Pressures of CSR in India: an institutional perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijita S. Aggarwal ◽  
Aruna Jha

Purpose Wide differences in the focus and form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) exist among countries due to the different institutional embeddedness of CSR practices. The purpose of this paper is to seek to explain them within the framework provided by institutional theory by identifying important pressures driving CSR practices. Further, it intends to extend theory by proposing a conceptual model that relates institutional pressures, CSR practices, reputation and financial performance of corporates in a developing country like India. Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon the extant literature on the constructs, the paper describes their evolution through decades and weaves relationship between them. Institutional theory provides the framework to develop hypotheses. Findings The model has its roots in Scott’s institutional theory – linking regulative, normative and cognitive pressures to CSR practices. Reputation mediates the relationship between CSR and financial performance. Practical implications The conceptual model can serve as a foundation for subsequent empirical research. An understanding of relationship between constructs in the model will help corporates to strategize CSR initiatives. At the organisational level, insight into managerial perceptions of CSR practices will help to identify the need for training, if there is a gap between what organisation intends and what managers perceive. Originality/value The authors have proposed for the first time an integrative model that will help to understand the antecedents as well as consequences of CSR practices in a developing country within a theoretical framework.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 400-427
Author(s):  
Nori Yani Abu Talib ◽  
Radziah Abdul Latiff ◽  
Aini Aman

Purpose This paper aims to improve the understanding of the institutional pressures that shape the intention to adopt waqf accounting and reporting. The study seeks to answer two research questions as follows: what are the challenges in the adoption of waqf accounting and reporting in waqf institutions; and how do institutional pressures influence the adoption of waqf reporting in Malaysia. Drawing on the work of DiMaggio and Powell and Scott of institutional theory, this paper provides empirical evidence of institutional pressures on the adoption of waqf reporting in Malaysia and the challenges faced in adopting waqf accounting and reporting. Design/methodology/approach This study uses qualitative research method with an explanatory case study approach. Data are collected through semi-structured interviews with the accountants of State Islamic Religious Council and Customs of Terengganu, an informal conversation with the Deputy Director of Accountant Generals Department of Malaysia and document reviews, mainly the Malaysian Accounting Standard Board Research paper. Findings The findings show that coercive pressure such as government regulation contributes to challenges in the adoption of waqf accounting and reporting. Normative pressures contribute to challenges in formulating standardised waqf accounting and reporting, whereas mimetic pressure contributes to challenges in the comparability of the waqf accounting and reporting among the state Islamic religious councils in Malaysia. In the efforts towards the standardisation of waqf accounting and reporting practice, a similarity of the process of the standard implementation or the institutional isomorphism of the State Islamic Religious Council in Terengganu is strongly influenced from the result of the mandate of its Board members and Fatwa council members (coercive isomorphism and religion logic) and minor influence from the normative isomorphism (the result of the participants’ education and profession) as well as the result of imitating other State of Islamic Religious Councils (SIRCs) because of the ambiguity of the process or certain practice. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the knowledge by extending institutional theory and the possible role of religion logic in Islamic perspective to organisational behaviour and accounting development in SIRCs. This study is limited to the understanding of the challenges in the adoption of waqf accounting and reporting but could also be applicable to the adoption of other accounting standards or regulations. Practical implications This paper offers key implications for research, in improving the understanding of contextual factors and decision to adopt waqf accounting and reporting. The standard setter needs to be aware of the influence of contextual factors that shape decision towards standardisation of accounting and reporting for waqf. Originality/value The interplay of institutional pressures and implications of religion logic provides an interesting approach to understanding the waqf institutions’ intention to adopt accounting and reporting for waqf.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irsyadillah Irsyadillah ◽  
Mohamed Salem M Bayou

Purpose This study aims to investigate the selection and use of introductory financial accounting (IFA) textbooks in the context of achieving the objectives of accounting education to provide both discipline-specific skills and liberal education. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a qualitative research design to collect data through semi-structured interviews with 33 accounting educators across Indonesia. This study uses the institutional theory approach to explain how accounting textbooks are selected and used to meet the objectives of accounting education at universities. Findings The study provides evidence of the adoption of a systematic procedure for the selection of recommended IFA textbooks. The selection was driven by the technical-regulatory objective of providing technical training. This objective also guides the use of the recommended textbooks. In a sense, accounting educators were more concerned about responding to institutional pressures of preparing accountants for work in the accounting industry rather than providing students with a liberal education that promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Research limitations/implications This study focuses on the selection and use of IFA textbooks. Further research should examine the contents of various accounting textbooks and obtain feedback from the people involved in the publication of the textbooks. Originality/value The findings of this study have important implications for accounting educators. They can use these findings to improve their selection and use of accounting textbooks.


