Innovative Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Corporate Social Responsibility in Rural Development: Insights from CSR Initiatives of a Public Sector Company

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is emerging as a business-led solution for addressing development challenges, such as poverty, malnutrition, and inadequate infrastructure. However, there is limited research available on the process by which companies introduce innovative CSR practices to tackle these social problems. This study draws insights from a case study of CSR initiatives of a public sector company in India to examine the emergence and implementation of innovative CSR practices. The study reveals that CSR practices are influenced by the company’s commitment and institutionalising a dynamic process of implementation and stakeholder engagement, and governance of partner relations. It is found that stakeholder engagement and partnerships not only attribute legitimacy but also ensure greater participation of the local community in problem-solving and the creation of shared value. Moreover, the formation of partnerships and collaborations contributes to the development of better solutions that serve the needs of the local community. These findings have implications for the design and implementation of innovative CSR practices, particularly in resource-constrained rural settings.

Implementing Innovative CSR Practices to Improve the Company’s Perceived Value and Market Share in the context of Aviation Industry in the UAE

Purpose The UAE government has taken effective actions to enhance Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) in the different business sectors. Empirical studies indicated that implementinginnovative CSR practices could affect the organizational sustainable performance positively (Munir , Blount& Upadhaya 2018). Additionally, aviation industry sector is one of the major influential sectors. In the UAEcontext, this study aims to analyze some major areas of aviation industry in the UAE to exploreimplementing effective innovative CSR practices into the organizational system aiming to increase thecustomers’ loyalty and market share in the light of Kelley’s Attribution Theory (1973) and Carroll’s TripleBottom Line Model (1991).Methodology- Secondary data in this research was gathered from reviewing the available literature. It helpedin understanding the gaps and providing an overview of the existing information on the topic. Literaturecritical appraisal and comparative analysis was used to analyze the best practices related to implementingCSR effective practices into aviation industry aiming to increase the companies’ perceived values and marketshare.Findings- It was found that implementing incremental innovation smoothly in the context of UAE aviationindustry aiming to improve CSR practices could lead to improving sustainable development and increase theperceived value. Also, it could be indicated that the sustainable development happens through improvingCSR work environment and CSR organizational culture.Implications- The findings will aid the UAE aviation companies in gaining knowledge regardingimplementing effective CSR practices and procedures which could lead to improving the firm’s perceivedvalue and market share.

The Moderating Effect of a Golden Parachute on the Association between CSR and Firm Value: Does Gender-Driven Innovation Matter?

We revisit the debate on whether a firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities enhance firm value. Research on related topics has produced mixed results suggesting a need to further investigate factors that directly or indirectly impact the CSR–firm value association. To this end, we examine if a firm’s adoption of a golden parachute (GP) moderates the relationship between CSR and firm value. We also investigate if diversity-based innovation as it pertains to the gender of executives reveals any difference in the CSR–firm value relation. Using a sample of 11,065 firm-year observations of publicly traded US firms from 2007 to 2016, we find that CSR activities are significantly and positively associated with firm value. More importantly, our study shows that for US firms that issue GPs, this severance pay strengthens this positive relationship, suggesting that CEOs with a GP engage in more value-enhancing innovative CSR projects than their counterparts without it. This finding supports the conflict resolution theory and the resource-based view of the firm. A test to examine if the gender of the corporate executives alters their behavior towards CSR when the GP protects them shows an inverse relationship between female executives and CSR–firm value association. This interesting finding lends credence to related theories suggesting that women in male-dominated fields may feel pressured to conform to the stereotype of women as less competent than men and may adopt traditionally masculine behaviors to counteract this stereotype. As they climb the corporate leadership ladder endowed with a GP, the stereotype threat may still prevail, adversely affecting the CSR–firm value outcomes. These results remain robust after a series of sensitivity tests.

