Corporate Saints and Sinners: The Effects of Philanthropic and Illegal Activity on Organizational Performance

Wokutch, Richard E.; Spencer, Barbara A.

doi:10.2307/41165239

Cited by 130 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…This work has also been bounded by addressing only one aspect-the "saintly" aspect of CSR in professional sport. Others have addressed CSR "saints and sinners" within a corporate context (Wokutch & Spencer 1987) as well as within the context of sport (Gladden & Wolfe, 2001). Unfortunately there are ample examples of "sinning" behavior in professional sport (very recently we have had examples of sinning behaviors by professional players (e.g., Michael Vick (Schmidt & Battista, 2007)), coaches (e.g., Bill Belichick (Battista, 2007b)) and referees (e.g., Tim Donaghy (McCarthy, 2007)).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: Internal and External Factors

Babiak

Wolfe

2009

Journal of Sport Management

274

227

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an area of increasing importance for many companies. Professional sport teams, also, are increasingly engaging in socially responsible activities (Irwin, Lachowetz, Cornwell, & Clark, 2003;Kern, 2000;Robinson, 2005). The research described in this article identifies, and determines the relative importance of, the drivers-both internal and external-of socially responsible activities by professional sport teams. Using a qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with sport executives, and organizational documents were analyzed. The data showed that external drivers of CSR, in particular key constituents, the interconnectedness of the field, and pressures from the league were more important determinants of CSR initiatives than the internal resources available to deliver CSR efforts (i.e., attention, media access, celebrity players, coaches, facilities). Based on these preliminary findings, we propose a framework of CSR adoption in professional sport that predicts the types of CSR initiatives a sport organization is likely to adopt depending on its internal and/or external orientation and present a research agenda based on the framework.Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has received considerable attention in the academic literature as the role that CSR plays in business has grown. The focus of academic research has been on identifying the link between financial and social performance (Margolis & Walsh, 2003). While the evidence of this relationship remains unclear, it does point to a positive association. Rather than continuing to focus on the financial-social performance relationship, Margolis and Walsh (2003) argued that researchers should shift their lenses and focus on the context, processes, and outcomes of CSR. This article follows this call by exploring contextual forces, internal and external to the firm, that lead organizations to become more socially responsible. Using an inductive research approach, we found Oliver's (1991) The purpose of this article is to explore and prioritize the forces that result in professional sport organizations engaging in CSR activities. By doing so, we hope to contribute to our understanding of the diffusion of this phenomenon such that it will be well grounded for future research. In addition, we explore the relationship among the determinants of CSR in sport and how they are related to the type of CSR initiatives that are adopted. The article is organized as follows, we: (1) present a brief overview of relevant aspects of the CSR literature; (2) highlight some socially responsible initiatives undertaken by professional sport organizations; (3) address what is unique about the sport industry, as it relates to CSR; (4) present preliminary research concerning the substantial diffusion of CSR in professional sport; (5) propose a determinants of CSR adoption in professional sport framework; and (6) present a research agenda that builds on the proposed framework. Next, we provide an overview of relevant elements of the CSR...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: Internal and External Factors

Babiak

Wolfe

2009

Journal of Sport Management

274

227

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“…The most commonly identified positive relationship suggests CSR offers organizations the potential to increase sales and reduce costs (Luo and Bhattacharya, 2006;Maignan and Ferrell, 2001;Orlitzky et al, 2003;Waddock and Graves, 1997;Wokutch and Spencer, 1987). However, prior research also indicates a negative relationship with performance because of the costs involved to invest in CSR (Davidson and Worrell, 1988;Vance, 1975).…”

Section: Literature Review and Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation of U.S. Organizations

2008

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Organizations that believe they should "give something back" to society have embraced the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Although the theoretical underpinnings of CSR have been debated frequently, empirical studies often involve only limited aspects, implying that theory may not be congruent with actual practices and may impede understanding and further development of CSR. The authors investigate actual CSR practices related to five different stakeholder groups, develop an instrument to measure those CSR practices, and apply it to a survey of 401 U.S. organizations. Four different clusters of organizations emerge, depending on the CSR practice focus. The distinctive features of each cluster relate to organizational demographics, perceived influence of stakeholders, managers' perceptions of the influence of CSR on performance, and organizational performance.

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“…Most of these studies focused on corporate reputation as a surrogate for social responsibility. Other studies examined particular negative acts reflecting on social responsibility such as trade violations ( ) Staw & Szwajkowski, 1975 , trade violations in combination with poor ( ) corporate philanthropy Wokutch & Spencer, 1987 , and workplace requirements under Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA ( ) Freedman & Stagliano, 1991 . The results of these studies indicate that negative social responsibility behavior also led to negative market returns.…”

Section: Social Responsibility Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a Framework for a Corporatesingle Audit: Meeting Financial Statement Users' Needs

Sutton

Arnold

1998

Critical Perspectives on Accounting

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Corporate Saints and Sinners: The Effects of Philanthropic and Illegal Activity on Organizational Performance

Cited by 130 publications

References 8 publications

Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: Internal and External Factors

Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility in Professional Sport: Internal and External Factors

Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation of U.S. Organizations

Towards a Framework for a Corporatesingle Audit: Meeting Financial Statement Users' Needs

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