As companies commit an increasing number of socially irresponsible behaviors, high profile corporate transgressions have become major social problems in many countries. Corporate transgressions are defined as serious violations of social norms and standards (White, Bandura, & Bero, 2009). Corporate transgressions tend to detrimentally affect the relationship between companies and their consumers, leading to negative consumer responses to the brand and product (Aaker, 2012; Lindenmeier, Schleer, & Pricl, 2011; Ingram, Skinner, & Tayler, 2005). Many companies use short-term marketing activities to improve consumer responses; however, these recovery strategies have temporary effects (Beverland, Chung, & Kates, 2009). There is no doubt that building long-term relationships with consumers is vital for companies to promote positive responses. Cause-related marketing (CRM) has been one of the most widely used activities to build long-term relationships with consumers because it can demonstrate a company’s sincere commitment to social responsibility (Ailawadi & Keller, 2004; Gupta & Pirsch, 2006; Kotler & Keller, 2006; Nan & Heo, 2007; Varadarajan & Menon,1988). Despite the fact that CRM can help build long-term relationships with consumers, there is a dearth of empirical study on the effectiveness of CRM as a corporate crisis recovery strategy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of CRM as a recovery strategy in changing consumers’ psychological (attitudes) and behavioral (purchase intentions) responses after corporate transgressions. More specifically, this study will examine the effects of corporate commitment types (time vs financial), degrees (long-term vs short-term and large vs small amount), and fit (high vs low) conditions between a cause and a company on consumer responses. A total of 213 college students (94 women, 119 men), between the ages of 18 and 25, participated in this experimental study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of eight between-subjects treatment conditions in which they read two short scenarios about a company’s (Brand X) corporate transgression and commitment to a CRM (sponsoring the Special Olympic games or the Human Society) campaign. Manipulation checks were conducted on time commitment, financial commitment, and fit conditions. The results of CFA, using LISREL 9.1, support the reliability and validity of all measures. The composite reliabilities (Cronbach's α) of the two constructs (attitudes and purchase intentions) are .72 and .798 respectively. The average variance extracted (AVE) of the attitudes (.593) and the purchase intentions (.611). For the convergent validity, all estimated loadings of indicators for the underlying constructs are significant (the smallest t-value = 4.32, p < .05). For the discriminant validity, as indicated earlier, AVEs for two constructs are, .593 for consumer attitudes and .611 for consumer purchase intentions, are greater than the squared correlation (.454) between two constructs. In addition, the goodness-of-fit statistics show a good overall fit (χ2 = 131. 57, p > .01, CFI= .94, GFI = .93, and RMSEA = .051). The results of the current study revealed that the company’s long-term and large financial commitments to a CRM campaign significantly changed participants' psychological and behavioral responses. However, the fit conditions did not significantly affect consumers’ response changes. The 2 x 2 x 2 interaction effects revealed that the time commitments play a more significant role in changing consumer responses than financial commitments and fit conditions. Furthermore, the combination of a long-term and a large financial commitment with a high fit condition showed the most significant consumer response changes. These findings support the fact that consumers value a company’s CRM activities when they are aware of the company’s sincere commitment. Hence, it is vital for marketing managers to demonstrate their consistently support to causes, rather than making a quick decision to engage in CRM activities. In addition, the findings of this study confirm that gaining positive responses from consumers takes a great effort for companies. Thus, companies should be conscious not to commit socially irresponsible behaviors that damage their relationships with consumers.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo descrever a priorização de stakeholders em empresas brasileiras e a sua relação com a indústria (setor econômico). Para atingir o objetivo principal da pesquisa, foram estabelecidos dois objetivos específicos: descrever a priorização de stakeholders nas empresas pesquisadas; e investigar a relação entre a priorização de stakeholders e a variável indústria. Nesta pesquisa, a priorização é definida operacionalmente como o atendimento preferencial dos interesses de um stakeholder em relação a outro. A fundamentação teórica aborda a teoria dos stakeholders, a priorização de stakeholders, os modelos de saliência e dominância de stakeholders, a performance social corporativa e o disclosure social, embasando-se também na voluntary disclosure theory. A amostra pesquisada é composta por 90 empresas que divulgaram relatórios anuais e/ou de sustentabilidade adotando a estrutura da GRI, referente ao ano de 2010. Calculou-se medidas de atendimento dos interesses dos stakeholders a partir da análise de 73 indicadores de desempenho GRI, associados a cinco stakeholders: compradores, direitos humanos, funcionários, meio ambiente e sociedade. Utilizou-se de análises descritivas para hierarquização dos stakeholders e das técnicas de análise de agrupamentos, ANOVA e qui-quadrado para investigar a relação entre a priorização e a variável indústria. Os resultados encontrados mostram que a hierarquia de priorização na amostra estudada tem a seguinte ordem: funcionários, sociedade e compradores, direitos humanos e meio ambiente. Os resultados apontam diferenças na hierarquia de priorização de stakeholders por indústria, e indicam uma influência da indústria no nível de atendimento dos interesses dos stakeholders. Desta forma, este estudo busca contribuir apresentando evidências empíricas da priorização de stakeholders no contexto brasileiro. / This study aimed to describe the stakeholder prioritization in Brazilian companies and their relationship with industry. The two specific objectives are: to describe the stakeholder prioritization across the surveyed firms and investigate the relationship between the stakeholder prioritization and the industry variable. In this research, prioritization is operationally defined as the preferential treatment to the interests of one stakeholder over another. The literature review is based on the stakeholder theory, stakeholder prioritization, stakeholder salience and dominance, corporate social performance, and social disclosure, basing also on voluntary disclosure theory. The sample is made by 90 companies with sustainability reporting adopting the GRI framework, in the year 2010. Measures of the treatment to the stakeholder interests were calculated from the analysis of 73 GRI performance indicators associated with five stakeholders: customers, human rights, employees, environment and society. It was used descriptive analysis, cluster analysis, ANOVA and chi-square techniques to investigate the relationship between the prioritization and the industry. The results show that the hierarchy of prioritization in the sample has the following order: employees, customers and society, human rights and environment. The results show differences in the hierarchy of stakeholder prioritization by industry, and indicate an influence of the industry on the level of treatment to the stakeholder interests. Thus, this study wants to contribute with empirical evidence of stakeholder prioritization in the Brazilian context.

