Search

This article examines the success of paper-based alternative currencies in facilitating convivial, sustainable localised economies. Based on fieldwork in the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, it discusses the capacity of activists to create alternative forms of currency that communicate the organisers' visions of a localised economy, before examining material practices: for whom do the currencies work, and who struggles to use them? Using insights from a diverse economies perspective, the article argues that we cannot read off the likelihood of an economic actor using the currency from the extent of their local economic embeddedness: economic actors in similar positions respond to the same stimuli in different ways, and local business owners and activists can form productive alliances to develop their shared project. The article concludes by arguing that local currencies should be used more proactively to stimulate new forms of concrete local production to meet locally identified needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at providing empirical content for the theoretical concept of the ‘acceptability of operations’ as an indicator of corporate social performance (CSP) through a qualitative field study. The data were gathered at four mills belonging to a Scandinavian-based pulp and paper company located in four countries, China, Finland, Germany and Portugal. An experimental acceptability model was formulated on the basis of summaries for the individual countries. Issues such as importance of the mill for the local economy and environmental impacts were the most important elements of the acceptability concept at the local level, while the reputation of the entire sector was one of the major factors influencing the concept at the national and global levels. In addition, the level of social participation and discussion in society served well to indicate the extent and depth of the acceptability concept in the societies studied. The results suggest that the acceptability of operations is a good indicator of corporate social performance. However, it is recommendable to study further the applicability of the stakeholder approach in this kind of context. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Formulating and translating corporate social responsibility ( CSR) strategy into actual managerial practices and outcome values remain ongoing challenges for many organizations. This paper argues that the human resource management ( HRM) function can potentially play an important role in supporting organizations to address this challenge. We argue that HRM could provide an interesting and dynamic support to CSR strategy design as well as implementation and delivery. Drawing on a systematic review of relevant strategic CSR and HRM literatures, this paper highlights the important interfaces between CSR and HRM and develops a conceptual model, the CSR- HRM co-creation model, which accounts for the potential HRM roles in CSR and identifies a range of outcome values resulting from a more effective integration of the role of HRM within CSR. The paper concludes with relevant theoretical and managerial recommendations that advance our understanding of the potential interfaces between HRM and CSR and how HRM can support a systematic and progressive CSR agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic group research originated in the 1970s and a number of notable studies centered on the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Results were, however, conflicting. This paper explores the nature of strategic groups in the U.K. pharmaceutical industry. The study confirms the presence of between six and eight strategic groups across the period studied, 1998–2002. The study also demonstrates a statistically significant relationship between these strategic groups and performance using three performance measures. The paper then compares strategic groups with competitive groups and concludes that the distinction is important and may explain the contradictory findings in earlier strategic group research. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to contribute to understanding of the factors associated with an effective emergent emergency response organisation and to provide new insights into this understudied area. It examines, through an analysis of a range of textual resources, the emergence and re-emergence of the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) during the devastating earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010-11. This evaluation is conducted in relation to the four key features of an effective emergency response organisation: adaptability; direction; leadership; and communication. In addition, the paper aims to further understanding of 'emergency entrepreneurship' and thus of the values and strategies that underpin social entrepreneur organisations in times of normalcy. The paper concludes that the unique position of the SVA as a 'repeat emergent' emergency response organisation enabled it to innovate continually and to improve repeatedly its systems, relationships, and image, such that it exhibited features common to emergent and established emergency response organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the results of an empirical analysis of a set of 416 descriptive case studies published by corporate members of the UN Global Compact are presented. Although these cases cannot be viewed as representative of the Compact itself or of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and development in general, they can illustrate which kinds of projects are deemed appropriate as best practice examples among Compact members, and therefore indicate the direction, in which predominantly voluntary and business-led CSR might at best be evolving. To help contextualize the analysis, the paper starts with a brief overview of recent academic work on the strengths and limitations of CSR in the light of international development, followed by the empirical analysis of Compact case studies. The results raise doubts regarding the general suitability of contemporary CSR initiatives to tackle some of the most pressing developmental challenges. Instead, only certain topics are commonly addressed, while a number of issues such as anti-corruption measures or labour rights are underrepresented in the case study sample. Regarding the target regions of the best practice examples, the majority is reported on activities based in OECD countries and a small number of emerging markets such as South Africa, India or China, while neglecting other regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa). From a European Union policy perspective, these results indicate that there is a role to play for the state in order to create a better fit between CSR agendas and the actual developmental needs in the South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marketing in strategy dialogue and the emerging marketing/entrepreneurship interface paradigm stress the need for marketers to research entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurship leading to the establishment of new social enterprises and the continued innovation in existing ones, is much discussed but little understood and given the increasing importance of such organisations should be addressed. This paper conceptualises social entrepreneurship as a multidimensional construct involving the expression of entrepreneurially virtuous behaviour to achieve the social mission, a coherent unity of purpose and action in the face of moral complexity, the ability to recognise social value-creating opportunities and key decision-making characteristics of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking. The paper discusses implications for policy and practice and concludes with a consideration of theoretical issues and directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Relationship quality is a central theme in business to business relationships, and it is becoming increasingly important from a theoretical as well as practical perspective to understand and monitor relationship quality. Despite its pivotal role, measurement issues of relationship quality have not been systematically investigated, confounded by a lack of consensus on the dimensions and contents of this construct. This paper presents a comprehensive review on the measures of relationship quality, and proposes the CLOSES scale as a new monitoring tool. This higher order, multidimensional scale reflects the intensity of communication (C), long-term orientation (LO), and social and economic satisfaction (SES) of a focal actor in a business relationship. Tested with data collected from 404 construction companies and cross-checked with a second round of data collection from 201 companies in other various industries, using partially multiple respondents, this new scale shows good reliability, convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity, as well as cross-industry transferability. Thus, future academic research as well as practical management of business relationships is enriched by providing a valid and reliable tool that is not tied to a specific industry setting, to capture the important construct of relationship quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that business firms are faced with new and changing social demands, and that it will be advantageous to the firm to treat the social demands as strategic issues. However, responding to these social demands strategically requires the application of news managerial concepts and techniques. In this paper we extend conceptually the lead-lag methodology of Ackerman and Bauer (1976), developed to deal with the evolutionary nature of social demands. Then we describe the problems of measurement, uncertainty, and lack of common units of measures that have to be overcome before the responses to the social demands can be included in the strategic planning and budget process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We highlight key contributions from the special topic forum ( STF) articles and detail findings from a survey of researchers interested in the role of resources on supply chain functioning and management. We assert that the STF articles have closed important gaps between what needed to be known and is now known about how and when resources aid supply chains. However, the survey findings suggest that researchers who invoke theories of resources need to be more precise in their theoretical exposition and that future research needs to focus more heavily on the role of resources not just within, but also beyond a firm's boundaries (i.e., interfirm), and how those resources aid supply chains. The survey findings also suggest that future supply chain studies should focus more on investigating contingency relationships, and 'fitting' research designs to address the specific research question of interest. Broadly speaking, we conclude that resources within and across firm boundaries are vital to supply chain functioning and management, but that as research evolves, new insights might be best characterized by studies that take stock of critical contingencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores corporate charitable giving disclosures in order to question the extent to which corporations can claim that their philanthropy activities are charitable at all. Exploration of these issues is carried out by means of a tropological analysis that focuses on the different linguistic tropes within the philanthropy disclosures of 52 companies, namely metaphor and synecdoche. The results reveal a number of complex and contradictory things. Primarily, the master metaphor of ‘altruism’ projected by the corporate disclosures is ideologically at odds with the more business case-oriented discourse that shapes the disclosures. This contradiction is put into starker contrast by the existence of a root metaphor, whereby the recipients of corporate philanthropy are presented as the ‘deserving poor’. Synecdochal devices are present within the corporate disclosures, whereby employee initiatives that are independent of corporate strategies are used to confer attributes onto the disclosures that bolster the master metaphor of ‘altruism’. As such, corporate philanthropy is presented by the paper as a structurally incoherent discourse and yet one that has implications for both extracting greater value from various societal groups and in defining, on behalf of civil society, what is a worthy cause. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current-day management leaders such as Peter Drucker and Rosabeth Moss Kanter have cited Mary Parker Follett as guru and prophet given her foreknowledge of systems theory, action research and leadership. She viewed business as a social institution and work itself as a community service, concepts particularly relevant in the context of understanding social entrepreneurship. Referencing two of her works, “The Individual in Society” and “Business in Society”, this paper introduces Follett, defines social entrepreneurship and presents her ideas as timely insights on the meaning of work, ethics and the role of business in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social responsibility (SR) initiatives within a corporate environment (CSR) continue to be met with deep scepticism. My concern is with exploring this scepticism, which I argue is due to there being more to the underlying objectives of SR than has previously been investigated. I begin by outlining and substantiating my project as a social ontological enquiry, one in which I unpack key concepts to reveal the nature of SR. These ontological findings then underpin my argument that SR is problematically grounded in liberalist thinking, and CSR is in fact just one manifestation of SR. I advance the thesis that SR has emancipatory ends, of meeting human needs and flourishing, and that it is best explicated using feminist care ethics. The argument is then focussed on both shoring up and advancing the emancipatory project of SR. The scepticism of interest is revealed to be the incongruity between care and business; that businesses are deemed as being incompatible with SR, at least in their present capacity. Any claims to the contrary by the business community are branded inauthentic and the aforementioned scepticism ensues. The paper concludes with a brief discussion concerning implications for CSR initiatives and future changes and developments are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable entrepreneurship pursues a triple bottom line approach of economic, social and ecological goals. The main aim of this paper is to add to our understanding of the process of sustainable entrepreneurship. Since the field of sustainable entrepreneurship is in a nascent stage, we conduct a qualitative study. We employ a multiple case study design to build theory. Based on four case studies we develop a model, which describes the process of sustainable entrepreneurship, including six phases: 1) recognizing a social or ecological problem; 2) recognizing a social or ecological opportunity; 3) developing a double bottom line solution; 4) developing a triple bottom line solution; 5) funding and forming of a sustainable enterprise; 6) creating or entering a sustainable market. By developing a convergent process model with two pathways, we make theoretical contributions to the emerging fields of sustainable entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. A key finding is that the triple bottom line of ecological, social and economic goals is integrated sequentially, not simultaneously. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a list of books received, including "Resource and Output Trends in the United States since 1870," by Moses Abramovitz, "Comparative Economic Development," by Ralph H. Blodgett and Donald L. Kemmerer, and "An Introduction to Education in American Society," by Raymond E. Callahan.

A historical review of the ways business organizations in the United States have responded to demands that they improve their environmental performance reveals two clear outcomes: firms that effectively institutionalize improved environmental performance can garner significant strategic advantages for their efforts, and firms that do not often suffer severe legal consequences. Thus, institutionalization is a pivotal organizational process which determines whether a firm's environmental performance results in improved operating efficiency and market opportunities or in increased legal and regulatory hassles. In this paper, we use a survey and case-law review to investigate the degree to which improved environmental performance is being institutionalized in US firms and to determine what the potential legal consequences are for firms that fail to achieve such institutionalization. Our findings suggest that firms in US industry have made considerable efforts to institutionalize improved environmental performance, but they still have a long way to go. Unfortunately, our findings also suggest that failing to effectively institutionalize environmental performance has the potential for dire consequences, such as jail terms for strategic managers for environmental violations by subordinates. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a theory of respectable business femininity. Respectable business femininity is theorized as a discursive and relational process that explains tensions women elite leaders experience at the nexus of being both One and Other and sometimes privileged, embedded notions of leadership as masculine and wider expectations of acceptable embodied femininity. Such tensions manifest through a disciplining of women leaders' bodies and appearance by self-and-others, as a means of appraising women as credible elite leaders and respectable women. Through a qualitative study we show how, within sites of ambiguity, embodied leadership and subjectivities are both enabled and constrained. Accounts highlight how privilege is fluid and (de)stabilized in that it is conferred, contested and defended through women's bodies and appearance. We advance understandings of contemporary respectable femininity, privilege at work, and body work, and consider practical implications for women leaders and management education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of collaboration between firms and scientific partners is still debated. Although a firm's social context seems to be crucial to explain the success or failure of such collaboration in terms of innovation performance, a deep analysis of the context role is still lacking. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether a firm's internal climate as well as the quality of the relationships with scientific partners can mediate the relationship between collaboration and innovation performance. Results, based on survey research developed in Finland, Italy and Sweden, suggest that collaborations with scientific partners achieve good results in terms of innovation performance, through an explanation path which involves a firm's social context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics by the top companies operating in Australia, Canada and Sweden. It provides an international comparison across three continents. It is also based on a longitudinal approach where three national surveys were performed in 2001–2002 and replications of the same surveys were performed in 2005–2006. The empirical findings of this research show in all three countries that large organisations indicate a substantial interest in corporate codes of ethics. There are, however, differences in the ways that the companies in each country implement and communicate their corporate codes of ethics and the benefits that they see being derived from them. The longitudinal comparison between 2001–2002 and 2005–2006 indicates changes in the implementation, communication and benefits of corporate codes of ethics in the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social enterprise sector in the UK is going through a period of rapid growth, and is being seen by government as another important vehicle for delivering public services. As a result the issue of public trust in social enterprise is of growing importance. While there is a growing literature on the governance of voluntary and non-profit organizations, with some exceptions (e.g. co-operatives) there has been little research on the governance challenges and support needs of social enterprises. The research reported here aimed to help fill that gap. Based on interviews and focus groups with governance advisers, board members and chief executives it explores the typical governance challenges faced by social enterprises. Based on the research the paper develops a new, empirically-grounded typology of social enterprises based on their origins and development path, and presents findings about some of the governance challenges that are common across the sector and some that are more distinctive to the different types of social enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The management literature is paying increasing attention to the phenomenon of imitation. However, there are several gaps in understanding what drives firms’ imitative behaviors. Furthermore, a fragmented array of disciplinary perspectives has investigated imitation phenomena in the past. This paper reviews the literature on imitation and offers a unifying framework to understand what theory has said about the predictors of imitative behaviors, in terms of purposes, driving forces and target. At the end of the review, two over-arching rationales for imitation seem to emerge: risk reduction and search for effectiveness. Next, the review distinguishes between what drives the general propensity for imitation of a firm and what makes a specific decision more likely to be imitated by the same firm. Implications and indications for future research are offered in the final section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper criticizes the current narrow view on the role of universities in knowledge-based economies. We propose to extend the current policy framework of universities in national innovation systems (NIS) to a more dynamic one, based on evolutionary economic principles. The main reason is that this dynamic view fits better with the practice of innovation processes. We contribute on ontological and methodological levels to the literature and policy discussions on the effectiveness of university-industry knowledge transfer and the third mission of universities. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications for the main stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the image of a Roman atrium to disclosure of CSR activities on company websites, through an examination of the website content of 19 large companies operating in Portugal. The analysis reveals a CSR discourse targeting stakeholders. What is stated is carefully chosen in order to mitigate potential reactions from offended stakeholders, these coming mostly from those areas where their negative impact could be more visible. We conclude that comparison with Roman atria can be made to the extent that (a) websites allow companies to suggest positive images about themselves, (b) their openness forces companies to adopt bi-focal messages where the target does not always coincide with the message's subject and (c) their visibility and accessibility induce companies to take a position on external events and to seek greater alignment between disclosure and action. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the links between the management of remote workers and dispersed teams and the use of Workflow Management Systems. Using case studies, it demonstrates how such systems can support diverse control approaches independent of the location of employees and managers and thus enhance the success of distant working. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing literature examines the motivations for corporate philanthropy with varying results. This paper examines the degree to which philanthropy in large UK businesses is strategically motivated, using data obtained from a recent survey of 200 large UK companies. The findings highlight the diverse practices, policies and managerial structures within which philanthropy is managed and the varied perceptions concerning the influences on the level of corporate philanthropy. The findings indicate that although philanthropy is increasingly managed within formal structures that are consistent with a newly strategic focus, there is little evidence that the level or distribution of corporate giving is strategically oriented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many large companies seem to fulfil the psychiatric criteria for psychopaths in their corporate responsibility (CR) practices. Are they really incurable psychopaths, or is it possible that they could be counselled into accepting their responsibilities? CR studies have so far paid little attention to the variations in the CR emphases between different companies. This article, based on a conference paper (Ketola, 2005b), presents a CR emphasis model, pinpointing eight different approaches to corporate responsibility. Some companies do not voluntarily take any responsibilities. Companies acting like psychopaths need a Prince of Virtues to kiss awake their inner Sleeping Beauty from its 100-year irresponsibility sleep. All companies could take advantage of virtue ethics, which present the values shared by all humans, and hence exemplify the natural law (lex naturae). Counselling top managers and key individuals on their personal and professional values enables all personnel to integrate virtues into the company's CR practices. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the idea that businesses are being moved to proactively manage their political activities and influence in relation to their often-expressed responsibility for promoting sustainable development, which we define as managing the ‘political bottom line’. We argue that three key drivers account for this shift: first, the growing criticism of voluntary corporate responsibility initiatives; second, the increasing awareness and targeting of corporate political activities, and third, a realization among certain corporate executives and financiers that, without changes to public policies, an individual company's own voluntary responsibility may not deliver sufficient commercial returns. We describe several initiatives on public policy dimensions of sustainable development, which indicate that some companies are beginning to manage their political power in light of societal concerns. In conclusion, we discuss the potential and limits of a ‘political bottom line’ concept by critiquing the mainstream triple bottom line discourse.Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional research into the social responsibility information published by firms has concentrated on the information published in the annual report and has not considered closely the driving forces that have guided the identification and preparation of information that is to be included in that publication. This paper reports on a case study that has examined some of the internal factors that have driven the publication of social responsibility information, and shows that while the annual report is still a major publication medium the internet plays a very significant role in the dissemination of information. Factors that impact on the publication media and the content of the published information in these cases were seen to be the nature of the information system used, the intended audience and their perceived power, and the level of corporate conservatism that guided the companies' management. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry-generated codes of environmental, health and safety practice represent one response to societal calls for improved corporate environmental management. Such codes seek to build a collective identity among members, improve members’ environmental performance, and demonstrate this improved performance among stakeholders and critics. This paper studies the implementation by 16 companies of the US chemical industry’s Responsible Care code. We examine whether and how Responsible Care adoption has influenced company practice, and find considerable variation both in how companies implemented the codes and in how organizational members interpreted the importance of the codes for their organization. While some practices had been adopted uniformly by all companies, discretion in Responsible Care implementation was exercised. Furthermore, similar practices were adopted when they were seen as contributing to organizational image, while variation remained when organizational image was not at stake. These findings show that adoption of a voluntary code of environmental practice does not guarantee that companies follow a uniform set of practices or comply fully with the desired norms. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most theory and research on organizations assumes that the great diversity of organizational attributes reflects variation in implementation of a relatively small number of forms. Modern conceptions of organizational form concentrate on discontinuities in distributions of either attributes or relationships with other organizations. We argue that this approach be supplemented with an explicitly dynamic one that focuses on processes that create and erode boundaries in the organizational world. This paper discusses some of the advantages of this approach and specifics a number of processes that create and erode boundaries around organizational populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper present results obtained from a study of workers in a British car assembly plant; results which, in certain respects, differ fairly clearly from the pattern which has emerged from previous investigations. In the literature of industrial sociology since World War II studies of workers in car assembly plants have almost certainly outnumbered those of any comparable industrial or occupational group. Furthermore, the findings of these studies have shown a relatively high degree of consistency. In most previous studies of car assembly workers, attention has been given to the way in which assembly-line technology inhibits the formation of cohesive work groups. Although the majority of men work in fairly close proximity to others, the fact that they tend to be strung out along the length of the "track" means that the "development" of specifically group relations is usually impeded; that is to say, workers are prevented from sharing in common networks of social relationships, set off from others by more or less distinct boundaries. Furthermore, following this interpretation, assembly-line technology has also been seen as having important implications for the attitudes of assemblers towards their first-line supervisors. Because of the limits on group formation, it is argued, the relationship between worker and foreman is of increased significance. It was apparent from observation in the assembly departments that the nature of technical organization did in fact largely rule out the possibility of the formation of cohesive work groups.

