Cultures as Determinants of Innovation - An Evidence from European Context

Cultural studies have played a major role for a better understanding of innovation. In particular, cultural variables have always been integrated in innovation studies at different levels. Referring to Hofstede´s alytical framework, we thereby analyze how different cultural factors may concretely impact innovation at national levels. Data of Hofstede´s cultural dimension and innovation are derived from secondary data sources. 34 European countries with comprehensive scores of cultural dimensions and innovation indexes are finally applied in this study. The data are analysed through correlation test and multiple regression analysis. The correlation testhighlighted the importance of low power distance, individualism and low uncertainty avoidance, and the multiple regression analysis revealed the importance of power distance and long-term orientation that foster innovation in Europe. Finally, limitations of the proposed theoreticalarchitecture are discussed and potential consequences for further research are formulated

Different Talks with Different Folks: A Comparative Survey of Stakeholder Dialog in Germany, Italy, and the U.S.

Although theoretical underpinnings of stakeholder dialog (SD) have been extensively discussed in the extant literature, there is a lack of empirical studies presenting evidence on the SD initiatives undertaken by firms. In this article, we provide information about 294 SD initiatives collected through a content analysis of the sustainability reports published by large firms in Germany, Italy, and the U.S. In addition to a country-based description of the different forms, stakeholder categories, and topics of the SD initiatives, we explore the relationship between SD and characteristics of national business systems. Overall, we find firms undertake few SD initiatives, using low-involvement forms of dialog, and focusing on one category of stakeholders per initiative. Results suggest that the explicit approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) favors the quantity of SD initiatives, but neglects the importance of the level of involvement and diversity of stakeholders participating at the dialog. Finally, we find public policies on CSR have a substantial influence on SD in national business systems with an implicit approach to CSR. Public policies based on a shared discussion involving multiple social actors encourage SD initiatives that use different forms of dialog and are characterized by high level of involvement. Our findings offer contributions to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of SD and its relationship with CSR

Stakeholder Dialogue Practices. An international comparison

The paper discussed the impact of institutional context on stakeholder dialogue in listed firms

Different Talks with Different Folks: A Comparative Survey of Stakeholder Dialog in Germany, Italy, and the U.S.

Although theoretical underpinnings of stakeholder dialog (SD) have been extensively discussed in the extant literature, there is a lack of empirical studies presenting evidence on the SD initiatives undertaken by firms. In this article, we provide information about 294 SD initiatives collected through a content analysis of the sustainability reports published by large firms in Germany, Italy, and the U.S. In addition to a country-based description of the different forms, stakeholder categories, and topics of the SD initiatives, we explore the relationship between SD and characteristics of national business systems. Overall, we find firms undertake few SD initiatives, using low-involvement forms of dialog, and focusing on one category of stakeholders per initiative. Results suggest that the explicit approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) favors the quantity of SD initiatives, but neglects the importance of the level of involvement and diversity of stakeholders participating at the dialog. Finally, we find public policies on CSR have a substantial influence on SD in national business systems with an implicit approach to CSR. Public policies based on a shared discussion involving multiple social actors encourage SD initiatives that use different forms of dialog and are characterized by high level of involvement. Our findings offer contributions to the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of SD and its relationship with CSR

Aktive Buerger foerdern

Inhaltsverzeichnis: Marie-Luise Doett: Starker Buerger - starker Staat. Schule - soziales Netzwerk des 21. Jahrhunderts (5-9); Andre Habisch: Wege der Mitverantwortung - gesellschaftliches Engagement heute (10-17); Angela Merkel: Freiwillige Buergerarbeit fuer eine demokratische Gesellschaft (18-27); Christa Thoben: Buergerfreundliche Kommunen und Ehrenamt (28-31)Available from http://www.kas.de/db files/dokumente/zukunftsforum politik/7 dokument dok pdf 188.pdf / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman