Strategically leveraging corporate social responsibility

orporate social responsibility (CSR) is changing the rules of branding but it is unclear how. While the literature offers a range of approaches seeking insight to how to manage CSR-related issues, practitioners are left in a state of confusion when having to decide on how to tackle CSR in a way that benefits both the corporate brand and society at large. based on qualitative empirical research, this article offers a framework for companies to address CSR and their brands strategically, whether as entrepreneurs, performers, vocal converts, or quietly conscientious. We define these categories according to the level of involvement, integration, and the key initiator of the CSR focus. This article concludes with suggestions practitioners should keep in mind when aiming to balance stakeholder tensions and to achieve consistency in their corporate branding and CSR efforts

Integration and communication of CSR principles by IKEA. An analysis of the influence of and on external stakeholders

In spite of the rising influence of NGOs, the impact of CSR implementation and communication on NGOs’ perceptions and attitudes is rarely evoked. Moreover, empirical studies generally take into account one category of stakeholder at a time, preventing analysts from examining the likely differential impacts of CSR on distinct categories of stakeholders. In this context, this paper proposes (1) to analyze how different external and ubiquitous stakeholders can influence the development of CSR commitments and (2) to assess the impact of CSR commitments and communications on those stakeholders, by using an integrative framework aimed at providing an integrated stakeholder orientation for a step by step implementation of CSR (Maignan et al., 2005). Our analyses are based on an in-depth case study of IKEA and its main stakeholders: trade unions, customers, partner NGOs, organizations having blamed IKEA on CSR matters, local public authorities, organizations protecting small businesses, and specialized organizations dedicated to consultancy, promotion, and monitoring of CSR practices. Because of its continuous pressure on price and sub-contractors from developing countries, IKEA stands in a good position to run up against the sensitivity of alter globalization protesters. But in the same time, IKEA is seldom blamed on its CSR practices. Our results show how stakeholders can influence the development of CSR policies by conveying their societal expectations, by publicly blaming corporate behaviours considered as irresponsible or by entering in a collaborative and constructive relationship with the company. This case study also highlights the complexity of the corporate decisions related to CSR practices and communication, as well as the central role played by scepticism in the construction of CSRbased attitudes towards the company. By not involving stakeholders enough, IKEA’s CSR policy is gauged as too unilateral, what leads to a certain stakeholders’ scepticism about IKEA’s CSR practices. And IKEA is criticized for adopting a low profile in terms of CSR communication

One vision, different paths: an investigation of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Europe

This comparative study explores 499 corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives implemented by 178 corporations in five distinct, institutionally consistent European clusters. This study provides an empirically grounded response to calls to develop comprehensive, nuanced pictures of CSR in the composite European business environment. In so doing, the article stresses three distinct, non-exclusive approaches that characterize the embedding of CSR considerations in corporations’ strategies across Europe and the CSR challenges for corporations operating in different socio-political contexts. Furthermore, the study reaffirms the CSR notion as a contextualized concept, shaped by socio-political drivers, and contributes by bridging macro-level, socio-political facets of CSR with its meso-level, organizational implications

Thinking of the organization as a system: the role of managerial perceptions in developing a corporate social responsibility strategic agenda

The societal issues conveyed to the organization by its internal and external stakeholders can be various and often conflicting. Consequently, organizations confront difficulties when attempting to identify the range of relevant societal issues they must prioritize to design corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. This article proposes a conceptual framework to clarify the processes that underlie the emergence, prioritization and integration of CSR issues into organizational goals. Specifically, this article uses systems thinking, CSR, and organizational interpretation theories to highlight the central influence of top managers' perceptions on the development of CSR strategic agendas

One vision, different paths: an investigation of corporate social responsibility initiatives in Europe

This comparative study explores 499 corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives implemented by 178 corporations in five distinct, institutionally consistent European clusters. This study provides an empirically grounded response to calls to develop comprehensive, nuanced pictures of CSR in the composite European business environment. In so doing, the article stresses three distinct, non-exclusive approaches that characterize the embedding of CSR considerations in corporations’ strategies across Europe and the CSR challenges for corporations operating in different socio-political contexts. Furthermore, the study reaffirms the CSR notion as a contextualized concept, shaped by socio-political drivers, and contributes by bridging macro-level, socio-political facets of CSR with its meso-level, organizational implications

