Toward a strategic view of higher education social responsibilities: A dynamic capabilities approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher S. Hayter ◽  
Daniel R. Cahoy
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Capabilities Approach ◽  
Colleges And Universities ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Social Responsibilities ◽  
The Social

The social responsibilities of higher education serve as the foundation for its existence. Within an increasingly global context, society expects colleges and universities to undertake new and increasingly complex social responsibilities that expand traditional higher education missions while emphasizing new obligations such as economic development and sustainability. Higher education institutions have responded by adding new programs and services—such as new degree programs, equity and inclusion offices, and training for older workers—and aggressively pursuing new sources of revenue in support of their missions. Despite these considerable efforts, there is a growing sense that higher education is not adequately fulfilling its social responsibilities. We contend that these trends do not stem from intransigence, but are instead symptomatic of the need for strategic management frameworks tailored to the unique social responsibilities and impacts of higher education. To this end, we introduce a strategic social responsibility framework based on the emergent concept of dynamic capabilities. Strategic social responsibility emphasizes the establishment and continuing renewal of an orchestration infrastructure that enables colleges and universities to maximize their social impact through the alignment of strategy and resources. Implications for future scholarship and policy are discussed.

scholarly journals University Social Responsibilityand Organizational Factors for Their Implementation

2020 ◽  
pp. 70-87
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
National Culture ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Life Experience ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
General View ◽  
Social Responsibilities ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

When the university initiates its activities as an academic and civic institution, it will have other upshots for the society, in addition to the goals set by policymakers. In a general view, social responsibility means the university's commitment to its existential philosophy and accountability for all its consequences. Therefore, the present study aimed to "Identify the social responsibilities of the university and the organizational factors of their realization". The perception and life experience of the specialists in the field of higher education were analyzed using a descriptive phenomenological method. Participants were Higher education experts and were selected purposefully. Using inferential content analysis, the themes and categories expressing social responsibilities as well as the organizational factors needed for their realization were extracted. The results show that the university's social responsibilities are a range of local and international expectations, most notably the development of a national culture of respect and commitment to the environment, the propagation of national and international peace culture, a commitment to poverty alleviation and Striving for social and economic justice. Also, the results of thestudy illustrate that organizational requirements for responding to university social responsibility, include: Reviewing the organizational structure of curriculum development, reforming the core missions of the university, recreation of the organizational culture of the university proportional to its social responsibilities.

scholarly journals Student Auditing of University Social Responsibility - Reform through Reflective, Experiential Learning?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Menezes ◽  
Márcia Coelho ◽  
Fernanda Rodrigues ◽  
Peter Evans ◽  
Brian Martin
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Initial Data ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
European Universities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Teaching Support ◽  
The Impact

The emphasis on the social responsibility of higher education institutions emerged more systematically in the Post-Bologna European context. This paper presents an overview of a case study on a certificate in university social responsibility auditing, based on three European universities: Edimburgh, Kaunas and Porto. The goal is to develop an auditor training for students based on experiential learning, that is coherent and replicable in diverse contexts and that involves the various stakeholders. The project is based on a set of benchmarks of university social responsibility developed in the context of a European project, namely:  Research, Teaching, Support for Learning and Public Engagement; Governance; Environmental and Societal Sustainability; and Fair Practices. We will report on the initial data generated by the ESSA Project, in respect of student recruitment, baseline attitudes and the impact of participation in the training and the first audit.

How do social responsibility and social entrepreneurship generate value creation in pandemics?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Silva ◽  
Margarida Rodrigues ◽  
Mário Franco ◽  
Cidália Oliveira ◽  
Nuno Sousa
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Entrepreneurship ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Social Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
High Degree

Purpose Using self-determination theory and individual social responsibility’s (ISRs) association with pure social entrepreneurship, this study aims to answer the following question: How and why have the different actors responded to the crisis caused by the pandemic? Design/methodology/approach Qualitative research (multiple case studies) was adopted, resorting to interviewees with seven economic and non-economic actors in the Portugal context. Findings The results obtained, using MAXQDA software, show that those carrying out actions of social responsibility have a high degree of self-determination and intrinsic motivation, and are true social entrepreneurs, which lets them improve the well-being of those around them. In addition, these individuals feel good about themselves by performing these actions, as they measure their performance by the social impact of their actions on society in general. Practical implications This study suggest there is a high awareness amongst people to exercise that responsibility in a voluntary way, through humanitarian initiatives and campaigns brought about especially by an unprecedented pandemic. In practice, people joining these initiatives motivate many others towards the causes, creating the will to continue in the future and satisfy unmet needs provoked by social crises. Originality/value This study is innovative because it is related to filling the gaps identified, mainly by carrying out an empirical study about ISR, rather than that of firms, where studies are more common.

