Coping with COVID-19. Dugnad: a case of the moral premise of the Norwegian welfare state

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen ◽  
Ove Skarpenes
Keyword(s):  
Moral Ideal ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
Collective Effort ◽  
Orders Of Worth ◽  
Pragmatic Sociology ◽  
Interview Studies ◽  
Welfare Model

PurposeThis paper provides an analysis of the notion of dugnad (collective effort) in the context of the first weeks of the outbreak of COVID-19 in Norway. By appealing to people's sense of collective effort (dugnadsånd) Norwegian leaders successfully managed to coordinate the actions of the population and beat the outbreak.Design/methodology/approachThe argument builds on the pragmatic sociology associated with Boltanski and Thévenot and their “orders of worth”. Building on qualitative interview studies of the Norwegian middle and working classes a moral ideal type labelled “the socially responsible citizen” is identified.FindingsThe authors argue that dugnad is embedded in a moral repertoire of the socially responsible citizen that is indicative of a specific Norwegian welfare mentality and that is imperative for the sustainability and resilience of the Norwegian welfare model. This repertoire is found across social classes and has to be understood in light of the Norwegian welfare model and the role of civil society.Social implicationsThe analysis explains the societal impact of the appeal and endorsement of the notion of dugnad in the context of the outbreak of COVID-19.Originality/valueThe paper explores the roots and impact of a social phenomenon that has not been a matter for much sociological analysis.

scholarly journals Crossvergence of socially (ir)responsible employment practices in supplier firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Britta Holzberg
Keyword(s):  
Decent Work ◽  
Production Networks ◽  
Global Production Networks ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Employment Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Conflicting Demands ◽  
Local Pressures ◽  
Global And Local

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the notion of crossvergence from international human resource management (IHRM) as a conceptual lens for understanding and analyzing the formation of socially (ir)responsible employment practices in supplier firms in global production networks (GPNs). The crossvergence perspective can particularly contribute to understanding how the agency of suppliers is influenced by the interaction of global–local dynamics. Design/methodology/approach The paper illustrates how the formation of socially (ir)responsible employment practices can be understood as a process of crossvergence. Subsequently, it reviews and structures insights from GPN and IHRM literature to detail the process. Findings The paper underscores the complicated role of suppliers in ensuring decent work in GPNs. Suppliers face a multitude of global and local interacting, and partially conflicting, demands. They process these demands as active agents and need to develop suitable employment practices in response. Originality/value The paper supports the nascent discourse on supplier agency in forming socially responsible employment practices. It connects different streams of literature to illuminate the perspective of suppliers, introduces IHRM insights to the debate and offers conceptual guidance for analyzing interacting global and local pressures on suppliers.

A plea for a stronger role of non-financial impact in the socially responsible investment discourse

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Diener ◽  
Andre Habisch
Keyword(s):  
Action Plan ◽  
Socially Responsible Investment ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Financial Impact ◽  
Business Practices ◽  
Fund Management ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Responsible Investment

Purpose This paper aims to emphasize the importance and current deficits of non-financial impact (NFI) assessment of socially responsible investment (SRI) with reference to the action plan of the European Commission (EC) for a greener and cleaner economy. Design/methodology/approach The importance and current deficits of NFI assessment are evaluated theoretically and condensed to an equilibrated socially responsible investment (ESRI) perspective, based on a narrative literature review of highly ranked academic journals. Findings Due to a deficient exploration of NFI in theory and practice, the role of SRI funds for sustainability transition has not yet been adequately discussed. This has enabled a situation where a constantly rising market share of SRI has not led to similar sustainability achievements. This strongly contrasts with investors’ expectations, the self-portrayal of the sector and the goals of the EC’s action plan. As a solution, the developed ESRI perspective elevates NFI as a second cornerstone for theory and practice. ESRI, contrary to the EC, sets a primer on the role of SRI fund management for achieving sustainability goals. Originality/value This study reveals how SRI theory and practice neglect the importance of NFI. The presented ESRI perspective enables scholars to examine SRI practices more holistically through a new theoretical lens. One special focus is on the role of SRI fund management as a transmission mechanism to push portfolio companies’ business practices toward more sustainable behavior.

