A nonequivalent control-group longitudinal design was used to examine the effects of a leadership and diversity awareness program on adolescents knowledge of discriminatory terms, acceptance of diversity, social competence, feelings of social responsibility, and community involvement. Adolescents who did and did not attend a leadership and diversity awareness program (Anytown) completed three analogous surveys in a 12-month period. Similarly, parents of adolescents who did and did not attend the program reported on their childs social competence and community involvement. Adolescents who attended the program reported greater increases in their social competence, acceptance of diversity, feelings of social responsibility, and community involvement when compared to the control group. A comparison of females and males who attended the program revealed females scored higher than males in the areas of social competence, diversity acceptance, and social responsibility. Differences also were observed between the race/ethnic groups of program participants. The Hispanic/Latino and Nonwhite/Other race/ethnic groups reported higher diversity acceptance scores than the adolescents in the Black race/ethnic group. Additionally, parents of Anytown participants reported higher community involvement than parents of adolescents who had yet to attend the program. Discussion centers around the results and implications of these findings as well as the need to incorporate effective prejudice reduction strategies into diversity awareness programs.

Little is known about how employees in New Zealand companies view their organisation’s involvement in community-based initiatives that attempt to address areas of social needs. Understanding what people and organisations think from their frame of reference (Taylor & Bodgan, 1998) on ways of contributing to enhance community wellbeing is of high importance within a nation growing in diversity, and where everyone needs to fully participate in building a harmonious society (Ministry of Social Development, 2005; Swanson, 2002). Despite abundant extant research and many models already developed, frameworks in this area are fragmented. A case study approach has been adopted using one New Zealand Company to test a preliminary framework, Stakeholders and Organisational Enablers Relationship (SOER) Model, that analyses “the nature of relationships in terms of processes and outcomes for the business and its stakeholders” (Jones & Wicks, 1999, p. 207). From investigating the company’s community involvement from the employees’ perspective, results indicate that this particular company is engaging with the community, supporting and empowering employees to participate in the company’s community programme and thereby making a difference in the community by giving to the community. However, in general terms, solving recurring social, economic, political and psychological issues that influence social wellbeing requires cooperation between public, private, and voluntary sectors of the community (New Zealand Ministry of Economic Development, New Zealand Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand Dept of Labour, & New Zealand Dept of Statistics, 2003; Roberts & King, 1989; Steane, 1999). While the results from the case company reported in this study demonstrate that community engagement is being taken seriously by exemplary private sector companies, generalisation of these findings would require further cross-sectional research across industries and organisations from all sectors: private, public and voluntary.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prevail in their business communities and constitute the base of many nations’ economies. As a reason it is vital that SMEs show their active engagement and relatedness of their CSR activities making them at the core of their business strategies, as well as maintain their role as responsible citizens in their communities.CSR activities and practices being mainly developed by large corporations impede the way they can be applied on their smaller counterparts; ultimately leading to different results. SMEs require different solutions and run in different settings, which afford them unique opportunities to become sustainable enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of CSR engagement in Småland, Sweden. The study was divided into two parts, social (community wise) and environmental. We aimed to understand the reasons behind engagement and non-engagement in this matter. Also, it was important to find a pattern for future development of CSR among SMEs. We relied on previous research conducted for SMEs around Europe, and compared mainly the results from Sweden to our research findings. This study was largely done by using the quantitative survey method, where a questionnaire was designed to collect the results. Descriptive and exploratory statistics is at the core of interpreting the results. Some of the findings were confirmed by previous research while the rest were either unprecendeted or surprising, both in a positive and negative way. The CSR involvement was highly related to the size of the companies, in total more than half of the companies were involved to some extent. The main reasons for involvement in local communities were ethical as well as to satisfy own employees. The reasons for non-engagement were due to lack of resources, time and money, but also the fact that many companies simply never thought about engagement. When it comes to the environmental part, the results showed that companies act very responsibly. They are also aware and compliant to legislations and have environmental policies. Again, ethical reasons were the main driving force behind environmental concerns for the companies, but also the enhancement of the image was a chief reason. In general, companies do not seem to find economical benefits behind the engagement in CSR and less than half of the companies that engage in social responsibilities today are planning on continuing in the near future. Social involvement is voluntary and companies choose to do it mainly because of ethical reasons. On an overall basis, the engagement of SMEs in social activities is quite weak to moderate, while in environmental engagement the results are to some extent more optimistic. However, we cannot allege that a handful of Smålands SMEs see the full business benefits of engagement and as a result they cannot be said to be working towards ‘doing well by doing good’. Policy makers, municipalities and larger firms need to support the SMEs in their further engagement.

