ABSTRACT The study inspects the association between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosures, business strategy, and firm performance in the Indian technology sector, operating under a mandatory CSR spending and disclosure regime. CSR disclosure is measured using the Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ESG assessment framework for 100 Indian tech‐firms listed on the BSE. The analysis uses the Fixed Effects regression, the Hayes PROCESS model, System GMM, and the Heckman two‐step method. The findings indicate that in isolation, CSR does not enhance performance. However, CSR can be value‐adding when it is combined in a strategic way with innovation and market expansion strategies. The findings confirm that strategic alignment is necessary to reap the advantages of CSR. Additionally, the study emphasizes that in a regulated CSR setting, technology firms should integrate CSR practices with their business strategy to achieve specific objectives, rather than implementing them separately.
Purpose: SMEs are drivers of economic growth and potent of prosperity, but they face numerous challenges because of their vulnerabilities and uncertain situations. To identify the challenges faced by SMEs, relevant literature was reviewed.
Design/Methodology/Approach: This study probes into the SMEs resilience in Sindh province by soliciting perspective of SMEs employees. A survey was conducted in Hyderabad and Karachi through a closed-ended questionnaire, and analysis was done on SPSS in terms of descriptive statistics and t-test.
Findings: Findings reveal that SMEs lack organizational reliance and have resilience issues in terms of their agility and integrity. SMEs need strategic planning for innovation, holistic human resource development, technology adoption, financial sustainability, contingency planning, effective networking.
Implications/Originality/Value: Future research is suggested for investigating the different types of organizational resilience, i.e. cultural or psychological resilience, financial resilience, technological resilience, and environmental & social resilience.
Corporate sustainability has become ever more important in today’s ecological crisis. Thus, regulators around the world have started to push companies towards more sustainable business practices. The contracts that companies use in their business operations are central in implementing environmental and social responsibility. Following recent regulatory developments, such as the EU corporate sustainability due diligence directive (the EU CSDDD), several sets of model contract clauses have been created for companies to use to improve the human rights and environmental performance of their contracts in supply chains. These model clauses are an important step towards sustainable value chains. Our article aims to demonstrate, however, that the language used in these clauses is so complex that it compromises their actionability.
We shed light on these potential comprehension problems with examples from the European Model Clauses for Responsible and Sustainable Supply Chains (EMCs), developed by an independent group of mainly European legal practitioners and scholars. We analyze the model clauses both lexically and syntactically in order to illustrate how the various lexical and syntactic features form different kinds of potential comprehension problems in the model contract clauses, thus hampering their function of facilitating change towards more sustainable contracting. In addition to illustrating possible problems for comprehension, we suggest ways to improve the comprehensibility of the EMCs.
Unti Ludigdo, Yeney Widya Prihatiningtias, Zarina Binti Zakaria
et al.
This study examines how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), green innovation, and executive attributes—grounded in Upper Echelon Theory (UET)—collectively drive green business performance in Indonesia’s hospitality sector during the post-pandemic recovery. Despite the growing emphasis on sustainable practices, prior research has often neglected the interactive roles of executive psychological traits and organisational strategies, particularly in emerging economies. To fill this void, an integrative multi-mediator model was developed and empirically tested using data from 200 managers and business owners in East Java, analysed with PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that CSR and green innovation have a positive effect on green business performance. Executive Social Orientation (ESO) and Pro-Environmental Behaviour (PEB) emerge as pivotal psychological drivers, with PEB identified as the most robust mediator translating executive orientation into improved business outcomes. However, the mediating role of green innovation is constrained by sector-specific challenges, underscoring the importance of behavioural and leadership mechanisms. Theoretically, this study extends UET to the domain of sustainability within service industries. At the same time, practically, it offers actionable guidance for industry leaders and policymakers—highlighting the need for leadership development and regulatory frameworks that incentivise green transformation. The research also suggests future avenues for cross-sectoral and longitudinal investigation.
