Corporate Contributions As Managerial Masques: Reframing Corporate Contributions As Strategies to Influence Society*

Researchers have argued that corporate contributions serve as necessitated investments, social currency, or social responsibility efforts. This article integrates and extends these perspectives to develop a view of corporate contributions as managerial masques. It argues that managers use corporate contributions to influence various stakeholders including stockholders, consumers, employees, investors, publics and societal institutions. A strategic framework is used to explore how managers promote managerial and corporate interests through corporate contributions. the societal implications of managers' discretionary uses of corporate contributions are also discussed.     

The Development of Corporate Identity: A Political Perspective

abstract    A corporate identity denotes a set of attributes that senior managers ascribe to their organization. It is therefore an organizational identity articulated by a powerful interest group. It can constitute a claim which serves inter alia to justify the authority vested in top managers and to further their interests. The academic literature on organizational identity, and on corporate identity in particular, pays little attention to these political considerations. It focuses in an apolitical manner on shared meanings when corporate identity works, or on cognitive dissonance when it breaks down. In response to this analytical void, we develop a political analysis of corporate identity and its development, using as illustration a longitudinal study of successive changes in the corporate identity of a Brazilian telecommunications company. This suggests a cyclical model in which corporate identity definition and redefinition involve power relations, resource mobilization and struggles for legitimacy.     

基于利益相关者理论的企业心理契约和社会责任管理

市场经济是契约经济,企业社会责任管理的主要方式是契约管理,其中以有形的文本契约为主,心理契约作为文本契约的有益补充,对企业绩效发挥重要作用。企业社会责任管理是全面的责任管理,涉及股东、债权人、员工、顾客、政府和环境,同时,企业社会责任是全方位的责任管理,包括经济责任、法律责任和道德责任。因此,实施企业社会责任的心理契约管理,要全面、全方位地把握。     

Donating Money to Get Money: The Role of Corporate Philanthropy in Stakeholder Reactions to IPOs

This study examines how stakeholders' investment time horizons interact with information about corporate giving in initial public offering (IPO) firms. Specifically, we build a model that explains how corporate philanthropy affects IPO performance. We find that at the IPO‐preparation stage, corporate giving is negatively related to underwriter prestige, venture capital investment, and IPO financing costs. We also find that at the IPO‐issuance stage, negative media coverage of IPOs moderates the U‐shaped relationship between corporate giving and market premiums. At the IPO‐trading stage, we find that corporate giving only positively influences the market premiums for IPO firms that are the subject of negative media reports. Our findings contribute to the signalling theory by showing how various stakeholders interpret the same signals differently, and they have implications for understanding how the relationship between corporate philanthropy and corporate financial performance materializes in the IPO markets.     

Corporate Social Responsibility in China: a Preferential Stakeholder Model and Effects

Research interest in examining corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing economies is on the rise; however, our knowledge of the role of government in CSR remains limited. The aim of this paper is therefore to bridge this gap with an investigation into the specific CSR strategies that global firms have developed in the world's largest emerging economy and a nominally communist country, namely China. Drawing on institutional theory and a relational governance perspective, we posit that rather than adopting a canonical holistic CSR stakeholder model as typically observed in Western countries, these firms adopt a preferential stakeholder model using government‐aimed and consumer‐aimed CSR strategically. Our empirical study sampled 17 global retailers operating in China, with a dataset compiled to include their CSR web announcement data and firm performance data. The results of partial least squares modelling suggest that only government‐aimed CSR plays a salient role in enhancing retailers' performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Corporate Charitable Giving, Multinational Companies and Countries of Concern

This paper investigates the degree to which corporate charitable giving is influenced by a firm's internationalization and/or whether it has operations in one or more countries of concern. For a sample of large UK firms, we find evidence of a positive effect not for internationalization per se, but only for a presence in particular countries. In this connection, the salient country characteristic is a lack of political rights and/or civil liberties, and the positive impact on charitable giving is restricted to a presence in only those countries that are, according to Freedom House indicators, most lacking in this respect. Furthermore, our study highlights a mode of corporate response to stakeholder concerns and pressures – offsetting – that is qualitatively different from those suggested in earlier conceptual literatures.     

