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Chapter 3: What is CSR? Concepts and Theories
Links to Further Reading
Spence, L. J. And Rutherfoord, R. 2001. Social Responsibility, Profit Maximisation and the Small Firm Owner-Manager, Small Business and Enterprise Development, Summer 8(2): 126-139.
This article applies the CSR concept to small- and medium sized enterprises. It discusses the main differences and highlights the reasons why CSR is also a topic for SMEs. The paper is particularly useful as most businesses globally are SMEs, yet face similar challenges to those that have led large companies to adopt CSR.
Matten, D., & Moon, J. 2008. ‘Implicit’ and ‘Explicit’ CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of CSR. Academy of Management Review, 33(2): 404-424.
http://amr.aom.org/content/33/2/404.short
As outlined in chapter 1 the recent rise of CSR and its move on to the agenda of business has mostly happened outside its original North American context. When CSR is adopted in a country where the idea of social responsibility as a management task is a novel idea, it does not mean that the expectation of society towards business and its obligations had not existed before. Often though, these expectations have been met in different ways. This paper provides a useful model of how we can understand and explain these differences.
Visser, W. 2008. CSR in Developing Countries. In A. Crane, A. McWilliams, D. Matten, J. Moon, & D. Siegel (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of CSR: 473-499. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
One of the areas of particular growth for CSR is in the developing world. This article maps out the specific demands on and characteristics of CSR in a developing country context. It resonates nicely with the readings in this chapter, in particular Schwartz & Carroll as it applies the ‘pyramid of CSR’ to a developing country context.
Links to Practice
CWS 3.1: Visit the Companion Website for more links to companies with examples of both types of CSR.
Traditional CSR
- The Bank of America, is one of the world’s largest corporate givers, and also supports communities through volunteerism, environmental initiatives and community development: http://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/global-impact/find-grants-sponsorships.html#fbid=hjcxRQ5jpiy
Contemporary CSR
- Nissan, acknowledges the benefit of growth with sustainable profits alongside its contribution to the sustainable development of society, and engages with stakeholders to pursue activities that meet society’s needs: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/COMPANY/CSR/NISSAN/index.html
Both
- Walmart, has one of the world’s largest corporate foundations, yet as the world’s largest retailer, the company has also set stringent sustainability targets for itself and key stakeholders, which are discussed in its dedicated blog: http://www.walmartgreenroom.com/
CWS 3.2: Visit the Companion Website for more links to companies who use these different terms to refer to their CSR activities.
CSR
- (VIDEO) “McDonald’s Corporate Social Responsibility – Making Progress,”this video brings to life the vast variety of activities McDonald’s engages in as part of its ‘CSR’ strategy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bgP3ASUM4
- LG, consumer electronics company, has a ‘CSR framework system’ in place to ensure ‘a cleaner environment and happier people’: http://www.lg.com/global/sustainability/csr-framework
Business ethics
- Aviva, the UK’s largest insurer, has developed a ‘Business Ethics Code’ to provide employees with a practical set of principles to guide actions and everyday decision making: http://www.aviva.com/library/pdfs/cr/aviva_bus_ethics_code.pdf
- Ebay, the world’s leading ecommerce company, provides a ‘Code of Business Conduct on Ethics’ on its website: http://investor.ebayinc.com/documentdisplay.cfm?DocumentID=649
Sustainability
- Cathay Pacific’s latest ‘Sustainable Development Report’ details the company’s efforts to combat its impact on the environment and the communities within which it operates: http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_IN/aboutus/sd/sdreport
- “Puma launches biodegradable shoes to aid nature, lift sales,” this article discusses Puma’s new range of biodegradable shoes and clothing as part of the company’s commitment to ‘sustainability’: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/08/us-puma-idUKBRE8970YI20121008
Corporate Citizenship
- Barclay’s Bank uses the term ‘Citizenship’ to capture its sense of business purpose – to help individuals, communities, businesses and economies progress and grow: http://group.barclays.com/about-barclays/citizenship
- Microsoft is committed to its role as a ‘responsible global corporate citizen,’ through supporting human rights, governance, giving and environmental sustainability: http://www.microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/