Since the mid 1990s political and public debates about the social responsibilities of firms have gained renewed force. Although CSR seems to be a well defined concept in management literature, in its diverse applications the CSR concept loses much of its pertinence. In Managing Corporate Social Responsibility in Action, the authors focus on different aspects of managing CSR in action to capture differences between discourse and practice. By examining the question from three angles - talking about CSR, doing CSR and measuring CSR - they attempt to make sense of the difference between practice and reality. This volume considers ways to overcome the difficulties that arise around CSR in action.

The failure of many governments to provide basic rights for their citizens has given rise to the expectation that globally operating corporations should step in and fill governance gaps, for example in the area of human rights. Today, many large multinational corporations claim to conduct business in a socially responsible manner, yet no tools exist to assess whether and to what degree they have indeed systematically revised their business practices to take on these new responsibilities. Managing Corporate Legitimacy addresses these research gaps by clarifying the role of the corporation as a private actor in global governance at conceptual and empirical levels; by contributing to our theoretical understanding of CC as a new phenomenon in globalization; and by furthering the development of appropriate approaches to CC in practice through its toolkit. The tool structures the implementation process in five learning stages (defensive, compliance, managerial, strategic and civil). The final civil stage describes political corporate behaviour. The author includes an empirical assessment of five Swiss multinationals in this book which reveals that most companies – even those with relatively long-standing and mature policies on social and environmental issues – have only just started to learn how to become corporate citizens. The book therefore concludes with a discussion of an issue-specific extension of the assessment tool and presents methods for setting priorities in the approach to corporate citizenship that may also facilitate corporate engagement with stakeholders. The tools developed in this book provide practical and detailed guidance for implementing and embedding CC and managing corporate legitimacy. It will be essential reading for practitioners looking for ways to legitimize their engagement with societal issues and for academics considering how we can better measure the engagement of business with CC.

Managing Corporate Social Responsibility offers a strategic, communication-centred approach to integrating CSR into organizations. Drawing from a variety of disciplines and written in a highly accessible style, the book guides readers in a focused progression providing the key points they need to successfully navigate the benefits and implications of managing CSR. Chapters are organized around a process model for CSR that outlines steps for researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating CSR initiatives Emphasizes stakeholder engagement as a foundation throughout the CSR Process Model Discusses ways to maximize the use of social media and traditional media throughout the process Offers international examples drawn from a variety of industries including: The Forest Stewardship Council, Starbucks Coffee, and IKEA. Draws upon theories grounded in various disciplines, including public relations, marketing, media, communication, and business

Drawing upon research from a variety of disciplines, this volume offers a systematic discussion of the issues and assumptions of the corporate responsibility debate. James J. Brummer provides an extensive review of the relevant literature and develops a methodology for treating specific problems of corporate responsibility, illustrating its use in actual practice. The book also proposes a theory of corporate responsibility and legitimacy that builds upon the concept of accountability and explores the relevance of applying methods of study traditionally associated with the humanities to contemporary problems of corporate ethics. The author begins by addressing general concepts and principles including types of corporate responsibility, relations of accountability, models of the corporation, and theories of institutional legitimacy. Part Two outlines the four theories of corporate responsibility--the classical, stakeholder, social demandingness, and social activist theories--and examines their major premises and supporting evidence. Two chapters treat the specific issue of plant closing or relocation in relation to each of the four theories of corporate responsibility. Finally, the author discusses collective and subordinate responsibility, paying particular attention to the concept of whistleblowing. The concluding chapter summarizes the corporate responsibility debate and analyzes various models of accountability. An ideal supplemental text for courses in business ethics and public administration, this volume is also an invaluable resource for executives confronted with issues of corporate responsibility in their own operations.

Describes accounting methods designed to take into consideration not only economic factors but also factors related to the quality of life.

The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility is also unique in that it has brought together for the first time over a hundred of the worlds leading thinkers, opinion formers, academics and business people to write on each subject in their own words."--BOOK JACKET.

Focus is on practical action, rather than theoretical discussion for companies taking steps to achieve effective corporate responsibility.