Bringing Back the Essence of the “S” and “R” to CSR: Understanding the Limitations of the Merchant Trade and the White Man’s Burden

Lorenzo-Molo, Caterina Francisco; Udani, Zenon Arthur Siloran

doi:10.1007/s10551-012-1513-1

Cited by 18 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The influence of the values and perceptions of top managers on organizational strategy and effectiveness tended to be discarded (Hambrick and Mason, 1984). A stream of contemporary research work into business sustainability suggests that these patterns have endured over decades of business practice and theories that have failed to deliver realistic and useful solutions for both companies and society (Browne and Nuttall, 2013;Fooks et al, 2013;Lorenzo-Molo and Udani, 2013;Sun and Cui, 2014). The instrumental and deterministic rationale that has long prevailed (and still prevails) in industrial society, in general, and environmental strategy management, in particular, is based on elements such as efficiency gains and the mastery of technological innovation over nature that appear to be insufficient on their own to avert (and perhaps reverse) the negative impact of individual and collective (business) enterprises on society (Murphy, 2004;Starik and Kanashiro, 2013).…”

Section: Towards An Extended Contingency Framework For Business Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 14 (5), 607-636. (Browne and Nuttall, 2013;Fooks et al, 2013;Lorenzo-Molo and Udani, 2013;Sun and Cui, 2014), then it suggests a need to explore other approaches. This paper aims at contributing to fill this gap by developing a new contingency framework of compatibility between green and business strategy-making that explains heterogeneity in business conception of ESR.…”

Section: Introductionthe Challenge Of Integration In Business and Susmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, the existence of patterns of compatibility (or incompatibility) outside the "win-win" intersecting area, and beyond consideration of positive net results and tangible performance indicators, has been overlooked. If the failure of management theory to deliver a realistic assessment of the relationship between ESR and business strategy is partly responsible for the lack of progress in developing substantively more sustainable business and production/consumption systems (Browne and Nuttall, 2013;Fooks et al, 2013;Lorenzo-Molo and Udani, 2013;Sun and Cui, 2014), then it suggests a need to explore other approaches.…”

Section: Introduction -The Challenge Of Integration In Business and Sustainability Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Martinez

2014

Corporate Governance

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: This article draws on the contingency theory to develop a conceptual model of compatibility between corporate environmental responsibility and business strategy that reflects heterogeneity in this relationship. Four dimensions of compatibility are explored: trade-off, ambidexterity, synergy and symbiosis. Design/Methodology/Approach: The intended contribution is essentially conceptual. A company case study is included to contribute to the development of the four dimensions of compatibility and support the practical relevance of the model. Twelve in-depth interviews with six managers in different functions of the company were conducted. A grounded theory approach was used to identify and express the patterns of compatibility that emerge from the qualitative data and how these patterns are grounded in managers' meaning-in-use. Findings: The contribution of the compatibility framework is essentially made to the literature on environmental strategy management, evolved from an implicit and at most twodimensional (win-win and win-lose) conceptualisation of the relationship between green and business strategy into an explicit and multi-dimensionally grounded identification of processes and strategic challenges of corporate environmental and social responsibility. The resulting model contributes to a better understanding of corporate greening as a strategic and moral concern to individuals acting on behalf of business organisations and a greater understanding of the linkages between green and business strategies and operations. Originality/Value: By clarifying the construct of corporate environmental sustainability and providing useful directions for theory and practice, this research claims to inform green management decision-making. While the compatibility model is not intended to explain all pathways by which firms may elicit contingencies of relevance to environmental and social responsibility, I suggest the model paints a more complete and contextualized picture of environmental management mechanisms in business.

show abstract

Section: Towards An Extended Contingency Framework For Business Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionthe Challenge Of Integration In Business and Susmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction -The Challenge Of Integration In Business and Sustainability Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Martinez

2014

Corporate Governance

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…This follows the recent shift in the CSR debate, which emphasises not to look any longer at strategic processes but on intrinsic motives and corresponding organisations that maintain CSR because it is a part of their culture (Lorenzo-Molo and Siloran Udani, 2013;Asif et al, 2013;Looser and Wehrmeyer, 2015b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethics of the firm, for the firm or in the firm? Purpose of extrinsic and intrinsic CSR in Switzerland