Economic efficiency analysis of fish farming in Bharatpur District, Rajasthan: A corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative

The innovative corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative of Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation, Bharatpur, Rajasthan, India, through fish farming in Kaman Block of Bharatpur has transformed the lives of the local population. Fish farming started with 240 families in 1980, is now benefiting 2000 people and has brought economic and social transformation in this region. Cost-benefit analysis indicated that fish farmers culturing Indian major carps (IMC) for 18 months from spawn to table size registered a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.15. The fish farmers who cultured IMC for 12 months (from fingerlings to table size ) achieved a BCR of 1.77. The results of data envelopment analysis (DEA) showed that the technical efficiency was around 0.95, indicating highly efficient farms. Polluted water, disruption in power supply and poaching were found to be major constraints faced by the farmers. Keywords: Constraint analysis, Costs and returns analysis, Data envelopment analysis, Indian major carps

Corporate Social Responsibility: A Legislative Gateway

India a country of as much diversity as is a hotspot for numerous contradictions. On the one hand, after much hardship, the country has emerged as one of the surging economies and a very important player in the new global order. In contrast, on the other hand, it is still combating issues related to impoverishment, starvation, and rights of undernourished children, societal welfare, and the like. The Indian economy sometimes rides a wave of boon and sometimes that of bane, which is because of an uneven, unseemly distribution of wealth throughout, which only increases social unrest; this uneven development and growth spread across the nation has targeted companies and corporate organizations for their contributions to the society. The scrutiny has only been increasing with the rising awareness of the gaps between the haves and the have-nots, which has further led to an outpouring in society’s expectations from the corporate giants. To this, the government has responded proactively, taking most of the corporate houses in its stride to provide for the society without commercial success and hence developing the nation getting in the way. The concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a practice where companies realize profits and fulfill philanthropic, societal expectations, has taken ground since times immemorial only to become mandatory later. In the background of such a premise, CSR has time and again presented itself as a wonderful opportunity, the need of every hour and also as a serious challenge to be overcome, with its implications on almost every sector. Ever since it became a legal mandate in the year 2014, India has been a thriving “hotbed for innovative CSR scenarios,” in the words of D S Rawa, Former Secretary-General of ASSOCHAM. This paper seeks to trace the advent and growth of Corporate Social Responsibility in India through the eyes of the law, having undergone multiple legislative changes ever since the inception of the Companies Act, 2013. The paper also analyses the legislative amendments that are already afoot and awaiting enforcement. The researcher has tried to suggest the best possible ideological way forward in light of these multifarious changes, illuminating CSR’s import and primacy as a practice in the wake of the same.

The impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on corporate financial performance: an empirical study on shipping

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility (CSR) attracts steaming attention in global maritime business, stimulated by critical priorities, such as the IMO 2020 regulations for environmental compliance and initiatives including the Poseidon Principles and ESG practices. The CSR implications for shipping corporate performance and value creation deserve updated empirical investigation. Based on international standards and ISO 26000 regulations, the paper proposes and sets up an innovative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Index. This challenging metric tool is incorporated on a sample of 50 listed shipping companies in NYSE, NASDAQ, and Oslo markets, covering broadly all major shipping business sectors (bulks, tankers, containers, LNGs, cruises), over 2010–2019. The proposed CSR Index integrates 17 CSR components based on the ISO 26000 standard, as an alternative empirical index of the CSR impact on shipping company financial performance and value. The empirical results support the hypothesis of a significant positive correlation between CSR and shipping corporate performance and value and underline the preference of investors for shipping companies with established good CSR practices.

Good Corporate Governance Memoderasi Pengaruh Corporate Sosial Responsibility dan Penerapan Green Accounting terhadap Kinerja Keuangan

The Covid-19 pandemic situation in Indonesia has caused many social responsibility programs that have been planned to be held in 2020 to be delayed. This condition requires companies to design adaptive and innovative CSR programs to respond to the needs of the community. The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the application of green accounting on the company's financial performance and to know the role of Good Corporate Governance (GCG) in strengthening the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on the company's financial performance. The population in this study are all Green Industry Award-Winning companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange year 2017-2019. The data analysis technique used Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) with the IBM SPSS Statistics 20 program. The results showed that Corporate Social Responsibility and the interaction of Corporate Social Responsibility with Good Corporate Governance had a positive and significant effect on financial performance. The application of Green accounting has no significant effect on financial performance. The results also show that GCG is a type of all moderation (quasi moderation).
 Keywords : CSR; Green Accounting; GCG; Financial Performance.

The interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with corporate social responsibility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with corporate social responsibility (CSR) to determine the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of Board of Directors (BODs) with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR that has influence on corporate sector. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses exploratory and qualitative data obtained from multiple research methods, to investigate benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR and of its practices by companies’ websites, google search, annual reports and CSR reports from all listed companies in the Muscat Securities Market, Oman. The data are used to critically examine and revise a previously published explanatory framework that identifies interrelationship of CSR marketing, accounting with CSR and auditing with CSR. Findings Results indicate that CSR marketing, CSR accounting and CSR auditing are closely interrelated for accepting and implementing CSR requirements by corporates. This finding suggests that the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR has positively influence on corporate sector. The finding helps to build good image by corporates. Practical implications Organizations from developing countries such as Oman should be aware of CSR marketing, CSR accounting and CSR auditing that affects decisions with CSR adoption and implementation by organizations that could also lead to competitive advantage when it operates in developed countries. Though, organizations in developed countries are also equip for higher expectations by applying innovative CSR initiatives. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first academic literature review on interrelationship of marketing, accounting and auditing with CSR based on evidence from an Oman context. The paper contributes by exploring the benefit of CSR marketing, the responsibility of BODs with CSR accounting and the duty of external auditors with CSR which influence on corporate sector.

Collective social entrepreneurship for sustainable impact: a framework proposal

Collective social entrepreneurship (CSE) has gained in importance over the last decade as a set of new approaches to solve complex social problems. This paper aims to better understand the conditions under which CSE may achieve sustainable impact. To fulfil that goal, we propose a conceptual framework that relates the antecedents, enablers and outcomes of CSE. The framework is applied to assess the maturity of a large cross-sector alliance in the field of work integration through case study research methods (Yin, 1994). Regarding main theoretical contributions and empirical findings, we: 1) propose a set of six key inter-organisational enablers to assess the maturity of CSE towards the creation of a shared value ecosystem; 2) highlight the potential role of integrated and innovative corporate social responsibility as both antecedent and enabler of CSE; 3) shed light on the challenge of measurement of CSE outcomes and their contingency on factors beyond alliance boundaries; 4) illustrate the tensions derived from disparate goals, language differences and asymmetric alliance learning in a CSE.

Collective social entrepreneurship for sustainable impact: a framework proposal

Collective social entrepreneurship (CSE) has gained in importance over the last decade as a set of new approaches to solve complex social problems. This paper aims to better understand the conditions under which CSE may achieve sustainable impact. To fulfil that goal, we propose a conceptual framework that relates the antecedents, enablers and outcomes of CSE. The framework is applied to assess the maturity of a large cross-sector alliance in the field of work integration through case study research methods (Yin, 1994). Regarding main theoretical contributions and empirical findings, we: 1) propose a set of six key inter-organisational enablers to assess the maturity of CSE towards the creation of a shared value ecosystem; 2) highlight the potential role of integrated and innovative corporate social responsibility as both antecedent and enabler of CSE; 3) shed light on the challenge of measurement of CSE outcomes and their contingency on factors beyond alliance boundaries; 4) illustrate the tensions derived from disparate goals, language differences and asymmetric alliance learning in a CSE.

