Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility – serie

It is increasingly being accepted that there is a benefit to both parties when a relationship is established between an NGO and a company. Consequently a considerable number of strategic alliances have been established. It must be accepted that such alliances are not necessarily mutually beneficial but little research has been undertaken to determine the factors which facilitate or mitigate against such mutual benefit. Indeed it is only recently that such relationship shave started to be examined at all. The contributions in this volume seek to redress this by researching various aspects of such relationships in order to arrive at some conclusions regarding the potential benefits and pitfalls of such relationships. The various contributors speak from different perspectives and different locations around the world and have different experiences and interpretations to offer. The results therefore present a diverse but balanced picture of the potential of any relationship between NGOs, companies and corporate social responsibility.

Governance is very much a current concern in the public interest. The global economic recession, from which we are just emerging, has highlighted failures in governance and regulation with much blame being laid at the feet of regulators and demands for perpetrators to be sanctioned accordingly. A key to managing the prevention of future financial crisis is concerned with the recognition and regulation of a truly global market for finance, trade, labour etc. and accepting that there are different perspectives from different parts of the world. Published in association with the Social Responsibility Research Network, Volume 2 in this new and exciting series recognises these issues and takes a global interdisciplinary perspective to the matter of governance in the business environment. Contributions range from the UK, Portugal and Belgium to Brazil, Japan, China and Malaysia, and topics of investigation include: governance and the management of global markets; governance mechanisms of strategic alliances in the Japanese car industry; multinational corporations and democratic governance; market governance to governance in the market - a return to old order; and a socio-legal framework for governance.

This volume examines the word that's on everybody's lips in business, in government and in society - sustainability. There are of course many aspects of sustainability which might be considered to reflect Brundtland's three pillars of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Others of course have different definitions which include such things as governance or supply chain management. Nevertheless business has recognised the significance of the concept and is responding by developing strategies to cope, although some would say that this is little more than window dressing. The debate continues however as to just what is meant by the term sustainability as far as business is concerned and how can this be achieved. This book is designed to address this debate and set it within the context of the global business and societal environment.

Corporate social responsibility is becoming rapidly embedded into the strategic planning and operational processes of all organizations, while at the same time our understanding of what is meant by this phenomenon continues to develop and to be extended beyond the domain of the corporate into that of all other organizations. Academics have responded to this by embedding CSR into the curricula of their respective institutions. Practice, however, differs throughout the world and this book is designed to explore these different practices in order to develop suggestions about what might be best practice and to consider the respective benefits of develop the curriculum in this manner.

The relationship between economic or social or political activity and risk is widely recognised at a societal level, a market level and a business level, and equally widely discussed. The relationship between governance and risk at all of these levels is equally widely recognised but much less widely discussed. But the consequences of poor governance in this arena have been exposed to all in the recent financial and economic crisis as financial institutions and even countries have collapsed or come close to collapsing. The relationship between governance and risk is particularly important in the global environment in which we operate and needs to be more fully discussed and theorised. This book is designed to address important aspects of this topic and set it within the context of the global business and societal environment.

The public downfall of giant companies and an increase in corporate scandals and corporate crimes worldwide has drawn the attention of many in the business world. Growing economic activities that focus on increasing profits at the expense of social and environmental matters have led to self-centred, narrow-focused business planning and decisions. At a time of increasing globalisation and inter-connected economic systems, such a phenomenon is a concern for business practitioners in every country in the world. Consequently, shareholders and other stakeholders have encouraged firms to place issues of accountability at the centre of their activities, recognising the vital importance of an ethical firm culture, transparent governance issues and the adoption of more socially responsible business practices. This book is comprised of academic work on key current issues pertaining to the areas of ethics, governance and corporate crimes. Showcasing some of the current effort being made in addressing these crucial issues, the book provides a platform for researchers to publish their work, articulate their concerns and offer critical perspectives on what they see happening around them.

Over the past half century, corporate social responsibility has become an important concept in management, marketing and communication literature. In the past twenty years a visible shift has been made into what was written about CSR: a move away from the financial benefits derived from such activities towards reputational impact, stakeholder relationships and communication with a wide range of audiences being noted. With social and digital media reshaping the way in which business is conducted, and with the number of companies embracing the new social medium for their marketing and communication programmers, this book re-examines CSR practices from a digital perspective. In doing so, it revisits some of the theoretical discussions about CSR while inquiring whether and how CSR can be applied online. This book examines key conceptual insights about corporate social responsibility and digital and social media, and explores best practices for online CSR. In this way, the volume explores the impact and influence of the new 'social' on responsibility and its feasibility, measurability and success in a boundary-less world.

It is now 20 years since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, better known as the Earth Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro. An important achievement of the conference was an agreement on the Climate Change Convention which in turn led to the Kyoto Protocol. Another was agreement to 'not carry out any activities on the lands of indigenous peoples that would cause environmental degradation or that would be culturally inappropriate'. Recently we have seen an updated and revised conference in Rio where the same issues were again discussed. Since then ideas about sustainability have changed considerably and to some extent they have merged with ideas about corporate social responsibility and about governance, determined by the economic and political fortunes of the actors involved. It is now time therefore to re-examine the concept of sustainability in the aftermath of this conference and to consider what issues are now considered pertinent around the world. This book therefore takes different positions concerning different aspects of this vital topic.

Probably since the mid-1980s, corporate governance has attracted a great deal of attention from corporate managers and investors’ protection has become a much more important issue for all financial markets after recent firm failures and scandals.Especially important for all with an interest in how organizational governance is formed around socially responsible and accountable ways of leadership and management, this book provides new insights into various issues regarding business management and governance, and points to ways for businesses to make a real change for the betterment of the world, especially in the aftermath of the recent financial crisis 2007/2008.

Although much consideration has been given to the relationship between a corporation and its stakeholders, less attention has been given as to who those stakeholders might consist of. Nevertheless in this globalised world the effects of the actions of a corporation can been seen to extend far beyond the boundaries of the organisation and far beyond the countries in which that corporation is domiciled or operates. Indeed not only can a butterfly flapping its wings cause a hurricane in another part of the world but also a minor decision by a corporation can have a dramatic social, economic or geopolitical impact in other parts of the world. Thus the stakeholder community of a corporation must be considered as far greater than its voluntary stakeholders, far greater than its internal stakeholders and far greater than its supply chain and value chain. This has considerable implications for the corporation and its approach to both its operations and its sense of corporate responsibility. Too often this is not considered or even recognised so in this book we take the widest definition of stakeholders and consider aspect of the corporation’s responsibility to this community.

The practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been growing in attention, importance, significance, and acceptance in recent decades. CSR has been included in multiple debates, comments, theories, studies and research around the world. In the last decade, Ibero-America (including Brazil, Portugal, and Spain), has grown in economic terms, and corporate responsible practices have played a key role. A CSR approach in community-based experience has emerged in the last years in this region. This is due to the support of multilateral agencies that have served as a link between government, private sector and society. However, there are still many inequalities in this region. Therefore, this edited book focuses on how CSR and Corporate Governance in Ibero-America have been employed, analyzed, and examined in different sectors and scenarios (companies, NGOs, higher educational institutions, government). It does so from theoretical (theory development), conceptual, methodological, and empirical approaches. It takes a trans-regional approach unlike most research which has been focused on studying specific initiatives or experiences in a particular country.

It is apparent that all forms of organisation have governance requirements and procedures but too often we just consider governance in a corporate environment. Equally it is accepted that the concept of governance is concerned with the relationship between the organisation and all of its stakeholders but is too often interpreted as a concern for the relationship between a corporation and its investors. Still this is essentially true as far as most corporations are concerned. Such narrow views are unrealistic and are inappropriate in the modern global world which we inhabit and many would blame problems with governance for the economic and financial turmoil which the world has experienced during the last decade. Much analysis has been undertaken about governance but little in the way of change is manifest and few seem to recognise both the need to consider radical changes in the modern global environment and the opportunities and possibilities presented by the current environment. In this book therefore we take a broad (and possibly radical) approach and consider governance requirements in the modern world - not just for corporations but for all forms of organisation.

It can be argued that Corporate Social Responsibility has been universally accepted and is gradually being incorporated into the planning and activities of all organisations around the world. The subject of CSR has been debated and theorized over the last 25 years, to such an extent that we can claim to have arrived at a theoretical understanding as well as an understanding of what constitutes best practice.The aspects which merit attention have also been generally agreed – at least according to the majority of researchers.Present attention is directed towards such things as sustainability. This book, however, takes a different approach and argues that there has been a divergence between what academics understand by corporate social responsibility and what is practiced in the world – both in business and elsewhere within society. Through a series of studies of aspects of CSR from around the world, it re-examines the topic though the lenses of various disciplines and cultures. It shows that the subject is much wider than is generally perceived and that CSR is evolving in a way which has not been generally recognized within the academic community. Invaluable to researchers and students in the field, this book contributes towards a much-needed redefinition of CSR.

While it is generally accepted that both governance and corporate social responsibility are concerned with the way that an organisation manages its relations with its stakeholders, the actual relationships are not simple. The stakeholders who are considered to be dominant and most powerful can change dramatically over time. This is particularly so when governance or CSR is considered in the context of non-commercial forms of organisation. This book re-examines these relationships and the way in which they are changing and developing. The various contributions to the book address different aspects of these relationships from a wide international and interdisciplinary perspective.

Both firms and governments are increasingly taking steps to address sustainability, and at the same time the issue of governance has become more prominent due to the numerous problems in public and business life which have manifest failures in governance. As initiatives for sustainability increase in importance and prominence, so has the need for governance of sustainability plans and actions. This volume of Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility responds to that need and focuses on the relations between governance and sustainability. The book looks at what has been happening in various locations around the world, identifying varying approaches and examining whether and how a best practice could be developed. Gathering contributions that are varied in scope and produced by authors from around the world, it provides a rich picture of the progress (or lack of progress) being made in a wide array of contexts. For its depth and broad scope, Governance and Sustainability is a must-read for researchers, students, and practitioners interested in sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Isolationism is an approach that many governments are increasingly beginning to take, which has consequences for both ordinary citizens and businesses. The research in this sixteenth volume of Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility examines isolationism at global, regional and local levels around the world to analyse this impact. In CSR in an age of Isolationism, David Crowther and Farzana Quoquab gather contributions from academics around the world who discuss the implications of isolationism on corporate social responsibility and society itself. This is achieved by looking at a mixture of regional changes together with case studies within several industries in order to develop a theoretical understanding and analysis. For its contributions towards an understanding of changes which do not yet seem to be widely recognized, this book is an essential read for researchers and postgraduate students of corporate governance and responsibility.

The three pillars of sustainability – Environmental protection, Social sustainability, and Economic sustainability – are well known since the Brunndtland Commission report. However, these pillars are meant to be approached and treated as equal counterparts, yet this rarely happens as individuals, corporations, businesses, and institutions will weight one pillar with more importance than the others.The Equal Pillars of Sustainability works to redress this problem and to look at what action is taken or might be taken to achieve equality. It is investigated whether this equality can be achieved in all circumstances or what alternatives need to be considered. It might be argued that Brundtland was wrong, and these three pillars are not the centrepiece of sustainable development. In this book we consider these views and actions to arrive at a view which will inform debate and guide future action.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility as a series offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers. This is the only book series endorsed by the Social Responsibility Research Network.

Social entrepreneurs greatly differ from other forms of entrepreneurs in terms of judgment capacity, pro-activeness, innovativeness, entrepreneurial virtue. They are often associated with social innovation and ascribed as transformational leaders due to their contribution in finding and initiating the positive change in solving any social problem.In recent years, the whole world is facing different aspects and levels of social problems. This has led to social entrepreneurs becoming more desired and attracting significant research attention. However, the discussion on such topic is still at its infancy with ongoing debates on its definition, characteristics, and roles. Social Entrepreneurs: Mobilisers of Social Change works to fill this gap in the literature, exploring the notion of social entrepreneurs, their role, facets, and implications to address the social problems.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers. This is the only book series endorsed by the Social Responsibility Research Network.

Plastics have long been considered useful, providing such economic advantages as reduced cost and social benefits like increased hygiene and the preservation of food. However, plastic products have greatly contributed to climate change. Half of all plastic produced is single use. The discarded plastics are dumped into landfills and find their way into bodies of water, causing serious environmental pollution and health hazards. Addressing this paradoxical situation, Socially Responsible Plastic answers the question: can using plastic ever be socially responsible?While humanity is threatened by the environmental pollution caused by plastic, some countries are implementing and accepting environmentally friendly behaviour, while others are still falling behind. More specifically, adopting environmentally friendly behaviour is still in its infancy in developing nations. The authors look at socially responsible plastic in countries ranging from China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Spain, Australia and India to Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Bangladesh, with research covering tourism, waste management, the food and drink industry, and the possible advantages of responsible plastic use.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.

Sustainability is a topic which has become universal and is of concern to everyone. The effects and impact can be very varied according to what action is taken. Much research has been done in this area but mostly looking its impact upon businesses and the economy with the environment being considered to a lesser extent. Very little research has however been undertaken to consider the impact upon individuals within society. All research tends to consider the societal or organisational level instead. This book therefore seeks to redress this imbalance by looking at the social at a local and individual level. In doing so it addresses a wide variety of topics and issues. The contributions in this volume come from all over the world and demonstrate that the same issues affect us all no matter where we are located. In this book we look at a number of diverse issues which need to be considered, these are all considered in the context of their implication for individuals, society and the way they affect cultural issues.

Sustainability seems to be at the top of everyone’s agenda these days with much effort devoted by businesses to drive towards that sustainability. At the same time CSR (corporate social responsibility) and its successor ESG (environment social and governance) feature heavily in corporate reporting and in their strategic planning. The question therefore arises as to whether planning according to CSR and / or ESG principles assists the drive towards sustainability. This book discusses the relationship between these concepts in a variety of locations and variety of circumstances around the world, considering issues and how they are being dealt with globally. The focus is upon the current situation, while also considering the extent to which the focus is changing, so much that we need to think about new approaches to our understanding of behaviour and differing effects in practice. The international origins of the contributors to this volume make this an original contribution taking some of the best ideas from around the world.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility publishes in association with the International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility run by the Social Responsibility Research Network (SRRNet.org). Every volume contains commissioned chapters written specifically for the conference.The series presents current debates and research about specific aspects of social responsibility and shows these from global and interdisciplinary perspectives. Each volume presents a different theme related to the broad field of corporate social responsibility. It aims to spark debate and encourage discussion between people from different backgrounds as a way of developing and promoting best practice. The papers are global and invite contributions ensuring that the quality remains high and the scope of coverage is comprehensive and coherent.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become one of the most talked about innovations of the present. There seems to be a general assumption that AI and technology of various forms can be used to achieve sustainability, but there is less discussion about how this can happen and whether there are both positives and negatives to technology and its use.This edited collection builds on the ethical questions reminiscent of those raised by early fiction writing in relation to robotics, and AI’s position within human endeavour. The chapters recognise the dangers as well as the applications which are appropriate and helpful.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.

It is generally accepted that the three pillars of sustainability – economic, environmental, and social – are crucial, and must be addressed if we are to achieve sustainability in the future. Although it is generally recognised that they must be treated equally it is much less apparent that this is actualised. Most commonly concern is centred around just one pillar, presumably because most actions which benefit one pillar can have a detrimental effect on at least one of the others. Mitigating these conflicts is the most difficult aspect of sustainability, which must be addressed if we are to make satisfactory progress.In this edited collection the authors consider a number of diverse issues within the context of their implication for society and their effect on cultural issues. Given the instability of the world in the present time, both culturally and politically, all issues are explored from a variety of vital perspectives.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.

Climate Change and Social Responsibility explores the complex relationships between climate change and social responsibility, offering a unique blend of historical context, future perspectives, and innovative solutions. This book examines the political, economic, and social dimensions of climate change, from the role of governments and international institutions to the impact on human migration and sustainable business models. This is a must-read for scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and practitioners seeking to understand the complexities of climate change and social responsibility. Its interdisciplinary approach and global perspective make it an invaluable resource for anyone working towards a more sustainable and equitable future. With its rich insights and expert analysis, Climate Change and Social Responsibility is a call to action for individuals, organizations, and governments to embrace their social responsibility and join the quest for a climate-resilient world. The Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility series offers the latest research on topical issues by international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.

The world has gone through profound change since 2019, which has impacted economies, organisations, societies, and ways of working. Now, more than ever, businesses need to be prepared and resilient to large-scale changes. Written by experts, the chapters collected here address various issues such as climate change and the pandemic, suggesting ways in which future crises can be managed successfully and sharing best practice from what we have learned from recent crises.The globally diverse authorship in Corporate Resilience brings together a range of perspectives on corporate resilience and crisis management from varying industries to explore this topic in great depth. Areas studied range from building global resilience through sustainable development and social responsibility, to corporate resilience, environmental investment, internet financial reporting and reporting on human rights.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.

It is generally accepted that climate change is happening and that steps need to be taken to alleviate this. One action which has become prominent is that of achieving net zero, which has been interpreted in terms of emissions of CO2 and other gases. Net zero cannot be achieved by anyone, any organization or even any country acting alone: a great number of actions need to be taken by individuals and organisations and these will differ according to their location and the nature of the organization involved.Achieving Net Zero brings together chapters to examine these challenges from a range of perspectives, various regions and industries, each presenting unique outlooks. From steps on the journey to net zero and sustainability rhetoric, to case studies in Angola and Mauritius, this edited collection helps facilitate best practice that can be adopted on a global scale.Developments in Corporate Governance and Responsibility offers the latest research on topical issues international experts and has practical relevance to business managers.