CSR in sport sponsorship consumers' perceptions of a sponsoring brand's CSR

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apollo Demirel
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Field Study ◽  
Consumer Response ◽  
Professional Sport ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Sport Sponsorship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sport Team ◽  
Sport Teams

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between sponsorship of professional sport teams and consumers' socially responsible perceptions of a sponsoring brand. More specifically, this research investigates if sponsorship of professional sport teams in itself leads consumers to perceive a sponsoring brand as socially responsible, and what factors may produce CSR perceptions and subsequent consumer response.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study was conducted to examine the impact of sponsorship of professional sport teams on consumers' CSR perceptions of a sponsoring brand. Further, a field study was used to explore the role of sponsorship fit in generating CSR perceptions.FindingsThe results from the experimental study indicated that brand sponsorship of professional sport teams contributes to the socially responsible image of that brand, and sponsorship fit induces consumers' CSR perceptions of a sponsoring brand. Additionally, the results from the field study identified CSR perceptions as an underlying process driving the effect of sponsorship fit on consumers’ behavioral intentions toward a sponsoring brand. Lastly, the role of team identification was shown as a boundary condition shaping the effects of sponsorship fit.Practical implicationsBrands specifically seeking to create a socially responsible image, thanks to sponsoring a sport team, should consider the importance of perceived fit between their brand and the sponsored sport team as it is a key predictor of CSR perceptions.Originality/valueThis paper provides empirical evidence for the sport sponsorship and CSR perceptions link and sheds light on important predictors for consumer response.

Role of CSR in the consumer decision making process – The case of India

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudeepta Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Consumer Decision Making ◽  
Legitimacy Theory ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Consumer Decision ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this study is to capture the decision-making process of one of the major stakeholders, i.e. consumers, while purchasing from socially responsible firms. Design/methodology/approach This study uses an exploratory approach to have an understanding of consumers’ evaluation of their perceptions of a company’s CSR during the purchasing process. A total of 60 respondents were interviewed, and their responses were transcribed. These messages were then analysed using content analysis. Findings The evaluation of CSR initiatives is an intricate, logical and structured process where consumers consider factors that are valued by them. The findings support the concept of legitimacy theory, as most respondents believed it was the duty of a firm to give back to the society. Research limitations/implications This study suffers from an inherent limitation faced by qualitative studies, namely, the results cannot be generalized. Hence, quantitative methods can be designed in future research in the field. A cross-cultural study would also provide deeper insights and interesting avenues in future investigation to identify different factors. Practical implications Managers have the option of ignoring consumers’ approach towards CSR, and/or focus on CSR positioning and use it in their marketing communications. The Companies Bill, 2013, mandated Indian firms to spend and report their CSR expenditures. Hence, they should use it strategically and advertise their CSR initiatives effectively to influence a large number of consumers. It is also essential for managers to make CSR information easily available and clarify the connection of the company to CSR initiatives. They should also identify the proper channels that would get desired results. Social implications The study investigates the intricate process that explicates the reasons why CSR affects the consumer decision-making process. The research provides a better understanding into intention-behavior gap, investigates the reasons for such discrepancy and identifies a large number of factors. Originality/value The study intends to contribute to the field of marketing by capturing stakeholder (consumer) engagement (by exploring consumers’ beliefs of CSR, their perceptions and the role of such perceptions) in decision-making. It also intends to add to the existing studies in legitimacy theory.

Grounding managerial values towards social responsibility on an ideological framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 516-526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duygu Turker ◽  
Y. Serkan Ozmen
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Values ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Conservative Values ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) neglects the link between values and their ideological underpinnings. This paper aims to fill this void by grounding the managerial values towards CSR on an ideological ground by following the Schwartz’s (1994) value framework. Design/methodology/approach This paper provides a theoretical construct that builds the ideological stances of different managerial values towards CSR. Findings The study proposes that ideologically liberal managers might be involved in CSR based on their openness to change values, whereas their conservative counterparts are likely motivated by the conservative values such as security, conformity and tradition. On the other hand, egalitarian managers can engage in CSR based on their self-transcendence values, while non-egalitarian managers might involve in CSR based on their self-enhancement values as achievement and power. Practical implications The study can provide to all stakeholders a new perspective and a sound reference point to understand and monitor the socially responsible behaviours of managers. Originality/value The proposed bases of managerial values to CSR deepen the understanding on the antecedents of CSR. Based on the study, the future studies can configure out the role of diverse values on CSR in line with their ideological roots.

