Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

The value of social responsibility, either individually or collectively, has been recognised throughout history.
Major organisations throughout the world now realise that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an
important part of a company’s operations. It is not only because of its positive impact on business economic
performance but also on society which in turn impacts positively on employees and the society at large. Islamic
banks are not excluded from this responsibility. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to review the literature
of CSR from an Islamic perspective and CSR of Islamic banks. Through literature review, it was found that
there is no detailed study which determines the ruling of CSR from an Islamic perspective. The review also
revealed the concern over CSR is significant to Islamic banks, and thus a standard and comprehensive CSR
framework should be developed for Islamic banks best practices.
KEYWORDS: Corporate Social Responsibility, Islamic Banks, Islamic Perspective.

Business is increasingly employing sustainability practices, aiming to improve environmental and social responsibility while maintaining and improving profitability. For many organizations, profit-oriented business models are a major constraint impeding progress in sustainability. A formally defined ontology, a model definition, for profit-oriented business models has been employed globally for several years. However, no equivalent ontology is available in research or practice that enables the description of strongly sustainable business models, as validated by ecological economics and derived from natural, social, and system sciences. We present a framework of strongly sustainable business model propositions and principles as findings from a transdisciplinary review of the literature. A comparative analysis was performed between the framework and the Osterwalder profit-oriented ontology for business models. We introduce an ontology that enables the description of successful strongly sustainable business models that resolves weaknesses and includes functionally necessary relationships.

[Since this research was completed, the practitioner visual design tool (the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Canvas) that is conceptually "powered by" the the Strongly Sustainable Business Model Ontology, has been further refined to become the Flourishing Business Canvas - see www.FlourishingBusiness.org for the most recent practice and developments].

This paper is part of the special issue “Business Models for Sustainability: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Transformation” https://blog.ssbmg.com/2013/07/29/call-for-papers-for-a-special-issue-of-organization-environment-business-models-for-sustainability-entrepreneurship-innovation-and-transformation/.  It was submitted at the personal invitation of guest editors Prof. Dr. Stefan Schaltegger, Prof. Dr. Erik Hansen and Dr. Florian Lüdeke-Freund (Leuphana University Centre for Sustainability Management)

World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as “The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.” Nearly all leading corporate in India are involved in CSR programmes in areas like education, health, livelihood creation, skill development, and empowerment of weaker sections of the society. In recent years, changing market scenario, globalization, ethical consumerism all are adding heat to the CSR concept. Making profit and is the primary goal of all organizations; thus the companies target to increase their sales every year. In this CSR driven business scenario, it becomes vital to analyse the effect of CSR investments on the sales of the company. This paper gives an theoretical overview of the legal framework of CSR in India, discusses the trends of CSR in India that how CSR once considered as charity by a company has now transformed as a responsibility of the company towards society. This paper also analyzes whether there is any significant relationship between CSR investment and sales and finally, the possible impact of CSR investments on the sales of few companies selected at random for 3 years 2012 to 2015.

ÖSSZEFOGLALÓ: A futás napjaink egyik legnépszerűbb szabadidősport tevékenysége. Hazánkban is számtalan utcai futóversenyt rendeznek, melyek résztvevői létszáma folyamatosan emelkedik. Ezeken az eseményeken egyre gyakrabban találkozhatunk „jótékony” futókkal, akik a mozgást összekapcsolják a jótékonysággal. A tanulmány bepillantást nyújt néhány kezdeményezésbe.
Kulcsszavak: futás, jótékonyság, társadalmi felelősségvállalás
ABSTRACT: Running is one of the most popular recreational activities nowadays. Numerous street running competitions are held also in Hungary, and the number of participants is growing steadily. In these events we can more and more often meet charity runners who not only run but run for charity. This short study provides insights into some of the best practices of running-related charities.
Keywords: running, charity, social responsibility

The Nokia Bridge Program was established in summer 2011 in order to "make the best of the restructuring: create meaningful opportunities for individuals and local economies impacted by workforce reductions" and to "assist individuals in re-employment". This document reports whether and how the program helped individuals avoid the known negative effects of job loss and find meaningful re-employment. The document also reports how affected employees formed perceptions about Nokia´s fairness and responsibility.

It was found that the Bridge Program served as a source of social support for many individuals. The program induced positive mental resources, diminished feelings of uncertainty and insecurity and thus helped participants to cope better with the transition. In addition, the program facilitated re-employment e.g. by supporting job-search-related learning and employees´ self-esteem as job-applicants. It was also found that the Bridge provided resources that enabled participants to make positive career changes. These positive effects were shown in three distinct psychological and behavioral phases identified in the experiences of individuals who actively utilized the program: (1) recovery, (2) opening oneself up to new stimuli and directing one's thoughts to previously unexplored career possibilities, and (3) taking concrete steps toward new, meaningful opportunities. It was also investigated why some employees did not actively utilize the program.

