Globalization and the Emergence Of Social Risk: Corporate Social Responsibility as an Effective Strategy (original) (raw)
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The paper is devoted to sociological analysis of corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the framework of the theory of social constructionism. Thus, in this paper CSR is seen as a social construct which is characterized by its definitional heterogeneity, and for the base it is accepted that CSR is a host of social/environmental company`s activities conducted on a volunteer basis. Thus, CSR is accepted as an umbrella concept which embraces other elements of business-society relations (e.g. business ethics, corporate citizenship, corporate governance, sustainability, stakeholder theory); and it reflects how business responsibilities are understood within wider responsibilities in regional, national and international business systems. The study concentrated on the representation of the company’s CSR practices on the 43 websites of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) branches in Europe. The websites were analyzed using the methods of content analysis and discourse analysis. Moreover, comparative analysis of reports on CSR was conducted - the reports were explored as texts which are constructed under the influence of social practices of the company`s country of origin. The categorization of the companies according to the implemented CSR practices was made with the focus on whether the company adapts CSR to the local market or uses a global approach. A fairly complete picture of CSR approaches in the European branches of PwC was obtained. Interestingly, the level and volume of representation and implementation of CSR appears to differ drastically among European PwC branches. Most developed approaches to CSR in PwC showed engagement and encouraging broader circle of stakeholders. Significantly, on web-sites of some companies consulting services on CSR appeared to be represented as comprehensive and comprehensible concept, which could be considered as the main PwC contribution to the CSR construction.
Media Self Regulation and Corporate Social Responsibility: Indian Empirical Analysis
The present investigation was carried out in India to understand the impact of globalization on corporate social responsibility. Scholars have also examined the media ethics and corporate social responsibility in view of commercialization of media services dominated by market forces. The stakeholders of media management are required to contribute for environmental sustainability, equitable human development, protection of human rights and development of value-centered service delivery system. The scholars visualized that the 21 st century would be the century of the social sector organization. The range of issues affecting their organizations is overwhelming, which include challenging subjects such as climate change, health care and ethics practices. Today, the business and practice of CSR is at its' pinnacle, mature and robust. Adequate scientific investigations are not carried out in India on the adoption of CSR practices by the media institutions. Corporate houses also have a social obligation in the new millennium. The HR professionals and corporate communicators are also oriented towards reaching out to the people, delivering the people-friendly goods and services and mapping out their strategic approach towards fulfilling the needs and demands of people who constitute the supreme parliament in democracy. The adoption of best CSR practices by the media needs scientific evaluation in a developing country like India. The media organizations should improve the mainstreaming of CSR among media professionals on the basis of a new set of theoretical and practical tools and techniques which fit into the new media environment. It is important to identify specific roles and responsibilities of media professionals and motivate them to contribute their best for the peace and prosperity of the society.
Implementing Corporate Social Responsibility in India: Issues and the Beyond
Corporate Social Responsibility involves the efforts business organizations undertake to meet their responsibilities both as economic and social agents. Businesses become aware of their social responsibilities through pressure exerted by their stakeholders. Customers, for example, expect businesses to supply reliable and safe products at a fair price. Stockholders demand that corporate operations be managed efficiently and that dividends or improved market value reward their investments. Some insights from the Indian arena have been put forward to envisage the basic essence of Corporate Social responsibility being manifested at the corporate level through their initiatives in this direction.
EFFECTIVENESS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) REPORTING IN ENHANCING CORPORATE IMAGE
lobally, there is a growing recognition of the effects productive activities of businesses have on stakeholders. Corporate social responsibility reporting is a subcategory of financial accounting which focuses on disclosing of non-financial information about a corporate organisation's performance to external parties such as capital holders, stake holders, creditors e.t.c. This paper examines the accruing huge benefits such reporting has on organizations. These benefits include risk management propensity; communication to desired and right audiences; employee recruitment and retention; continued public endorsement and licenses to operate unhindered amongst others. The paper concludes that corporate social responsibility reporting has the capacity of garnering enhanced organisational image, attract positive media attention with the host community, civil society organizations and key decision makers. However, selecting when to act, how to act and reporting such acts to the relevant stakeholders can make a difference in corporate image enhancement. It recommends the development of an appropriate innovative standard reporting technique to be backed by enforceable legislation.
Motivations for engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting
The primary purpose of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of the motivations that lead companies to engage in CSR reporting practices and to explore how such practices differ among industries within Sweden. Furthermore, the study attempts to explain the phenomena from the perspective of stakeholder theory. To do so, the study adopts a semi-structured qualitative interview with four Swedish companies which are currently reporting CSR performance and four companies which are not reporting CSR performance in four industrial categories. The companies selected in the study were asked to explain what made them decide to issue CSR reports or do not.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) received substantial attention since 1950s. The development of CSR subsequently gain a foothold in both business and academic arenas. The wide acceptance of CSR is due to its chain benefits toward both shareholders and stakeholders. As the business world evolves with globalisation and advanced technology, CSR has developed into a multi-facet disciplinary subject. Consequently, CSR themes emerged from its development. The literatures reveal that there are many CSR themes developed in the human resource with employees being the stakeholder. Researcher further explained the evolution of employee focused CSR by relating to relevant theories namely Stakeholder Theory, Social Exchange Theory and Social Identity Theory. This paper aims to study the evolution of internal CSR by reviewing past and current literatures in order to provide an overview of internal CSR and shed light for a better understanding of its current vague definition. The paper concludes with the benefits of implementation internal CSR practices to enhance organisation performance through influencing employees’ behaviour.
International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Article information
Purpose -This paper aims to clarify that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has come a long way by the prevailing business case approach, but increasingly hits a glass ceiling. The glass ceiling metaphor refers to the inherent limitations created by a business case approach towards CSR. Design/methodology/approach -The main findings are based on an analysis of existing literature on strategies for CSR. The findings are illustrated with a case from the Dutch National Research Program on CSR. Findings -The very term corporate social responsibility suggests that the debate about CSR is all about responsibilities of corporations. Maybe it once was, but nowadays it is much more about new market opportunities and a business-wise approach to ecological and social problems. CSR has evolved into a marketable asset of companies, in which profit-oriented managers and entrepreneurs are willing to invest. This ''commodification'' of CSR has helped to make it acceptable in the business world, but this comes at a considerable price from the perspective of the social responsibility of business. It is especially argued in the paper that a business case approach results in opportunism, leaves institutional blockades intact and drives out the intrinsic motivation for engaging in CSR. Research limitations/implications -Because of the chosen conceptual research approach, the propositions put forward in the paper need further grounding in empirical research. Practical implications -In order to shatter this glass ceiling, managers have to deal with a paradoxical situation. They should maintain their appreciation of economic constraints and at the same time combine this with a sincere recognition of moral values. This at least requires that managers should show commitment to certain social values, be able to defend it in good and bad times and prepare all employees to deal with the inherent dilemmas of bearing different responsibilities. Originality/value -Although the paper builds on earlier articles on limitations of a business case approach, it is the first paper to argue for a glass ceiling of CSR created by the inherent limitations of such an approach.