scholarly journals Social Media in Communicating about Social and Environmental Issues—Non-Financial Reports in Poland

Information ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 220
Author(s):  
Ewa Stawicka ◽  
Joanna Paliszkiewicz

The main purpose of this article is to analyze the dissemination of social reports among entrepreneurs in order to determine the number of reporting organizations and examples in which Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) areas enterprises report. We analyze the dissemination of social reports among entrepreneurs in Poland and determine the number of reporting organizations and examples in which CSR companies report. This work is a guide for entrepreneurs in Poland to build strategies and activities for transparency and communicating good practice. One of the research goals was to identify and evaluate communication activities with stakeholders in terms of responsible activities, social and environmental. The data analysis comes from a detailed literature review and the Responsible Business Forum (FOB) Reports database for 2008–2019 in Poland. The results of the survey show that many entrepreneurs in Poland, representing small, medium-sized (SME), and even large enterprises underestimate the importance of socially responsible activities. Entrepreneurs communicate with stakeholders to a limited extent and are not informed about good practices. The vast majority of the surveyed enterprises, especially large ones, prepare social reports, which result from obligation: requirements of Directive 2014/95/EU. The SME sector shows a lack of knowledge and uses individual marketing communication tools to a limited extent, limiting itself to advertising activities (very few companies prepare social reports). The article is a practical tip for enterprises showing the impact of business on changes towards sustainable development. Originality/value lies in the fact that the article presents selected research results on various aspects related to social reporting and communicating social and environmental activities to stakeholders.

Management ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-79
Author(s):  
Edyta Spodarczyk

Abstract It is assumed that the idea of corporate social responsibility implemented by an enterprise will be appreciated by consumers. Consumers will be more willing to choose offers and support initiatives of socially responsible companies. Social responsibility, as a distinguishing mark used in positioning an enterprise (brand), also aims to contribute to building the loyalty of consumers who will be characterised, among others, by lower price sensitivity, and in their purchasing decisions they will be guided by the company’s positive image. The above assumptions are partly correct. According to numerous studies, consumers favour socially responsible companies. They declare positive attitudes towards such enterprises and their good practices. The problem is that consumer activity in supporting responsible companies is often limited to declarations. The fact that the costs of social responsibility, as manifested in a higher price, are mainly to be borne by consumers is not emphasised. It turns out that good practices accompanying the offer (brand) are not always an important selection criterion for the consumer. The purpose of the article is to attempt to define determinants of an effective impact of corporate social responsibility on consumer behaviour. By an effective impact, the author understands that corporate social responsibility is an important criterion for the choice of an offer by the consumer. The article presents a review of selected studies on the impact of social responsibility on consumer behaviour. The empirical part describes a pilot study in which an attempt was made to identify the reasons for the lack of an effective impact of social responsibility on consumer behaviour. Respondents’ opinions on measures to increase the effectiveness of the impact of social responsibility on consumer behaviour were also obtained.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Duygu Turker ◽  
Y. Serkan Ozmen

PurposeThis study aims to analyze how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives address sustainability challenges by focusing on the congruence between process and outcome variables of CSR.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a theory-driven model, a content analysis was conducted on 63 award-winning social responsibility projects.FindingsThe study reveals that the adoption of a proactive approach during environmental assessment, which manifests itself in a focus on emerging sustainability challenges with a deeper interest, affects the centrality of social responsibility initiative by increasing its learning and partnership potential and leads organizations to produce radical innovations.Practical implicationsThe findings provide a valuable understanding for practitioners on organizing the decision making process of CSR initiatives in order to unlock its learning potentials.Social implicationsRadically innovative projects with their higher levels of proactivity, centrality and generalizability are better than incremental ones at transferring and integrating company resources and capabilities to address emergent sustainability challenges.Originality/valueThe impact of CSR on society and nature has been a neglected area of literature. To reduce this gap, this study analyzes how the configuration of process variables shapes the outcomes of socially responsible initiatives on sustainability. It also provides a new typology on the relevance of CSR initiatives to company mission/model that can show how CSR can unlock organizational learning and innovation potentials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Landi ◽  
Mauro Sciarelli

Purpose This paper fits in a research field dealing with the impact of Corporate Ethics Assessment on Financial Performance. The authors argue how environmental, social and governance (ESG) paradigm, meant to measure corporate social performance by rating issuance, can impact on abnormal returns of Italian firms listed on Financial Times Stock Exchange Milano Indice di Borsa (FTSE MIB) Index, developing a panel data analysis which runs from 2007 to 2015. Design/methodology/approach This study aims at exploring whether socially responsible investors outperform an excess market return on Italian Stock Exchange because of their investment behavior, testing statistically the relationship between the yearly ESG assessment issued by Standard Ethics Agency on FTSE MIB’s companies and their abnormal returns. To verify the impact of an ESG Rating on a company’s abnormal return, the authors developed a panel data analysis through a Fixed Effects Model. They measured abnormal returns via Fama–French approach, running a yearly Jensen’s Performance Index for each company under investigation. Findings The empirical results denote in Italy both a growing interest to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability by managers over the past decade, as well as an improving quality in ESG assessments because of a reliable corporate disclosure. Thus, despite investors have been applying ESG criteria in their stock – picking operations, the authors found a not positive and statistically significant impact in terms of market premium, when they have been undertaking a socially responsible investment (SRI). Practical implications The findings described above show that ethics is not yet a reliable fundraising tool for Italian-listed companies, despite SRIs having a positive growth rate over past decade. Investors seem to be not pricing CSR on Stock Exchange Market; therefore, listed companies cannot be rewarded with a premium price because of their highly stakeholder oriented behavior. Originality/value This paper explores, for the first time in Italy, when market extra-returns (if any) are related to corporate social performance and how managers leverage ethics to build capital added value.


