Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Preparing More than Number Crunchers: Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics in Graduate Business Programs

CSR has become an area of focus for many companies and business leaders. Few can argue that pursuing business practices that have economic, environmental, and social benefits is not worthwhile. Certainly in the recent aftermath of such publically visible ethical failures as Enron, Lehman Brothers, and BP, many involved in graduate business education have called for the inclusion of CSR principles into their programs’ curriculum. This paper explores the need for CSR to be incorporated into graduate business curriculum and looks at how several schools are doing just that. The paper includes a discussion of future research topics and concludes that graduate business programs must increase efforts to include CSR, sustainability, and ethics across the curriculum in order for students to be truly prepared for the demands of the new business world.

International Business Students’ Understanding, Perception, and Commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility: A Study Based Upon Gender, Generational Affiliation, and Culture

Much discourse has taken place over the topic of corporate social responsibility since the late 20 th century. As such, universities are preparing students for embracing and dealing with corporate social responsibility dilemmas by incorporating corporate social responsibility topics in the curriculum. This quantitative empirical research surveyed undergraduate students (N=180) majoring in International Business to learn more about their commitment to corporate social responsibility. A total of 80 male and 100 female students were surveyed. The results of this research suggest that female students have a higher commitment to corporate social responsibility, students born in a high-context culture have a higher commitment to corporate social responsibility, and millennials have a higher commitment to corporate social responsibility. Implications and recommendations are offered for practitioners and educators.

Keeping track of ‘corporate social responsibility’ as a business and management discipline: case of Pakistan

Abstract Many universities worldwide have been incorporating corporate social responsibility into their business and management curricula, research and training programs. In this study, we investigated the extent to which corporate social responsibility is introduced as an academic discipline in the business and management schools in Pakistan. We also cited general opinions on corporate social responsibility from the heads of academic institutions and queried them regarding their methods to introduce and integrate it into business and management education and training. A survey of business and management schools in Pakistani universities revealed limited levels of corporate social responsibility within the business and management curricula. We found that the level of corporate social responsibility in Pakistan is representative of corporate social responsibility education in other developing countries. In Pakistan, there was consensus among the respondents on the importance of incorporating corporate social responsibility as a future discipline to encourage sustainable socioeconomic development in the country. We concluded that although corporate social responsibility is emerging as an academic discipline in Pakistan, it could be better supported if universities engaged in an alliance with corporations and the government.

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.

CSR as a Strategic Management Tool

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a concept has been a subject of debate in the management cycle for decades. However, the incorporation of CSR, competitive advantage and strategic management into top management decision making processes, forms a set of new alliances that are beginning to gain attention. This paper examined the strategic alliances of these highly volatile but significantly critical components in order to determine the extent to which these three seemingly incongruous factors can be achieved in reality within a developing country such as Nigeria. Using a comparative case study approach, the activities of two multinationals - Shell Plc and Coca Cola – were examined. The critical success factors were explained based on the strategies adopted in order to determine the impact on the society and whether they were in line with stakeholders' expectations. Findings however indicate that there has been an interplay of high level forces which has resulted in the unsavoury news emanating from the oil producing communities in Nigeria, unfortunately, the activities of Coca cola in both the content and context of their operations have received little or no attention. This paper contributes to the scarce literature of this discourse within the African continent in general and Nigerian state in particular as well as sets a precedent for future research.

Online Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility Information in Leading Anglo-American Universities

ABSTRACTUniversities are destined to play a fundamental role in terms of the incorporation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in their teaching and research, as well as in the disclosure of CSR information in order to meet their accountability to community. The development of information and communication technology could further encourage the implantation of these requirements. Focusing on the question of information disclosure, the objective of this article is twofold: (a) to analyse if, in the framework of accountability, universities are using the Internet as a means of disclosing CSR information and (b) to assess whether or not CSR information plays a relevant role in the communication policies of universities on the Internet. The conclusions suggest that universities attach little importance to online disclosure of specific information about CSR and, therefore, it cannot be considered to be a key aspect of their communication policy, in comparison to the webometrics ranking that measures the online disclosure of information.

Corporate social responsibility: Playing to win, or playing not to lose? Doing good by increasing the social benefits of a company’s core activities

Incorporating corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the positioning of corporate brands has become widespread. However, CSR initiatives may be suboptimal in their long-term effects if they only focus on reducing the costs that organizations impose on society, or if they are not directly related to the company’s core business. CSR activities focused on minimizing the organization’s societal costs are basically a hygiene factor. They avoid harm but beyond that they are unlikely to produce sustainable benefits for corporate branding. CSR projects that are not directly related to the organization’s core business hamper the optimal use of the organization’s expertise, which represents a lost opportunity for the firm as well as for society. If organizations want to strategically embrace CSR to achieve a sustainable positioning of their corporate brand and long-term positive benefits for society, CSR initiatives should come forth from their core business processes and focus on the benefits the organization can offer to society, creating a win-win scenario for the organization and for society.