Investigating the drivers of corporate social responsibility in the global tea supply chain: a case study of Eastern Produce Limited in Malawi

Using a case study of the tea producer Eastern Produce Malawi, this research investigates which factors which influence companies upstream in the global supply chains to adopt a corporate social responsibility (CSR) agenda. Although external pressures, such as demands from Western consumers or international organizations and their related initiatives, may have shaped Eastern Produce Malawi's CSR agenda, strong internal organizational contingencies, including transformational leaders who recognize the significance of ethical issues and strong organizational values, led it to adopt this CSR agenda in practice. This study underscores the significance of using an integrative framework to explain various CSR drivers for companies. It concludes with managerial and public policy implications, as well as areas for further research

Corporate social responsibility brand leadership: a multiple case study

Purpose – The purpose of this empirical case study is to apply several existing frameworks to consider the notion of integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) with a brand leadership strategy. The investigation focuses on two main questions: What are the core components for the development of a CSR brand? What capabilities are necessary to implement a CSR-related brand strategy? Design/methodology/approach – Five firms provide input for a multiple case-based approach. Findings – Intuitive and intended approaches for CSR brand leadership emerge from the multiple case study results. Different capabilities are required at each stage of the development and implementation process for CSR brand leadership. Research limitations/implications – This research extends three prior studies – Aaker and Joachimsthaler's brand leadership framework, Maon et al.'s proposed integrative framework for designing and implementing CSR, and Beverland et al.'s capabilities view on the development of global brand leadership – and fills a theoretical gap. Practical implications – Managers can use the proposed integrated and implementable framework to determine the impact of dynamic factors, such as ownership, culture, executive leadership, and the specific context of product and corporate branding, on the development and implementation of their CSR brand. Originality/value – No studies examine how to leverage CSR in brand-building activities. Specifically, no empirically grounded research examines the required path to create and manage CSR brands and associated benefits, nor is the number of capabilities required to develop a credible CSR brand clear. Comprehensive models of the processes for developing and implementing CSR brands and the capabilities that underlie them are needed. The proposed model emphasizes the contextualized need to rely on different capabilities at different stages of this development process to generate constructive and sustainable outcomes

Reclaiming the child left behind: the case for corporate cultural responsibility

Although a reasonable understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) exists, one dimension remains largely ignored. That is, the cultural impacts of corporations, or the bearing, at various levels of their business models, activities, and outcomes on the value systems and enduring beliefs of affected people. We introduce the notion of corporate cultural responsibility (CCR). The way corporations address CCR concerns can be reflected according to three stances: cultural destructiveness, cultural carelessness, and cultural prowess. Taken sequentially, they reflect a growing comprehension and increasingly active consideration of CCR concerns by corporations. In turn, we explicitly address issues related to the complex question of determining the cultural responsibilities of corporate actors; specify key CCR-related conceptualizations; and lay a foundation for discussions, debates, and research efforts centered on CCR concerns and rationales

Toward the stakeholder company : essays on the role of organizational culture, interaction, and change in the pursuit of corporate social responsibility

Companies are ever more expected to acknowledge their ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR). Beyond their profit objectives, they are not only increasingly exhorted to address social and environmental issues associated with their business activities but also asked to play a constructive role in fighting against problems such as human misery and global ecological deterioration. Despite their rising importance in the conduct of business, the dynamic and necessarily multipartite processes underlying the integration of CSR in corporate strategies and operations – or CSR development processes – are still under-explored. In this context, the central objective of this dissertation is to contribute to a better comprehension of these processes. For this purpose, we introduce a threefold perspective on CSR development. We first adopt a company-focused approach to explain the interconnections between CSR development and cultural and organizational adaptations of companies. Then we focus on the stakeholder side of CSR development to analyze the nature of stakeholders’ motivation to influence CSR development at companies and the strategies they use to do so. Finally, we bring together company- and stakeholder-focused perspectives to propose an integrative view of the CSR development phenomenon and conceptualize it as an ongoing, socially co-constructed process. Overall, the five essays composing this dissertation offer prescriptive and descriptive models aimed at advancing the understanding and development of socially responsible business practices.(IAG 3) -- UCL, 201

Not All Claps and Cheers: Humor in Business and Society Relationships

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