the MATE Model of four inextricably linked dimensions (motivation, activities, timing, and employee engagement), examined in a qualitative study with 57 interviewees across 34 organisations in Australia. The resulting Corporate Involvement in Disasters Model details the four MATE dimensions and categorises three approaches to corporate involvement in disaster relief: reactive, relational, and comprehensive. This model details a roadmap for effective business involvement in disaster relief.

Looking at the Possibility of Implementing Green Economy Policies Through the Legal Framework of Corporate Social Responsibility

Green economy policies must be encouraged so that welfare can be improved without sacrificing environmental sustainability which is the capital of the lives of future generations. This paper aims to see the possibility of implementing a green economy through the legal framework of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The method used is a normative legal research method. The results show that the implementation of the green economy concept within the CSR framework can only be implemented if regulatory weaknesses to the implementation of CSR in Indonesia can be overcome, including strengthening legal instruments, the existence of sanctions, expanding the subject of CSR implementation, the establishment of assessment and supervisory bodies so that the implementation of CSR for entrepreneurs is carried out optimally and consistently, to CSR technical references.
 Keywords: Green Economy; Corporate Social Responsibility; Framework.

A Legal Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Promote the Cooperative Economy -a Duty Based Approach

A Legal Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to Promote the Cooperative Economy -a Duty Based Approach

A Legal Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility(Csr) to Promote the Cooperative Economy -A Duty Based Approach S. Vijayalakshmi

A Legal Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility(Csr) to Promote the Cooperative Economy -A Duty Based Approach S. Vijayalakshmi

Digital Technologies for Sustainable Waste Management On-Board Ships: An Analysis of Best Practices From the Cruise Industry

This article aims to investigate the role of digital technologies for sustainable waste management in the cruise industry to meet the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda. These issues are analyzed through the sustainability disclosure of the major cruise corporations. Under the lens of the corporate social responsibility framework and legitimacy theory, this study construed sustainability reports of four major cruise corporations published from 2015 to 2019 and their website pages by using the Leximancer text-mining software to map the underlying main research topics with the visual concepts range and manual content analysis. The results highlight the increasing commitment of cruise corporations to reduce the environmental impact by meeting sustainable development goals (SDGs) included in the UN 2030 Agenda by investing in digital technologies on-board ships. Using a double level of sustainability reporting analysis, this study, compared to previous studies, seeks to determine best practices on operational processes on-board ships regarding waste issues, including the digital technologies as an enabler to sustainability, especially SDGs. This study opens the way to scholars about waste processes and financial investment in technology issues, as well as the role played by the regulatory framework. In addition, this study highlights the insufficiency of the theory of legitimacy alone to identify best practices related to broader waste issues. Likewise, the practitioners find in this study a key roadmap about the need to involve crew and cruisers in the waste digital process thanks sharing of programs to define the waste practices. Practitioners also find the address to the factors that will make them aware of the current weakness of nonfinancial disclosure in sustainability reporting. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first time an empirical analysis conducted through sustainability reporting and other non-financial documents allows to identify “best practices” adopted on-board cruise ships to meet sustainability goals in digital waste management. Moreover, the use of two levels of analysis, by Leximancer and manual content analysis about the text documents companies make available to stakeholders, allows for identifying the high-level concepts and key ideas without bias, well as being able to define the perimeter of good practices linked to the orientation of cruise corporations toward new technologies.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE HALAL FOOD INDUSTRY: APPLICATION OF SUPPLY CHAIN PERSPECTIVE

This study aims to construct a comprehensive framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) within the Halal food industry's supply chain. It acknowledges the increasing public attention towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) and supply chain practices in the food industry. It utilizes current literature and recent developments to provide a comprehensive understanding of CSR in the Halal context. Methodologically, this study conducts a systematic review of relevant articles and materials, forming a robust theoretical underpinning. Our findings reveal key CSR dimensions specific to the Halal food supply chain, including animal welfare, health and safety, environmental concerns, and community involvement. The proposed framework not only enhances understanding of Halal supply chain CSR practices but also sets the stage for strategic and operational improvements. Significantly, this study contributes to the scholarly conversation by integrating Islamic principles with contemporary CSR practices, offering a unique perspective that aligns business operations with ethical and religious standards.

