Exploring Perceptions of Customer Value: The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives in the European Telecommunications Industry

Purpose - This paper develops a framework that describes and explains how corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are perceived by customers and links customer perception to the notion of customer value perception. In order to explore customer value conception firstly, the perception of CSR initiatives is investigated; secondly, indications for the value enhancing effects of CSR initiatives are studied, and finally, the varying effects which different value categories can have on customer attitudes and behaviour are extracted. Design/methodology/approach - The data consists of twelve semi-structured interviews with customers of European telecommunication companies. Findings - The results suggest that CSR initiatives, when communicated efficiently and considered as relevant by customers, will in the main enhance two customer value categories: (1) the extrinsic self-oriented value defined as efficiency and excellence and (2) the intrinsic other-oriented value pertaining to ethics or spirituality. Enhancement of extrinsic selforiented value imbeds the potential of CSR initiatives to affect customers’ purchase behaviour and thus strengthen ethical consumerism within the telecommunications industry. Research limitations/implications – The main implication for research is a better understanding of the relationship between customer perception and customer value perception in the field of ethical consumerism. Focusing on one industry for the study can be named as a limitation. Practical implications – As indicated by the research results by customers prioritised CSR initiative can affect the customer value perception, mainly the extrinsic/self-oriented value. If the company is aiming to change customer behaviour and to strengthen ethical consumerism, it is important that the customer experience of CSR initiatives improve excellence (quality) and/or efficiency of the product/service. Originality/value – This paper fulfils an identified need of research on how CSR initiatives can influence consumer behaviour

Advancing the sustainable development goals: evidence from leading European banks

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) reflect grand challenges the global community needs to address in order to ensure economic welfare, environmental quality as well as social cohesion and prosperity for future generations. In this respect, the role of the banking sector, among other critical business entities and key stakeholders, is vital. The purpose of our paper is to examine how comprehensively the reported performance of banks aligns with the endorsement of the SDGs. We employ the well-established framework of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) performance indicators for a comparative assessment of the nonfinancial performance disclosed in the annual sustainability reports. Focusing on a small sample of leading European banks, we find an overall low contribution to the SDGs. Furthermore, each bank’s contribution remains particularly heterogeneous towards most individual SDG goals. Likewise, bank-specific strategies drive the most extensively addressed SDGs, overlooking any critical importance of certain GRI indicators with multifaceted impact across several SDGs. The study sets forth managerial implications for improving effective reporting of SDG performance. It concludes with emerging opportunities for enhancing disclosure of SDGs contribution and highlights future research perspectives towards industry-wide shared-value appraisal under the scope of these pressing grand challenges

SDG 4 quality education: governing education for sustainable development: towards inclusive and equitable quality education

This chapter provides a contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 4, Quality Education (SDG 4), through analysing stakeholder partnerships and collaboration for the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It argues that a better understanding of limiting and fostering factors preventing greater collaboration for ESD is required in order to meet the targets set by SDG 4 which advocates for Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education. This chapter provides a multilevel governance analysis (global, national and institutional) on ESD and key stakeholders’ perceptions on limiting and fostering factors in collaborative governance for ESD. This manuscript also increases our understanding of whether ESD policy developed at the international level can be imagined at the national, institutional and local levels and highlights the factors involved in collaboration for ESD. This hopefully helps us understand how to develop rhetoric that can advance from policy to impact. Conclusions drawn from these analyses highlight key inconsistencies and gaps that resulted from incompatible perspectives and motivations for realizing ESD at all levels of governance

Training Teachers to Become Effective Life Design \u2018Agents of Change\u2019: Suggestions and Directions for Future Actions

Several efforts have been devoted in the last decades to identify the essential skills, knowledge, attitudes and values that characterize inclusive teachers and to develop training programmes and curricula that take all this into account. According to the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, teachers are also called to renew their visions and skills in order to provide career education to all their students, thus promoting positive development and reducing the risks of complex transitions. After reviewing the most relevant literature, this chapter deals basically with the question of the relevance and the feasibility of training teachers to become effective life designing agents of change and prevention. Conceptual bases currently relevant are described together with possible steps and actions suggested by past and recent Italian experiences for positively addressing these issues

Sustainability and accountability in Higher Education Institutions

Social Responsibility (SR) assumes a voluntary character of the organizations towards the impacts of their decisions and activities in society and the environment, through a transparent and ethical behaviour that contributes to Sustainable Development (SD). Like companies, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) should promote social responsibility as part of the mission, vision, and the strategy of the university. The concept of University Social Responsibility (USR) is very explored in the literature, but there isn’t a single definition. Universities should commit to the development of curricular/ extracurricular activities to improve students' educational level and skills in sustainability. It should also support studies/research programs on SR, as well as publish their impacts on SD. HEIs need to be able to assess their social/environmental impacts and to review their strategies towards the SD. Therefore, the disclosure of SD/sustainability information is a key element in the transparency and accountability of HEIs. The aim of this chapter is to explore the role of HEIs in favor of sustainability through the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), analyzing the accountability of sustainability in higher education

Trauma and parenting: Considering humanitarian crisis contexts

This chapter uses a risk and resilience framework to examine three humanitarian crisis contexts (natural disasters, war exposure, and forced displacement) that represent potentially traumatic events in the lives of children around the world. For each context, the existing research relating to: adverse child mental health outcomes; risk and protective factors (at the level of the individual child/youth, parent/family, and community); and parenting interventions is reviewed. Although parenting interventions are frequently recommended for families in each of the three settings, very little empirical research has been conducted to date. Across the three humanitarian crisis contexts, common risk factors for adverse child outcomes include exposure to trauma for children and parents, parental mental health, changes in parenting behaviors, hardships and financial stress, domestic and community violence, and a lack of accessible services. Equally important, common protective factors include stable supportive parental relationships, strong family connectedness, and sustainable resources available to support families. The importance of parents—in terms of both risk and resilience—is clear. Few culturally appropriate and sustainable parenting interventions exist, with even less published research evaluating these interventions. Strengthening families is an empirically supported means of buffering or protecting children from exposure to disaster, conflict, and forced displacement; and must be the focus of future endeavors