The modern sphere of public governance is focused on the principles of openness, transparency, responsibility and accountability, which are impossible without effective communication. The article substantiates the relevance of the study of business communications in public activity, emphasizing the lack of study of this issue in the context of the authorities, unlike the private sector. Scientific approaches of foreign and domestic researchers (K.Maistrenko, A.Michelle, D.McCuel, A.Toffler) on the role of communication in the formation of trust, partnership and public opinion are analyzed. The principles of effective business communication (transparency, honesty, neutrality, cooperation, etc.) and behavioral indicators that serve as criteria for evaluating its performance are defined. The classification of communications by the method of occurrence and transmission of information (formal, informal; vertical, horizontal) is proposed. Particular attention is paid to the segmentation of the target audience by the 5W method, the definition of socio-demographic and psychological characteristics, as well as the use of digital tools and social networks (including Facebook) to improve the efficiency of interaction. Communication strategies (response, proactive, media strategy, message box) and stages of development of the communication plan are considered. It is concluded that the introduction of modern digital communication practices will facilitate the adaptation of Ukrainian public governance to EU standards, and a promising direction is the study and implementation of foreign experience in the use of social networks in the activities of the authorities.
Type of the article: Research Article
AbstractFinancial firms are emerging as key drivers of sustainable business, shaping development through the entities they choose to finance. The ownership structures and governance mechanisms of these firms can shape sustainability efforts, potentially affecting financial stability through risks and costs of implementation. This study aims to examine the impact of ESG initiatives on the financial stability of Korean financial firms and understand how ownership concentration moderates this relationship. Utilizing a fixed-effects regression model, the study investigates 537 firm-year observations across 53 Korean financial sector firms, including banks, insurance companies, securities firms, and diversified financial services firms, from 2012 to 2023. The analysis reveals that for banks, environmental sustainability initiatives are positively associated with financial stability (coefficient = 0.0017; t = 1.84), while social responsibility initiatives have a negative association (coefficient = –0.0018; t = –2.00). For insurance firms, overall sustainability efforts show a negative relationship with financial stability (coefficient = –0.0061; t = –1.72), driven mainly by the governance dimension (coefficient = –0.0074; t = –2.06). Additionally, in the case of banks, higher ownership concentration diminishes the positive impact of environmental sustainability on financial stability (coefficient = –0.0056; t = –1.90). Moreover, ownership concentration acts as a double-edged sword where its moderating impact varies depending on whether the financial firm is a high or low ESG performer. These findings highlight the importance of firm-specific dynamics in aligning with institutional and societal expectations of ESG while navigating the complexities of ownership concentration as a pathway for financial firms to maintain financial stability.
AcknowledgmentThe authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability (KCGS) for generously providing the ESG ratings data for financial firms in South Korea. Their valuable support made these analyses possible.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in the Niger Delta of Nigeria has left significant impacts on the local communities. While analysts have explained how CSR has either succeeded or failed in this oil rich zone, over the years, their analyses, however, are yet to highlight sufficiently, the extent to which the responses to CSR practices have either strengthened or weakened the processes and practices of CSR. What are the implications of such responses for CSR theory and practice. A field visit to the Niger Delta shows that local communities have had to modify their traditional alliances and practices in order to sustain the flow of the share of oil wealth accessible to them via CSR. This creative response to faulty CSR practices stems possible violent reactions against the transnational corporations and/or the state government as much as it encourages the sustenance of CSR in the community. Besides, it highlights the fact that the substitution of ‘long term value maximization’ for ‘short-term profit at any cost’ in the corporate vocabulary notwithstanding, corporate conception and practice of CSR hardly excludes window dressing.
