scholarly journals The Model M Method and Its Contribution to a Socially Responsible Society

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Anita Hrast ◽  
Matjaž Mulej

AbstractModel M means being young and being a role model for others in finding innovative employment or creating one’s own employment, and thus becoming and remaining an active citizen. In years 2012-2018, IRDO – Institute for the Development of Social Responsibility – implemented the project Model M Slovenia. The project started in the Podravje region, in years 2012-2014, with a small amount of money invested by the local community (The City Municipality of Maribor). Later (in years 2016-2018), it became a nation-wide Slovenian project funded by the EU’s Social Fund and the Republic of Slovenia. The purpose of the project was to empower youth with training, networking, counselling and active participation in the society to create their own models of success. In this paper, we present the Model M method (MMm) that we have developed through the Model M Slovenia project and its social impact on the employment of youth in Slovenia. With the Social Return on Investment (SROI), a method for social impact measurement, we present how the funds invested in the local pilot project were later multiplied tenfold on a national level within the project Model M Slovenia. The originality of the MMm, as presented in this paper, is in its requisitely holistic approach to youth training in terms of personal and social responsibility. The MMm is accelerating the (self) employment of youth and other unemployed persons. The MMm was created by a team of business practitioners and social responsibility researchers. Their aim was to practice and develop social responsibility, interdependence and requisitely holistic approach as a systemic behaviour, suggested by the global humankind in the ISO 26000 guidance standard.

Author(s):  
Jamie Jones ◽  
Grace Augustine

Hewlett-Packard (HP) had a long history of engaging in corporate citizenship, dating back to its founding. By 2009, however, under the leadership of its latest CEO, Mark Hurd, the company had lost its focus on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Hurd instead focused on undertaking a financial turnaround and overcoming other reputational challenges; he viewed CSR and philanthropic efforts as costs rather than as strategic levers. He instituted widespread cost-cutting measures to get HP back on track, including reducing CSR expenditure. The HP board, however, did not want to let CSR go by the wayside; in fact, it wanted HP to reorganize and restrategize its approach to corporate citizenship.The case focuses on this strategic transformation from traditional, cost-center CSR to business-aligned social innovation. It outlines the details of the board's approval of the new strategy, and then discusses how HP employees worked to reorganize their CSR activity. The new team, the Office of Global Social Innovation (OGSI), had to devise a pilot project to demonstrate the new approach. The project under consideration was an engagement that would improve the early infant diagnosis process for testing infants for HIV in Kenya—an area virtually unknown to HP. The case asks students to assess the work of the OGSI team thus far, and to put themselves in the shoes of one team member who had to justify the project to HP's leadership.The case is especially important for demonstrating the most recent shifts across some leading companies regarding how they position CSR, as well as how for-profit leaders can structure partnerships for impact.After reading and analyzing the case, students will be able to: understand current shifts from traditional corporate social responsibility work to social innovation; understand the challenges facing leading companies as they seek to do well (enhance the company's bottom-line performance) by doing good (making social impact); identify best practices for developing partnerships for impact; articulate a project's social impact and how it aligns with a desirable business impact.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 785-810
Author(s):  
Ana Colovic ◽  
Sandrine Henneron ◽  
Maik Huettinger ◽  
Ruta Kazlauskaite

Purpose This paper aims to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in transition and developed economies. Design/methodology/approach Building on social capital theory, the creating shared value approach and institutional theory, the authors study why and how six SMEs in the food sector implement CSR. Findings The authors show that CSR adoption by SMEs is motivated by company values and beliefs, relationships with the local community, a desire to abide by rules and regulations and business motives. They also show that SMEs are involved in various CSR-related activities such as respecting their employees, infusing CSR in the supply chain and philanthropy. Originality/value The findings suggest that although there are similarities between the CSR motives and activities of SMEs in developed and transition countries, there are also some differences, which can be explained by differences in institutions and related to the maturity of the CSR construct in each setting. The authors consequently call for a more holistic approach when investigating CSR across countries, in particular when such investigation concerns SMEs.


2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Mira Zore ◽  
Majda Bastič ◽  
Matjaž Mulej

Abstract Corporate social responsibility (CSR) replaces causes of the current crisis by principles of accountability, transparency, ethics, and respect for organizational stakeholders, the law, international standards, and human rights (International Organization for Standardization, 2010). Interdependence and a holistic approach link them and CSR’s core contents. We examined if Slovene companies involve all seven CSR core contents of ISO 26000 (CSR to employees, customers, local community, environment, human rights, ethical behavior, and leadership). The analysis united three of them—CSR to employees, ethical behavior, and human rights—into CSR leadership to employees.