Corporate foundations and their governance

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishva Minefee ◽  
Eric J. Neuman ◽  
Noah Isserman ◽  
Huseyin Leblebici
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Corporate Foundations ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the governance structures of corporate foundations in the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – After discussing the heretofore-underutilized research advantages of corporate foundations, the authors survey theoretical perspectives to explain the corporate foundation phenomenon. The authors build on this theory to construct a typology of corporate foundation structures based on their interactions with internal and external stakeholders. Findings – The findings suggest that many of the largest corporations do not embed their corporate foundation into their strategic plan as they define it (i.e. specific alignment with corporate competency). Research limitations/implications – Research limitations include an examination solely of the 50 largest corporate foundations among a field of nearly 3,000 corporate foundations. The authors advance a research agenda that addresses the potential role of corporate foundations in fulfilling CSR. Practical implications – The foundation field may see a movement toward corporate foundations being strategically aligned with the parent company’s core competence as external stakeholders continue to pressure companies. Social implications – Studying corporate foundations is important as they serve as intermediaries between corporations and civil society. Thus, they will continue to play an important role in the CSR agenda. Originality/value – This paper is one of the first to examine the corporate foundation phenomenon, with a specific focus on their governance. Thus, the authors go beyond the motivations that lead corporations to be involved in “socially responsible activities,” the types of activities that corporations select, and how these choices produce benefits for a diverse set of stakeholders.

From green to good supply chains:

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 839-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Carbone ◽  
Valérie Moatti ◽  
Tobias Schoenherr ◽  
Srinagesh Gavirneni
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Supply Chains ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Supply Chain Performance ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Socially Responsible Investments

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent dynamic capabilities (DCs) developed in the field of green supply chain management can foster social supply chain performance. In addition, the role of both human and stakeholder capital in enhancing this relationship is investigated. Design/methodology/approach Relying on the theoretical framework of the resource-based view, complemented with the DCs perspective, the authors hypothesize about the benefits of a firm’s environmental management capability for its social supply chain performance, as well as the moderating role of both human and stakeholder capital. Our contentions are tested through a multi-year database of socially responsible investments covering 1,177 multinational corporations. Findings The findings show that companies can sustain positive and superior social performance in their supply chain by leveraging DCs developed in the environmental field. This impact is further shown to be elevated in the presence of both human and stakeholder capital. Research limitations/implications This study represents a snapshot of the transformation process from environmentally to socially responsible supply chains. While the secondary data employed offers unique advantages, secondary data also have limitations. Social implications Developing environmental capabilities not only enhances companies’ profitability, but can also lead to better supply chains through improved labor conditions and well-being. Originality/value The authors’ shift from a company-centric to a sustainability-centric conceptualization of DCs can open up new opportunities to engage research, potentially leading to high-impact results in the field of sustainable supply chain management. In addition, the authors leverage a secondary data source not frequently utilized in prior work.

Corporations and development

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uchechukwu Nwoke
Keyword(s):  
Shareholder Value ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Value Model ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose This paper aims to examine the nature and role of contemporary CSR in the current neoliberal age. It offers an insight into the tension that exists between the ideologies of “neoliberal” shareholder value and that of “effective” CSR, and argues that both ideologies are fundamentally antithetical. It aims to identify and analyse the inter-connected but distinguishable barriers (ideological, practical and political) that militate against the realization of effective CSR. Design/methodology/approach The method applied is a critical evaluation of concepts and a thorough review of existing literature on neoliberalism, shareholder value and contemporary CSR. It uses existing literature to highlight the inability of contemporary CSR to transform into an effective mechanism for development. Findings The paper emphasizes the failure of contemporary CSR to equate to a successful mechanism for development. It concludes that the existence and operations of these barriers militate against the realization of an effective CSR regime capable of leading to development. Practical implications Given the current dominance of the “maximizing shareholder value” model of corporate governance internationally, it appears unreasonable to pin too much hope on contemporary CSR as a mechanism for development, especially in emerging economies. Neither the culture of corporations nor the pressures to which they are currently subjected encourage socially responsible behaviour. Originality/value The paper extends the body of knowledge in the area of contemporary CSR, by identifying and analysing the inter-connected but distinguishable barriers that render the CSR practices of corporations ineffective.

