Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis (eBook)

Practices and Cases from Europe, Africa and the World

Samuel O. Idowu, Stephen Vertigans, Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2017 | 1st ed. 2017
XXX, 271 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
978-3-319-52839-7 (ISBN)

Infos

This book explores national and transnational companies' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in times and settings in which they are confronted with economic and social challenges and analyzes these situations, ranging from the financial crisis to fourth generation sustainability. Presenting a number of different cases from various parts of Europe, North America and Africa, it showcases how companies respond to the challenges of the development, consultation, implementation, integration, measurement and consolidation of CSR. Further it specifies how these corporations deal with uncertainties over corporate and financial resources, global financial stability and growing evidence for climate change.

The book describes CSR adaptation under challenging circumstances and argues for the strategic and operative legitimation of Corporate Social Responsibility in times of crisis.   

Samuel O Idowu is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Corporate Social Responsibility at London Guildhall School of Business & Law, London Metropolitan University, UK. He researches in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Accounting and has published in both professional and academic journals since 1989. He is a freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Samuel is the Deputy CEO and First Vice President of the Global Corporate Governance Institute. He has led several edited books in CSR, is the Editor-in-Chief of two Springer's reference books - the Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Dictionary of Corporate Social Responsibility and an Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is also a Series Editor for Springer's books on CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance. One of his edited books won the most Outstanding Business Reference book Award of the American Library Association (ALA) in 2016 and another was ranked 18th in the 2010 Top 40 Sustainability Books by, Cambridge University, Sustainability Leadership Programme. Samuel is a member of the Committee of the Corporate Governance Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management (BAM). He is on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Business Administration, Canada and Amfiteatru Economic Journal, Romania. Samuel has delivered a number of Keynote Speeches at national and international conferences and workshops on CSR and has on two occasions 2008 and 2014 won Emerald's Highly Commended Literati Network Awards for Excellence. To date, Samuel has edited several books in the field of CSR, Sustainability and Governance and has written four forewords to books. Samuel has served as an external examiner to the following UK Universities - Sunderland, Ulster, Anglia Ruskin and Plymouth. He is currently an external examiner at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Teesside University, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Professor Stephen Vertigans is currently Head of School of Applied Social Studies at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK.  His research interests include corporate social responsibility and political violence with particular interest at present in energy related development in East and West Africa.  In his publications, Stephen applies a sociological approach in order to try to enhance levels of understanding about the wider social, cultural and political processes which are instrumental in the success or failure of CSR policies.

Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea is a professor of Management at the University of Craiova, Romania. She teaches and conducts research in Human Resources Management, Project Management, Social Audit, Corporate Social Responsibility, Negotiation Techniques at University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in Romania. She is Visiting Professor in Cross-Cultural Management at Bordeaux Management School. and Visiting Professor in Human Resources Management at University of Corsica 'Pasquale Paoli', IAE Corte, Corte Corsica, France.  As well she is Visiting Professor  in Human Resources Management and Intercultural Management at Saint-Etienne School of Management (SESOM), France.  Professor Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea is Romanian ambassador for ARGH (Association Francophone de Gestion des Ressources Humaines) and member of the Académie des Sciences du Management de Paris.  She is member in many organising committees for national and international conferences.