An Examination of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation and Stakeholder Engagement: A Case Study in the Australian Mining Industry

This case study explores the experience of a company in a controversial industry sector and its efforts to act in a socially responsible manner when establishing a presence in a regional market. We examine the management of stakeholder relationships and communication, and identify the challenges associated with implementing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Our findings highlight the importance of ongoing and broad stakeholder identification, prioritization and management. This case study demonstrates the key role of commitment from senior management and front‐line employees and the importance of a CSR champion. Commitment must be demonstrated at a local level to facilitate community engagement, feedback and monitoring. Finally, the findings highlight the externality of stakeholder networks and their non‐centric relationship with the company. Thus, a company is not the centre of the stakeholder network; the network has a life of its own, regardless of a company's involvement or non‐involvement. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

论企业相关者利益最大化的财务管理目标

进入20世纪80年代以后,随着经济全球化的发展以及企业间竞争的日趋激烈,人们逐渐意识到公司应该为所有利益相关者的利益服务,而不应该仅仅是股东的利益服务,利益相关者可以根据其资产的多少和它们所承担的风险来获得企业对其利益的保护,这样利益相关者参与公司治理、分享公司利益也就理所应当。     

王振耀“官转民”

由官转民后,慈善家王振耀的新课题是,如何把精密、准确的量化商业管理手段移植到慈善中来2011年5月6日凌晨4点,王振耀起身,开始修改一份PPT。他已经修改了三遍。5个小时后,他穿着灰色西服,在北京京师大厦会议室里,     

Corporate Responsibility and Identity: from a Stakeholder to an Awareness Approach

Firms are encouraged to manage their corporate responsibility and identity in accordance with the popular stakeholder theory. Managers are, however, confronted with the complexity of the praxis and related ethical dilemmas, as the expectations of their external stakeholders may be myriad, ambiguous and self‐contradictory, or even non‐existent in the global and dynamic business contexts. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to (a) review and critically discuss the stakeholder approach in striving for a responsible identity and (b) introduce an alternative approach that can address its inadequacies and shortcomings. The study outlines an alternative theorem, the awareness approach to responsible identity. In the conclusions, the article proposes how firms can adopt a responsible identity that leads to a desired image and reputation, and maps out further research opportunities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Corporate merger and collective bargaining in the UK

Corporate merger since the war has transformed the private sector of the economy in Britain. This has had significant effects on collective bargaining arrangements and outcomes. In this article the authors review these effects and consider their implications for trade union organisation.     

Multiple Stakeholder Orientation in UK Companies and the Implications for Company Performance

Orientation to the diverse interests of stakeholder groups is central to strategic planning, and failure to address the interests of multiple stakeholder groups may be detrimental to company performance. However, some companies may be unable to address all these interests, owing to a scarcity of resources, and the impact of multiple stakeholder orientation may be influenced by the environment. Despite calls by leading writers in the literature, there is no empirical evidence about the potential association of orientation to multiple stakeholders with company performance. The results of a study of UK companies designed to elucidate this association are reported in this paper. Although the results give some support to the proposition that orientation to multiple stakeholders is positively associated with performance, such associations are contingent on the external environment, as they are moderated by competitive hostility, after controlling for the intervening effects of market growth.     

The "Sect Effect" in Charitable Giving: Distinctive Realities of Exclusively Religious Charitable Givers

A bstract .   An examination of the charitable giving behavior of 16,442 households reveals intriguing patterns consistent with the club-theoretic approach to religious sect affiliation. The club-theoretic model suggests that individuals with lower socioeconomic standing will rationally be more likely to align themselves with exclusivistic sects. Because sect affiliation is also associated with more obligatory religious contributions, this approach generates novel predictions not anticipated by standard economic models of charitable behavior. Traditional analysis of charitable giving can mask the "sect effect" phenomenon, as low-income giving is dwarfed by the giving of the wealthy. However, the application of a two-stage econometric model—separating the participation decision from the subsequent decision regarding the level of gifting—provides unique insights. Basic socioeconomic factors have significant and opposite associations with different categories of giving, calling into question the treatment of charitable giving as a homogenous activity and supporting the understanding of sect affiliation, and potentially religious extremism, as rational choice phenomena.     

Corporate Performance in Jordan: A Macro Analysis

Abstract

The aim of this study is to de ter mine and an a lyze cor porate per for mance in Jor dan dur ing the pe riod 1989-1996. Four mod els have been spec i fied to test and an a lyze cor po rate per for mance at the macro level. The find ings have re vealed that earn ing per share (EPS) and stock prices are found to be the better mea sures of cor po rate per formance at the macro level. These mea sures were found to be af fected basi cally by or ga ni za tional vari ables, fol lowed by lead er ship vari ables. The pa per thus chal lenges the view that the poor cor po rate per for mance is at trib uted to en vi ron men tal and man a ge rial vari ables, as these variables were found to have no ma jor ef fect on cor po rate per for mance in Jor dan.     

