André Sobczak and Ligia Coelho Martins
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the interplay between national traditions and international influence on the CSR discourses and practices, in the context of two very…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the interplay between national traditions and international influence on the CSR discourses and practices, in the context of two very different national contexts, namely France and Brazil.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on a literature review as well as on interviews with representatives from companies and other stakeholder groups in France and Brazil.
Findings
The paper highlights the impact of national traditions, such as the strong intervention of the State in France and the lack of monitoring legislation by public authorities in Brazil, on the CSR discourses and practices in both countries. But it also shows that multinational companies, international NGOs as well as international standardization organizations lead to a certain homogenisation of the CSR discourses and practices.
Research limitations/implications
This exploratory research should be complemented in the future by more in‐depth research, for example by comparing the CSR discourses and practices of multinational companies having activities in both countries.
Practical implications
The paper highlights the importance for managers in companies having activities in different countries to adapt their CSR discourses and practices to the local contexts, while maintaining a coherent strategy at the international level based on the respect of some universal principles.
Originality/value
Few researches have been conducted on the CSR discourses and practices in France and in Brazil. This paper highlights the main characters of the CSR discourses and practices in both countries, while targeting their common points and differences.
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André Sobczak, Gervaise Debucquet and Christelle Havard
The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of higher education on students' and young managers' perception of companies and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to analyse the impact of higher education on students' and young managers' perception of companies and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Design/methodology/approach
The research is based on an electronic questionnaire for students and alumni of different institutions of higher education in Nantes (France). The textual analysis software ALCESTE enabled interpretion of the answers to the open‐ended questions. Concerning the closed questions, analyses by simple sort and the cross sort subject to chi2‐tests were used.
Findings
The main result of this exploratory study is the impact of the different types of academic institutions on the respondents' perception of companies and their attitude towards CSR concepts and tools.
Research limitations/implications
The questionnaire should be submitted to a group of older managers and engineers in order to check whether and to what extent the impact of the academic institution is confirmed after several years of experience as managers. Furthermore, this exploratory research should be complemented by a qualitative approach to explain the link between the corporate vision and educational background.
Practical implications
Higher educational institutions have to integrate CSR in their culture, as this culture seems to have an impact on the perception of companies and CSR that is as important as the content of the education.
Originality/value
This research has been designed by a French business school and the white collar trade union CFDT‐Cadres.
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Abstract
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The question of responsibility is not new to labour law. The earliest developments in labour law and social law sprang from a “legal revolution” to borrow the words of Georges…
Abstract
The question of responsibility is not new to labour law. The earliest developments in labour law and social law sprang from a “legal revolution” to borrow the words of Georges Scelle, considering the concept of responsibility that prevailed in common law. Civil responsibility which was originally based on fault could now be based on the risk inherent to a socially useful activity so as to ensure that the responsibility for damages that might result from it be equitably shared. This development took place under the generalization of the industrial production mode, first within the frame work of laws respecting compensation for industrial accidents.
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Umesh Mukhi and Camilla Quental
The Covid-19 crisis has coerced organisations and business schools to rethink and reflect their practices about well-being and purpose individually and collectively. While this…
Abstract
The Covid-19 crisis has coerced organisations and business schools to rethink and reflect their practices about well-being and purpose individually and collectively. While this discourse was existent within academic and professional sphere, it was rather muted or isolated in the quest of pursuing traditional indicators of progress in terms of economic productivity. It is within this context we revisit our past interaction with the leader who has been advocating for responsible leadership which encompasses well-being and purpose amidst Covid-19. Arianna Huffington is the Founder and CEO of Thrive Global, which is a platform to help corporations in promoting individual and collective well-being. Formerly she was also the Co-founder and the President and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group. In 2014, she received the Tesla Sustainable Leadership Award, after which one of the authors had an opportunity to interview her for the Sustainable Leadership Blog.1 A staunch advocate of issues like climate change, gender equality, work-life balance and youth empowerment, Arianna exemplifies the commitment to articulate and implement purpose-led corporations, proposing the People–Planet–Profit approach to leadership . By shedding light on Arianna’s perspective this chapter suggests reflective pointers for decision-makers in management education, these are follows: (a) business schools can lead integrating sustainability in their purpose and practice; (b) relevance of the spiritual dimension and its significance in business schools and organisations; and (c) proposing a holistic view in comparison with a traditional view of business education. Finally, we also posit that her practice as role model for responsible leadership during Covid-19 reflects consistent adherence in her past and present discourse about responsible management issues. Thus, her insights can help leaders of public, private and social organisations to grapple with complex organisational issues arising due to of Covid-19.
