Corporate Social Responsibility of Dutch Entrepreneurs in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

On the basis of articles in contemporary periodicals, literature, and company archives, this article explores the views of entrepreneurs and society about what constitutes the responsibility of entrepreneurs. From the mid-nineteenth century, we can trace discussions about how entrepreneurs should behave in their own company and toward society, but these ideas were far from constant over time. The changing views on the social responsibilities of entrepreneurs give us therefore important information about changes in the national business system. Though focused on the Dutch entrepreneurs in their relationship to Dutch society, the article includes the influence of ideas from abroad. International management literature abounded in the Netherlands, and multinational companies often picked up ideas from other countries. How companies and entrepreneurs defined their responsibilities depended to a large extent on the criticisms launched by the outside world. Entrepreneurs and company managers responded to concerns in the society of which they formed part, and the progressive ones among them, the true leaders, searched for ways of reconciling the requirements of their business with the demands of the society.

The social value creation of MNEs – a literature review across multiple academic fields

“…Within the field of ethics, research investigates the management of ethics in supply chains, and CPOIB 16,1 product design issues that present subsequent reputational risks (Gilbert and Wisner, 2010). Finally, in business history and social sciences, authors respectively explore what constitute the responsibilities of entrepreneurs (Sluyterman, 2012), and the impact of the state in light of the changing role of MNEs (Turner and Corbacho, 2000).…”

Entrepreneurial Philanthropy Meet with Non-Profits - In Search for Alignment

“…In civil society, non-profit organisations currently face a number of challenges, including governments retracting financially from a large number of areas. At the same time a new generation of philanthropreneurs1 want to respond to societal problems, and seem able to make a contribution to improve the civil society by investing in non-profits, by using their capital, expertise and network assets [1]. The returns envisioned are partly financial, partly societal and partly symbolic, which fit within the current zeitgeist, which proposes that some entrepreneurs seek impact creation as an alternative to unfettered economic growth.…”

“…Non-profit organisations want to respond to these shifting powers in civil society, but do not always feel familiar with these alternative forms of financing. Consequently, this unfamiliarity may lead to a Tower of Babel speech confusion when they meet with one another, which may result in nonprofit organisations having to seek alternate sources of 1 The term 'philanthropreneur' dates back to a publication entitled The Philanthropreneur Newsletter that existed in 1997. However the term is claimed to be coined by Internet entrepreneur Mark Desvaux in 2004 to describe "billionaires who have reaped the benefits of capitalism, and believe that it can be applied in the service of charity".…”