The performance of the companies in corporate sector is reliant greatly on the practices of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); therefore in today’s business environment companies are paying more attention to the sense of CSR. These companies also consider the aspects of socio-culture environment into business practices and compliance with other regulatory and ethical issues. However, it has been found that CSR is being practiced in Pakistani firms in tobacco industry because the concept is new for the emerging economies like Pakistan. The paper consists of brief study about the CSR practices on stakeholder dimension of Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC). The basic aim of this paper is to examine that how companies engage their stakeholders in CSR activities and what is the role of stakeholders in CSR policies. This research was conducted by using a qualitative method and the case study of PTC. Data has been collected from relevant scientific articles, research books, and online resources regarding CSR and stakeholders theoretical framework while empirical data was gathered through interviews and company annual reports. However, PTC products are injurious for customers’ health but their efforts for the environment and community make a good image of the company in the minds of customer and stakeholders.

Tourism has become a tool for many developing countries to achieve economic growth and alleviate poverty. However, even though tourism is contributing to positive impacts, it also stresses infrastructure and changing local communities. For many African countries, tourism plays an important role, which is the case with the growing tourist destination Mozambique. This research is examining how tourism is affecting the local community in Tofo, and furthermore how involved they are in the development. The study is based on interviews, participant observations, questionnaire and documents. Findings show that the development is forced upon the community in Tofo, although leading to various economic and socio-cultural impacts, such as improved living standard, change in behaviors and infrastructure development, but the greatest impacts remain employment and income. The development is unplanned and do not involve the community to extent it should and could, leaving the residents powerless and dependent on foreign investors.

<p>Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) prevail in their business communities and constitute the base of many nations’ economies. As a reason it is vital that SMEs show their active engagement and relatedness of their CSR activities making them at the core of their business strategies, as well as maintain their role as responsible citizens in their communities.CSR activities and practices being mainly developed by large corporations impede the way they can be applied on their smaller counterparts; ultimately leading to different results. SMEs require different solutions and run in different settings, which afford them unique opportunities to become sustainable enterprises. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of CSR engagement in Småland, Sweden. The study was divided into two parts, social (community wise) and environmental. We aimed to understand the reasons behind engagement and non-engagement in this matter. Also, it was important to find a pattern for future development of CSR among SMEs. We relied on previous research conducted for SMEs around Europe, and compared mainly the results from Sweden to our research findings.</p><p>This study was largely done by using the quantitative survey method, where a questionnaire was designed to collect the results. Descriptive and exploratory statistics is at the core of interpreting the results. Some of the findings were confirmed by previous research while the rest were either unprecendeted or surprising, both in a positive and negative way. The CSR involvement was highly related to the size of the companies, in total more than half of the companies were involved to some extent. The main reasons for involvement in local communities were ethical as well as to satisfy own employees. The reasons for non-engagement were due to lack of resources, time and money, but also the fact that many companies simply never thought about engagement. When it comes to the environmental part, the results showed that companies act very responsibly. They are also aware and compliant to legislations and have environmental policies. Again, ethical reasons were the main driving force behind environmental concerns for the companies, but also the enhancement of the image was a chief reason. In general, companies do not seem to find economical benefits behind the engagement in CSR and less than half of the companies that engage in social responsibilities today are planning on continuing in the near future. Social involvement is voluntary and companies choose to do it mainly because of ethical reasons. On an overall basis, the engagement of SMEs in social activities is quite weak to moderate, while in environmental engagement the results are to some extent more optimistic. However, we cannot allege that a handful of Smålands SMEs see the full business benefits of engagement and as a result they cannot be said to be working towards ‘doing well by doing good’. Policy makers, municipalities and larger firms need to support the SMEs in their further engagement.</p>

This treatise presents a transcendental argument for corporate social responsibility. The argument is that corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is best understood as a collective moral practice that is a precondition for sustainable business. There are a number of theories and definitions of CSR in the contemporary business literature. These theories include considerations of economic, legal, social, and environmental notions of what a corporation ought to take responsibility for based on either motives or concerns of accountability for corporate acts. This work focuses on economic theories. I analyze the distinction between the technical terms "responsibility" and "accountability" found in these theories. This enables me to explicate the meaning of corporate responsibility as it relates to the conditions of sustainable business activity. These conditions necessarily include moral content. In other words, this is an applied ethics project. First, I inquire into the intellectual history of the broader sense of corporate responsibility and review various contemporary notions of corporate social responsibility. My concern is whether these notions presuppose broader forms of moral responsibility to others as an obligation, moral responsibility for acts, or to be held morally responsible (i.e., accountable) based on moral tendencies, particular motives, or resulting outcomes. This concern forms the basis of my consideration of the notions of individual and collective responsibility. The following work includes an analysis of the notion of human choice as a collective endeavor of institutional relationships and practice in the economic market system. I argue that corporate motives for moral interrelationships are necessarily implicit in biosocioeconomic multinational market enterprise. I conclude that an analysis of corporate community involvement may be found in a case study of Starbucks Coffee Company's efforts to practice CSR in particular coffee bean farming communities in developing countries.