Knowledge Management and Capacity Building in Higher Education Holds Key to the Development of a Nation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1158-1169
Author(s):  
Rajat K. Baisya
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social

There are many indicators of the health of a nation and that includes the quality of life and gross domestic product. However, the development can happen only through systematic creation and absorption of knowledge in a society which requires imparting quality education. The development of a nation depends on the human development index (HDI) of the people of the nation. The HDI is primarily dependent on the education and health of the citizen. While basic education which is offered compulsorily provides the foundation of the quality workforce engaged in productive work for creation of wealth for the nation but imparting newer knowledge offers competitive advantage over others. Better knowledge is thus essential to produce superior quality goods and services at lesser costs in a sustainable manner which provides competitive advantage in global trade and commerce and serves as the key driver to the development of a nation. Managing knowledge therefore, holds the key. Capacity building on the other hand, enables the society to accomplish a specific task and activity in a desired manner and hence it really required dissemination of knowledge through continuous training and re-training. Capacity building helps in maximising the social impact in terms of implementation of any new knowledge for common good of the society and also for the nation at large. Capacity building therefore, has to be undertaken with all seriousness as it is normally required to do for project, program and portfolio management. In this article an attempt has been made to discuss the key components of knowledge management as a task and how that help in the development process of a nation, a society and a region. The paper also discusses the impact of capacity building in higher education for the development of the society and how capacity building should be attempted in a specific area of higher learning for maximising the social impact.

An Investigation of ISO 26000 and Social Responsibility Practices Applied in IT Companies

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelos Zompras ◽  
Kerstin Siakas
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Iso 26000 ◽  
Community Environment ◽  
The Core ◽  
Corporate Websites ◽  
The Social ◽  
Core Subjects ◽  
Demand Information ◽  
Primary Focus

Social Responsibility (SR) concerns the way in which organizations achieve their goals. This paper focuses on the overview of the SR as well as the endpoint of the continuous development of SR, the ISO 26000 standard and its core subjects. The aims are to give Information Technology (IT) professionals a better understanding of how to identify the core subjects of ISO 26000 relevant for their organizations and thus behave more responsible by taking actions towards sustainability. As stakeholders demand information and transparency from companies, it is imperative for companies them to report their environmental, economic, and social impact on the community. This paper examines the social responsibility reports, published from corporate websites of some the top IT companies in order to identify the issues that IT companies deal with, as well as in which issues related to the core subject of ISO 26000, they primary focus. The rest of the paper provides an overview on how IT companies can shift towards social responsibility and how they can integrate practices and technologies that benefit community, environment and stakeholders.

Some Considerations Regarding the Social Responsibility of Entrepreneurs in the European Union

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Mirela Matei ◽  
Marian Catalin Voica
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Programs ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
The Social ◽  
Transnational Companies ◽  
The One ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

The concept of corporate social responsibility is in constant development. It passes from the sphere of large transnational companies to the smaller sized companies, in the field of SMEs. Although SMEs don’t have the impact of great corporations, they have a duty to carry out social responsibility programs. An SME, as a singular unit, does not have the social impact of transnational corporations, but the large number of SMEs creates a social impact comparable to the one generated by large corporations. Due to competitive pressures, large transnational companies have outsourced some activities. SMEs that have taken over these activities have taken over responsibility for social programs to offset the negative effects arising

Insights on lean gamification for higher education

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Deif
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Assessment Criteria ◽  
Lean Thinking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Processing ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose There is no argument that using games (gamification) is an efficient way of learning in higher education. The questions, though, are which gamification approach is most suitable at that level and how to assess its suitability? This paper aims to attempt to partially answer these two questions, in the context of lean thinking education. Design/methodology/approach The paper offers an assessment criteria to investigate the impact of lean gamification based on the evaluation of motivational, cognitive and social processing during games. In addition, a study is conducted among selected games using these assessment criteria. The study included statistical as well as comparative analysis. The study was based on a sample of undergraduate students learning various lean thinking concepts through physical games over the course of six months. Findings Results showed different interaction levels between the three evaluation criteria depending on the type and design of the lean game. The reported scores and analysis drew various lessons on how to use gamification in the context of lean teaching, outlined some best practices in lean games design and suggested recommendations in mapping lean games from industrial domain to higher education domain. Research limitations/implications The scope of this research was bounded by the sample size of students as well as the selected nine lean thinking games. Larger pool of students as well as other lean thinking games can offer further insights and confirm the outlined ones. Practical implications The presented work will help lean thinking educators in higher education to better understand the student dynamics associated with engaging them in this type pf pedagogical approach. It will help guiding lean thinking games’ designer on how to better cater for this segment of lean thinking learners. Finally, it will aid in promoting lean gamification as an effective learning tool. Social implications The social impact is achieved through enhancing lean thinking education to a wide number of students. This will positively impact the society through the application of the effective lean tools at different stages, levels and places in these students’ life experiences. Originality/value This study offers one of the very few applications in gamification assessment in the context of lean thinking. Furthermore, it integrates the social processing criterion for the first time with the classical two other criteria (motivation and cognitive) used in games education assessment. Finally, it offers new insights for lean thinking game designers for higher education learners.