2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Herman Aksom

PurposeInstitutional theory had been developed for the purpose of explaining widespread diffusion, mimetic adoption and institutionalization of organizational practices. However, further extensions of institutional theory are needed to explain a range of different institutional trajectories and organizational responses since institutionalized standards constitute a minority of all diffusing practices. The study presents a theoretical framework which offers guidelines for explaining and predicting various adoption, variation and post-adoption scenarios.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is primarily conceptual in nature, and the arguments are developed based on previous institutional theory and organizational change literature.FindingsThe notion of institutional inertia is proposed in order to provide a more detailed explanation of when and why organizations ignore, adopt, modify, maintain and abandon practices and the way intra-organizational institutional pressures shape, direct and constrain these processes. It is specified whether institutional inertia will be temporarily eclipsed or whether it will actively manifest itself during adoption, adaptation and maintaining attempts. The study distinguishes between four institutional profiles of organizational practices – institutionalized, institutionally friendly, neutral and contested practices – which can vary along three dimensions: accuracy, extensiveness and meaning. The variation and post-adoption outcomes for each of them can be completely characterized and predicted by only three parameters: the rate of institutional inertia, institutional profile of these practices and whether they are interpretatively flexible. In turn, an extent of intraorganizational institutional resistance to new practices is determined by their institutional profile and flexibility.Practical implicationsIt is expected that proposed theoretical explanations in this paper can offer insights into these empirical puzzles and supply a broader view of organizational and management changes. The study’s theoretical propositions help to understand what happens to organizational practices after they are handled by organizations, thus moving beyond the adoption/rejection dichotomy.Originality/valueThe paper explores and clarifies the nature of institutional inertia and offers an explanation of its manifestation in organizations over time and how it shapes organizational practices in the short and long run. It challenges a popular assumption in organizational literature that fast and revolutionary transition is a prerequisite for successful change. More broadly, the typology offered in this paper helps to explain whether and how organizations can successfully handle and complete their change and how far they can depart from institutional norms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1475-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varaporn Pangboonyanon ◽  
Kiattichai Kalasin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate how within-industry diversification affects the financial performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets (EMs). The authors draw on both the resource-based view and the institutional perspective and argue that within-industry diversification can enhance the financial performance of SMEs in EMs. Due to institutional voids in emerging economies, SMEs can gain additional benefits from scope economies, as well as from market returns, by filling product market voids and gaps in business ecosystems, while also enjoying low input and labor costs that reduce the coordination costs of diversification. This, in turn, enhances benefits of within-industry diversification, thereby resulting in higher financial profitability. Design/methodology/approach This study employs panel data econometrics to estimate the model. The authors test hypotheses on 195 firms, originating from five countries in Southeast Asia, during the period of 2009–2014. Findings The empirical results support the arguments. Within-industry diversification has a positive impact on the performance of SMEs in EMs. These effects become weaker when the institutional contexts are more developed. Nevertheless, such effects become stronger when SMEs in EMs are more efficient. Research limitations/implications The relationship between within-industry diversification and performance is a positive linear pattern, which differs from the pattern in advanced economies. In addition to unrelated diversification, the related diversification is preferable for firms in EMs. Practical implications The paper provides implications for SMEs that aim to enhance their performance by engaging in single product lines and within-industry diversification. Originality/value This paper examines the different ways within-industry diversification can enhance SMEs performance in EM contexts.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olena Klymenko ◽  
Lise Lillebrygfjeld Halse