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Esrafil Ali, Biswajit Satpathy and Deepika R. Gupta
The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) effectiveness on job seekers’ organizational attractiveness (JSA). Deriving inspiration…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) effectiveness on job seekers’ organizational attractiveness (JSA). Deriving inspiration from Carroll’s theory, the study specifically tries to measure the impact of CSR on JSA with the four dimensions pertaining to economics (PECO), pertaining to legal compliance (PLCO), pertaining to ethics (PETH) and pertaining to philanthropic (PPH). Furthermore, the paper also tries to examine the moderating role of company selection (COM SEL) done based on high or low CSR reputation and JSA.
Design/methodology/approach
Management and engineering students enrolled in premier institutions and universities of Western Odisha in India are surveyed for their perceptions of CSR and JSA. Purposive and convenience sampling are applied to collect data from 456 job seekers. Based on the analysis, the study proposes two main models (Models 1 and 2) wherein Model 1 tries to measure the effect of CSR on JSA and Model 2 checks the moderating effect of COM SEL on CSR and JSA. In addition, robustness of the study is tested using control variables (Models 3 and 4). Data is treated through SmartPLS 3.3 software. The structural equation modelling (partial least squares-SEM) method is applied to test the hypotheses and for further analysis.
Findings
The result reveals an interesting insight. There is a positive and significant effect of PECO, PLCO and PPH on JSA. Moreover, no such significant effect is observed between PETH and JSA. Further, the findings are contrary with respect to COM SEL, that partially moderates the effect of CSR on JSA. However, the results reveal that COM SEL has a substantial moderating effect on the PPH dimension of CSR and JSA.
Practical implications
The results highlight that CSR positively and significantly affects JSA in terms of PECO, PLCO and PPH, thereby emphasizing that organizations must be more focused on these perspectives of CSR. Further, though the results did not exhibit any significance with PETH, it is essential that organizations should strengthen the ethical aspects of CSR as well and align them with the CSR strategic actions. The study also confirms the moderating effect of COM SEL on PPH dimension of CSR and JSA, thereby supporting the philanthropic approach in this domain. Further, the organizations should foresee the philanthropic factor of CSR as a competitive advantage to attract potential job seekers.
Originality/value
This research attempts to contribute to CSR and HR literature in two ways. First, it is the first attempt to use PLS-SEM with an attempt to understand job seekers’ perception of CSR and JSA with Indian data consisting of students belonging to premier business management and engineering institutes. Second, the study is an attempt to empirically measure the moderating effect of COM SEL on JSA. To sum up, the study will provide insights to organizations to help craft CSR strategies for attracting more job seekers.
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In response to stakeholder concerns for social responsibility in global supply chains, companies have implemented codes of conduct in outsourcing activities. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to stakeholder concerns for social responsibility in global supply chains, companies have implemented codes of conduct in outsourcing activities. The purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how a multinational buying office implements its social responsibility and the codes in purchasing activities in the Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta (HK/PRD) region.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports a case study that reviews the experience from three sourcing projects of a multinational buying office in the HK/PRD region. This company has successfully adopted purchasing social responsibility (PSR) practices for years.
Findings
The results show that the environment, ethics, health and safety, and human rights are more important than diversity, community, and financial responsibility in PSR practices in the HK/PRD region. The benefits of adopting PSR include reduced operating costs, enhanced brand image and reputation, increased sales and customer loyalty, increased productivity and quality, increased ability to attract and retain employees, and risk management. The challenges include the cost of compliance, communication with uneducated workers, conflicts among different codes of conduct and sub‐contracting.
Research limitations/implications
The paper reflects the recent PSR situation in the HK/PRD region, primarily giving new insights for future research.
Originality/value
The paper provides empirical evidence on PSR implementation in the HK/PRD region, proposing seven core/non‐core dimensions of PSR and identifying the benefits and obstacles to its implementation. The paper provides academic and managerial guidelines for implementing PSR practices in the HK/PRD region.