Corporate social responsibility, governance and stakeholders: a bank in the upbeat of the crisis

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 388-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Jan de Graaf
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Responsibilities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
A Company

Purpose Using the global financial crisis as a critical event and based on institutional theory and stakeholder theory, this paper aims to explore the relationship between corporate governance and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The question is how stakeholders can influence corporate responses to societal change by using their position in the governance structure. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a historical analysis of data collected mainly between 2002 and 2004. The historical perspective enables an understanding of the response of the company to environmental changes. Findings The approach enables researchers to relate the normative component of CSR to specific governance mechanisms. These governance mechanisms are specified in direct and indirect influence pathways. Historical data shed light on how, in the upbeat of the crisis, stakeholders have influenced the principles and policies of the ING Group, a Dutch financial company. Research limitations/implications The paper suggests that stakeholders influence principles – normative assumptions that guide corporate decisions – mainly in dialogue-based meetings (direct influence pathways). Companies are made accountable in indirect influence pathways such as regulations. The author also demonstrates that a historical approach enables an understanding of long-term historical developments and the linking of corporate policies to the normative assumptions of stakeholders. Practical implications If stakeholders wish to assess the social responsibility of a company, then they should assess the governance structure in relation to the principles and policies. The power structure within a company and that within the institutional framework in which the company operates (the governance system) strongly influences how a company executes its social responsibilities. Social implications The paper demonstrates how stakeholders can use the governance structure to influence a bank. If society – or a specific group in society – wants banks to play a different role, this paper points to what could be the levers of change in the governance system and the governance structure. Originality/value Insights into the complex relationship between corporate governance and the processes in which the social responsibilities of a company are developed.

scholarly journals Social impact assessment in the mining industry

2022 ◽  
Vol 354 ◽  
pp. 00023
Author(s):  
Ciprian Trocan ◽  
Marian Mocan ◽  
Ben-Oni Ardelean ◽  
Larisa Ivascu
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Social Impact Assessment ◽  
The Social ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Negative Factors

Social responsibility for sustainability has become an important dimension in the current context. More and more industries are evaluating this responsibility and are actively involved in addressing human resources to increase motivation, communication and reduce negative factors. The mining industry is important, especially from the perspective of sustainability. For these reasons, this paper reviews the social impact in the mining industry and provides a framework of social indicators for this industry. The methodology used is based on a qualitative assessment of the importance of indicators for industry. This framework is developed based on various social impact reporting tools. This approach can be extended to other fields of activity following the adaptation of its applicability. The main conclusions show that social responsibility is important for the mining industry.

scholarly journals PHILOSOPHY MANAGEMENT ENTERPRISE OF ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE ON THE BASIS OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

2021 ◽  
pp. 104-110
Author(s):  
Inna Samoilenko ◽  
Anastasija Kamneva
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Energy Infrastructure ◽  
Social Standards ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analysis And Synthesis ◽  
Logical Method ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Social Management

Introduction. In the age of economic development globalization of the country, for a variety of objective factors, relevant issues regarding social management restructuring and modernization at energy infrastructure enterprises through integration into the energy infrastructure enterprises corporate policy of social standards that would meet the requirements of the modern civilizational world and would have a positive social impact. Methods. During the implementation of the research tasks were used the as follows: cognition method, combination of general scientific and special research methods, the analysis and synthesis, the historical and logical method, the induction and deduction, which made it possible to separate and clarify the social and economic essence of definitions sush as "corporate social responsibility" and find out and define the principles and instruments of social responsibility at an enterprise. Results. The article is concerned with development of approaches interpreting the social and economic essence of "corporate social responsibility" for energy infrastructure enterprises, which is manifested in the social, economic and cultural life of citizens and is based on the principles of honesty, sociability, transparency and responsibility. Discussion. Another task that must be solved and which requires its separate scientific research is the formation of a policy for reducing energy poverty. In this context, taking into account world experience it is necessary to investigate existing approaches to interpreting vulnerable categories of consumers and identify groups of socially vulnerable consumers. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, energy infrastructure enterprises, social standards, service quality, consumers.

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