The Relation Between Corporate Philanthropy and Territorial Development in Brazil: Mapping the Corporate Social Managers’ Perspectives

Research objective: To characterize and to discuss corporate social investment focused on territorial development in Brazil. Theoretical framework: Corporate philanthropy and corporate community relations. Methodology: Narrative approach based on a two-fold data collection strategy: semi-structured interviews and a focus group. Results: Three main narratives to make sense of the role of corporate social investment in fostering territorial development: (i) institutional capabilities and social participation; (ii) and aligning of corporate social investment to public policies; and (iii) shared value and social license to operate. Originality: A comprehensive understanding of the territorial approach for development projects implemented by corporate social investors in Brazil. Theoretical and practical contributions: Contributions to the literature about corporate philanthropy, corporate community relations and, about the territorial development agenda in Brazil. Practical implications on the roles and responsibilities of businesses and its impacts on territorial development and, on the other hand, of the corporate social investor and its contribution to the development of the localities where a company operates.

Give, and it shall be given unto you? The effects of corporate philanthropy on reputation following natural disasters

<p>Conventional logic suggests that businesses should look inwards following natural disasters to ensure employee welfare, and minimise disruptions to operations. However, disasters afford the opportunity to administer corporate philanthropy to affected communities, providing a non- reciprocal gift of money or in-kind services. Philanthropic aid results in commercial benefits for firms, including strengthened financial performance, employee motivation, and reputation. While businesses are increasingly cognisant of their moral responsibilities, few studies examine consumer reactions to corporate philanthropy during a disaster. This research aims to address gaps in extant knowledge, examining the impact of non-reciprocal giving on consumer perceptions of corporate reputation. Further, it seeks to better understand the effect of consumer scepticism and ethnocentrism on evaluations of giving. Three studies were employed to satisfy the research objectives, utilising a between-subjects experimental design. Study 1A manipulates types of corporate responses after the 2016 Kaikōura 7.8-magnitude earthquake (monetary, voluntary time, forgoing giving to recover internally), and measures consumer scepticism. The results demonstrate that monetary and employee time donations have an equivalent positive impact on perceptions of reputation. Forgoing philanthropy is viewed significantly worse, leading to negative evaluations of reputation. Low scepticism consumers assess reputation more positively than those suspicious of the corporate motives for giving. Focusing on employee voluntary time, Study 1B shows that philanthropy administered by companies suffering adverse impacts to operations garner more positive evaluations of reputation than uninterrupted organisations. Study 2 compares domestic (2016 Kaikōura earthquake) and overseas relief (2018 New Caledonia earthquake), measuring the impact of ethnocentrism on preferences for giving. Interestingly, there are no differences in evaluations between high and low ethnocentrism consumers in each geographic context. The overall findings suggest that companies should look beyond their own interests following disasters, administering non-reciprocal giving to generate reputational benefits. Moreover, firms suffering direct adverse impacts are uniquely positioned to generate the strongest reputation gains from giving, fostering moral capital through selfless offerings. Although, sceptical consumer predispositions dilute such benefits, suggesting that businesses cannot simply rely on giving as a panacea to reputational concerns. A natural disaster context also suspends the influence of ethnocentrism on geographic preferences for philanthropy, meaning managers should assess the perceived needs of benefactors when determining where to give.</p>

Give, and it shall be given unto you? The effects of corporate philanthropy on reputation following natural disasters

<p>Conventional logic suggests that businesses should look inwards following natural disasters to ensure employee welfare, and minimise disruptions to operations. However, disasters afford the opportunity to administer corporate philanthropy to affected communities, providing a non- reciprocal gift of money or in-kind services. Philanthropic aid results in commercial benefits for firms, including strengthened financial performance, employee motivation, and reputation. While businesses are increasingly cognisant of their moral responsibilities, few studies examine consumer reactions to corporate philanthropy during a disaster. This research aims to address gaps in extant knowledge, examining the impact of non-reciprocal giving on consumer perceptions of corporate reputation. Further, it seeks to better understand the effect of consumer scepticism and ethnocentrism on evaluations of giving. Three studies were employed to satisfy the research objectives, utilising a between-subjects experimental design. Study 1A manipulates types of corporate responses after the 2016 Kaikōura 7.8-magnitude earthquake (monetary, voluntary time, forgoing giving to recover internally), and measures consumer scepticism. The results demonstrate that monetary and employee time donations have an equivalent positive impact on perceptions of reputation. Forgoing philanthropy is viewed significantly worse, leading to negative evaluations of reputation. Low scepticism consumers assess reputation more positively than those suspicious of the corporate motives for giving. Focusing on employee voluntary time, Study 1B shows that philanthropy administered by companies suffering adverse impacts to operations garner more positive evaluations of reputation than uninterrupted organisations. Study 2 compares domestic (2016 Kaikōura earthquake) and overseas relief (2018 New Caledonia earthquake), measuring the impact of ethnocentrism on preferences for giving. Interestingly, there are no differences in evaluations between high and low ethnocentrism consumers in each geographic context. The overall findings suggest that companies should look beyond their own interests following disasters, administering non-reciprocal giving to generate reputational benefits. Moreover, firms suffering direct adverse impacts are uniquely positioned to generate the strongest reputation gains from giving, fostering moral capital through selfless offerings. Although, sceptical consumer predispositions dilute such benefits, suggesting that businesses cannot simply rely on giving as a panacea to reputational concerns. A natural disaster context also suspends the influence of ethnocentrism on geographic preferences for philanthropy, meaning managers should assess the perceived needs of benefactors when determining where to give.</p>

BOARD COMPOSITION AND CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS RELATED TO CORONAVIRUS 2019 DISEASE: A REVIEW

The spread of COVID-19 has led to unexpected impacts on the country. Not only health, but the pandemic also affects the social, educational, and economic aspects which need some attention by the government as well as corporate citizens. As a group of individuals who govern the direction of a company, the board of directors plays an important role in shaping the company's philanthropic policy, especially in the challenging COVID-19 pandemic environment. Through the review of relevant literature, particularly to corporate governance and corporate philanthropy, this article discusses how the diversity of board members can influence decisions on the determination of COVID-19 related corporate contributions. Determining the type and amount of contributions to relevant recipients is crucial, particularly for groups of stakeholders who are really in need. Thus, relevant and diverse backgrounds of board members are able to bring wider perspectives and points of view as well as the understanding of the problems and needs of different stakeholders. Diversity in terms of education, experience, gender, and community influence is believed to bring different contributions in tackling problems posed by COVID-19. The discussion in this article contributes to the enrichment of the corporate philanthropy literature. It also gives the industry a perspective on the composition of the company's board of directors.

Community norms and corporate philanthropy: the moderating role of women on board of directors

PurposeThis study examines how community norms, such as religious atmosphere and economic pressures, affect corporate philanthropic giving. Grounded in upper echelon theory, the authors further focus on how the women on board of directors (BODs) play an important role in the relationship between community norms and corporate philanthropic giving.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilizes a two-stage Heckman selection model to control the sample-selection bias. The final sample includes 8,566 observations for the first stage and 5,575 observations for the second stage. Then, by using a sample of Chinese listed firms in 2010–2014, this study establishes a strong and robust support for the hypotheses.FindingsThis study finds that religious atmosphere is significantly and positively associated with corporate philanthropic giving, whereas the relationship between economic pressure and corporate philanthropy is negative. Furthermore, women on BODs not only strengthen the relationship between religious atmosphere and corporate philanthropic giving but also strengthen the relationship between economic pressure and corporate philanthropic giving.Originality/valueFirst, the authors contribute to community literature by developing a subdivided perspective. The authors provide the first attempt to empirically investigate the hidden association between the two perspectives of community (religious atmosphere and economic pressure) and corporate philanthropic giving. Second, the authors contribute to the literature on corporate philanthropy by expanding the antecedents of corporate philanthropic giving to communities where firms are headquartered. Third, by capturing the multiple identities of women, the authors enrich the study of the influence of minority groups on corporate decision-making. The authors find that gender diversity on BODs strengthen the influence of community norms on corporate philanthropic giving.

The UN Global Compact: Corporate Social Responsibility in India and Russia

This chapter compares participation of NGOs from India and Russia in the UN Global Compact (UNGC). It identifies a puzzling difference: Indian NGOs have joined the UNGC with equal enthusiasm to Indian companies, while Russian companies vastly outnumber NGOs. The UNGC is an example of a governance initiative that attracted robust NGO participation at first, but offers relatively low authority and lacks specific tools for NGOs to engage in domestic mediation and participate in decision-making, which may lead to stagnation. In addition, competing domestic CSR initiatives may provide alternative venues for NGOs and business actors that disperse their participation. However, domestic government policy measures may stimulate NGOs’ engagement with parallel global governance institutions. Indian NGO mediation efforts have been more effective than those of Russian NGOs due to different industrial profiles and export orientations, domestic government policies on CSR, and traditions of corporate philanthropy.