Encouraging the participation of the local population in the preservation of World Heritage Sites is one of the mission’s of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre. Community involvement is also critical in the planning process. This dissertation argues that community involvement should be part of the World Heritage List nomination process and long-term preservation of the sites and that mechanisms should be in place to ensure this as part of the nomination file. To support this argument, literature on community involvement and World Heritage Sites is reviewed. Part of this dissertation is to provide a framework for community involvement at World Heritage Sites. In order to accomplish this, the known potential socio-economic benefits of World Heritage designation are also reviewed. This provides a framework whereby communities can be consulted and involved in activities at World Heritage Sites with the goal of preservation of the site and achieving additional socio-economic benefits. This framework was used to explore the attitudes of eight Western Ukrainian communities on the use of their wooden churches that are nominated to the UNESCO World Heritage List to improve their socio-economic conditions as well as preserve the churches. Previous studies focused mostly on the effects of World Heritage Site designation to produce social and economic benefits. This dissertation takes a different approach by involving the community at the nomination stage to determine which of these benefits they support and develop a plan of action and guidelines focused on achieving the desired changes. A community survey was developed under the supervision of this dissertation committee and Dr. Bevz at the Department of Restoration and Reconstruction of Architectural Complexes at Lviv Polytechnic National University as part of a J. William Fulbright grant to Ukraine. The survey responses were analyzed using both summary and statistical analysis to develop guidelines and a plan of action to be implemented by Lviv Polytechnic. This dissertation provides much needed research into community involvement at World Heritage Sites for their preservation and to achieve socio-economic benefits for the surrounding communities. The framework laid out in this dissertation has implications not only for Western Ukraine, but cultural heritage sites throughout the world.

Traditionally the approach to nature conservation in South Africa was a colonialist one, which centred on the notion that the exclusion of rural people from protected areas would result in the best possible protection of fauna and flora and their habitats. This protectionist approach resulted in the creation of ad hoc wildlife sanctuaries, mostly national parks and game reserves which excluded local communities. The notion of a more inclusive approach to communities surrounding conservation areas is a hallmark of modern conservationist thinking and has gained much favour in recent times. The involvement of communities in biodiversity conservation initiatives is especially important when considered within the context of effective environmental governance (EG). This coupled with South Africa's anthropocentric approach to environmental governance serves to lay the theoretical foundation for the proper involvement of communities in the conservation of biodiversity. Central to the notion of sustainability, is the preservation of the integrity of ecosystems, while simultaneously acknowledging the integral part that humans play in these ecosystems. This notion of sustainability, coupled with the much–favoured bottom–up approach to conservation, highlights the importance of community involvement in the formation of biodiversity conservation areas. In order to ensure effective community involvement in biodiversity conservation initiatives, it is imperative that a coherent policy and legal framework exists so as to properly facilitate community involvement in biodiversity conservation initiatives and in so doing to properly implement such projects. It is against this background that this study seeks to explore and analyse the relevant and applicable regional, sub–regional and national legal frameworks applicable to community involvement with regard to biodiversity conservation. / Thesis (LL.M. (Environmental Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The word diversity can be described as being different or having differences. Furthermore, it also relates to variety or assortment. Diversity forms an integral part of society worldwide. It consists of many different aspects which are all evident in different ways in society. These aspects of diversity include culture, religion, race, language, socio-economic class, gender, ability, etc. Diversity also exists in education as an important part of society. Parental involvement is viewed by many people as an important part of the education process. It has many positives which include improved academic performance of the child, understanding of the schools circumstances, having a more positive attitude towards the school, improved community involvement and a positive school climate. Parental involvement enhances the complete learning experience of the child and focuses on the total development of the child. It includes the making of a commitment and the forming of a partnership between parent and school which is also fundamentally prescribed by legislation. When this partnership is engaged in properly there is a definite positive outcome for both the child and the school. Fundamentally, the purpose of parental involvement lies in the opportunities that it offers all the stakeholders involved to contribute towards the upbringing and development of the children. Managing the involvement of parents should be well planned and directed. School managers need to take into account the issue of diversity in relation to parental involvement. Schools have to make use of creative strategies and approaches as they deal with differences among people which need to be respected in such a way that everyone can be integrated into the school system. Diversity amongst people has an influence on parental involvement and need to be managed to good effect. Ultimately, positive parents will educate positive children who are what we strived for. What is interesting from the results of the study is that the respondents that participated in the research are of the opinion that racial differences as an aspect of diversity doesn‟t have a significant influence on parental involvement. Diversity aspects that are viewed as having a / Thesis (MEd (Education Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012