A Case Study on Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives with Special Reference to Hindustan Unilever Limited

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a concept with many definitions and practices. The way it is understood and implemented differs greatly for each company and country. Moreover, CSR is a very broad concept that addresses many and various topics such as human rights, corporate governance, health and safety, environmental effects, working conditions and contribution to economic development. Whatever the definition is, the purpose of CSR is to drive change towards sustainability. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is now seen as an integral part of corporate strategy. The main purpose of the study is to analyze the corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities carried out by Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). An empirical and analytical study has been undertaken whereby the corporate official websites of the companies were analyzed. The most preferred CSR activities were observed to be women empowerment, self-employment, health hygiene and environment. The challenge for the companies is to determine a strong and innovative CSR strategy which should deliver high performance in ethical, environmental and social areas and meet all the stakeholders' objectives.

Against Food Waste: CSR for the Social and Environmental Impact through a Network-Based Organizational Model

This article inductively develops a model of how farmers market organizations can contribute to reduce food waste, fight poverty, and improve public health through innovative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices enabled by networked activity systems. To this aim, a ten-year longitudinal case study of one of the biggest Italian farmers markets has been conducted, based on triangulated data from participant observation, interviews, and internal documents collection. This study suggests that farmers market organizations are in the position to leverage their inter-organizational relationships, institutional role, and power to build collaborative networks with businesses, government bodies, and charities, so that concrete CSR-based virtuous circles on surplus food donation are triggered at the organizational field level. Answering the call from United Nation Goals for successful examples on SDG 12, this case presents how several CSR levers can have a social and environmental impact allowing farmers and their market organizations to increase their efficiency and accountability to the local community, improve processes, reduce food waste, and contribute to public health and social inclusion. CSR actions have co-evolved with significant changes in organizational logics and identity, thus enabling accountability to the local community and innovative network-level auditing of the relevant organizational processes.

Enfoques de la responsabilidad social empresarial innovadora: alternativas para las organizaciones de hoy

Problemáticas como la pobreza, desigualdad y uso ineficiente de los recursos naturales generan dificultades en el funcionamiento de los aparatos productivos y se han convertido en un tema de interés en las agendas de las economías industrializadas. A su vez, se evidencia un cambio en el comportamiento del consumidor, exigiendo la participación de la empresa en la sociedad a través de la generación de prácticas responsables que sean sostenibles en el tiempo. El panorama anterior, plantea la necesidad de fortalecer el apoyo desde la empresa privada al desarrollo sostenible de la nación, partiendo de la dimensión de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE).
 En este sentido, el documento orienta su objetivo a identificar y clasificar los enfoques de la RSE innovadora como herramienta estratégica para las organizaciones actuales. Tanto innovación cómo RSE enmarcan una relación compleja y multidimensional, por lo tanto, el documento opta por una visión desde la teoría instrumental para ofrecer tres enfoques como marco de acción de la RSE innovadora y su incidencia organizacional. Los enfoques propuestos se relacionan con la teoría instrumental, dada la interacción entre la RSE innovadora con los grupos de interés, la orientación para la generación de ventajas competitivas y el mercadeo con causa, todos estos aspectos relacionados con la generación de valor.Así constituyen alternativas estratégicas para las empresas que buscan impulsar su RSE como aspecto clave y diferenciador en la cadena de valor como para los actores sociales con los que se relaciona y direcciona sus prácticas de RSE.

Perbandingan Penerapan Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pada PT Bukaka Teknik Utama Tbk dengan PT Adhi Karya Tbk

This study aims to determine and obtain empirical evidence about the comparative implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in PT Bukaka Teknik Utama Tbk and PT AdhiKaryaTbk. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is carried out policies of a company as a concern and their responsibilities towards the environment and surrounding communities. In this study, using literature review to compare Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) between PT Bukaka Teknik Utama Tbk and PT Adhi Engineering Tbk in 2013-2015.The results showed that CSR conducted by PT Bukaka Teknik Utama Tbk meet the health, social and community development. While CSR PT AdhiKaryaTbkmeets all aspects that support CSR, and they are always thinking of innovative CSR program was excellent in every year.

