Ethics Programs, Perceived Corporate Social Responsibility and Job Satisfaction

Companies offer ethics codes and training to increase employees’ ethical conduct. These programs can also enhance individual work attitudes because ethical organizations are typically valued. Socially responsible companies are likely viewed as ethical organizations and should therefore prompt similar employee job responses. Using survey information collected from 313 business professionals, this exploratory study proposed that perceived corporate social responsibility would mediate the positive relationships between ethics codes/training and job satisfaction. Results indicated that corporate social responsibility fully or partially mediated the positive associations between four ethics program variables and individual job satisfaction, suggesting that companies might better manage employees’ ethical perceptions and work attitudes with multiple policies, an approach endorsed in the ethics literature. Sean Valentine (D.B.A., Louisiana Tech University) is an Associate Professor of Management in the college of Business at the University of Wyoming. His teaching and research interests include business ethics, organizational behavior, and human resource management. He has published in journals such as Behavioral Research in Accounting, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, and Journal of Business Ethics. Gary Fleischman (Ph.D., Texas Tech University) is an Associate Professor and is the McGee Hearne and Paiz Faculty Scholar in Accounting at the University of Wyoming. His teaching expertise is in accounting and entrepreneurship and his research interests are in business ethics and behavioral business research. He has published in journals such as Behavioral Research in Accounting, The International Journal of Accounting and Journal of Business Ethics.     

Corporate social responsibility and employee attitudes: The moderating role of employee age

This study examines the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employee engagement and job satisfaction. Using 322 responses from employees of selected companies in Ghana, and employing hierarchical regression analysis, the study examines the direct impact of economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices on employee satisfaction and engagement in organisations. The study further explores the moderating role of employee age on the relationship between CSR and employee engagement and satisfaction. The results provide evidence that economic, legal, ethical and discretionary CSR practices influence higher employee engagement and satisfaction levels at work. However, the study finds no evidence of employee age moderating the association between each of the four CSR dimensions and employee job attitudes (engagement and satisfaction). These findings are insightful and provide a response to calls for research on these issues. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that ethical CSR practices strongly influence employees' satisfaction and engagement levels; legal and discretionary CSR activities also have an influence, though to a lesser extent; and the economic dimension of CSR activities has the least impact. The managerial, practical and further research implications of these findings are discussed.     

The role of the audit committee in enhancing the credibility of CSR disclosure: Evidence from STOXX Europe 600 members

This study examines the influence of audit committee attributes, namely financial expertise, independence, meeting frequency and size, on the adoption of CSR assurance. The study also offers insight into the effect of audit committee attributes on the scope and level of CSR assurance and the selection of CSR assurance providers. Contextually, this is achieved using a sample of European companies listed on the STOXX 600 index over the period 2012–2018. The findings show that attributes related to audit committee financial expertise, audit committee independence and audit committee meeting frequency and the existence of a CSR committee, are positively linked with the adoption of CSR assurance. Moreover, our empirical analysis further highlights the critical role of audit committee financial expert members in enhancing the scope and level of CSR assurance. Furthermore, audit committee with more frequent meetings lead to higher assurance scopes. Our findings offer significant and multidimensional insights for regulators, policymakers and professionals, regarding the revision and establishment of regulations concerning the audit committee structure.     

企业社会责任行为与企业竞争优势:转化效应与逻辑——来自中国100强社会责任上市公司经验证据的分析

本文从竞争优势构成的多层次性入手,剖析企业社会责任与竞争优势之间的契合点和转化机理;选取2009-2015年中国不同性质的社会责任前100强上市公司作为研究对象,引入CSR行为理论探究不同CSR行为在竞争优势不同层面的转化效应。从总体上看,CSR活动对企业竞争优势有显著提升效应,在资源能力与企业价值层面转化效应较好,但企业绩效层面转化效应不显著;不同CSR行为向竞争优势转化的效应不同,而且企业规模越大,转化效应越显著,这一结论 (发现),基于竞争优势来源构成的不同层次,对CSR-CFP关系之谜给出一种合理解释。     

Concepts and Definitions of CSR and Corporate Sustainability: Between Agency and Communion

This paper provides an overview of the contemporary debate on the concepts and definitions of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Corporate Sustainability (CS). The conclusions, based on historical perspectives, philosophical analyses, impact of changing contexts and situations and practical considerations, show that "one solution fits all"-definition for CS(R) should be abandoned, accepting various and more specific definitions matching the development, awareness and ambition levels of organizations.     