More than two thirds of all survey respondents agreed with the statement: "The Bridge Program positions Nokia as fair and responsible employer". The factors underlying these appraisals were investigated and as a result, three distinct social positions were identified. (1) "Targets" often emphasized that Nokia was making its decisions to reduce the workforce without legitimate reasons. Nokia was responsible for mitigating any harmful consequences on its employees. (2) "Compliant partners" viewed that Nokia had a legitimate right to reorganize even though it would lead to workforce reductions. Compliant partners were sensitive both to the company´s needs and to their own needs and emphasized the importance of implementing difficult decisions in as considerate a manner as possible. (3) "Independents" emphasized that the company´s legitimate goal was to maximize its capacity to succeed in future endeavors. They as employees had no rights to Nokia´s resources beyond an effectual work contract. Thus, Nokia´s business-oriented motivations were seen as acceptable whereas employee-oriented motivations for providing Bridge assistance were criticized. All in all, the study suggests that companies and affected employees benefit from transparency concerning both business- and employee-oriented reasons for decision making and the sources of funds for the offered support.

Based on the study, the researchers recommend the use of similar type of employee assistance programs as part of future workforce reductions.

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Bridge-ohjelma perustettiin kesällä 2011 tukemaan Nokian henkilöstövähennysten kohteeksi joutuneita henkilöitä ja paikkakuntia merkityksellisten, uusien mahdollisuuksien löytämisessä sekä uudelleentyöllistymisessä. Tässä tutkimusdokumentissa raportoidaan ohjelmaan osallistuneiden näkemyksiä sen vaikutuksista.


Tutkimuksen tulosten mukaan Bridge-ohjelmalla oli myönteisiä vaikutuksia sitä hyödyntäneiden henkilöiden hyvinvoinnille ja uudelleentyöllistymisen edellytyksille. Tutkimuksessa havaittiin, että ohjelma toimi sosiaalisen tuen lähteenä: se lisäsi myönteisiä voimavaroja, vähensi epävarmuuden ja turvattomuuden tunteita ja näin auttoi osallistujia selviytymään muutoksesta paremmin. Bridge-ohjelma edesauttoi uudelleentyöllistymistä mm. tukemalla työnhakuun liittyvää oppimista sekä työntekijän itsetuntoa työnhakijana. Sen koettiin lisäksi tarjoavan resursseja, jotka auttoivat osallistujia tekemään myönteisiä uramuutoksia. Nämä positiiviset vaikutukset tulivat esiin kolmessa psykologisessa ja toiminnallisessa vaiheessa jotka havaittiin Bridge-ohjelmaa aktiivisesti käyttävien yksilöiden kokemuksissa: (1) toipuminen, (2) avautuminen uusille virikkeille ja ajatusten suuntaaminen aiemmin tuntemattomiin mahdollisuuksiin sekä (3) konkreettisten askeleiden ottaminen uuteen, merkitykselliseen suuntaan. Tutkimuksessa selvitettiin myös, miksi kaikki eivät hyödyntäneet ohjelmaa aktiivisesti.


Kyselyyn vastanneista 67% piti Nokiaa Bridge-ohjelman ansiosta oikeudenmukaisena ja vastuullisena työnantajana. Tähän näkemykseen vaikutti kolme erilaista käsitystä työsuhteen osapuolen oikeuksista ja velvollisuuksista. (1) Nokian vastuun "kohteet" katsoivat, että Nokialla ei ollut legitiimiä perustetta henkilöstövähennyksille. Nokia oli siten vastuussa työntekijöille koituneista negatiivisista seurauksista. Bridge ohjelman toteutus nähtiin perusteltuna. (2) "Kumppaneiksi" itsensä mieltävät ilmaisivat, että Nokialla oli legitiimi oikeus käyttää resurssejaan haluamallaan tavalla. Heidän mielestään oli kuitenkin ymmärrettävää, että Nokia käytti resurssejaan työntekijöiden tarpeiden huomioimiseen taloudellisten mahdollisuuksiensa puitteissa. (3) "Itsenäiset" eivät katsoneet olevansa oikeutettuja Nokian resursseihin, ellei niitä oltu erikseen määritelty työsopimuksessa. Itsenäiset suhtautuivat kriittisesti työntekijöiden tarpeiden huomioimiseen vaikeassa taloudellisessa tilanteessa. Tutkimus osoittaa, että yritykset ja henkilöstövähennysten kohteiksi joutuvat työntekijät hyötyvät sekä liiketoimintaan että työntekijöiden hyvinvointiin liittyvien perusteluiden avoimesta kommunikoimisesta sekä läpinäkyvyydestä suhteessa tarjotun avun rahoittamiseen.

Raportissa esitettyjen tulosten perusteella voidaan suositella vastaavanlaisten tukiohjelmien hyödyntämistä myös osana tulevaisuuden henkilöstövähennyksiä.

The responsibility of industry towards society and the environment is a much discussed topic, both in academia and in business. Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has recently emerged as a new concept with the potential to advance this discourse in light of two major challenges industry is facing today. The first relates to the accelerating race to innovate in order to stay competitive in a rapidly changing world. The second concerns the need to maintain public trust in industry through innovations that generate social value in addition to economic returns. This Special Issue provides empirical and conceptual contributions that explore corporate motivations to adopt RRI, the state of implementation of concrete RRI practices, the role of stakeholders in responsible innovation processes, as well as drivers and barriers to the further diffusion of RRI in industry. Overall, these contributions highlight the relevance of RRI for firms of different sizes and sectors. They also provide insights and suggestions for managers, policymakers and researchers wishing to engage with responsibility in innovation. This editorial summarizes the most pertinent conclusions across the individual articles published in this Special Issue and concludes by outlining some fruitful avenues for future research in this space.

Purpose-This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the management control systems (MCS) adoption in corporate social responsibility (CSR) integration into business strategy has an impact on companies' performance. Design/methodology/approach-Using a sample of 435 Indonesian manufacturing companies, partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to investigate the impact of CSR strategic integration on companies' performance based on the contingency and stakeholder theories. Findings-The findings reveal CSR strategic integration has a positive and significant impact on companies' performance, including employee, operating and financial performance and the company size can positively moderate the impact of this integration on both its operating and financial performance. Practical implications-The findings can encourage managers to adopt MCS by undertaking CSR at the strategic level, resulting in superior performance, both socially and financially. Social implications-Employee performance and operating performance can significantly mediate the effect of strategic integration on financial performance. Originality/value-The paper suggests that adopting MCS through CSR strategic integration could improve company performance socially and financially. This is the very first study on this issue from an Indonesian perspective.

The twin focus of one of the  papers is to, on the one hand, basically identify some important and knowledgeable academic and practical works from the past decades upon the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its ethical contents; and also, on the other hand, draw attention to and argue for a regime of legal regulation with a view to transforming CRS compliance from mere moral obligation to some compelling legal obligation. The review will therefore gradually flow from the history of the concept, its definitions, academic and practical views of various writers, including their appraisals and criticisms as well as real live examples where applicable. It is imperative, however, to state that the argument for legal regime shall reflect mainly a Nigerian perspective and the challenges thereof. The paper concludes that for CSR anywhere and everywhere to fulfil its onerous mission of instilling morality into business therefore, there must be some legal bite to the moral obligations through a positive legal regime

THEN TO JUXTAPOSE THESE ISSUES WITH THE ETHICS OF AI

The second  report provides the findings of AI4People, an Atomium-EISMD initiative designed to lay the foundations for a "Good AI Society". We introduce the core opportunities and risks of AI for society; present a synthesis of five ethical principles that should undergird its development and adoption; and offer 20 concrete recommendations to assess, to develop, to incentivise, and to support good AI-which in some cases may be undertaken directly by national or supranational policy makers, while in others may be led by other stakeholders. If adopted, these recommendations would serve as a firm foundation for the establishment of a Good AI Society.

THROWING IN THE SAUCE  ""THE ETHICS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE""

FOR REFERENCE AND COMPARISON
A FOURTH RECENT ADDITION TO ACADEMIA THAT OUGHT TO BE READ AT THE SAME TIME FOR BALANCE
""In this article, we philosophically reflect on the nature of corporate governance. We raise the question whether control is still a feasible ideal of corporate governance and reflect on the implications of the epistemic insufficiency of economic institutions with regard to grand challenges like of global warming for our conceptualization of corporate governance. We first introduce the concept of corporate governance from the perspective of economics and politics. We then trace the genealogy of the concept of governance based on a selective reading of Giorgio Agamben's work, who has pointed at two interdependent paradigms of governance in the Christian tradition, and apply his categories in the context of corporate governance. We finally engage in a critical reflection on the concept of corporate governance and develop four characteristics of corporate governance that can guide future conceptual as well as empirical research in the field of corporate social responsibility of economic institutions.""