Moving out of the comfort zone? Trade union revitalisation and corporate social responsibility

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-155
Author(s):  
Michael Gold ◽  
Lutz Preuss ◽  
Chris Rees
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
The Political ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
European Study ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Corporate Social

In recent decades, trade unions have employed a range of revitalisation strategies aimed at regaining lost power. A relatively neglected area within the literature on revitalisation concerns union engagement with corporate social responsibility. Locating trade unions within a classification of civil society organisations from the political science literature, this article presents a typology of the multiple ways in which trade unions can engage with corporate social responsibility. Data from a pan-European study across 11 countries are used to illustrate the various ways in which unions are attempting to move out of their traditional ‘comfort zone’ with respect to corporate social responsibility, each of which presents them with both new opportunities and challenges. We show how trade unions are working on different ‘pressure points’ and act as purposeful agents within certain organisational parameters and particular national frameworks. In sum, the article considers the potential that corporate social responsibility provides for trade unions, and reflects on the likely direction of revitalisation debates.

The corporate cuckoo in the neoliberal nest: reconnecting civil society with big business

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryn Jones
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Small Investors ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Corporate Social

As this book’s Introduction explains, corporations and their controllers have been the principal, organisational beneficiaries of neo-liberal ‘freedoms’. In his chapter Jones describes the abuses of their enhanced powers and the protest campaigns which this aggrandizement has generated from social movement and civil society organisations. Jones identifies the gradual shift in these campaigns from pressure for corporate social responsibility (CSR) to more radical demands for corporate accountability. After reviewing the reform proposals of these and other advocates, he isolates the shareholder ‘ownership’ as the Achilles heel of executive and therefore, corporate power; at least in the UK. He identifies relatively modest proposals to adopt Swedish-style accountability to investors; provided these reforms include a guaranteed role for the small investors which could include civil society representatives and ‘stakeholders’ such as trade unions. Reforms which could concretise the Polanyian forms of social re-embedding set out in O’Donnell’s and other chapters, particularly the Conclusion to this book.

scholarly journals Shared value: a bibliometric review of the literature from the approaches of strategy, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (66) ◽  
pp. 172-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Maestre-Matos ◽  
Andrea Paola Paez Cabas ◽  
Jahir Enrique Lombana-Coy
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Shared Value ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Bibliometric Review ◽  
Value Integration ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Conceptual Evolution

The recent rise of the Shared Value (SV) concept justifies the debate about its possible conceptual developments. The objective of this article is to analyze the conceptual evolution of the SV showing its approaches from strategy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and stakeholders. The methodology used for research consists of a systematic review of the literature, using as input for the classification of articles, the graphs theory and a bibliometric analysis through the Tree of Science (ToS) tool. The analysis focuses on the evolution of the concept of SV (start, development and trends) observing the maintenance of the original approaches and new trends in concept application. It is concluded that although the origin of the SV does not yet have a defined consensus, there are some coincident characteristics for its application, such as: creation of mutual value, integration of economic and social value and the generation of positive impacts on stakeholders.

Corporate social responsibility meets traditional supervision of fundamental labour rights*

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Tajgman
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Codes Of Conduct ◽  
Background Information ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
Labour Rights ◽  
Civil Society Organisations ◽  
Labour Standards ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Corporate Social

The International Labour Organisation's 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work prioritised four core labour standards' principles and led to a burst of new ratifications of the international treaties that are the subject of those principles. Ten years on there are important identified gaps in state implementation of the ratified Conventions that are the subject of the four principles. These gaps leave important holes in public policy and legislation. In a number of important substantive areas, these gaps have the effect of leaving it to private actors to figure out what would amount to fulfilling the norms of fundamental labour principle inspired codes of conduct. Inescapably left on their own to figure out approaches, corporate social responsibility (CSR)-respecting enterprises are subject to criticism levelled on the basis of interpretations of these principles given by civil society organisations and labour rights' campaigners. This chapter details this situation. The first part provides the necessary background information. The second part gives concrete examples of how this governance gap raises challenges to implementing CSR initiatives. The third part suggests that, considering the arguable origins of CSR in neo-liberal deregulatory fervour, social dialogue and reform by non-compliant state actors is the only sustainable solution.

Corporate social responsibility within the European sectoral social dialogue

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malene Nordestgaard ◽  
Judith Kirton-Darling
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Social Dialogue ◽  
The Core ◽  
Social Partners ◽  
Specific Activities ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Core Issues

This article considers how European sectoral social partners have tackled and promoted the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR), and to what extent their common actions have given CSR a tangible and practical form. After reviewing sectoral social dialogue and trade unions’ attitudes to CSR, the authors report on research into the activities of sectoral social dialogue committees. The research shows that many of the sectoral social dialogue committees, whether they consider themselves to be active or not on CSR, have been grappling with the core issues raised by the concept over a number of years. The development of the European institutional debate on CSR has clearly led to the ‘redefinition’ of activities carried out in the framework of the sectoral social dialogue, in some cases offering new impetus to common actions and broadening the scope of debate, while in other cases offering ‘old wine in new bottles'. This article further analyses the specific activities of the sectoral social dialogue committees in the sugar sector.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Nigeria: Realities, Modalities and Possibilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2512
Author(s):  
Adebukola E. OYEWUNMI ◽  
Olabode A. OYEWUNMI
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Sustainability ◽  
Legal Aspects ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
The Political ◽  
Community Wellbeing ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
Corporate Social

This conceptual paper provides a non-revisionist but contextual perspective on the largely controversial issue of corporate social responsibility. It expounds the dimensions of CSR by leveraging on specific global benchmarks whilst highlighting gaps applicable to Nigeria’s business environment. In furtherance of this objective, the essence of the global oil economy is noted, conceptualizations are proffered and contextual issues are discussed. The paper argues that a flexible and innovative model is plausible as a platform to elevate the essence of CSR on multiple levels. It emphasizes the importance of harmonizing the political, business, environmental and legal aspects of CSR to promote corporate sustainability, broad based economic development and community wellbeing.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Hong Kong

1983 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger W. T. Gill ◽  
Lisa J. Leinbach
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Traditional Management ◽  
Laissez Faire ◽  
Corporate Social

The reputation of business in Hong Kong includes alleged exploitation of labor and a lack of social responsiveness, which may be due to the nature of its trade unions, its laissez-faire government, and traditional management practices. A recent study identifies attitudes concerning social responsibility that prevail in Hong Kong corporations.

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