Learning from Stakeholder Pressure and Embeddedness: The Roles of Absorptive Capacity in the Corporate Social Responsibility of Dutch Agribusinesses

In spite of much research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) responses to secondary stakeholders (i.e., social movements, activists, media, civil society and non-governmental organizations), the debate on how companies learn from pressure and collaboration with these societal groups is still open. Building upon stakeholder and knowledge management theories, this paper analyzes how secondary stakeholder pressure and embeddedness influence agribusiness companies’ absorptive capacity and their CSR strategies. Data are obtained from 152 Dutch agribusiness company managers. The results highlight that, first, absorptive capacity influences companies’ new product innovation, product positioning and organizational innovation to be more oriented towards CSR. Second, stakeholder embeddedness of agribusiness companies triggers absorptive capacity more than pressure from them. Third, stakeholder pressure and embeddedness also have direct (i.e., not mediated by companies’ absorptive capacity) yet weaker effects on CSR organizational innovation and product positioning. Findings corroborate the idea that firms develop innovative CSR strategies when they combine internal reflection processes and partnerships with secondary stakeholders.

CSR Mapping: Swiss Stakeholder Salience, Concerns, and Ethics

Previous research on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Switzerland has made few attempts to identify actual and potential stakeholders and their diverging contributions to this topic.Using stakeholder map methodology, showing power, urgency, legitimacy, and concerns of different actors, the paper investigates the current state of Swiss CSR. To derive this map, publicly available documents were explored, augmented by 27 interviews with key stakeholders (consumers, media, government, trade unions, Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), banks, certifiers, and consultants) and management of different companies (Multinational Enterprises (MNEs), Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and large national companies).Using MAXQDA, the quantified codes given for power, legitimacy, and urgency were transferred into stakeholder priorities or, in other words, into positions in the map. Further, the codes given in the interviews for different CSR interests and the results from the document analysis were linked between stakeholders. The identified concerns and priorities were quantitatively analysed in regard to centrality and salience using VennMaker.The paper found SMEs, MNEs, and cooperating NPOs as being the most significant stakeholders. Swiss CSR is therefore not primarily driven by regulators, market pressure, or customers. Further network parameters substantiated the importance of SMEs while following an unconventionally informal, but innovative, vibrant, and practical CSR approach, emerging for reasons alter than conventional agendas are supposed to evolve. In fact, the findings may point at a very different and highly sophisticated role businesses have adopted in Switzerland, manifesting in democratic decisions and abolished hierarchies, handshakes instead of formal contracts, and transparency in all respects (e.g. performance indicators, salaries, and bonuses).Hence, as a new stance and argument within CSR related research, this paper concludes that “informal” does not mean “weak”.