The Antecedents of Corporate Social and Environmental Irresponsibility

ABSTRACTThis study combines internal and external perspectives to examine the antecedents of corporate social and environmental irresponsibility. In terms of internal factors, we focus on the extent to which a firm incorporates corporate social responsibility (CSR) into its business strategy and the level of firm‐specific R&D investment. With respect to external factors, we focus on market cost pressure and local government corruption. We developed hypotheses and tested them using original survey data of 295 Chinese firms covering four years. The results show that incorporating corporate social responsibility into business strategy and investing in R&D both predict less socially or environmentally irresponsible behavior by a firm. In contrast, cost pressures and government corruption correlate with an increased likelihood of irresponsible social and environmental behavior by firms. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

CREDIBLE CLAIM OR CORPORATE SPIN?: A CHECKLIST TO EVALUATE CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS

In response to the establishment of universally-accepted principles about sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporations are now producing Sustainability Reports (SRs). Corporations are expected to document their positive and negative impacts on society. However, the veracity of the information in these reports is being questioned. To what extent is it greenwashing? While the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) provides a framework for reporting, effective mechanisms to evaluate reports are lacking. We propose a Sustainability Reporting Assessment Checklist of 10 questions as a functional tool for use by stakeholders to evaluate the content of SRs. For a demonstration of the effectiveness of the checklist, it is applied to a real but anonymous company. The questions cover: accessibility; readability; the use of an established framework (e.g. GRI); incorporation of CSR and sustainability into long-term strategy; consideration of all relevant aspects of operations; use of evidence to support claims; documented stakeholder engagement; supply chain responsibility; documented impacts on all stakeholders (including vulnerable groups and negatively affected groups); and assurance assessment.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer Trust, and Loyalty—Perspectives from a Developing Country

AbstractCustomer loyalty and trust are increasingly recognized as crucial for businesses to gain a unique and advantageous position over their competitors. In order to build customer loyalty and trust, businesses in developed countries are increasingly incorporating corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in supply chains. While CSR is increasingly being considered in supply chains in developed countries, incorporating CSR practices in local supply chains presents a challenge in the context of developing countries and, as a topic, remains under‐researched. Drawing from the literature, this article presents a conceptual model with certain propositions to explain the contextual constraints of incorporating CSR practices in local supply chains in developing countries. These propositions are further strengthened by using a descriptive case of Bangladesh as an exemplar of developing countries. The article provides insights into the under‐researched area of the link between incorporation of CSR practices, customer loyalty, and trust in the context of developing countries and can be used as a catalyst for future research. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Merger of Corporate Social Responsibility into the EU Common Commercial Policy

The present paper explores and critically assesses the incorporation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into the EU common commercial policy (CCP), as established under the Lisbon Treaty, and its impact on European companies, with specific regard to environmental sustainability. The inquiry builds in particular upon the ‘Resolution on Corporate Social Responsibility in International Trade Agreements’ adopted by the European Parliament on 25 November 2010, and concludes that the prospected EU CCP/CSR policy is extremely rational and progressive, but might fall short of effectiveness within the context of fragmented global law.

The Merger of Corporate Social Responsibility into the EU Common Commercial Policy

The article critically assesses the incorporation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into the EU Common Commercial Policy (CCP) and its impact on European companies. The enquiry concludes that the prospected EU CCP/CSR policy is extremely rational and progressive but might fall short of effectiveness within the context of fragmented global law.

Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Into a Business Course: A Shared Experience

The author discusses how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability were incorporated into a business course by using 4 assignments, a project with a CSR question, 7 ethics cases, and 17 ethics scenarios tied to a corporate code of ethics. The author also discusses student evaluation of CSR learning experience, strengths and weaknesses of the assignments, and teaching tips. Because these materials are not discipline-specific, instructors in any discipline may adopt them with minimal modification and preparation time. Helping students appreciate the strategic and economic significance of CSR and sustainability is an important step because these issues will likely define business strategy and performance globally in the next decade.

CSR and leadership: can China lead a new paradigm shift?

Globally, corporate social responsibility (CSR) needs to find its sustainable development via the recognition of tangible benefits that CSR will bring to organizations and their stakeholders. The less tangible but likely most important benefit lies in the continual improved leadership and management quality emerging from organizations investing in CSR. Companies’ failure to act in a CSR way and the lack of wise leadership and quality management is a dominant root factor in the past scandals and financial crisis. Looking at current interactions between Chinese companies and their various influencing environmental, society and government (ESG) factors, many of the motivational drivers for Western companies to invest in CSR are today still being challenged here based on China’s market specifics. More rapid development of the regulatory framework with adequate enforcement resources, as well as incorporation of CSR “value” education at universities can accelerate this needed development. In the short term, foreign companies as “guests” of China should also be a catalyst as role models. Apart from a foreign investor’s actions, it is equally important to acknowledge and address local China challenges remaining to provide the right climate for a foreign company’s CSR programs to be successfully executed here. The world is at a cross roads of a new value-based leadership paradigm. With global interdependence accelerating and hence, management and leadership complexity expanding, there is a need for a new leadership model, bringing “common wisdom” more pronounced to the forefront, arising from a renewed focus and strengthening of an aligned set of values between family, society, and corporate life. China’s unique demographic challenges and economic progress provide a fertile environment to lead the world in this development.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Millennials

The incorporation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) into an organization's strategic plan may impact the company's ability to attract and keep members of the Millennial generation as employees. The authors examined the CSR attitudes of college students and the correlation of these attitudes with willingness to work for companies that emphasize CSR through employee volunteerism. The outcome from an event consisting of 9 high-level executives from for- and nonprofit companies explaining their CSR philosophy to these students is described. Results indicated that the event itself was responsible for changes in the students’ attitudes and were not correlated with earlier attitudes or actions.