Corporate voluntary greenhouse gas reporting: Stakeholder pressure and the mediating role of the chief executive officer

The study sheds light on the extent to which various stakeholder pressures influence voluntary disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how the impact is explained and moderated chief executive officer (CEO) characteristics of 215 FTSE 350 listed U.K. companies for the year 2011. The study developed a classification of GHG emission disclosure based on the guidelines of GHG Protocol, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure using content analysis. Evidence from the study suggests that some stakeholder pressure (regulatory, creditor, supplier, customer, and board control) positively impacts on GHG disclosure information by firms. We found that stakeholder pressure in the form of regulatory, mimetic, and shareholders pressure positively influenced the disclosure of GHG information. We also found that creditor pressure also had a significant negative relationship with GHG disclosure. Although CEO age had a direct negative effect on GHG voluntary disclosure, its moderation effect on stakeholder pressure influence on GHG disclosure was only significant on regulatory pressure.     

Corporate greening and changing regulatory regimes: the UK water industry

This article looks at the relationship between economic regulation, environmental regulation, company strategy and the environment in the UK water and sewerage industry. The regulatory field in this industry, following privatization in 1989, is highly complex and interdependent. The paper presents three case studies of company interpretation of and response to changes in this regulatory field, focusing particularly on the third review by the economic regulator, in 1999, which involved a reduction of the prices companies were allowed to charge their customers. This had significant but complex repercussions for environmental strategy and management in the companies, with different impacts on mandatory and non‐mandatory activities. It also showed in relief the opportunities for building coalitions between companies and the environmental regulator, both in general terms and revolving around specific, local environmental issues and schemes. Companies' strategic direction was also found to have an impact on their response to the regulatory review. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.     

Supplier Development Practices for Sustainability: A Multi‐Stakeholder Perspective

Supplier development for sustainability is a critical element of sustainable supply chain management and requires extensive multi‐stakeholder collaboration. This article establishes a conceptual four‐stage framework to analyse the collaborative mechanisms of supplier development practices, and presents an exploratory, qualitative analysis to identify the major contributors of sustainable supplier development practices, such as NGOs, industrial associations, consulting firms etc. Based on semi‐structured interviews about 63 organizations from different regions and industries, this article identifies three types of contributor: drivers, facilitators and inspectors. Instead of traditional stakeholder engagement processes, these contributors actively collaborate with buying firms and suppliers to design, implement and evaluate sustainable supplier development programs. The article then provides a matrix to describe the supply chain coverage and supplier performance of supplier development practices, given the absence or positive involvement of facilitators and inspectors. We conclude our study by suggesting future research directions as well as discussing managerial implications. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Organizational Visibility,Stakeholder Environmental Pressure and Corporate Environmental Responsiveness in China

This article investigates the relationship between organizational visibility and corporate environmental responsiveness in China. It also examines whether this relationship is mediated by stakeholder pressure, and whether the strength of the relationships among organizational visibility, stakeholder pressures and corporate environmental responsiveness is moderated by the type of enterprise ownership. Based on the responses from a survey involving 131 enterprises, this study suggests a potentially positive and significant correlation between organizational visibility and corporate environmental responsiveness in China. However, the study reveals surprisingly that stakeholder pressure for environmental improvements does not seem to account for the above correlation. Organizational visibility is found to be negatively associated with stakeholder pressure in the case of Chinese‐owned enterprises, and stakeholder pressure has no significant associations with corporate environmental responsiveness. In addition, the moderating effect of enterprise ownership is strongly evidenced, which provides important policy implications for developing effective mechanisms to stimulate environmental management practices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment     

Identifying Worldviews on Corporate Sustainability: A Content Analysis of Corporate Sustainability Reports

Companies commonly issue sustainability or corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. This study seeks to understand worldviews of corporate sustainability, or the corporate message conveyed regarding what sustainability or CSR is and how to enact it. Content analysis of corporate sustainability reports is used to position each company report within stages of corporate sustainability. Results reveal that there are multiple coexisting worldviews of corporate sustainability, but the most dominant worldview is focused on the business case for sustainability, a position anchored in the weak sustainability paradigm. We contend that the business case and weak sustainability advanced in corporate sustainability reports and by the Global Reporting Initiative are poor representations of sustainability. Ecological embeddedness, or a locally responsive strategy that is sensitive to local ecosystems, may hold the key to improved ecological sensemaking, which in turn could lead to more mature levels of corporate sustainability worldviews that support strong sustainability and are rooted in environmental science. This must be supported by government regulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment