...interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/csr.132 How Corporate Social Responsibility is Defined: an Analysis of 37 Definitions Alexander Dahlsrud* Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management, Faculty of Social Science and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway ABSTRACT Despite numerous efforts to bring about a clear and unbiased definition of CSR, there is still some confusion as to how CSR should be defined. In this paper five dimensions of CSR are developed through a content analysis of existing CSR definitions. Frequency counts are used to analyse how often these dimensions are invoked. The analysis shows that the existing definitions are to a large degree congruent. Thus it is concluded that the confusion is not so much about how CSR is defined, as about how CSR is socially constructed in a specific context. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. Received 24 April 2006; revised 31 August 2006; accepted 18 September 2006 Keywords: analysis; corporate social responsibility; definitions; discourse; social construction Introduction HE CORPORATE WORLD IS FACING THE NOTION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) wherever it turns these days. On a wide range of issues corporations are encouraged to behave socially responsibly (Welford and Frost, 2006; Engle, 2006). However, in both the corporate and the academic world there is uncertainty as to how CSR should be defined. Some go as far...
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...Course: CSR Trimester I Assessment: Oral Presentation Total Marks (15 marks) CLO Students should be able to integrate dimensions of social responsibility in managerial decision making (CLO2) |Aspect/ Performance Area |Exemplary |Satisfactory |Unsatisfactory |Score | | |(3) |(2) |(1) | | |Rational for sustainable |Clarity in describing the |Identifies the rational based |Has a vague idea of the rational | | |business/CSR |alignment between business |on a few pertinent facts |and does not have facts to support| | |(5 marks) |goals and social goals on the | |the same. | | | |basis of facts | | | | |Identifies CSR/Sustainability |Explains the logic of various |Determines some logic to |Is not sure about the logic of | | |Dimensions |CSR/ Sustainability dimensions|explain CSR dimension |various CSR dimensions | | |(5 marks) |incorporated by the company | |incorporated by the company ...
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...public are more curious about the CSR and the its legal expectation. Some countries have already set mandatory regulation about the CSR. For example, in Australia the Corporations Act 2001 stated that companies need to disclose environmental performance and another Act[1] requires certain companies to provide the information about greenhouse gas emissions. However, in the UK, the regulations mainly govern financial disclosures[2] and there are few regulations about the CSR of company. In the aspect of law, the Companies Act 2006 s.172[3] set some duties for the directors to promote the success of company which are in relation to legal expectation of the corporate social responsibility. The notion of CSR and the relationship between CSR and its legal expectation is the main of this essay. This essay will critically discuss the notion of corporate social responsibility and giving particular attention to minimum legal expectations. The structure is as follows: in the section 1, we are focus on the discussion in relation to many kinds of the definition of corporate social responsibility. In the section 2, we will discuss the notion of CSR through different theory perspectives and the minimum legal expectation. In the section 3, after obtain some results about the problems of currently CSR issue through the discussion between different theories, we will concentrate on the legal topic of the CSR and use some cases to analysis mandatory and voluntary CSR. In the section 4, we will put...
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...which can be defined as the long term ability of managing and maximizing practices to achieve positive outcomes while minimizing the negative impacts on future generations and their ability to achieve future needs. (Hitchcock & Willard 2009; White 2009; Crowther & Capaldi 2008; Henriques & Richardson 2004; Aras & Crowther 2008) The 1987’s Bruntland Report (Our Common Future), by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), identified economic, social and environmental aspects as dimensions present in the concept of sustainability. (Crowther & Capaldi 2008; UN Documents 2011; Filho 2000) [Refer to Figure 2] This TBL reporting standard has been established to expand transparency of corporate reporting. (Mueller, Klandt, McDonald & Finke-Schuermann 2007) Figure 2 – The Elements of Sustainability (Source: Crowther & Capaldi 2008, pp. 33) The economic aspect refers to the economic impacts of corporations while the social dimension refers the impacts on firms’ stakeholders like employees, customers and the broader community. The third which is environmental recognizes the impact of businesses on the natural environment. (Ridgway 2005; Trevino & Nelson...
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...social responsibility (CSR) has become an increasing concern among individuals and society. CSR has thus become an integral part of arguably most businesses in light of topical issues. However, much skepticism towards businesses’ agendas underpinning their CSR initiatives is abounding. This may be justifiably so. Evidence suggests that CSR initiatives undertaken by both large businesses as well as small and medium enterprises (SME) are largely resultant of strategic and profit driven imperatives rather than humanitarian and altruistic aspirations. This essay will explore the underlying factors that compel Australian businesses’ CSR ventures by analysing their stances on CSR as well as extrinsic drivers of CSR, further citing CSR’s pertinence to businesses’ financial performance, hence evincing that altruistic reasons are not the foremost impetus for the undertaking of CSR for corporations in Australia. Definitions of CSR differ widely in literature (Truscott, Bartlett & Tywoniak, 2009). This essay will draw upon Carroll’s (1979) construct of CSR, comprising of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary responsibilities assumed by business entities, as a yardstick in determining the degree of CSR undertaken by firms. Economic dimensions of CSR encompass profit generation through effective business management, legal dimensions entail compliance with codified law, ethical dimensions embody adhering to ethical and moral parameters and discretionary dimensions denote engagement...
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...Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an activity that has gained momentum among companies, to improve their social image, especially in recent years. Corporate social responsibility has been defined by multiple studies. In this section, we provide a short summary and comparison of the most widely presented versions, followed by an overview of the situation of CSR in India. As defined by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), CSR is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) defines Corporate Social Responsibility...
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...International business, corporate social responsibility and sustainable development This article discusses the issue of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the sustainable development which associate with international business (IB) and the multinational enterprises (MNEs) role in these matters. The social and environmental problems caused by international business have emerged for a period, however, they only being seen as an important issue under the pressure of global problems such as climate change, poverty, human rights violation and HIV. In this situation, MNEs have to play an appropriate role using their global activities and influences as these issues exist as both a problem and an opportunity for MNEs. In the modern globalization era, the landscape of international business is no longer like a decade ago or past few decades. Therefore, MNEs will need to adjust their internationalization strategy to better suit with today’s globalization challenges. CSR is now considered something to be taken into account in MNEs in order to compete better in market. CSR activities are gradually become important as they influence the core business of the firm and determine firm’s ability to grow, earn profit and sustain in the tough environment. Some firms are actually work hard with CSR in order to get the competitive advantages in managing international operation or earning a ‘pass’ to operate business in countries with different cultures and values or different institutional...
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...Company report on cross border offshoring management, cultural dimensions and gamification Table of Contents Table of Contents Executive Summary | p.5 | Chapter I – Introduction1.1 Purpose of the Report1.2 Effects of Globalization on Businesses’ 1.3 Company Background1.4 Outline of the Report | pp.6-7 | Chapter II – Cross Border and Offshoring Management 2.1 Introduction2.2 Defining culture2.3 Defining management and cross cultural management 2.4 Offshoring2.5 Key problems in cross cultural teams2.6 Conclusions | pp.8-11 | Chapter III – Analyzing and Explaining Cultural Dimensions3.1 Introduction3.2 Analysis of cultural dimensions and Country Comparisons 3.2.1 Power Distance 3.2.2 Uncertainty Avoidance 3.2.3 Long term orientation 3.2.4 Indulgence 3.2.5 Individualism 3.2.6 Masculinity 3.3 Limitations of Hofstede’s Dimensions | pp.12-17 | Chapter IV – Gamification4.1 Introduction4.2 Defining and Explaining gamification4.3 Gamification’s effects on business4.4 Examples of gamification4.5 Criticism – The dark side of gamification | pp.18-20 | Chapter V – Corporate Social Responsibility5.1 Introduction5.2 Defining and explaining CSR 5.3 The Foxconn and Apple scandal5.4 Recommendations and Actions | pp.21-22 | Chapter VI – Recommendations to Management | pp.23-24 | Chapter VII – Conclusions | pp.25 | References | pp.26-27 | Executive Summary Executive Summary This report provides an analysis and evaluation of...
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...have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country. Many companies have already done much to improve the social and environmental consequences of their activities, yet these efforts have not been nearly as productive as they could be – for two reasons. First, they pit business against society, when clearly the two are interdependent. Second, they pressure companies to think of corporate social responsibility in generic ways instead of in the way most appropriate to each firm’s strategy. harvard business review | hbr.org DOUG FRASER 78 HBR Spotlight Making a Real Difference The fact is, the prevailing approaches to CSR are so fragmented and so disconnected from business and strategy as to obscure many of the greatest opportunities for companies to benefit society. If, instead, corporations were to analyze their prospects for social responsibility using the same frameworks that guide their core business choices, they would discover that CSR can be much more than a cost, a constraint, or a charitable deed–it can be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage. In this article, we propose a new way to look at the relationship...
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...To what extent CSR benefit to a company’s performance? Over decades, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been gaining magnitude in terms of corporation strategic decision. Public perception of CSR gradually evolves from oversimplified notion of social contribution into the integration of both social good and corporation interests. In 2004, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) defined CSR as “achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment.”(Arumugam, Selvakumar& Sivamurugam, 2014). Simultaneously, heated debates on impact that CSR imposed on corporation performance is long lasting without reaching universal consensus. Nevertheless, implementing CSR initiatives on business strategy has becoming a remarkable trend and rages across major corporations globally. Therefore, this essay aims at constructing overall positive correlation between CSR and corporate performance whereas acknowledging complexity of the relationship due to intra-industrial variance of corporation natures and inter-industry difference in corporate ability. To better structuring the justification, the essay elaborates on financial performance and operational performance separately from multiple dimensions of stakeholders, including employee, customer, shareholder and government. 1.Financial performance To demonstrate the correlation lies between CSR and financial performance, this part examines the effects on corporate...
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...social responsibility statements effective ways of ensuring that multinational entities act ethically? From my point of view, CSR statements do not ensure that practices of companies obey the rules of business ethics and I am going to present a few arguments for. Corporate Social Responsibility is fairly recent term and maybe that is why there is no consistent definition for it. Most multinational companies use different terms in their reports, for example Shell defines it as ‘sustainable development’, Ford uses the phrase ‘connecting with society’, Diageo prefers the term ‘corporate citizenship’. All these expressions, although they have different meanings, are related to Corporate Social Responsibility but because of the proliferation of approaches, every company can put emphasis on something different, creating therefore complexity and confusion. What is more, the socially responsible company not only complies with minimum requirements of the law, but goes a step further and accepts social obligations beyond that. The first argument for, that the CSR statements are not effective ways of ensuring that MNC act ethically is that belongingness to Global Compact is voluntary. Furthermore, the companies cannot be sanctioned for not abiding CSR principles. The only penalty they can suffer from is bad publicity and destruction of image. Secondly, the CSR...
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...National University of Modern Languages Institute of Business & Finance Department of Accounts & Finance Lahore Campus Final Thesis on CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND EMPLOYEE BEHAVIOUR SUBMITTED BY: STUDENT NAME Roll No. BS (Accounts& Finance) Honors Session from ----- to -------- Thesis Report on Computer Marketing Company National University of Modern Languages Faculty of Management and Science It is hereby certified that the report has been thoroughly and carefully read and recommend to the Faculty of Management and Science for acceptance of final thesis report by name & registration #. Session (August-13 to July-14) Morning.In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of B.S. (Accounting and Finance) of National University of Modern Languages Lahore. Date: 16-Oct-14 Supervisor name: Supervisor Signature: Plane Member Name: Plane Member Signature: Head of Department: Letter of Transmittal Head of Accounting & Finance Department, National University of Modern Languages, IBF Campus, Lahore. Dear Sir/Madam; It is to present you the thesis report which is executed at Computer Marketing Company as required by the university as a degree requirement for B.S. (Accounting and Finance) program. This report has been prepared in accordance with the guidelines issued by the department. It is the result of my first professional experience. This is a partial...
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...Responsibility (CSR) as part of business strategy has shown increased prominence in contemporary business world. On a daily basis the roles corporations play in society are scrutinized by the media who constantly lookout to report on scandals, corporate misbehavior or, the positive contributions businesses have on society (Crane, 2008). Induced by this, corporations are facing increasing pressure to legitimate their practices and take account of the impact they have on society, which has led to the emergence of what Crane (2008) refers to as a ‘CSR Movement’. The concept of CSR emerged in the 1960/70’s as an American Doctrine that has popularized in recent decades due to the emergence of factors including globalization and the rise of global/transnational corporations (Jenkins, 2005). Attitudes around this concept have also altered from viewing CSR as a philanthropic exercise to a concept/practice necessary for corporate survival. The latter point can be supported by a numerous examples of organizations that have not complied with ethical/socially responsible standards, such as Nike, who faced numerous allegations of unethical conditions at its overseas suppliers in the 1990’s (Zadek, 2004). It is virtually impossible to define CSR due to the every-evolving nature of the concept. Various sources including academics, articles, and websites tackle, and all produce unique definitions of the concept. Crane, Matten and Spence (2008) however focus on the characteristics CSR displays...
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...RESERVED. Governments, activists, and the media have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country. Many companies have already done much to improve the social and environmental consequences of their activities, yet these efforts have not been nearly as productive as they could be—for two reasons. First, they pit business against society, when clearly the two are interdependent. Second, they pressure companies to think of corporate social responsibility in generic ways instead of in the way most appropriate to each firm’s strategy. The fact is, the prevailing approaches to CSR are so fragmented and so disconnected from business and strategy as to obscure many of the greatest opportunities for companies to benefit society. If, instead, corporations were to analyze their prospects for social responsibility using the same frameworks that guide their core business choices, they would discover that CSR can be much more than a cost, a constraint, or a charitable deed—it can be a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage. In this article, we propose a new way to look at the relationship between...
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...FUSION OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE & CSR PRACTICES BUSINESS ETHICS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Submitted to: Prof. I Sridhar Submitted by: Dhvani Shah (64689) FSB II TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC | Pg No. | Introduction | 3 | Concepts | 6 | Conceptual Discussion | 10 | Implementation of CG & CSR in corporate | 18 | CSR/CG framework | 21 | Bibliography | 30 | I. INTRODUCTION: CSR is concerned with the impacts that the activities of an organization have on the social, environmental and economic environment in which it operates. CG is concerned with the manner in which the senior management or Board of Directors direct, manage and control the organization and relate to shareholders. The concepts cannot be mutually exclusive but merge together, each offering a different yet complementary perspective on the activities of an organization, to form a robust strategic business management tool. The aim of the CSR and CG management system is to define, understand and improve the balance between entrepreneurship and ethical practice. Organizations must demonstrate this core organizational...
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