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how sustainable practices in supply chains are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of institutional theory.Design/methodology/approachThis research applies a twofold data collection approach: 1) qualitative semistructured interviews and 2) secondary data collection that includes sustainability reports, newspaper articles, journal articles, strategic plans, research reports and statements made by authorities and stakeholders concerning decision-making. In total, managers representing six companies in Norway were interviewed.FindingsThe study suggests that during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies tend to focus on short-term decisions and economic issues. The long-term focus on sustainability has, however, increased at the cluster level. The research also indicates that the pandemic has led to the development of new business routines that may transform institutional norms. The diversity of institutional contexts can, on the one hand, drive sustainability transitions through pressures and supportive programs but, on the other hand, also hinder the development of sustainability thinking.Research limitations/implicationsInstitutional factors must be included when analyzing the effects of crises and sustainable transitions. Researchers are encouraged to explore the COVID-19 implications in the form of longitudinal studies.Practical implicationsPolicymakers can benefit from in-depth knowledge on the adverse effects of an institutional environment on sustainability. For managers, the outbreak of the pandemic can afford them additional time to revise their strategies and seek innovation. The pandemic highlights the need to build more resilient and sustainable systems that will aid managers in responding rapidly during future uncertainties and enduring sustainability trajectories in operations.Originality/valueThe paper offers an in-depth investigation of COVID-19 effects on the sustainability of supply chains by drawing on institutional theory.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-133
Author(s):  
Guangling Zhang ◽  
Chenchen Liu ◽  
Hui Wang

PurposeCurrently, the issues of cross-channel integration (CCI) have become the attentive focus. However, little research based on institutional theory details the drivers of and obstacles to adopt CCI strategy. Combined with resource-based view (RBV) and institutional theory, this thesis studies the effect of institutional pressures on the manufactures' extent of CCI, through exploring the moderating effects of firm's technology competence and relationship governance capabilities on the relationship between institutional pressures and the extent of CCI.Design/methodology/approachThe survey data of 249 valid research samples were obtained from Chinese manufacturing enterprises. Statistical software such as SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 18.0 was used to analyze the data and test the conceptual model and relevant research hypotheses from an empirical perspective.FindingsThe results of empirical study from 249 manufacturers indicate that the mimetic, coercive and normative pressures perceived by enterprises can significantly promote their extent of CCI; relationship governance capabilities attenuate the positive impact of mimetic pressures on the extent of CCI, but strengthen that of normative pressures on the extent of CCI; besides, technology competence can attenuate the positive effect of mimetic pressures on the extent of CCI, but enhance that of normative pressures on the extent of CCI.Originality/valueFew studied the impact of the interaction of internal capabilities and external institutional pressures on CCI of enterprises. This study combines institutional theory and resource-based view to fill the theoretical gap in this regard.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawit Bahta ◽  
Jiang Yun ◽  
Md Rashidul Islam ◽  
Muhammad Ashfaq

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its effect on small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) innovation capability and financial performance from the perspective of a developing country. It also aims to explore the role of innovation capability as a mediating factor in the linkage between CSR and SMEs’ financial performance. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was distributed among managers/owners of the sampled companies. Using a data set of 402 Eritrean firms and partial least squares structural equation modeling, direct and mediating effects were tested. Findings The result reveals that CSR has a positive and significant effect on the financial performance and innovation capability of SEMs. Besides, innovation capability has a positive and significant effect on the business performance of SMEs. The result also supports a partial mediation effect of innovation capability on the association between CSR and firm performance. Practical implications The findings from this research could enhance the awareness of the entrepreneurs, researchers and policymakers on CSR-SMEs’ relationship and help understand the importance of CSR as a crucial driver mechanism for companies to become more innovative and competitive. Originality/value By empirically examining the relationship between CSR, innovation capability and performance in SMEs, this study contributes to the ongoing scholarly discussion on the linkage between CSR and financial performance. Also, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other study investigated the mediating role of innovation capability on the link between CSR activities and firms’ financial performance in SMEs from a developing country perspective, making substantial contributions to research in terms of theory, practice and policy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Ollgaard Bentzen