Author(s):  
R.S.S. Nehru

Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large” According to World Business Council for Sustainable Development, In globalization era education plays a crucial role in building the society and Nation. India is the highest country in a number of universities which constitute more than seven hundred universities, including private, public and semi sectors. Despite India have more institutions and strategies for education still Indian education is not competitive and performing infancy stage as compared to world class level. Education has pivotal role in nation building and molding superb wings of human recourse. In globalized economy and the privatization the education have been transformed into rural or root level of sustainable development in all sorts of human life. Adopting a businesslike approach which emphasizes a strategic CSR is important to survival in this increasingly competitive arena. It does not appear as a surprise to see universities and colleges discover the opportunity to move the focus beyond the classrooms into their own institutional operations. Universities, colleges and schools are the centers of knowledge generation and sharing perform a very important role in addressing the Triple Bottom Line of the world’ socioeconomic and environmental issues by promoting sustainable solutions. This paper discusses the good CSR practices and some suggestions that can boost up the CSR management and make invites on education sector.


Author(s):  
Björn Hessert

AbstractSports organisations generally have the burden of proving sports rule violations of sportspersons subject to their rules and regulations. Sports rule violations can generally be proven by any reliable means. A common approach taken by sports organisations in this respect is the implementation of so-called cooperation and reporting obligations embedded in their regulations. On this basis, athletes can be obliged to provide all kind of documentary evidence related or unrelated to the matter under investigation. This may cause problems to the privilege against self-incrimination of athletes. In addition, obtaining self-incriminating information in internal sports investigations carried out by private sports organisations can have legal and personal consequences that go well beyond the professional life of athletes. The integrity of sport has been characterised as a public interest due to the social impact of amateur and professional sports in most societies. As a consequence, negative sports-related conduct, such as doping or the manipulation of sports competitions, has been criminalised in various national laws to protect sporting values and preserve the role model function of athletes for young members of our society. This development has led to cooperation between sports organisations and law enforcement agencies, such as prosecutors and the police. Specifically, both collaborate in order to assist the other party’s investigations of sports rule violations and criminal offences, respectively. However, the exchange of intelligence between sports organisations and law enforcement may cause some legal tension. If the same misconduct of athletes leads to both internal sports investigations and criminal proceedings, athletes could be forced to provide self-incriminating information in internal sports organisations, which could then be subsequently transmitted to law enforcement. This system of intelligence gathering raises serious concerns regarding the procedural fairness thereof, keeping in mind the detrimental effects for sportspersons under investigations. A closer look is thus necessary to the legitimacy of the exchange of intelligence. Therefore, the aim of this article is to shed some light on this issue and clarify if and under what conditions internally obtained evidence can be passed on to law enforcement agencies.


Author(s):  
M. John Foster

AbstractIn essence firms or companies are usually thought to exist to make products for or provide services of some sort to third parties, other companies or individuals. The philosophical question which naturally arises then is ‘to the benefit of whom should a firm’s activities be aimed?’ Possible answers include the owners of the firm, the firm’s employees or wider society, the firm’s local community or their host nation. It is because of firms’ location within a wider society that the issue of corporate social responsibility arises. The issue is do they contribute in a positive way to the fabric of society. In this paper we conduct an exploratory investigation whose research questions, broadly, are whether there is public evidence of corporate social responsibility activity by firms listed in the UK and to what extent, if any, such activities may amount to genuinely socially responsible management by the firms. We examined the most up to date annual reports of a split sample of 36 firms listed in the FTSE 350. The short answers to the two research questions above are: to some degree and no by some margin, based on data from the sample firms.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Lipski

Increasingly aware of the advantages and rewards of corporate social responsibility (CSR), more small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are interested in engaging in CSR. This book focuses on the German Mittelstand, which consists mostly of SMEs and is considered a role model for other economies. It examines the development of CSR engagement in the German Mittelstand and outlines trends that will allow better recommendations for CSR implementation. The positive trend toward the issue leads to the necessity of a structured CSR approach. Thus, this book offers an overview of important theoretical perspectives, an analysis of the CSR development in the German Mittelstand, and strategic considerations for a successful CSR implementation. With a foreword by Olga Kuznetsova.


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