Improving business resilience through organizational embeddedness in CSR

Author(s):  
Lampros Lamprinakis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of embeddedness, highlight its connection with corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, and argue for its importance in securing and strengthening organizational resiliency. Design/methodology/approach Embeddedness and CSR are both well-researched topics but have been typically addressed on separate literature streams. The paper draws upon this diverse literature to introduce a conceptual framework for embeddedness in CSR. Findings The paper illustrates the importance of embeddedness and how it can enhance existing CSR strategies. A strongly embedded organization becomes deeply rooted on its socio-economic and natural environments, thus setting a symbiotic relationship that extends beyond any narrowly defined business purposes. Strong embeddedness has the potential to increase and further expand any CSR-related benefits while shielding the firm from economic downturns and thus increasing its resilience. Originality/value The paper builds upon CSR literature by incorporating the concept of embeddedness and then proposing how such an approach can strengthen an organization and increase its resilience.

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Claire Clifford

Purpose – This paper explains how Sabio approached benchmarking of their overall human resource (HR) performance. Design/methodology/approach – Sabio asked employees for feedback, achieving an impressive 92 per cent response rate. Findings – Feedback from employees highlighted issues around leadership, communication and corporate social responsibility. The article explains how Sabio addressed these issues. Originality/value – This paper gives a first-hand account of benchmarking for HR departments and how the company addressed the issues raised.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine Alam ◽  
Mustapha Ibn Boamah ◽  
Yuheng Liu

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between a commercial bank’s micro-loaning activity and overall performance over a 10-year period. Design/methodology/approach Quarterly data was obtained from the Wind Database, China Minsheng Banks’s official annual reports and annual corporate social responsibility reports from 2009 to 2019, to test the linear relationship between micro-loan activities and the overall financial performance of the bank. Findings The results of this study empirically demonstrate that there is a positive relationship between increases in micro-loaning activity and the overall performance of the bank. Some key recommendations for the sector are shared in the conclusion of this paper. Originality/value In the financial sector, some corporate social responsibility activities focus on the issuance of micro-loans. It is unclear, however, if this has also served as a means to increase profitability and overall performance for such institutions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 26-28

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings That whilst there are similarities between Strategic Quality Management (SQM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one is not dependent on the other. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aparna Bhatia ◽  
Amandeep Dhawan

Purpose This study aims to examine the pattern of corporate social responsibility expenditure (CSRE) incurred by Indian companies after the inception of Companies Act 2013. It also highlights the resultant change brought in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) spends of the companies because of COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The CSR index provided by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs under Companies (CSR Policy) Rules 2014, is adopted to measure the extent of CSRE made by top 30 Indian companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange. To study the pattern of CSRE in various domains mentioned in the CSR index, the study is conducted over four points of time. Three alternative years since the commencement of the Companies Act 2013 i.e. 2014–2015, 2016–2017 and 2018–2019 have been taken up. Additionally, the financial year 2019–2020 is included as it marks the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings The findings show that the CSRE made by companies is increasing every year over all points of time taken in the study. In addition to this, Indian companies have voluntarily contributed a substantial amount towards COVID-19 relief over and above the required mandatory limits. Practical implications The gradual increase in CSR contributions even above the mandated amount and voluntary contribution towards COVID-19 relief by Indian companies implies that the nature of CSR in India is still philanthropic. Originality/value The study contributes to the CSR literature after the implementation of the mandatory CSR provisions in India and in the wake of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 as so far there is no such study available in the extant literature.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 614-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saju Jose ◽  
Nilesh Khare ◽  
F. Robert Buchanan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to look at corporate social responsibility (CSR)-related actions to see whether they relate to clients’ perception of CSR. Design/methodology/approach Ninety-nine bank customers in Brisbane, Australia were surveyed by mail in a cross-sectional field study. Findings Not all CSR-related behaviors of the organizations were influential to perceptions of social responsibility. Big picture actions for the betterment of humanity were found to be influential to the perception of the firm’s CSR. However, respondents did not relate the firms’ profit and revenue initiatives to social responsibility, other than negativity toward false and misleading practices. Research limitations/implications Results are limited to one industry in Australia. Practical implications Actions for human betterment were found to be influential to the perception of the firm’s CSR. Also the uses of dishonest marketing schemes were seen as detrimental to CSR perceptions of the firm. However, respondents did not connect the firm’s business actions affecting profitability with customers, to their perceptions of its CSR. Thus, the authors conclude that altruism from a “big picture” standpoint has value in shaping CSR perception, but the organization may not always find it necessary to deprioritize profit, or to attempt to weave CSR actions into every aspect of their business. Originality/value The inquiry takes a novel approach to CSR, capturing an unexplored aspect of how CSR is perceived and valued by stakeholders.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1492-1507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lu Zhang ◽  
Wan Yang ◽  
Xiaoyun Zheng

