Search

This paper explores the relationship between business objectives and social responsiveness toward stakeholders in terms of stakeholder management activity. It employs an empirical grounded study of the Canadian banking sector that involved semi-structured interviews combined with archival documents analysis. Findings suggest managers in mature industries with business growth-oriented objectives and a proactive responsiveness toward stakeholders are likely to engage in stakeholder management activities commonly associated with corporate social responsibility. Implications for managers include the need for multi-dimensional strategic planning. Implications for researchers suggest a need to re-conceptualize management studies to nurture interdisciplinary research on business strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper maps the changing network of large Canadian corporations in the half-century following the Second World War, using location of corporate head offices as a window on the geography of corporate power. In this era, the network of interlocking directorates was reshaped by several developments: consolidation of corporate headquarters in major metropolitan zones, the decline of Montreal and the increased importance of Toronto as the principal metropolis, the movement of industrial capital westward and concomitant rise of Calgary and Vancouver as corporate command centres, the nationalist politics of Quebec, which led some major corporations to defect from Montreal while nurturing a French-Canadian segment of the corporate élite, and the continuing hegemony of Toronto and Montreal in the world of corporate finance. By the close of the twentieth century, the Canadian corporate élite appeared to be well integrated across the main urban centres of economic power, across the financial and industrial forms of capital, and across the anglo-French ethnic difference. Viewed in light of related research on the élite's reach into civil society, this pattern of spatial, sectoral and ethnic integration presented a structural basis for strong business leadership in both economic and extra-economic fields. Whether such corporate hegemony is ultimately compatible with a democratic way of life is altogether another matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social, political and economic conditions are changing in rural Canada. The forest industry has operated in rural communities throughout the nation for several centuries and the relationships between forest companies and communities have evolved over that time. This paper outlines a model for company-community relations that will foster sustainable communities given the new realities that exist in rural Canada. The model will benefit forest industry firms as well as the communities that host them. Six problems that inhibit sustainability in timber-dependent communities are outlined and several ideas for corporate action to address these challenges are offered. Among these are supporting human capital development, leadership development, and entrepreneurship; nurturing healthy communities; and ensuring that costs and benefits associated with timber-dependence are distributed evenly across regions where specific companies have a sphere of influence and within specific communities where companies operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a sample of Canadian investment bank cliques from 1952 to 1990, we examined whether social similarity and cohesion reduced exits of members from these cliques; whether complementarity through differentiated roles reduced such exits; and whether inequality in structural holes increased exits. We found that complementarity and inequality were more powerful antecedents of clique exits than similarity and cohesion. Our results suggest that clique stability is a function of three social and instrumental processes: building social attraction to govern exchanges, developing complementarity to accomplish collaborative tasks, and distributing the value created by a clique among its members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this study is to investigate whether and how leadership practices that facilitate a positive emotional climate (the "PEC practices") are related to organizational outcomes in terms of performance (increase in revenue), strategic growth, and outcome growth. Design/methodology/approach — A panel study was conducted to test the hypotheses. Data were collected from 229 entrepreneurs and small business owners operating in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. In the first wave of the study, the authors collected data regarding the PEC practices. The data on outcome variables, i.e. revenue, strategic growth, and outcome growth, were collected in the second wave, 18 months later. Findings — The regression analyses showed that the PEC practices were positively related to company performance, revenue growth, and outcome growth, providing support for the hypotheses in the study. Originality/value — This study provides valuable insights about the role of emotional factors in organizational-level outcomes, a relatively unexplored area in emotions research. Analyzing a set of panel data, the study has shown that leadership practices that facilitate a positive emotional climate in an organization make a difference in organizational-level outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a study which examines the different aspects of corporate ethics programs in the biggest corporations in Canada. The sample was taken from the summer 2001 edition of the Financial Post 500, a yearly ranking of Canadian corporations by the National Post Business Magazine according to revenue and other factors. A cover letter and questionnaire were sent to the CEO or chair of 490 companies. The large majority of the respondents view their corporate codes of ethics in a positive manner. Results revealed that ethics has become a basic component of the corporate bottom line.

Reports that the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement in Montreal, Quebec has announced the enrollment of Louisiana-Pacific Canada Ltd. as a Canadian member company.