Stakeholders and socially responsible supply chain management: the moderating role of internationalization

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Damert ◽  
Lisa Koep ◽  
Edeltraud Guenther ◽  
Jonathan Morris
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Theory Development ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
A Company

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how the pressures from stakeholders located in company's country of origin and level of internationalization of the company influence the implementation of socially responsible supply chain management (SR-SCM) practices. Design/methodology/approach To assess this level of influence, an SR-SCM performance index is developed by building on existing theoretical frameworks and using secondary data from ThomsonReuters’ WorldScope and ASSET4 databases to capture responsible supply chain actions categorized in communication, compliance and supplier development strategies. The analysis is based on 1,252 international companies from diverse countries and sectors between 2007 and 2016. Findings The effectiveness of stakeholder pressures in facilitating the adoption of socially responsible practices varies greatly with regard to the strategic element of SR-SCM and the type stakeholders considered. Companies that are more internationalized tend to adopt a greater number of SR-SCM practices, whereas home country stakeholders are of diminishing relevance with the increasing internationalization of a company. Practical implications Governments in companies’ countries of origin should ensure that social issues in supply chains are adequately covered by regulations. Ideally, laws should not only cover firms’ domestic operations but also their global activities. Social implications Citizens should be given the opportunities to raise their voice and publicly express their disagreement with business misconduct and non-compliance. Apart from that, the role of workers’ associations and investors in the social sustainability debate should be strengthened. Originality/value This study contributes to SR-SCM theory development by operationalizing existing conceptual frameworks, showing how domestic stakeholders shape SR-SCM performance and analyzing whether the influence of certain stakeholder groups diminishes or increases when a company is more globally-oriented in its operations.

More cooperative ... more competitive? Improving competitiveness by sharing value through the supply chain

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Fontoura ◽  
Arnaldo Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Sustainability ◽  
Responsible Behaviors

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to analyze how corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects a company's value. It does this specifically by analyzing the effect of socially responsible behaviors on shared value (SV) creation, in order to foster higher performance (PRF) and greater competitive advantages, considering the moderator role of the supply chain leadership dependency (SCLD). It provides new insights into CSR management to ensure business sustainability for supply chain management.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a structured questionnaire to gather data from a cross-sectional sample of 425 supply chain partners for Portugal's biggest energy supplier. Structural equation modeling is used to test the proposed hypotheses, and a multigroup analysis is conducted to find how a supplier's dependency can impact the suggested relationships.FindingsThe findings suggest that CSR positively impacts CA, SV and PRF. Additionally, this study reveals that SV has a positive impact on PRF. Additionally, the SCLD appears to moderate some of the proposed relationships.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper provides some empirical evidence of the influence of CSR on organizational value creation, contributing toward a better understanding of the impacts of socially responsible behaviors on business sustainability. The overall results may support the importance of CSR, identifying how a socially responsible company may create value for itself and share it with partners, thereby improving performance and competitiveness, while considering the role of dependency in moderating these relationships. Yet, the research considers only one company supplier. The relationships between variables need to be explored in other practical case studies and longitudinal investigations to improve upon the potential for making generalizations.Practical implicationsResults show that being cooperative might make a company more competitive, which might be one of the foundations of CSR and sustainability.Social implicationsThis study claims that profit alone is no longer sufficient for the legitimization of business. As an alternative, SV creation has become the new goal for businesses seeking to regain and improve societal trust.Originality/valueThe overall results may support the importance of CSR, identifying how a socially responsible company may create value for itself and share it with partners, thereby improving performance and competitiveness, while considering the role of dependency in moderating these relationships.

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