Hydroponics is an agricultural cultivation technique that uses water as a planting medium and with a special installation system that minimizes the use of chemicals in the cultivation process. Hydroponic healthy vegetable business is a hydroponic business located in Pomalaa, Southeast Sulawesi. Previously, this business operated alone in terms of marketing and cultivation which resulted in not optimal income obtained with existing resources. Existence of PT Antam operating in the Pomalaa area is expected to help hydroponic businesses with the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). PT Antam has as a form of their responsibility towards the surrounding environment where the company is located. This research was conducted to determine the effect of the implementation of CSR partnership PT. Antam Tbk for the Hydroponic Healthy Vegetable business using a quantitative descriptive analysis research method, namely by observing the research location and processing data using the R/C formula. The results of this study indicate that R/C > 1, which means that the demand is greater than the costs incurred, or in other words, every IDR 1 cost incurred can generate revenue of IDR 3.85, so it can be concluded that the Hydroponic Healthy Vegetable business is feasible for developed and generate profits for farmers.
Jon C. Schommer, Caroline A. Gaither, Nancy A. Alvarez
et al.
This study applied a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to better understand pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience using respondents’ written comments along with a blend of the researchers’ understanding of the phenomenon and the published literature. Our goal was to apply this understanding to recommendations for the pharmacy workforce and corresponding future research. Data were obtained from the 2021 APhA/NASPA National State-Based Pharmacy Workplace Survey, launched in the United States in April 2021. Promotion of the online survey to pharmacy personnel was accomplished through social media, email, and online periodicals. Responses continued to be received through the end of 2021. A data file containing 6973 responses was downloaded on 7 January 2022 for analysis. Usable responses were from those who wrote an in-depth comment detailing stories and experiences related to pharmacy workplace and resilience. There were 614 respondents who wrote such comments. The findings revealed that business models driven by mechanized assembly line processes, business metrics that supersede patient outcomes, and reduction of pharmacy personnel’s professional judgement have contributed to the decline in the experience of providing patient care in today’s health systems. The portrait of respondents’ lived experiences regarding pharmacy workplace wellbeing and resilience was beyond the individual level and revealed the need for systems change. We propose several areas for expanded inquiry in this domain: (1) shared trauma, (2) professional responsibility and autonomy, (3) learned subjection, (4) moral injury and moral distress, (5) sociocultural effects, and (6) health systems change.
Objective: The Malaysian Competition Act 2010 (MCA 2010) strictly prohibits anti-competitive practices in the absence of any redeeming virtue that promotes economic efficiency or social benefits whereas its detrimental effect on competition is proportionate to the benefits provided. The ‘green marketing’ (GM) is about product indorses environmental sustainability policy. Our planet today is confronted with various environmental disasters such as air and water pollution, food shortage, plastic pollution, and deforestation. Furthermore, industrial waste and chemicals are found everywhere. Therefore, it’s extremely pertinent to divert all attention to focus at every level on attaining sustainable environmental policy. The corporations have considered producing and marketing in a more environmentally friendly manner and the consumers are also aware of its importance. The resulting universal war against global warming and environmental protection has developed a reason to incorporate broader non-economic environmental-related policy i.e., the sustainable environmental benefits goals into the anti-competitive exemption policy to resonate with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the Competition Law and Policy CLP). Hence it is considered arguable, that GM's societal benefits and sustainability objective outweigh its countervailing anticompetitive effects. Methodology: Therefore, the author is resolute that an endorsement for GM as for exclusion as a ‘sustainable benefit’ exemption is relevant to obtain a fair competitive advantage for GM in Malaysia. However, in the endorsement of the GM concepts the discussion will firstly address greenwashing issues before proceeding to the study on inroad of the ‘sustainability exemption policy’ within the CLP generally and specifically in Malaysia.
Findings: The research concludes with exemption options concerning specific mergers, horizontal agreements, and state aid exclusion policy under CA2010.
Sandy Gunawan, Rizal Syarief, Popong Nurhayati
et al.