The purpose of this short paper is to review the present the position of industrial sociology as an academic discipline as of September 1959. It will focus therefore on its approach, its field of inquiry, the selection of problems for study, methods used and the present provision for its pursuit. The treatment given to the article is analytical rather than descriptive, since it can be assumed that most sociologists will have some knowledge of particular developments and various researches in this field, and only passing reference will therefore be made to them. There is still a tendency to use the term industrial sociology compendiously, to refer to all developments in the study of social relations in industry, in a manner which is reminiscent of the way in which the role of sociology itself was seen at one time simply as synoptic. This tendency of course is indicative of the developmental stage of the subject, but is quite illegitimate and emphasizes the need for clarification of the special position of industrial sociology.

We study a firm's decisions to engage in socially responsible activities, voluntarily report on them, and purchase external assurance of the report. In our signaling model, neither firm type nor the level of activity is observed. We show that if voluntary assurance is not too expensive, the firm that engages in more socially responsible activities purchases external assurance and thus 'selects' a separating equilibrium. As a result, CSR reports can be used to infer the level of activity and this causes all firms to engage in more socially responsible activity. Further, when voluntary assurance is required to support a separating equilibrium, greater monitoring by social activists increases the chosen quality of voluntary assurance-voluntary assurance and monitoring by social activists are complements, not substitutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing remuneration plans for CEOs still mainly focus on financial performance and do not necessarily promote sustainable value creation for their firms. By way of reaction to this, a growing number of academics and practitioners are acknowledging the need for the inclusion of sustainability targets in executive remuneration. This study examines the current status of the use of sustainability targets in executive remuneration specified by country, sector and targets. Based on a sample of 490 listed firms from 11 countries and different sectors, the use of targets related to sustainability in executive remuneration is assessed. The targets are specified by kind of target (short term and long term) and content of target (environmental, social or a combination of both). The results of this study show that (a) in 2010 on average 33% of the firms used sustainability targets in remuneration, (b) mainly the 'dirty' industries use targets, (c) the targets used are mainly short-term targets and (d) they focus on social issues. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to analyze the similarities and differences between two of the most recurrent terms used in the field of business: corporate social responsibility and corporate citizenship (CC). Since the 1990s, CC, started to compete and replace the other concept in the realms of management theory and practice. To explore the competition between terminology and concepts, the criterion "which one(s) is improving corporate accountability" will be used. The question of corporate accountability seems crucial today. Corporations have been acquiring increasing power without engaging in the advancement of the common good. The author details how situations like the growth of truly global companies, the environmental damage, environmental and welfare standards, have inflamed the debate on the control of corporations.

ParentCompany's decision to closeR&DCoin North East England caused the loss of highly skilled scientific and technical jobs.R&DCowas a“white-collar” R&D operation and supplier of services toParentCompany's lead factories in the East Midlands and South West regions. The economic and social costs of closure were acute for the North East with its relatively weak growth, high unemployment and limited R&D activity. This paper argues that a clearer understanding and progressive response to such closures may benefit from a conceptualisation founded upon spatialised social relations and characterised by a social process of production that unfolds over time, across space and in place. Periodised in episodic socio-spatial“moments”, a historically evolving social process of closure reveals differential potential—contingent upon specific conjunctures of structural forces, social agency and the particularities of places—to enable and/or inhibit intervention through public policy and institutional action and political mobilisation and resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I wish to consider some of the problems involved in examining variations in attitudes, beliefs and behaviour of male manual industrial workers in the United Kingdom.
