Corporate Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurship for Sustainability

Leading in the Era of Digital Transformation

verfasst von: Prof. Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Verlag: Springer Singapore

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book addresses the dilemma that firms face in engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) while maintaining a financially sustainable business model in the era of digital transformation. Several strategies that firms have taken to integrate CSR within the business model are also highlighted. To explicate the problems involved, the book primarily focuses on entrepreneurial ventures, given their nascent business model that best illustrates how business leaders can embed the social mission in the firm at the beginning of organizational founding. In this age, sustainability is an innovation’s new frontier. For sustainable competitive advantage, the book argues for how companies can build more sustainable products, processes, and practices that benefit the firm and society through maintaining an entrepreneurial philosophy.

The target readership consists of academics, students, and practitioners in the areas of entrepreneurship, organizational behavior, organizational theory, and strategic management. This book clarifies the critical practices of sustainability-oriented innovative firms and creative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Through a review of recent trends in CSR, the authors emphasize that CSR is no longer a “bolt-on” or some kind of window-dressing to satisfy public relations (PR) needs. Credible CSR is critical to business legitimacy and sustainability. Aware of the public’s increasing scrutiny, companies are increasingly ramping up their focus on social responsibility, whether by championing women's rights, protecting the environment, or attempting to obliterate poverty, on local, national, or global levels. Simultaneously, more firms face accusations of “greenwashing” – backlash due to consumer mistrust in the intentions behind their CSR practices.

While numerous works have highlighted this dilemma and how companies fall short in their prosocial goals or financial objectives (or both), there is a lack of understanding of the ingredients and crucial processes required for the successful implementation of CSR in entrepreneurial enterprises. This book serves to fill that gap.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. The Core Challenge of CSR in Entrepreneurial Ventures

Abstract

Every firm’s CSR problem boils down to legitimacy. To address the legitimacy challenge, we provide two guiding questions: (i) What CSR initiative is most aligned with the company’s business model?; (ii) How can the firm communicate its CSR philosophy to gain legitimacy from internal and external stakeholders? The legitimacy challenge of CSR implementation can be addressed using a two-pronged approach. Talent principle—the founding idea of the business should also be the idea that fuels the CSR program. Thermometer principle—entrepreneurs need to be equipped with analytical tools that allow them to assess the current business climate, predict future trends, and conduct experiments to test whether predictions match reality.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 2. Cross-Cultural CSR Strategy

Abstract

A key challenge that global entrepreneurial ventures face is customizing their CSR practices to meet their customer’s demands across markets. We provide a strategy that explicitly takes into consideration the firm and local context’s cultural fit and how culture may affect the global adoption of CSR practices.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 3. CSR and Marketing Integration: Network Perspective

Abstract

Both academics and managers within companies have realized the convergence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and marketing roles in some businesses. Despite the emerging number of conceptual studies on the integration processes of CSR and the marketing unit within the firm, there is little in-depth analysis testing these theories. This chapter seeks to remedy this situation through an ethnography that traces the actual integration processes from the perspective of a manager. The research model defines the manager’s role as the firm’s liaison, and differentiates the three stages of the integration process. First stage: marketing and CSR departments are two dichotomous units; second stage: the two units show areas of overlap through the marketing manager’s role, third, the two units converge into one unit. The data illustrates that five conditions affect the extent to which CSR can integrate with other business units. Our findings reveal why certain firms are more successful at allowing their CSR mission to permeate throughout the entire company and even to its external stakeholders and the larger society.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 4. CSR Advocacy and Organizational Change: Perspectives from Within the Firm

Abstract

CSR managers are often perceived as relatively powerless actors within the firm. Using in an inductive case study method, we identify how firms who care about social responsibility can challenge the profit-centered corporate narrative to advocate for greater CSR-business model integration.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 5. Corporate Strategy for Corporate and Ecosystem Sustainability

Abstract

In response to a lack of understanding on how companies perceive and engage in sustainability, we conduct a textual analysis of Japanese transport equipment companies’ sustainability reports. We identify two trends: (1) at a strategic level amongst the top management, firms have acknowledged that sustainability requirements are important and separate from legal compliance; (2) however, many firms have not yet explicitly formulated and implemented sustainability practices at an operational-level.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 6. Cluster-Level Legitimacy and Strategic Tie Formation of Ventures

Abstract

We present a theory of legitimacy in regional clusters that is based on the idea that different audiences have distinct views on a venture’s legitimacy. Cluster-level legitimacy has implications on venture’s tie formation with other ventures.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 7. Role of CEO’s Moral Compass as the Organization’s Fourth Dimension (4-D) in the Era of Digital Transformation

Abstract

We propose a novel construct called the fourth dimensional (4-D) organization, referring to firms with a 4th dimension that serves as the moral compass providing strategic direction. We show the value of the fourth dimension that links the firm’s performance to societal flourishing. We apply the theory using an in-depth case study of a nepes, a Korean enterprise, to show that effective implementation of the 4-D organization increases employees’ locus of control and helps them to utilize their creative and innovative capabilities.

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Chapter 8. Looking Ahead: The Future of CSR Strategy

Abstract

The majority of this book has focused on small firms that are often hidden from the public. We end with putting a spotlight on entrepreneurs who are socially-oriented and in the midst of developing their business and dreams in their respective spaces. We highlight the future of CSR in this covid-19 era. It should no longer be just about typical “corporate social responsibility” where the “responsibility” connotes a small under-funded team—now it should be about every single person in a business taking responsibility to make a difference in everything they do, at work and in their personal lives (Richard Branson).

Young Won Park, Ye Jin Park

Titel: Corporate Social Responsibility and Entrepreneurship for Sustainability
verfasst von: Prof. Young Won Park
Ye Jin Park
Verlag: Springer Singapore
Electronic ISBN: 978-981-16-3460-4
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-3459-8
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3460-4