Purpose Public organizations are constantly offered new ideas and concepts that involve a substantial investment of resources when it comes to translating them into organizational practice. An especially powerful group of such concepts in the discourse of organizations comprises so-called “magic concepts” that both pose opportunities and challenges for public leaders trying to translate them. Although critical discussion about the value of popular concepts has been intense in existing research, there is still little knowledge about the factors that determine why some magic concepts have a pervasive influence, while others quickly go out of fashion and leave little trace in organizational practice. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach By combining insights from public leadership theory, implementation theory, institutional theory and organizational psychology, this paper outlines four dimensions that are central to the robustness of the organizational translation of magic concepts. The paper develops a conceptual model labeled “The Translational Diamond,” which suggests that the robust translation of organizational concepts depends on the level of both strategic and local anchoring, as well as the interplay between reflection and experimentation in the translation process. The Translational Diamond is applied in two embedded case studies, which offer insight into the variance between two organizational departments attempting to translate the same magic concept. Findings A central argument in the “translational diamond” is that bigger, balanced diamonds reflect more robust translations than smaller, warped diamonds. The results support this assumption. Although the translation of trust involves challenges in both departments, there are much more severe difficulties in the social department, which is characterized by a notably smaller and much more warped diamond than the health and care department. Research limitations/implications While this paper argues that strategic and local anchoring and the interplay between reflection and experimentation play a crucial role in the translation of magic concepts, there may be other factors at stake in the process. For example, Røvik argues that the skill of the individual translators engaged in the process is important for creating a robust translation (Røvik, 2007). In addition, magic concepts are potentially involved in a power battle with other magic concepts that are constantly competing for organizational attention (Hood, 2005). Such power dynamics may substantially influence actors’ engagement in translation, but are not within the scope of this paper. Practical implications For public leaders, the translational diamond may serve as a conceptual framework that can spur their understanding of, and reflection about, how to support the translation of magic concepts in their organization. For example, archetypically warped diamonds can illustrate the problems that might occur if translation is not sufficiently anchored in all four dimensions. Translating organizational concepts involves respect for the inherent dilemmas of securing a balance between strategic and local perspectives, as well as the strengths of securing feedback loops between reflection and experimentation. These dimensions will not necessarily be equally balanced at all times in the process of translating magic concepts. The conceptual model of the translational diamond may help leaders to understand the current status of a translation and guide them in their endeavor to support a better balance. Originality/value While symbolic change may serve other organizational purposes than effectiveness, this paper addresses the under-studied question of how organizational concepts are translated robustly into practice. The originality of the “translational diamond” is its focus on “how” rather than “whether” the translation of magic concepts should be attempted. In addition, the diamond’s integration of theoretical constructs from leadership theory, implementation theory, institutional theory and organizational theory offers a more nuanced understanding of central dimensions impacting organizational translation at a practical level.


2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
PuCha Wang ◽  
Fei Che ◽  
ShanShan Fan ◽  
Chen Gu

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the determinants of circular economy accounting information disclosure quality, and also to make empirical analysis on the relationship between circular economy accounting information disclosure quality and corporate ownership governance and institutional pressures according to institutional theory and corporate governance theory. Finally, this paper provides some corresponding suggestions for heightening circular economy accounting information disclosure quality. Design/methodology/approach – This paper constructs enterprise circular economy accounting information disclosure model with Chinese characteristics. First, it takes disclosure index method to measure enterprise circular economy accounting information disclosure quality, followed by the hypotheses of this study. Then, this study employs a statistical analysis technique to empirically study the relationship between enterprise circular economy accounting information disclosure quality and ownership governance and institutional pressures, to study the ways to heighten enterprise circular economy accounting information disclosure quality in Chinese background. Findings – Ownership governance and institutional pressures mainly determine quality of circular economy accounting information disclosure. This paper draws the following conclusions: Chinese listed companies have heightened their circular economy accounting information disclosure quality due to ownership concentration, shareholding of institutional investors, mandatory disclosure, capital structure and assets size. However, the circular economy accounting information disclosure quality has low correlation with the profitability and the location of listed companies. Originality/value – Both in China and the West, few scholars or experts adopt empirical research to study the determinants of circular economy accounting information disclosure quality in an institutional theory and corporate governance theory perspective based on China’s supervisory system background. This paper makes a thorough analysis of the factors that affect listed companies’ circular economy accounting information disclosure quality, and provides some corresponding suggestions relevant for heightening circular economy accounting information disclosure quality.


Author(s):  
Wendy L. Tate ◽  
Lisa M. Ellram ◽  
Kevin J. Dooley

Purpose – Suppliers play a more significant role in the environmental footprint of supply chains than most final manufacturers. The purpose of this paper is to apply transaction costs and institutional theory to help understand why the more conservative, or reactive suppliers may or may not be likely to adopt environmental practices. Design/methodology/approach – This research builds on a prior conceptual paper and uses the results of a survey to test whether transaction costs and institutional theory can provide insight into supplier's adoption of environmental practices. Findings – This research finds that perceived transaction costs affect supplier cooperation in adopting environmental practices. Suppliers are more likely to adopt an environmental practice if information-seeking costs are low or the cost of adoption is considered necessary to maintain the relationship. Data did not support the hypotheses concerning institutional pressures. Originality/value – There is much research in the area of proactive adoption of environmental business practices. This research looks specifically at what influences the adoption of environmental business practices by suppliers that are more reactive or hesitant to be leaders in this area.


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