Job Satisfaction: Linking Perceived Organizational Support,Organizational Justice with Work Outcomes in China

This study develops and tests a full mediation model that examines the mediating role of job satisfaction in the Chinese context, based on a survey of 424 employees in three small and medium sized enterprises. Data analysis shows a good fit with the full mediation and all four classes of antecedents (i.e., perceived organizational support, procedural, distributive, and interactional justice). Particularly, procedural justice contributes to the prediction of satisfaction. Job satisfaction is also shown to mediate most antecedentconsequence relationships, except the two between perceived organizational support (POS)—turnover and procedural justice—consequences. Furthermore, there are only four direct links, including POS to citizenship behaviors directed at individuals, distributive justice to turnover intention, interactional justice to citizenship behaviors directed at organizations and turnover. These direct links suggest that job satisfaction does not fully mediate the relationships.     

Corporate Reputation and Philanthropy: An Empirical Analysis

This paper analyzes the determinants of corporate reputation within a sample of large UK companies drawn from a diverse range of industries. We pay particular attention to the role that philanthropic expenditures and policies may play in shaping the perceptions of companies among their stakeholders. Our findings highlight that companies which make higher levels of philanthropic expenditures have better reputations and that this effect varies significantly across industries. Given that reputational indices tend to reflect the financial performance of organizations above other factors (Fryxell, G. E. and J. Wang: 1994, Journal of Management 20, 1–14) and that elements of the literature emphasise that discretionary aspects of social responsibility, including corporate donations, may not be in the financial interests of organizations (e.g. Friedman, M.: 1970, “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits”, New York Times Magazine, September 13), this is a significant finding. It suggests that philanthropic expenditures may play a significant role in stakeholder management and may, in particular, lead to stakeholders holding more positive impressions of philanthropic corporations.     

The Paradox of Power in CSR: A Case Study on Implementation

Purpose Although current literature assumes positive outcomes for stakeholders resulting from an increase in power associated with CSR, this research suggests that this increase can lead to conflict within organizations, resulting in almost complete inactivity on CSR. Methods A Single in-depth case study, focusing on power as an embedded concept. Results Empirical evidence is used to demonstrate how some actors use CSR to improve their own positions within an organization. Resource dependence theory is used to highlight why this may be a more significant concern for CSR. Conclusions Increasing power for CSR has the potential to offer actors associated with it increased personal power, and thus can attract opportunistic actors with little interest in realizing the benefits of CSR for the company and its stakeholders. Thus power can be an impediment to furthering CSR strategy and activities at the individual and organizational level.     

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Models and Theories in Stakeholder Dialogue

The pharmaceutical sector, an industry already facing stiff challenges in the form of intensified competition and strategic consolidation, has increasingly become subject to a range of pressures. Crucially, in common with other large-scale businesses, pharmaceutical firms find themselves ‹invited’ to respond positively to the corporate ‹social’ responsibility (CSR) expectations of their stakeholders. Consequently, individual managers will almost certainly be obliged to engage in some form of stakeholder dialogue and this, in turn, means that they will have to make difficult choices about which practices to adopt. This real-world management predicament runs parallel to an academic interest in CSR stakeholder dialogue theory and models. Accordingly, the approach of this paper is to focus primarily on the academic debate surrounding stakeholder dialogue, by reviewing past attempts to research and theorise the subject, by identifying gaps and weaknesses in the literature, and by proposing a new analytical model. The central aim of the proposed new model is to offer a unified, structured, systematic, and comprehensive approach to CSR decision making whilst simultaneously providing a practical framework for CSR executives who face the challenge of responding in an effective manner to stakeholders. The model outlined here is currently being employed to conduct international comparative empirical research into stakeholder dialogue practices amongst UK and German pharmaceutical firms. In the longer term the intention is to use the model to undertake international comparative research encompassing a broader range of countries and industries.     