DETERMINANTS OF FACTORS INFLUENCING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PERFORMANCE IN BUSINESSES OF MARAWI CITY

Along with the rising number of business enterprises, there is also a growing importance of social responsibility among businesses. However, there is a lack of visible CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative being implemented among the local business enterprises despite the known importance of CSR to a company's reputation and its impact to overall business success. Hence, this research sought to determine the various factors influencing social responsibility in businesses of Marawi City. This particularly includes the business profile, the level of understanding, the drivers and barriers, as well as the significant relationship of these factors with CSR initiatives. For this purpose, this study adopted quantitative-correlational type of research. Data was collected through a questionnaire from a 246 sample of businesses from different sectors in Marawi City. The data gathered was analysed using various statistical tools. The results of the study indicate that CSR activities are prevalent despite the fact that the majority of the firms operating within the city have a low net income. It was found that the firms' ability to participate in more CSR efforts were relevantly limited by lack of financial resources. The findings of this study also suggests that the belief that CSR is a form of charity is the most significant factor that drives the performance of CSR initiatives. The results of this study not only offer a deeper understanding of the factors affecting CSR implementation, but also proposes an Islamic CSR Framework that is in accordance with the practices valued by Muslim Maranao entrepreneurs.

«БЕЗПЕЧНА ГАВАНЬ» У ПРОЄКТІ ДИРЕКТИВИ ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОГО СОЮЗУ ПРО НАЛЕЖНУ ОБАЧНІСТЬ ЩОДО КОРПОРАТИВНОЇ СТАЛОСТІ

Over the last decade, the mandatory legislation that requires large companies to conduct due diligence for the social, environmental, and ethical risks within their economic activities and to manage those risks efficiently has been rapidly expanding across Europe. On 23 February 2022 the European Commission unveiled a proposal for a Directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. Following numerous amendments adopted by the European Parliament on 1 June 2023, the proposal now enters negotiations with the EU Council and member states for further refinement. The proposal introduces mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (mHREDD) which establishes provisions for corporate liability when companies meeting the employee number and turnover criteria specified in the proposal fail to adhere to due diligence obligations, causing otherwise avoidable harm. The adoption of mHREDD transforms the prevention of harmful impacts on human rights and the environment from a voluntary practice of companies into a normative standard of their conduct. Therefore, compliance with the Directive's requirements will become part of a company's compliance as an internal process aimed at ensuring adherence to existing norms and rules. A large proportion of companies targeted by the proposal, while appearing cooperative, seek to weaken the future rules through the corporate lobbying. Among the tactics used to undermine the law is lobbying the so-called “safe harbour” exemption. With a “safe harbour” exemption, the legislature sets out criteria that, if met, could exclude liability and the corresponding ability of claimants to bring action. In the context of the proposal of the Directive “safe harbour” means that a company shall be released from all legal actions upon proof that it had carried out a legally valid due diligence assessment. Safe harbour exemption is contrasted with the use of due diligence as a procedural defence, which the defendant company can plead and seek to prove in court. The proposal’s implications are important for Ukraine considering its status as a candidate country for EU membership. Ukrainian companies, unlike those in the EU countries, lack experience of operating within the framework of corporate social responsibility and non-financial reporting to build upon, and the culture of corporate sustainability is in its nascence. A “safe harbour” approach, under which when the company has seemingly complied with the due diligence process (which might be a mere “tick-box exercise”), it will not be held liable for the harmful effects of its activities, will have devastating impact for the development of corporate sustainability tradition in Ukraine.

Improving mineral mining enterprises environmental performance through corporate social responsibility practices in China: Implications for minerals policymaking

Corporate social responsibility of mineral mining sector enterprises is greatly important to understand due to its significant role in the social and environmental footprint of the country. Over the years, the natural resources development sector, especially the mineral mining industry, has shown tremendous growth. Although it brought significant profitability for the enterprise as well as a great contribution to economic growth, However, its social and environmental impacts brought serious challenges for the global community. Therefore, scholars and practitioners in the natural resources management sector, especially the mineral mining sector, call for the importance of corporate social responsibility for enterprises to minimize their social and environmental impact. However, in the context of the mineral mining sector, it is unclear whether corporate social responsibility practices (i.e., environmental conservation, waste reduction and sustainability initiatives) attract stakeholders to participate in corporate social activities and how to improve the environmental performance of mineral mining enterprises. Keeping in mind the limitations of existing research, this paper aims to study the corporate social responsibility and environmental performance of mineral mining firms. In addition, the study incorporates the role of stakeholder engagement as a mediator, which opens a new path for the effective implementation of corporate social responsibility. The study adopted a survey method for data collection, and data was collected from 227 managers that were utilized in this study. The data collected from managers of mineral mining companies was utilized, and we employed structural equation modeling techniques to find robust results. The findings reveal that environmental conservation and waste reduction strategies under the framework of corporate social responsibility directly not influence the environmental performance of the enterprises. However, stakeholder engagement serves as bridge among environmental conservation, waste reduction strategies and environmental performance of the mineral mining enterprises. Whereas sustainability initiative could directly improve environmental performance. The findings of the study provide important insights for mineral policy formulation and managerial decision making to foster environmental performance of mineral mining enterprises in China.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF BUSINESS AS A TOOL FOR THE FORMATION OF THE BRAND OF THE NORTHERN TERRITORY FOR THE INTERNAL TARGET AUDIENCE

