Special issue on corporate social responsibility in food and agriculture

Citation

(2011), "Special issue on corporate social responsibility in food and agriculture", British Food Journal, Vol. 113 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj.2011.070113baa.001

Special issue on corporate social responsibility in food and agriculture

Article Type: Call for papers From: British Food Journal, Volume 113, Issue 2

The British Food Journal announces the call for papers for a special issue on ``Corporate social responsibility in food and agriculture''.

The deadline for submission is 1 May 2011. The journal is included in the ISI Citation Index.

Purpose of the special issue

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) ranks high on research agendas (Greenfield, 2004; Maignan and Ralston, 2002; McWilliams et al., 2006; Pearce and Doh, 2005); this is reflected in discussions that argue ``not only is doing good the right thing to do, but it also leads to doing better'' (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2004, p. 9). Thus CSR has moved from ideology to reality. It is widely argued that organizations need to define their roles in society and apply social and ethical standards to their businesses (Lichtenstein et al., 2004). Many organizations, however, struggle in this effort (Lindgreen et al., 2009; Maon et al., 2009).

Different angles of CSR have been investigated (see, for example, Carroll and Shabana, 2010; Du et al., 2010; Maon et al., 2010; Noland and Philips, 2010; Wood, 2010). However, despite the considerable amount of literature on the topic, we have only just begun to understand what is meant by CSR, with holes remaining to be filled, and new fields needed to be explored (Lindgreen and Swaen, 2009).

The overall objective of the special issue is to provide a comprehensive collection of cutting-edge theories and research on CSR in food and agriculture. On that basis, specific topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

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  How do actors in the food and agriculture sector manage stakeholder engagement to their CSR initiatives?

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  In the food and agriculture sector, is CSR implemented through incremental or transformational organizational change processes, or by radical, transformational approaches?

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  What should actors in the food and agriculture sector say – and how should they say it – about their CSR initiatives and achievements?

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  How can actors in the food and agriculture sector measure their CSR activities? Which criteria and indicators should they use for assessing the level of CSR?

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  What constitute best practices of CSR in the food and agriculture sector?

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  Does the nature of organizational structure in agriculture and food businesses have a bearing on inclination to, or success in, CSR?

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  What is the impact of globalization and localization strategies on the success of CSR in food and agriculture?

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  Is food and agriculture more or less inclined than other business sectors to CSR policy and application?

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  How do food consumers perceive CSR policy and implementation?

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  CSR across national and cultural boundaries: the global challenge of CSR.

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  What part does CSR play in the environmental and sustainability agenda in food and agriculture?

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  Cases in successful CSR in agriculture and food – and failures.

Preference will be given to empirical papers (both qualitative and quantitative), although theoretical papers that offer comprehensive frameworks of CSR in the food and agriculture sector are also welcomed. As the British Food Journal is widely read by an academic and business audience, all submissions should include implications for practitioners. Papers must deal with their chosen topic in the setting of food and agriculture.

Processes for the submission of papers

Submissions to the British Food Journal are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts, the online submission and peer review system. Registration and access is available at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bfj

Papers submitted must not have been published, accepted for publication, or presently be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submissions should be between 4,000 and 6,000 words in length. For additional guidelines including the requirement for a structured abstract, please see the ``Notes for Contributors''from a recent issue of the British Food Journal or visit: www.emeraldinsight.com/info/journals/bfj/jourinfo.jsp Authors should not identify themselves in the body of their paper.

Please address questions to the Guest Editor:

Dr Martin HingleyDepartment of Business Management and Marketing,Harper Adams University College, Newport, Shropshire TF10 8NB, UKTel: +44 1952 820 280E-mail: mhingley@harper-adams.ac.uk