Inhalt

Foreword 6
Preface 7
Acknowledgements 9
Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: An Introduction 10
References 17
Contents 18
Editors and Contributors 20
Part I: Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Europe 30
To (Crafts) Man Up: How Swiss SMEs Cope with CSR in Harsh Times 31
1 Introduction 31
2 CSR for Its Own Sake 32
3 Theoretical Framework 34
3.1 The Convergence of CSR and Business Models 34
4 The Nature of Crises 36
5 Swiss Idiosyncrasies 38
6 SMEs as Stakeholder in Swiss CSR 40
7 An Emerging Template for CSR in Switzerland 44
8 Methodology 45
9 Focus Group Discussion 46
10 Case Study 47
11 Findings 47
11.1 Effects of the 2008/2009 Global Financial Crisis on Business Model 47
11.2 The Case of Bobst 49
11.3 Effects of the 2015 Local Crisis on Business Model 50
12 Discussion and Conclusions 51
13 Further Research Steps 55
References 56
Authenticity: Is Corporate Social Responsibility the Key to Overcoming Crisis? 63
1 Introduction 63
2 Authenticity and CSR 64
3 The Encyclical Letter ``Laudato Sì´´: The Integral Ecology for People and Companies 67
4 Authentic CSR-Orientation and Integral Ecology in the Daily Life of Companies 70
4.1 Ariston Thermo Group Spa-Merloni 71
4.2 Brunello Cucinelli Spa 74
4.3 BoxMarche Spa 74
4.4 Elica Group 75
4.5 FAAM Spa 76
4.6 Loccioni Group 76
4.7 SGR Group 78
4.8 Insurance Agency Ornella Seca 78
4.9 Bertola Srl 79
4.10 Mercurio Net Srl 79
5 Concluding Reflections 80
References 82
Developing Fourth Generation Sustainability-Oriented Business Models: Towards Naïve, Native, and Narrative Intelligence 87
1 Introduction: The Failure of CSR 87
2 The Old and the New System 88
3 Business and Sustainable Development 89
4 Generations of Sustainability-Oriented Business Models 90
4.1 First Generation Sustainability-Oriented Business Models 90
4.2 Second Generation Sustainability-Oriented Business Models 90
4.3 Third Generation Sustainability-Oriented Business Models 91
4.4 Fourth Generation Sustainability-Oriented Business Models 92
4.4.1 The Role of Human Nature 93
4.4.2 The Role of Partnerships 95
4.4.3 The Role of Leadership 95
5 The Composition of Sustainability Intelligence 96
5.1 Naive Intelligence 97
5.2 Native Intelligence 98
5.3 Narrative Intelligence 100
6 Conclusion 101
References 101
Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Romania 104
1 Introduction 104
2 Evolution of CSR Within OMV Petrom in Time of Economic and Financial Crisis 108
3 National Strategy on Social Responsibility 112
4 Conclusions 116
References 117
The Practice of Internal Corporate Social Responsibility in SMEs in Cyprus 120
1 Introduction: What Is CSR? 120
2 Employees as Stakeholders 122
3 Some Empirical Data from the SME Sector in Cyprus 124
4 Research Findings 125
4.1 Employee Training and Development 126
4.2 Work-Life Balance 128
4.3 Organisational Justice and Fairness 130
4.4 Health and Safety Standards in the Workplace 131
5 Conclusion 132
References 133
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Romanian Public Sector 137
1 Introduction 137
2 Barriers in Front of a Higher CSR Activity in the Romanian Public Sector 140
3 The Level of Knowledge About CSR in the Romanian Public Sector 142
3.1 Research Objectives 142
3.2 Methodology 143
3.3 Results 143
4 Conclusions 149
References 151
Part II: Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: North America 152
Corporate Social Responsibility Policy in the United States of America 153
1 Introduction 153
2 Corporate Citizenship 154
2.1 Measuring Corporate Citizenship 156
3 Social Responsibility Policies 157
3.1 Good Corporate Citizenship and Human Rights 159
3.2 Labour and Supply Chains 159
3.3 Anti-corruption 160
3.4 Health and Social Welfare 161
4 Policies for Environmental Sustainability 161
4.1 Energy and the Environment 161
5 Discussion and Conclusions 162
6 Implications and Recommendations 164
References 165
Part III: Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Africa 168
Corporate Social Responsibility in Challenging Times: A Consideration of How Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Attempt to Dea... 169
1 Introduction 169
2 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Corporate Social Responsibility Approach and Challenges 171
3 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria 172
4 Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability in Nigeria 174
5 Research Methodology 177
6 Analysis of Findings 179
6.1 Demographic Profile of the Male and Female Entrepreneurs 180