Much of industrial sociology has been based on specific limited samples where the influence of occupation, employer and community has been merged. Hence our knowledge tends to be based on adding together a number of fairly homogeneous groups of workers. As Blackburn and Mann have pointed out, it is not surprising that this methodology leads to an emphasis on overall diversity but sub-cultural homogeneity.[1] Lockwood had suggested that we might conceive of the working class as composed of distinct and internally cohesive 'deferential', 'privatised' and 'proletarian' sub-cultures.[2] This distinction is based on the identification of three types of social consciousness or 'images of society' which are generated by different work and community relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One interpretation of the concept of organizational legitimacy is that it stems from the cultural values of society, and suggests that businesses operate under a mandate that may be withdrawn if organizations are seen not to be doing the `right' things. This suggests there is something in the nature of a principal-agent relationship in existence, and that some form of accountability is then owed by the agent (the organization) to the principal (society). This paper seeks to investigate the nature of this accountability, distinguishing between the accountability which exists towards those elements of society with which an organization has a contractual relationship, and those where it does not. Adopting a pluralist stance, stakeholder theory is then used to illustrate the possible nature of both the form of legitimacy relationship extant, and of the account- ability that the principal might expect of the agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an examination of the social role of businesses. The author compares the differences between the British and American ideas of the concept, noting that both countries are in similar stages of economic development and share close historical and cultural ties. The author presents several factors that suggest that Great Britain has a less explicit and self-conscious concern with business social responsibility when compared to the United States. He shows that Great Britain has a greater reliance on publicly-owned enterprises and their public policy concerning the social role of business institutions has been focused here. Great Britain also maintains the tradition of according privacy to business and other social institutions.

In this paper, we examine the effect of a firm's socially responsible act on the wealth of its shareholders. We hypothesize that abnormal returns would be negative when such an act is voluntary and insignificantly different from zero when it is mandatory. We test these hypotheses by analyzing the wealth effect of US firms' divestment of South African assets before and after the legislation restricting US investments in South Africa. Our results support these hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the serious problems arising the motivation of industrial supervisors. It states that these supervisors were currently engaged in work that was dangerous, dirty and fatiguing. It tells that it is hard to imagine that a group of supervisors would choose to have safer and cleaner work when one considers their present job, even though safe, clean work might be very important to them. It says that another problem arises concerning the combining of the supervisors from several companies into one group for purposes analysis. It also adds that the final problem arises is the separation of job characteristics. Moreover, a supervisor must choose between jobs which represent certain configurations of characteristics.

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the effect of social networks on innovation through the analysis of territorial agglomerations of firms. Critical voices argue that the same mechanisms that form the basis of efficient, continuous improvements of clustered firms can also be considered as limitations. We suggest that the impact of social capital decreases beyond a certain point of development. In fact, the effect of social interactions and trust on firm value creation can be described as an inverted U-shaped curve. The study is based on a sample of 154 firms in the Valencia region of Spain. Implications of the study have relevant prescriptions for regional planners and individual entrepreneurs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of microfinance staff and procedures in enabling microfinance's social mission. It does so primarily through studying institutional ruling relations and practices in rural Bangladesh. Attempting to move away from the linear and deterministic approaches of impact studies, it ethnographically scrutinizes the everyday practices of implementers. Findings point to the emergence of systemic practices that jeopardize microfinance institutions' potential to perform their social mission. These include low client‐selection standards, hard selling of loans and forceful loan renewal, little follow‐up on loan use, and abusive and violent client‐retention and repayment‐collection strategies. This is conceptualized as a 'practice drift' as distinct from the commonly reported 'mission drift'. Rather than stemming from planned, top‐down changes in institutional mission and strategy, practice drift emerges from a displacement of decision‐making processes to the branches. The article argues that observed changes in microfinance practice are enabled by decentralized structures and management systems that leave the choice of tactics used to achieve targets to the discretion of field staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From an international perspective, Australia has been one of the leading jurisdictions for corporate governance reform. Its first corporate governance code predates the Cadbury Report, and