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand the joint effects of individuals’ need for status and processing fluency on customer attitudes toward hotels’ participation in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a 2 (Need for status: high vs low) × 2 (Processing fluency: high vs low) experimental design with processing fluency being manipulated and individuals’ need for status being measured. Findings The results indicate that although high-need for status customers exhibit a more positive attitude than low-need for status customers when the CSR message is easy to process, they show similar attitude levels when processing fluency is relatively low. Originality/value This study makes great contribution to the literature of status consumption by examining CSR as one of the new areas that consumers use to signal social status beyond luxury products. For practitioners, the results of this study offer suggestions on how to design CSR messages to increase its effectiveness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 456-475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divesh Kumar ◽  
Praveen Goyal ◽  
Vinod Kumar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study corporate social responsibility (CSR) enablers, with special reference to Indian firms. Further, the CSR enablers have been identified and their ranking obtained, and interactions and interrelationships among the different enablers have also been studied. Design/methodology/approach The interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach was used to evaluate the interactions among the various enablers of CSR implementation, from the perspective of Indian companies. Findings In the course of this paper, based on a detailed literature review, nine enablers were identified and after seeking expert opinion, eight CSR implementation enablers were shortlisted. The present study has identified that top management commitment, organizational culture and formal strategic planning are the main enablers of CSR implementation in Indian companies, whereas corporate reputation, better financial performance and customer satisfaction are the dependent enablers that have high dependence power but weak driving power. Originality/value The ISM-based model of CSR enablers presented in this paper will prove to be of interest to academicians and practitioners alike. While academicians will gain a better understanding of enablers of CSR implementation from the perspective of one of the fastest growing economies of the world, practitioners will gain a better understanding of CSR enablers, and their enhanced knowledge will help them to effectively implement CSR in their organizations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Jones ◽  
David Hillier ◽  
Daphne Comfort

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer an exploratory assessment of the employment of assurance in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Sustainability reports published by the UK's top ten food retailers. Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with an outline of the characteristics of assurance and the empirical information for the paper is drawn from the assurance material in the CSR/Sustainability reports posted on the internet by five of the selected retailers. Findings – The findings reveal considerable variation in the nature and the scope of the assurance processes undertaken, at best the accent is on limited assurance and some concerns are expressed about the independence of the assessment process. The paper concludes that these concerns can be seen to reduce the reliability and credibility of the assurance process. Originality/value – The paper provides an accessible review of how the UK's top ten food retailers are employing external assurance statements as part of their CSR reporting and as such it will interest academics, managers within the retail industry and those professionals and consultants who work with the industry.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farveh Farivar ◽  
Brenda Scott-Ladd

Purpose This purpose of this paper is to investigate Iranian manager’s perceptions towards the use of online social networking (OSN) for improving corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication. Design/methodology/approach The websites and Facebook pages of 23 companies that had won National Excellence Awards for CSR were reviewed in 2011, and 15 managers from across these participated in a survey, to assess the extent these companies used online facilities to develop CSR practices. These interviews raised awareness of the potential of OSN, so company websites and Facebook pages were reviewed again in 2013 to assess changes to CSR and OSN practices. Findings Despite recognition for their high level of awareness and implementation of CSR practices analysis of the initial surveys indicated that OSN uptake among the respondent companies was poor in 2011. Managers saw little value in using OSN to promote and engage with CSR; however, the level of engagement and uptake had substantially increased by 2013. Originality/value This study is one of the first to evaluate the use of OSN to improve CSR in a developing country. The study examines managers’ perceptions of the effect of OSN on CSR. Findings suggest that once management became aware of the value of social networking, they used it to engage with stakeholders from the marketplace, community and workplace to promote their business and for CSR-related issues. This rapid uptake demonstrates how quickly OSN technology can be implemented once its potential is identified.


2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 250-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Dabic ◽  
Ana Colovic ◽  
Olivier Lamotte ◽  
Mollie Painter-Morland ◽  
Silvana Brozovic

Purpose The purpose of this study is to analyze the literature on industry-specific corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. Design/methodology/approach Using a multiple-keyword search, the authors identified 302 articles reporting on such practices, published in 99 different academic journals between 1995 and 2014. These articles were analyzed to map the CSR literature, identify which industries have been under greater scrutiny and distinguish trends in the most researched industries. Findings The authors’ findings indicate that the CSR studies are very unevenly distributed and that the issues studied and the methods used vary widely across industries. The authors also map this field of study and propose suggestions on where research on industry-specific CSR should go in the future. Originality/value The first extensive, systematic analysis of the industry-specific CSR literature is provided. The current research adds value to the literature by highlighting the key issues investigated, as well as those that require further inquiry.


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