Research on strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is still not much in number, particularly, in developing countries. Although SMEs play an important role in economic development, this sector has received less attention in research on its competitiveness through social responsibility. According to previous literature, SMEs have unconsciously practiced social responsibility but have not integrated it into their strategy. The same condition has also occurred to SMEs in Badung district, Bali, where they practice social responsibility in running their business as an embodiment of a philosophy based on religious teachings. However, this type of CSR has not yet made a positive contribution to their competitiveness. This study attempts to answer what elements are required to obtain CSR as a strategy. Interpretive Structural Modeling methodology was implemented in the SMEs located in Badung Regency, Bali. The study finds that the integration of strategic CSR into SMEs’ strategy was focused on a new paradigm to improve SMEs’ competitiveness. This new way of thinking can be achieved by intensively socializing the benefits of strategic CSR through education, relevant policy and collaboration between related stakeholders.
This paper examines how values and professional socialization in business schools impact the formulation of students' contextualized view of social responsibility. We propose the empirical concept of a mental gap between the existing and the wished-for level of a business school's corporate social responsibility and estimate it empirically by using a sample of business school students from Central and South East Europe. Results show that students wish their business schools to reduce their current orientation toward economic outcomes and focus on environmental and social responsibilities. We interpret those empirical results in terms of the students' wish to balance achieving economic prosperity and enjoyment of life with the prosocial outcomes of their education. New student generations' perception of corporate social responsibility is not shaped by the professional socialization patterns but rather by the own perceptions, which can be influenced by experiential approaches to academic teaching and learning. Based on these empirical results, implications for academic practice and future research are explored.
This quantitative study determined and assessed the viability of BCD funeral homes in Bacolod City, Philippines. BCD Funeral Homes is a newly established branch offering funeral services to the people. Utilizing a descriptive research design, data were gathered from 82 respondents composed of 32 employees and 50 customers using researcher-made instruments. The study revealed that the employees perceived the company as viable. Moreover, the competitors are the main challenge of the company, while its opportunity includes the improvement of services by offering cremation in the future. Furthermore, the company's corporate social responsibility programs include programs for the indigents, proper waste disposal, observance of proper hygiene and sanitation, compliance with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and government regulations. In addition, the company’s six months’ financial performance yielded a loss since the company is just starting. Nevertheless, the feasibility study proved that the business is profitable and, thus, viable.
The importance of CSR is admitted by the majority of researchers. However, its determinants or antecedents still has not been explicated, completely. In this paper we analyze the link be-tween sustainable human resource management and corporate social responsibility through the development of sustainable dynamic capabilities. The main objective is to dress a pathway for corporate social responsibility based on components of SHRM. An indirect effect is identi-fied on literature with further exploration of mediating and moderating effect between SHRM and CSR. Data are collected from 182 questionnaires addressed to stakeholders of family business on Saudi Arabia on different activity areas. Structural equation modelling is used for hypothesis testing. The results highlight that organizational learning capacity (OLC) moderate the effect of individual responsibility on employee development which means that the individual responsibility stimulate employee development and this effect is much more important if we develop an organizational learning capacity. Added to this, a mediating effect of resource interaction capability between well life balance and environment protection was confirmed. We identified roadmap to develop corporate social responsibility based on sustainable human resource management by the development of dynamic capabilities. This can stimulate an auto-evolution for human capital, organization and society.
The ongoing refugee crisis presents a plethora of challenges and requires systematic contributions from public and private entities—e.g., governments, non-governmental organizations, community organizations and businesses. Relative to the other three, (explicit) business efforts toward refugee (economic) integration are yet sporadic, limited to a few large organizations. While acknowledging that integration encompasses multiple spheres and is complicated by national and local variations across EU member states, this conceptual article treats business support of refugee (economic) integration as a manifestation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and contends that such efforts may enhance employee-organizational identification. Drawing on scholarship from CSR and organization–employee identification, we develop a conceptual model including propositions about mediating and moderating mechanisms of the relationship among refugee integration, CSR communication and employee-organizational identification. Our study offers a conceptual bridge between what is known about the importance, barriers and enablers of refugee labor market integration with the lesser-known organizational, specifically employee, perspectives on the issue. Leveraging on this conceptual framework, further research may focus on testing the relationship empirically through collecting field data from business firms which have made an explicit claim on refugee support.