Australia is also one of the few countries internationally to have been only marginally affected by the recession that ensued after the Global Financial Crisis. Considerable governance reform has occurred since 2007–8 in Australia, however; much of it occasioned by pressure brought to bear by institutional investors as a reaction to both traditional governance failings and also social and environmental concerns such as a growing awareness of climate change. Institutional influence is primarily associated with the compulsory retirement income system that emerged in the 1980s in light of an economy‐wide union campaign. While governance structures are becoming more homogenous, institutional logics reflecting trustees' concerns are driving and shaping this ongoing process. A new approach to corporate engagement has emerged under the influence of investor representative bodies such as the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors that is driving corporate governance change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can human resource management contribute to helping diversified MNCs meet the challenge of combining strategic control and strategic variety? In order to increase their competitive advantage, these firms need to develop "balanced" managers with multifocal approaches that are sensitive to the demands for local responsiveness and opportunities for global integration. Doz and Prahalad explore the tough agenda that both HR professionals and top management must work in order to build the quality and effectiveness of the MNCs human resource management process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is continuing to change the way businesses operate. Stakeholders are insisting that corporations implement more responsible business practices, and they are holding them increasingly accountable for their associated environmental and social impacts. Research has provided significant contributions toward sustainability-related tools and best practices, allowing sustainability to be integrated even farther across business operations. However, challenges still exist, preventing many companies from fully integrating sustainability. Although intangible benefits are not commonly included in business case assessments, such benefits can be derived through sustainability initiatives and may offer additional value in evaluating the business case for sustainability. In this article, we review current literature on accounting methods for the business case for sustainability as well as currently available methods or tools that are capable of estimating intangible benefits. In addition, we use case studies to illustrate if, and how, companies are accounting for intangible benefits, and we identify best methods for accounting for intangible benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a unique data set of corporate philanthropic activities, we find that direct giving activities are positively associated both with higher levels of innovation and innovation that is more influential, collaborative, and original. Our results suggest that much of what is ostensibly promoted as philanthropy actually reflects research-related networking activities. The effect of direct giving on innovation is more pronounced in more opaque firms and more innovative and competitive industries. These findings provide evidence of the distinct motives by which firms choose between direct giving and foundation giving. Our study suggests that firms can use direct philanthropy to expand firm-boundaries by developing innovation with research partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current literature has identified many different definitions for the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). As a result, many organizations fail to implement and measure CSR strategically. This study reviews the different theories and concepts within CSR and suggests that the current scope of CSR activities is too large that organizations are unable to find a tangible link between CSR and their bottom line. Using two case examples, this study proposes refocusing the concept of CSR as corporate public responsibility (CPR) based on which organizations utilize the concept of publics to prioritize the groups to which they must fulfill their responsibilities before attending to society as a whole. Because organizations are constrained by limited resources, the concept of CPR allows them to invest their resources more strategically. The concept also addresses the limitations of existing theories. The practical implications of this concept will be discussed in detail. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategic decision making and evaluation in philanthropic giving and social investment requires good-quality information about the social impacts of that investment. One way to meet this need is by calculating a social return on investment ( SROI) measure, akin to the return on investment ( ROI) approach used in business analysis. Despite much buzz in the field, SROI measurements are rarely used, in part because of the complexity of the calculations but also because of a number of thorny and often expensive organizational challenges associated with implementing an SROI process. This article explores these implementation challenges by comparing four social venture organizations in the health care field-two in the Netherlands and two in the United States-that have utilized some sort of SROI measurement. We summarize the SROI process and identify the specific organizational challenges in each case. Lessons learned from this analysis include the value of process versus product and the importance of fitting the type of measurement to the organizational context. We conclude with a summary of best practices for organizations and social investors who might try to make effective use of SROI measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]