The Moderating Effects of Status-Consumption Motive and Age in the Relationship between CSR Advertising Appeal Type and Purchase Intentions

The primary purpose of this study was to examine factors that influence the effectiveness of benefit appeal types (i.e., help-other vs. help-self) in Corporate Social Responsibility advertising. To that end, we designed and administered a between-subjects experiment where participants viewed one of the two CSR advertisements crafted with help-self and help-other benefit appeals. Results provided evidence supporting the moderating effects of status-consumption motives and age on purchasing intentions. Additional analysis suggested consumers younger than 48 years old were more likely to be persuaded by a help-other ad appeal when they didn't have strong desires for status consumption. Results were discussed in light of the self-concept theory and value-expressive framework in CSR advertising.     

Social Marketing and Privately Held Companies: The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Activities on Romanian Consumers

The notion of corporate social responsibility has evolved into a fairly complex concept that can influence the very world we live in. Today's society is interested not only in companies' financial results but also in the way they conduct their businesses. Corporations everywhere try to respond to new environmental challenges by actively engaging in the life of the community and by developing relationships based on mutual trust with consumers. This article introduces the corporate social responsibility domain by underlining the importance of this concept to the later development of a company. The article denounces the results of research conducted on Romanian consumers regarding corporate social responsibility campaigns undergone by firms in Romania. Its purpose is to bring insight into Romanian consumers' perceptions of recent social campaigns, reviewing the extent to which these consumers are willing to become involved in society's well-being. The survey conducted here attempts to provide answers to issues that concern the companies' involvement type, their purview, the reasons for participating in society's welfare, as well as the social campaigns' most common action areas. The results gathered show that corporate social responsibility is not only a promotion method, but a method that implies the effective involvement in the life of the community and in its subsequent issues, therefore representing a real means of support for the economic development of the community in question. In conclusion, companies must put their social conscience into use when dealing with their clients and stakeholders, by offering solutions to environmental concerns, resource management, mutual aid, and welfare rising from corporate support.     

CSR对企业竞争优势贡献的模型研究

企业社会责任通常指企业对其利益相关者应当承担的责任,企业社会责任与企业的发展有什么关系?这是一个非常值得探讨的课题。本文将对企业社会责任与企业竞争优势的关系进行深入研究,提出企业对其利益相关者履行社会责任将有利于其获得战略性资源、核心能力以及良好的企业环境。也就是说对企业竞争优势具有正面的影响作用。本文最后构建了CSR对企业竞争优势贡献的模型。     

Corporate Social Strategy and the Generation of Benefits: Case Studies in the Brazilian Electricity and Supermarket Industries

In recent years, scholars and executives alike have devoted attention to the implications of Corporate Social Responsibility policies and practices as well as their relationship to strategy. The objectives of the present article are to investigate the interaction between corporate social responsibility and strategy and the benefits that this relationship can yield to companies. For this purpose, a qualitative multiple case study was made of four Brazilian corporations, two in the supermarket sector and two in the energy distribution sector, comparing a competitive and a monopolized sector in Brazil. The data were collected through interviews with executives from social and environmental areas and through secondary sources. The study finds that corporate social strategy provides several benefits, among them attracting and retaining valuable human resources and enhancing company image and reputation     

Economic and Non-economic Satisfaction as Outcomes of Micro-enterprises’ Perceived Value from Banking Relationships

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to position economic and non-economic satisfaction as outcomes of micro-enterprises’ perception of value, and to determine the antecedents of perceived value within the business banking industry.     

The Effects of Person–Organization Ethical Fit on Employee Attraction and Retention: Towards a Testable Explanatory Model

An exploratory model is presented as a heuristic to indicate how individual perceptions of corporate reputation (before joining) and corporate ethical values (after joining) generate specific individual organizational senses of fit. The paper suggests that an ethical dimension of person-organization fit may go some way in explaining superior acquisition and retention of staff by those who are attracted to specific organizations by levels of corporate social performance consonant with their ethical expectations, or who remain with them by virtue of better personal ethical fits with extant organizational ethical values. Specifically, the model suggests that individual misfits that arise from ethical expectations that either exceed or fall short of perceived organizational ethical performances lead to problematic acquisition and retention behavioural outcomes.     

The Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance: An Application of Quantile Regression

This study empirically examines the relationship between a firm’s fulfilling of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and performance. We developed a CSR index (CSRI) to quantitatively evaluate CSR, which consists of four dimensions measuring a firm’s contributions to the economy, society, environment, and corporate governance, respectively. With data from publicly-listed firms in Taiwan during the period of 2004–2009, results of quantile regression show that fulfilling CSR has a significantly positive impact on firm performance, and that the impact in a more profitable firm tends to be significantly greater than that in a less profitable firm. Specifically, when a firm is more profitable, its management would be more willing to implement CSR. The implication is that a firm could pursue better performance while serving as a good corporate citizen.     

非正式制度、文化传统与企业社会责任困境的隐性消解

企业社会责任正式制度在很多情形下存在失灵的缺陷,回归文化传统这一非正式制度才是消解中国企业社会责任困境的主要线索。文化传统通过共同价值观来影响企业家的道德观念和履责意识,其消解企业社会责任困境的方式是“隐性”的。中国传统典籍中的“和”、“中庸”、“义利统一”、“宗族观”、“家国一体观”、“以人为本”等为基础而形成的文化传统构成了企业社会责任困境隐性消解的非正式制度。     

The Impact of Involvement,Perceived Moral Intensity,and Satisfaction upon Trust in Non-Profit Relational Contexts: Processes and Outcomes

ABSTRACT

This study applies the basic concepts of relationship marketing, including involvement, knowledge, moral intensity, satisfaction and trust in the non-profit environment, specifically in a university setting. These relational concepts are employed in the development of a relational model used in an exploratory investigation. Results indicate significant relationships between the constructs, emphasizing the importance of relationship management for non-profit and public sector entities. Results, managerial implications and research implications are included.     

Customer Loyalty in Clusters: Perceived Value and Satisfaction as Antecedents

Purpose: This article studies, from the perspective of relationship marketing, the loyalty behavior of industrial customers in the context of an industrial cluster. Loyalty is a key variable for studying long-term relationships between firms.

Research implications: Recent advances in consumer and services marketing consider that perceived value and satisfaction are central to explaining customer loyalty. However, very few business-to-business (B2B) studies explain the antecedents of customer loyalty, where perceived value acquires a multidimensional perspective. This study adopts the relationship marketing approach, and loyalty behavior is analyzed in a specific setting: an industrial cluster. Furthermore, the effect of the number of suppliers is analyzed as a possible moderator in the relationships of the model.

Methodology approach: We have chosen the Spanish tile cluster to test a series of hypotheses. Questionnaires were elaborated from primary and secondary information and structural equation models (SEM) have been used for statistical treatment and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Findings: This study highlights the importance of the relationships among perceived value, satisfaction, and loyalty and the importance of the different dimensions of perceived value.

Practical implications: The empirical study and the results provide important evidence for managers, specifically, the critical influence of the emotional and social perceived values by the customer on his or her level of satisfaction and on the achievement of final loyalty—the importance in the commercial training programs of this matters.

Originality, value, and contribution: This study highlights the importance of the most intangibles dimensions of value for the industrial cluster relations between companies.     

The impact of CSR on corporate reputation perceptions of the public—A configurational multi‐time,multi‐source perspective

This study investigates the connection between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate reputation among the public using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). To examine complex processes underlying the reactions of this influential stakeholder group, hypotheses are drawn from the category diagnosticity approach. Thereby, a psychological model of perceived (im)morality is transferred to the CSR context. In line with these hypotheses, positive/negative CSR activities influence reputation in the expected directions (H1a, b), while the effects of specific configurations of CSR activities reveal an asymmetry suggesting a negativity bias (H2). Further analyses confirm that positive effects require a consistent positive performance regarding prior reputations (H3a) and the aggregated CSR activities of several previous years (H3b, c). Moreover, the relevant patterns vary between industries (H4). The present study thus contributes to CSR research by investigating a powerful but hitherto understudied stakeholder group through a category diagnosticity lens combined with a configurational approach to analysis.