Stakeholder mapping of CSR in Switzerland

Purpose– This paper aims to investigate, using stakeholder map methodology, showing power, urgency, legitimacy and concerns of different actors, the current state of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Switzerland. Previous research on CSR in Europe has made few attempts to identify stakeholders and their contribution to this topic.Design/methodology/approach– To derive this map, publicly available documents were explored, augmented by 27 interviews with key stakeholders (consumers, media, government, trade unions, non-profit organisations [NPOs], banks, certifiers and consultants) and management of different companies (multinational enterprises [MNEs], small- and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] and large national companies). Using MAXQDA, the quantified codes given for power, legitimacy and urgency were triangulated between self-reporting, external assessments and statements from publicly available documents and subsequently transferred into stakeholder priorities or, in other words, into positions in the map. Further, the codes given in the interviews for different CSR interests and the results from the document analysis were linked between stakeholders. The identified concerns and priorities were quantitatively analysed in regard to centrality and salience using VennMaker.Findings– The paper identified SMEs, MNEs and cooperating NPOs as being the most significant stakeholders, in that order. CSR is, therefore, not driven primarily by regulators, market pressure or customers. Further network parameters substantiated the importance of SMEs while following an unconventionally informal and idiosyncratic CSR approach. Hence, insights into these ethics-driven, unformalised business models that pursue broader responsibility based on trust, traditional values, regional anchors and the willingness to “give something back” were formed. Examples of this strong CSR habit include democratic decisions and abolished hierarchies, handshake instead of formal contracts and transparency in all respects (e.g. performance indicators, salaries and bonuses).Research limitations/implications– In total, 27 interviews as primary data that supplements publicly available documents are clearly only indicative.Practical implications– The research found an innovative, vibrant and practical CSR model that is emerging for reasons other than conventional CSR agendas that are supposed to evolve. In fact, the stakeholder map and the CSR practices may point at a very different role businesses have adopted in Switzerland. Such models offer a useful, heuristic evaluation of the contribution of formal management systems (e.g. as could be found in MNEs) in comparison to the unformalised SME business conduct.Originality/value– A rarely reported and astonishing feature of many of the very radical SME practices found in this study is that their link to commercial strategies was, in most cases, not seen. However, SMEs are neither the “poor relative” nor the abridged version of CSR, but are manifesting CSR as a Swiss set of values that fits the societal culture and the visionary goals of SME owners/managers and governs how a sustainably responsible company should behave. Hence, as a new stance and argument within CSR-related research, this paper concludes that “informal” does not mean “weak”. This paper covers a myriad of management fields, e.g. CSR as strategic tool in business ethics; stakeholder and network management; decision-making; and further theoretical frameworks, such as transaction cost and social capital theory. In other words, this research closes scientific gaps by at once applying quantitative as well as qualitative methods and by merging, for the first time, network methodology with CSR and stakeholder research.

Toward Strategic and Authentic Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: A Case Study of the Detroit Lions

The rise and institutionalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in sport is captured in a growing body of work in sport management. This literature suggests professional teams should be strategic in their approaches—matching internal resources with external needs—but we lack an understanding of the processes and mechanisms in the evolution to more strategic CSR, as well as specific practices that characterize these approaches. Further, by focusing on broad trends in how and why teams are adopting CSR, we miss the opportunity to learn from teams with innovative and authentic CSR approaches. To address these gaps, this article uses a qualitative case-study approach to examine how one professional team in the U.S.—the Detroit Lions—evolved their CSR to a more strategic and authentic partnership-focused model. Our findings point to key process steps and mechanisms in the decision making around, and implementation of, this approach, including the role of organizational structure, leadership, and community partnerships. We draw out themes around these central partnerships and highlight best practices. In offering a more nuanced understanding of professional sport CSR process and practice, we contribute to the literature on CSR in sport, sport-community partnerships, and sport and city revitalization.

Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility as a Vehicle for Reducing Inequality: An Indian Solution for Piketty and the Millennials

We argue that mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) could contribute to ameliorating inequality. Instead of the tax increases and other confiscatory proposals advocated by scholars such as Piketty, we put forth a model for legislation in the United States requiring companies (excluding SMEs) to spend 1% of their annual profits on designated CSR activities. Our proposal is based upon India's innovative CSR law but has important differences.The paper provides a detailed analysis of the CSR provisions in the Indian Companies Act and related rules. It also offers an empirical examination of CSR activities of companies in the NSE50 since the adoption of the Companies Act, 2013, showing that companies have broadly embraced the legal mandate although implementation remains patchy due to inadequacies in the legislation.

Corporation as climate ambassador: Transcending business sector boundaries in a Swedish CSR campaign

At a time when corporations are addressing increasingly complex, global corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues, this study examines and evaluates the strategies used in Vattenfall's challenging and innovative CSR campaign which aimed at establishing the energy company as a credible climate ambassador. Based on an analysis of the campaign outcomes in terms of the distinct interests and competencies of business, government and civil sector actors, I suggest that the company's credibility was weakened by its portrayal of Vattenfall as being more intent on organizing a public, collective action to fight climate change than on securing company-related business interests. Two ways to ensure greater credibility in similar cases are proposed: communicating explicitly about company motives for conducting CSR campaigns, and carrying out CSR campaigns in collaboration with non-profit organizations.