The article considers the communicative potential of corporate social responsibility of subsoil user companies in the northern territories of Russia as a tool for the formation of a territorial brand for the internal target audience living in northern settlements with an unfavorable climate. The purpose of the study is to determine the formation of the KhMAO brand for residents of this territory and the role of corporate social responsibility of subsoil user companies in this process. From the authors’ point of view, the presence of a strong brand of the northern territory, in addition to the population’s knowledge of its heraldic symbols and emotional attachment to the place of residence, is expressed in a high degree of involvement of residents in public life and the desire to continue living in this territory.The study was conducted in October-December 2022 by an online survey, which was attended by residents of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug - Yugra: large cities and small settlements (n=287).The results of the study show that the KhMAO can be considered as a brand: its residents highlight the unique qualities of the place of residence, about half give it a positive assessment, most know heraldic symbols, about a third plan to continue living in this territory. The study also revealed that knowledge of CSR programs implemented by subsoil user companies and their assessment as eff ective is higher among those residents of the territory who plan to continue living in this territory. This is especially noticeable on the example of the rural settlement of Salym, the data for which were analyzed separately. This approach to the analysis was chosen because a number of large projects are being implemented in the territory of this settlement within the framework of corporate social responsibility by the oil company Salym Petroleum Development.The results of the study allowed us to conclude about the eff ectiveness of corporate social responsibility as a tool for building and strengthening the brand of the northern territory for the internal target audience, to identify the most promising areas of this activity and to show the importance of its information support

ENFORCING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR): AN ASSESSMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS AGAINST MULTINATIONAL OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN NIGERIA

Enforcing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been largely controversial. This is largely due to questions of whether legitimate claims can arise social responsibility lacking in established legal rights and obligations. This paper assesses the nature of CSR framework in Nigeria to determine the possibility of a legal claim against governments or multinationals operating in Nigeria. The research achieves the outcome by evaluating the operations of the Nigerian Content and Monitoring Development Board (NCMDB) in relation to elicit the structural inadequacies in performing its functions with regards to enforcing CSR presumptions.

The influence of national culture on corporate social responsibility in the Ethiopian mining sector

This study examines the influence of national culture on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the community activities in Ethiopia's mining sector. We adopted a mixed method with quantitative data collected from 250 middle and top-level managers and qualitative data collected from 25 top-level CSR managers. The findings reveal that national culture variables such as religion, language, and collectivism significantly influence the CSR activities of mining companies while, power distance and masculinity have an insignificant influence on the CSR activities of the mining companies. Additionally, the qualitative data indicates that cultural values such as ‘yilugnta/Mahberawinuro’ and individual characteristics such as owners' generosity influence the CSR activities of mining companies. CSR is context specific and both business owners/managers and policymakers ought to place more emphasis on national cultural values when developing and implementing company policies and national CSR frameworks, respectively.

Business and Human Rights in Ethiopia: The Status of the Law and the Practice

Business activities in Ethiopia by both multinational and national companies are under growing scrutiny. Ongoing court cases in Kenya against Meta (formerly Facebook) for allegedly helping fuel the two-year deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia, increased reports of alleged poor labour conditions in apparel factories in industrial parks, and allegations of land grabbing by commercial agribusiness are some examples. The existing research and practice approaches the issue of private sector accountability predominantly from corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective. The CSR landscape itself is regulated in a fragmented manner. In contexts lacking well-developed CSR frameworks, a growing body of research examines the promise of a newly evolving Business and Human Rights (BHR) paradigm. To date, there is a dearth of scholarly and policy discussion employing the term ‘business and human rights’ in Ethiopia, attesting the status of the field in academic and public discourse. This article presents a modest attempt at exploring the status of business and human rights law and practice in Ethiopia. By analysing relevant laws and reviewing selected practical cases, the article identifies salient issues, opportunities, and challenges toward developing and enforcing business and human rights standards.

The Significance of Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable Development: An Analysis from an Islamic Law Perspective

Objective: This research aims to investigate the role of Islamic values in shaping Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices and their impact on achieving sustainable development goals. Theoretical Framework: The study addresses the increasing significance of CSR and its integration with sustainable development, particularly from the perspective of Islamic business ethics. It explores how Islamic values influence CSR initiatives, aligning them with principles that foster environmental responsibility and social equity. Method: A systematic literature review method was employed to analyze a broad range of scholarly articles and reports. This analysis focused on examining the compatibility of CSR practices with Islamic principles. Result and Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that CSR practices rooted in Islamic values have a positive impact on sustainable development. Such practices promote environmental responsibility and contribute to social equity. This research emphasizes the potential of Islamic business ethics to guide CSR strategies toward more inclusive and sustainable outcomes. Originality/Value: This research contributes to the field of CSR by highlighting the importance of incorporating Islamic principles into CSR frameworks. It underscores how such integration can advance sustainable development on a global scale.