Motivations for CSR in the Norwegian maritime cluster: stakeholder perspectives and policy implications

Abstract

The goal of the paper is to explore the motives for firms' engagement in CSR and to find out what underlines the CSR stakeholder choice. We integrated both qualitative and quantitative approaches and addressed the research questions by using the Norwegian maritime cluster as the research setting. The findings show that the concept of CSR differs among industry players even within the same industry. CSR may have different interpretations based on industry, firm, or even individual perception. Consensus over the meaning of CSR continues to be problematic while the lack of clarity is complicated by the multiplicity of stakeholders' interests and expectations. We found that within the maritime industry, important CSR initiatives are targeted at stakeholders such as the environment, sponsorship, charities, and safety. Intrinsic motivation was found to be highly related to CSR targeted at the community, shareholders, and employees while extrinsic motivation appears to be limited to concerns for the environment and suppliers. However, the weak association between motivation and CSR targeted at the environment could be explained by other factors (e.g. legislation). Note: This article is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled 'Utvikling av en modell for samfunnsansvar i den maritime naeringen' presented at

Effect of CSR Implementation and Crisis Events in Business on the Financial Management of Smes

“…Overall, the motivations for implementing CSR in SMEs encompass both intrinsic factors such as values, beliefs, and societal contribution, as well as extrinsic factors such as economic incentives, brand reputation, and customer differentiation (Grimstad et al, 2020;Colovic et al, 2019). Fjortoft et al (2020) found that the type of motivation can be differentiated according to which part of CSR it supports. While intrinsic motivation is relatively strongly associated with the social component associated with interest groups such as employees and stakeholders, extrinsic motivation tends to be limited to the environmental component and suppliers.…”

Análisis de motivaciones hacia prácticas socialmente responsables en pequeñas y medianas empresas turísticas de Ensenada, Baja California

“…Pese a que ambas fueron estadísticamente significativas, las internas presentan mayor grado de asociación. Esto concuerda con lo que indican Fjørtoft et al (2020) y Lechuga et al (2018), para quienes sus resultados sugieren que las motivaciones intrínsecas impulsan más la RSE que las extrínsecas. Estos últimos hacen mención a que las motivaciones internas denotan un compromiso de la empresa, de tal manera que se considera que lo encontrado es consistente con la literatura, y que, además, resulta lógico considerar que la propia ética, cultura organizacional e interés por ser competitivos es un factor determinante no solo para el diseño de estrategias de RSE, sino para la gestión de la empresa en todos sus procesos.…”

Framing sustainable exports in theory and practice

“…More environmentfriendly propulsion systems are changing the design of ships. Recent innovations in the design and manufacture of hybrid vessels, autonomous vessels, and electric vessels can significantly reduce the environmental footprint of shipping and increase energy efficiency sustainably (Fjørtoft et al 2020).…”