CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance

CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance Series editors Samuel O. Idowu, London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom Rene´ Schmidpeter, Cologne Business School, Germany More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11565 Stephen Vertigans • Samuel O. Idowu Editors Corporate Social Responsibility Academic Insights and Impacts Editors Stephen Vertigans Samuel O. Idowu School of Applied Social Studies London Guildhall Faculty Business & Law Robert Gordon University London Metropolitan University Aberdeen, United Kingdom London, United Kingdom ISSN 2196-7075 ISSN 2196-7083 (electronic) CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance ISBN 978-3-319-35082-0 ISBN 978-3-319-35083-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-35083-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016947715 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland Foreword Samuel O. Idowu and Stephen Vertigans have produced another fine book to follow up Corporate Social Responsibility in Sub-Saharan Africa. In doing so, they continue to move the social debate on from the diatribes of the twentieth century against transnational companies (TNCs) also called multinational corporations (MNCs). There is now a clear recognition in these academic contributions of the growing ability of well-run global companies to unleash resources and deliver innovations across a wide range of social issues and situations. This is also increasingly reflected in the widening interest of business schools and other academic disciplines in ethical issues, especially since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the recognition that this calls for much clearer accountability across both the private and the public sectors. Lack of clear accountability is still a major problem that too many organisations have been unable to resolve; hence, issues of trust and ethics need further resolution. The chapters in this book illustrate there is clear recognition that MNCs, banks, public administration and international agen- cies can all play a constructive role in the alleviation of poverty and improvements in quality of life. The breadth of canvas covered by the different contributors is impressive. In addition to chapters from academics in the USA and Europe, submissions come from countries such as Turkey, Romania, Poland, Malta and Tanzania. This helps to illustrate that CSR initiatives and thinking are taking hold in more countries around the world. It is also perhaps significant in this context that I sense for the first time a move beyond the “Corporate” to what might become simply “Social Responsibility” or even “Communal Social Responsibility”. A good example is the article from Poland by T. Potocki on “financial capabilities” (wise and rational financial decisions) who argues “That as the communist system did not support societies in saving, it did not require establishing the element of human capital which would help in taking wise and rational financial decisions.” This opens up the enormity of the challenge that faced, and still faces, post-socialist regimes where social responsibility is passing beyond corporate to “a less passive” community, which seems to v vi Foreword open up new territory, particularly in the realm of financial education, as a way of improving quality of living. These are unashamedly articles by academics and I suspect the editors may wish to take this work further, which could include more fieldwork verification and examples of their theories in action. For example, in 2010 Unilever’s CEO spelled out a very ambitious, global Sustainable Living Plan, with measurable milestones through to 2020. This type of leadership would appear to be very fertile ground for further practical study and evaluation to draw out lessons on both the type of goals to set and how they might be implemented. This might also lead to an updated definition of CSR, since not surprisingly this important idea is gaining momentum around the world and mutating as more experience comes to the fore. London, UK Brian Dive March 2016 Preface There has been a surge in interest and activities in areas that are increasingly encapsulated under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) umbrella. CSR has become recognised as a concept that offers ways of thinking and behaving that can deliver multilayered benefits that include government developmental programmes, TNCs profile and profits, enhancing the capacity of small businesses within supply chains and transforming lives through community engagement and local content programmes. The wide ranging expectations can be neatly encapsulated within the triple bottom line of economics, environmental and social or people, planet and profit (Idowu et al. 2014) or expressed in terms of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 as the 5Ps—People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Part- nership. However, too often CSR approaches tend to fall within one aspect of the bottom line. Hence, the business case is considered without recourse to the social impact while environmental controls are proposed without considering the economic and social costs. The partial approach to CSR is replicated within academic literature. Although the requirement for multi- and interdisciplinary approaches is increasingly acknowledged, insights continue to reflect the tendency to separate CSR into discrete components within organisations and then between companies and stake- holders. Academic contributions within organisations continue to be dominated by business perspectives, while social scientific contributions feature strongly within stakeholder engagement and monitoring processes. Yet the plethora of activities undertaken in the name of CSR is striking. For instance, CSR programmes incor- porate education, health, business development, art, music, crime, human resources, pollution, public relations, human rights, political conflict, supply chains, renewal energy, community relations and sustainable development. Often these programmes are being developed in isolation, in areas where companies are oper- ating and realise action is required. However, despite good intentions their programmes often lack academic insights in terms of both the underlying causes of the behaviour they seek to address and the unintentional impacts of their interventions. Consequently, a range of academic disciplines are required in order vii viii Preface to outline the different elements within CSR approaches and their economic, environmental and social influences and impacts. In so doing, the extent and ambition of CSR programmes has to be matched by academic approaches which can help to illuminate the roots of problems and outcomes of potential solutions. This multidisciplinary approach will also enable interconnections to be drawn across programmes and for practitioners and academics to be better informed about the investment and scope for CSR today and to enable the delivery of meaningful, sustainable changes. Our main objective of putting this book together is twofold: first, to highlight the multifaceted nature of CSR and the need for greater engagement across academia in order to help develop the required mechanisms which encourage socially respon- sible approaches across the board and, second, to demonstrate that it touches all areas of academic discipline. We have been fortunate to have attracted interest from scholars in 13 academic disciplines who have competently addressed many of the main issues of interest to the book. Aberdeen, UK Stephen Vertigans London, UK Samuel O. Idowu Spring 2016 Academic Insights and Impacts of Corporate Social Responsibility: An Introduction Before introducing and reviewing the contents of this book, it is worthwhile reflecting upon the expansion and extension of conceptual development and appli- cations surrounding CSR. During the last 30 years, there has been a noticeable resurgence of CSR as both a corporate practice and subject for academic scrutiny. Across company strategies and reports and academic disciplines and publications, the profile of CSR has grown with definitions and characteristics debated while the relevance of activities, programmes, benefits and costs continues to be scrutinised and theorised. A plethora of related standards have been developed and applied as benchmarks such as UN Global Compact, ILO Conventions, ISO 14000 series,

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