Author(s):  
Marina Guzovski ◽  

Given the fact that we are in a time of uncertainty, when we cannot predict how a coronavirus-induced pandemic will affect community life, socially responsible behaviour as well as the impact of socially responsible marketing come to the fore in particular. The goal of socially responsible marketing is to educate and take actions that will positively affect the change of behaviour, and all participants from business entities to individuals must be aware of their responsible behaviour towards themselves and others in order to improve well-being and benefit the society we live in. The paper presents models of socially responsible marketing communication in the "new normal" as well as their impact on raising awareness of responsible behaviour and the adoption of new habits among consumers.


Author(s):  
Daria Murawska

Local communities are one of the important areas in the perspective of social development in the 21st century. Enterprises increasingly identify them as key stakeholder. This process is visible especially in companies that declare that they operate in a socially responsible manner. Currently, non-financial reports, which present key data on the achievements and priorities of activities in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), become one of the basic tools of corporate communication. Non-financial reports are prepared based on standards and guidelines developed by independent international organizations and associations. The article verifies two aspects of addressing the subject of local communities in non-financial reports. First, it was analyzed to what extent the adopted standards require organizations to report in detail their activities for or with the participation of local communities, and then to what extent companies communicate their activities concerning local communities.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Farooq ◽  
Amna Noor

Purpose This study aims to explore the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the likelihood of financial distress for a sample of 139 Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) listed firms throughout 2008–2019. Design/methodology/approach The dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator is used to examine the impact of CSR on financial distress. The investment in CSR is measured through a multidimensional financial approach which comprises the sum of the contribution made by the company in the form of charitable donation, employees’ welfare and research and development, while the Altman Z-score is used as an indicator of financial distress. The higher the Z-score, the lower will be the probability of financial distress. Findings The authors find a significant positive impact of CSR on financial distress in GMM model. This finding is consistent with the shareholder view and over-investment hypothesis of CSR as management makes an investment in CSR to get personal benefits, which resultantly leads the firm toward financial distress state. Further, this positive relationship remains present for firms having strong involvement in foreign business through exports. Research limitations/implications Like other studies, the present study is not free from limitations. First, financial firms are skipped from the sample, although literature witnesses a lot of studies highlight the financial firms’ commitment to achieving CSR goals. Second, financial distress occurs in different stages, and this study fails to establish a linkage between CSR engagement at different stages of financial distress. In the future, researchers can make valuable addition by covering these missing links in present studies. Practical implications Findings suggest several practical implications. For policymakers, they should encourage firms to adopt more socially responsible behavior as it not only prevents them from distress but also comes with better investment behavior, minimize bankruptcies and make economies more strong and stable. Second, results suggest corporate managers emphasize socially responsible behavior as its benefits are beyond the “societal benefits” as it lessens financial distress through lower cost of debt, lesser financial constraints and reduced cost of information asymmetry, and it minimizes the cost of capital. Lastly, investors make risk premium assessments related to future earnings by determining the likelihood of financial distress in the future. Originality/value The study extends the body of existing literature on CSR and the likelihood of financial distress in Pakistan, which is according to the best knowledge of the authors, not yet studied before. The results suggest that policymakers may pay special attention to the quality of CSR while predicting corporate financial distress.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jintao Lu ◽  
Licheng Ren ◽  
Jiayuan Qiao ◽  
Siqin Yao ◽  
Wadim Strielkowski ◽  
...  

This paper focuses on the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its relationship with sustainability. The authors investigate the linkages between CSR and sustainability at both enterprise and country levels. The main focus of this study is the energy sector due to its importance in terms of economic, environmental, and social impacts. There are some doubts as to whether a socially responsible business meets public welfare expectations and fosters the country’s social and economic development, as well as the successful achievement of sustainable development objectives. However, it becomes apparent that the development of corporate social responsibility in the energy sector faces a plethora of challenges. Corruption is one of the most important challenges of sustainable energy development. The study analyzes the main areas of CSR policies where energy companies are expected to make a positive contribution to sustainable energy development: mitigation of environmental impact, economic and social development, and good governance. The authors argue that the corruption risks represent a very important issue that is hampering sustainable energy development, and CSR can be applied to mitigate these risks in the energy sector. In addition, government policies might be necessary to create a favorable environment for corruption risk mitigation. The study analyzes the main tools of corporate social responsibility in the energy sector and addresses the impact of CSR on the sustainability of energy sector and corruption risk mitigation. The study analyzes a corruption risk mitigation model in the energy sector and provides recommendations for strengthening corporate social responsibility and mitigating corruption risk. Our results show that CSR can play a vital role in dealing with corruption in the energy sector at the enterprise level. It becomes apparent that anti-corruption standards represent the main supporting means for achieving other CSR goals and principles. Therefore, mitigation of corruption risks should become a priority for socially responsible companies that are operating in the energy sector.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Smith ◽  
Peter Langford

AbstractThis paper critically reviews and analyses the empirical and theoretical literature relating to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs and their impact on the attitudes and behaviours of consumers. Given the increasingly important and influential role that corporations are playing in society, this review considers the contrasting arguments surrounding the extent to which a well-designed and implemented CSR program will impact consumers. In doing so, this review improves our understanding of the importance of corporate socially responsible action and identifies gaps in the field of CSR research that need to be addressed in order to help organizations more effectively adopt CSR programs.


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