THE ILLUSION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY:COCA-COLA AND CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP

Under contemporary globalization, corporations have achieved a size and scope unparalleled to any other time in history (May 24). In response to growing corporate power,there have been contestations from unions, environmentalists, and anti-corporate activists stressing corporate reform. One result of social pressure has been the incorporation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) campaigns into corporate branding strategies (May 201). On thesurface, these campaigns appear to address and integrate social concerns into regular business practices. Yet, I argue that CSR campaigns are one component of a broader strategy to improvethe management of market crises by incorporating criticisms into corporate managed social responsibility initiatives and can be understood using Foucault’s concept of governmentality. Instead of addressing critiques in a substantive manner, CSR initiatives “break off the sharp points of contention” to bolster legitimacy for free market policies (Hobsbawm). To further understand this process, I focus on the Coca-Cola Company’s CSR campaigns on two scales; theinternational and the national in Chile.

Principles for responsible metals supply to electronics

PurposeThis paper seeks to critically analyse the list of principles on the extractive phase of the electronics supply chains, proposed for consumer electronic companies, by the non‐governmental campaign MakeITfair. The purpose is to understand whether conformance with these principles could positively influence the socio‐environmental conditions at the mining level.Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the literature on incorporation of corporate social responsibility in supply chain management. It then examines how metals are mined, traded and used in electronics, as well as how the mining industry has been managing its own socio‐environmental problems. This information underpins the qualitative discussion of the principles.FindingsMakeITfair's principles were found to be constructive insofar as they draw the attention of electronic companies to their shared responsibility for the problems of distant‐tier suppliers. Nevertheless, some principles may lead to potentially undesired outcomes such as biased prioritization of mining companies or regions, adoption of contentious “standards”, and conflicts concerning the sovereign rights of nations over their natural resources. Overall, the principles stress traceability mechanisms as means of influencing the mining phase of supply chains without considering the costs and benefits of overcoming the complexities involved in the metal trade and other barriers. The paper concludes by highlighting the need to consider additional ways of positively influencing metals supply.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper points out specific research priorities in the value chains of metals.Originality/valueThe paper provides a critical analysis of intricate responsibility issues in the supply chain of the world's top electronic companies.

CREATE: Summary of outcomes and benefits of an innovative therapeutic conservation programme

Castlebeck has 20 years' experience of its own unique specialist healthcare, addressing the assessment, treatment and rehabilitation needs of adults with learning disabilities and high support needs or challenging behaviour, requiring expert help to progress along their individual care pathways. This paper describes the process by which Castlebeck began to look at ways of incorporating corporate social responsibility into the business in a meaningful way. The aim was to find a project that: (1) provided the opportunity to create a new form of active community-based therapy for patients/residents, so improving Castlebeck's standing as a company developing leading-edge health programmes; and (2) improved staff satisfaction and engagement. Castlebeck set up a project called CREATE. Outcome measures demonstrate a number of significant positive findings:• Statistically significant improvements in service users' self-esteem, social networks, physical health and skill development.• Staff involved have had reduced levels of sickness, increased levels of job satisfaction, increased skill development and improved attitudes.• The local community has benefited from increased site visitor numbers, more positive community attitudes towards learning disabilities and increased biodiversity environmentally.• Positive awareness of Castlebeck has been increased locally and with key stakeholders.

Corporate Social Responsibility Starts at University

The author addresses the question of how to use value-learning processes to integrate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in organizations as an interesting challenge in (higher) education. Two strategies have been proposed for the issue of CSR: a compliance strategy and a cultural change strategy (Karssing, 2001). This article focuses on the ethical and philosophical presuppositions of these different approaches. The incorporation of CSR in organizations cannot be accomplished by means of a compliance strategy only. Rather, it needs to be supplemented by a strategy aimed at stimulating a transformation process on the corporate culture level. The perspective of change through dialogue is proposed as a means of innovating the curriculum and the primary processes of student education. This organizational change perspective is demonstrated by describing how (ethical) reflective aspects are integrated in the curriculum of the Free University of Amsterdam. An additional case study on organizational value learning is presented to illustrate the thesis that CSR presupposes that university is an adequate context where life-long learning begins.

The influence of the JDR 3rd Fund on ?business and society?: Incorporating corporate social responsibility in the business curriculum

The ideal of corporate social responsibility as a management orientation and as a field of study in business schools was given support by John D. Rockefeller 3rd (JDR 3). He attempted to promote this concept in the Committee on Economic Development and in certain business schools. This attempt was not very effective in academe, due partly to a lack of understanding about how universities function. As a result, an adequate academic infrastructure was slow to develop.