Looser

Wehrmeyer

2016

SRJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ethics of the firm, for the firm or in the firm? Purpose of extrinsic and intrinsic CSR in Switzerland Purpose – Despite the increased recognition and emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a topic and highly formalised CSR control systems, numerous well-publicised problems and scandals often involving multinational enterprises (MNEs) continue to emerge. These companies are mostly extrinsically motivated in CSR. They operate with highly formalised CSR systems that, in many cases, miss the prevention of anti-social and illegal behaviour. This might reflect the failure of extrinsic CSR to integrate the ethical dimension and/or the failure of intrinsic CSR to formalise and thus benefit from economies of scale. Currently, the conviction is growing that if CSR is to have a meaningful impact, it should be a matter of intrinsic motives, morale and ethical values rather than a formalised management tool. This research aims to focus on a sample of small and large companies in Switzerland, aiming at a comparison of key motives for CSR related to actual CSR implementation, performance and company size. Design/methodology/approach – The study examined two groups: seven owner-managers of smalland medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and seven managers of MNEs. Each group met for two focus group discussions that were qualitatively and visually analysed using MAXQDA. Findings – The results show that CSR implementation in the examined Swiss SMEs is more related to moral commitment than to profit maximisation. These companies are often driven by soft assets, such as networks, by the nexus of mission and value set; by a system of initiatives and integrated behaviour; by proximity and informal, flat organisational structures; by the aspiration and ambition of craftsmanship or excellent service (instead of profit); by community involvement; by recruiting from the local community; by the willingness to grow slowly and steadily; by the avoidance of atomic markets; and finally, by the mental set up and sociological tradition of the stewardship concept. This contrasts with the extrinsically motivated approach of the MNEs under research. While MNEs follow their approach of “ethics for the firm that must pay”, the findings here identified potential transition cases of “ethics in the firm” and “ethics of the firm” within Swiss SMEs. This is consistent with others, resembling the need of this dichotomy to be revised. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectorial approach limits the degree to which motives can clearly be attributed to actual CSR performance or company size. Practical implications – The results imply that policymakers, public institutions, scientific community, etc. should be careful when establishing systems that favour financial returns from CSR engagement, because, first, other research showed that a behaviour attributed to extrinsic motives is mostly perceived as dishonest and misleading, for instance, consumers. Second, extrinsic motivation might crowd out morale and paying lead actors for behaving alt...

show abstract

“…Decades of research into corporate social responsibility, sustainability, corporate citizenship, and business ethics ushered management thinkers and practitioners into deeper knowledge of the broader socio-ecological challenges of business activities such as those linked to the management of water. Some scholars point to an important gap in this literature: the failure to generate a realistic alignment between business enterprises and the socio-ecological (including hydrological) realities of our time (e.g., Browne & Nuttall, 2013; Fooks, Gilmore, Collin, Holden, & Lee, 2013; Lorenzo-Molo & Udani, 2013; Sun & Cui, 2014). Critics highlight the lack of knowledge that can be used to predict and control the nonhuman world, including the interplay of human agency and the autonomous dynamics of water (Rice, 2013).…”

Section: Introduction: the Water Management Challengementioning

confidence: 99%

A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Framework of Corporate Water Responsibility

Martinez

2015

Organization & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article offers a conceptual framework that comprehensively describes essential aspects of corporate water responsibility. What heretofore has been essentially regarded as an issue to be tackled by governmental institutions, and therefore not perceived as an important component of the value that is created for the institutional and private owners of profit-driven companies, is explicitly treated here as a corporate responsibility. Bridging knowledge domains, I review major research works conducted by management, corporate sustainability, and (welfare) economics scholars and focusing on water management issues to unveil the conditions under which corporations are likely to manage, or to be challenged in managing, water in responsible/ sustainable ways. Three types of "tensions" that confront academics and managers alike are discussed: voluntary actions versus coercion, free riding versus cooperation, and economic versus corporate water responsibility motives. I propose a three-dimensional framework of corporate water responsibility for thinking through the managerial response patterns contemplated to address these tensions.

show abstract

Bringing Back the Essence of the “S” and “R” to CSR: Understanding the Limitations of the Merchant Trade and the White Man’s Burden

Cited by 18 publications

References 40 publications

Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Corporate strategy and the environment: towards a four-dimensional compatibility model for fostering green management decisions

Ethics of the firm, for the firm or in the firm? Purpose of extrinsic and intrinsic CSR in Switzerland

A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Framework of Corporate Water Responsibility

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About