6.2 Perception of SME Owner/Manager on CSR Practices in Nigeria 180
7 Challenges Experienced by SME Owner/Managers When Undertaking CSR 182
8 SME Owner/Managers Perception on Strategies to Overcome CSR Related Challenges? 183
9 Conclusion 186
References 187
Corporate Social Responsibility in Kenya: Blessing, Curse or Necessary Evil? 190
1 Introduction 190
2 The Kenyan Context 191
3 CSR in Kenya 193
4 Is Kenya Facing Adolescence Age Crisis? 194
5 Motivators of CSR Engagement 201
6 CSR in Small and Medium Enterprises 205
7 Mitigation Strategies 205
7.1 Governments Mitigation Strategies 205
7.2 International Organizations and NGO´s Challenges Mitigation Strategies 206
7.3 Mitigation Strategies by SMEs 206
8 Is CSR a Blessing, a Curse or Necessary Evil? 206
9 Conclusions and Implications 207
References 208
Corporate Social Responsibility in Ghana: Issues and Concerns 211
1 Introduction 211
2 The General View of CSR 212
3 Locating CSR in the Ghanaian Economy 213
4 The Socio-economicChallenges and the Quest for CSR 214
5 Challenges Faced by Corporate Entities Operating in Ghana 215
6 The Search for a National Policy Framework on CSR 219
7 Specifics of CSR in Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises in Ghana 220
8 The Challenge of NGOs in Shaping CSR Activities 220
9 Company-Community Relations: Two Logics in Conflict? 221
10 Conclusion 222
References 223
Corporate Social Responsibility in Challenging Times in Developing Countries 226
1 Introduction 226
2 CSR Overview 228
2.1 General CSR Concepts 229
2.2 Elements of CSR Internal and External to the Organization 229
2.2.1 CSR Strategy 229
Internal 229
External 230
2.2.2 CSR Management System 230
Internal 230
External 231
2.2.3 CSR Reporting 231
Internal 231
External 231
2.2.4 Stakeholder Engagement and Communication 232
Internal 232
External 232
3 Presumptions That Are Challenges in Developing Countries 232
3.1 The Case of Zimbabwe 234
3.2 Econet Wireless Zimbabwe Ltd 237
3.3 Zimbabwe Platinum Mines (Zimplats) 237
3.4 Innscor Africa Limited 238
3.5 NMB Bank 239
3.6 Sino Zimbabwe 240
4 CSR Problems and Issues in Marange Diamond Mining Fields 241
5 Lessons Learned: The Specific Challenges of CSR in a Developing Country 242
6 Conclusion 246
References 246
Effects of Dwindling Gold Prices on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Performance in Ghana´s Mining Sector 248
1 Introduction 248
2 Background of CSR in Ghana 250
3 Changes in CSR Activities over the Years 251
4 CSR in Ghana´s Mining Industry 252
5 Methodology 254
5.1 Study Population 254
5.2 Sample Technique 254
5.3 Sample 255
5.4 Sample Characteristics 255
6 Procedure 256
6.1 Form of Enquiry 256
6.2 Study Tour/Observations 256
6.3 Interviews 257
6.4 Data Analysis 257
7 Findings and Discussions 258
7.1 Definition of CSR 258
7.2 CSR Focus of Companies 259
8 The Impact of Fallen Gold Prices on the CSR Activities of Mining Companies 260
9 Conclusion 263
References 263
Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies Adopted by Micro Finance Institutions: A Case Study 266
1 Introduction 266
2 Literature 267
2.1 CSR Definition 267
2.2 The Grameen Model 267
2.3 CSR Investments and Financial Performance 268
2.4 CSR, Information Disclosure and Financial Performance 269
2.5 Entrepreneurial Climate in Ghana 269
3 Challenges Faced by MFI Stakeholders 270
4 Methods 271
5 Best Practices: CSR in uniCredit Ghana 272
5.1 uniCredit Ghana 272
5.2 uniCredit Ghana´s Best Practices 273
6 Conclusion and Recommendation 274
7 Limitations 275
References 275
Part IV: Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Summary 278
Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: A Summary 279
Index 283

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 27.3.2017
• Reihe/Serie: CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance
• Reihe/Serie: CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance
• Zusatzinfo: XXX, 271 p. 12 illus., 3 illus. in color.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Themenwelt: Wirtschaft ► Betriebswirtschaft / Management ► Unternehmensführung / Management
• Schlagworte: Case Studies • challenges for CSR • Corporate Social Responsibility • CSR and crisis • CSR case study • CSR in hard times • CSR in SMEs • CSR performance • CSR policy • CSR practice in Africa • CSR practice in Europe • CSR practice in North America • narrative intelligence
• ISBN-10: 3-319-52839-4 / 3319528394
• ISBN-13: 978-3-319-52839-7 / 9783319528397