Corporate Social Responsibilty has increased in importance over these decades. Due to several drivers it is important for companies to initiate and communicate these CSR initiatives, in order to benefit from them. This increased demand on responsibility from companies creates an urgency for the company to satisfy this need. This has led to the concept of “Greenwashing” which is a miscommunication of CSR values. This opposes the integration of CSR into the corporate strategy which is a more effective method of initiating CSR. This study will examine CSR initiatives alignment with corporate strategy, composing a case study on Electrolux Professionl Laundry Ab.

A review of past literature has highlighted that the incorporation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) values in brand communications is difficult to get right. In particular, limited prior research has examined the evolving nature of CSR and how it is enacted within brand heritage and authenticity. In addressing this gap, this research examines the CSR reporting of two organisations and seeks to interpret how CSR initiatives are enacted within their individual brand heritage and authenticity. A programme of qualitative enquiry was adopted; initially 26 semi-structured interviews were designed to gain insight into the actual experience of a range of respondents of social responsibility ideas, messages and associations as they pertain to UK retailers. In phase two, a critical discourse analysis (CDA) proved an effective means to deconstruct the CSR reporting strategies that link to brand representations over an extensive time period for both UK brands. The findings from the study highlight how symbolic brand heritage references were significant in explaining brand-specific distinctions between CSR messages. High levels of brand-specific trust were linked to recollected memories for some consumers, but this contrasted with distrust by younger respondents. Notable findings from the CDA of Marks and Spencer reports were threefold, demonstrating: a) evidence of evolution in the nature and structure of CSR brand narratives; b) patterns showing strong interlinking of CSR reporting with components of brand heritage, (track record and core values); and c) attempts to create relational and experiential values that conjured forms of brand authenticity directed at stakeholders i.e. customers and employees. Conversely, for the Co-operative CDA offered a) less evidence of evolution in CSR brand narrative; b) limited patterns of interlinking of CSR reporting with elements of brand heritage in the early years, with stronger emergent patterns from the 2000s; and c) a formal reporting structure that offered a progressive evolution in CSR reporting but low evidence of brand authenticity. The study contributes to an increase in theoretical knowledge in the CSR and branding literature, and offers some original perspectives on the evolution of the producer narrative (central to CDA) of CSR messages over a lengthy time period (over 100 years). Methodologically, this study argues for the use of a CDA as an effective modus operandi to deconstruct the framing of CSR reporting strategies for organisations. From a marketer perspective, this study suggests that brand heritage and authenticity should be viewed more holistically– that it is perceived brand authenticity as it relates to CSR that may or may not be acknowledged by customers; and that the interpretation of brand authenticity may impact the degree of engagement with CSR messages.

This study examines Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices of selected local large firms in both Kenya and Tanzania by exploring communication, organisation and activity dimensions of these firms. The study focuses on these two East African countries because there is a well established stock exchange with a large number of firms capable of engaging in social issues in this region. Moreover, compared to other regions in Africa, there has been little research on CSR practices in this part of Africa. In addition, the existing literature on CSR in Africa reveals more studies on Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) with little emphasis on large indigenous firms operating in the southern hemisphere, particularly in the East African region. Accordingly, this study explores the CSR practices of indigenous large firms in Kenya and Tanzania. Specifically, it examines whether these firms engage socially, and in the same way. To answer the research questions a survey research approach using standardised public data (i.e. newspapers and business annual reports for the period 2010-2012) was employed. In particular, content analysis of newspapers and annual reports was carried out to investigate the characteristics of CSR practice of these local firms. The study concludes that local firms in both Kenya and Tanzania are faced with the same obligations in meeting society’s needs, even though social engagement is different between the firms. This research identified well organised firms with established CSR (i.e. proactive firms); less well organised firms in which CSR is not established (i.e. reactive firms); and lastly firms that engage less often and are not organised internally (i.e. episodic). Overall, research findings in this study imply a shift of focus from sole stakeholders to multiple stakeholder engagements in business conduct.

M.Comm. / Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a tool that promotes, besides profit making, empowerment of members of the community as a way of giving back to them. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the Further Education and Training (FET) sector are facing increased competition to project a positive image to their internal and external stakeholders. In an emerging economy such as South Africa, FETs have to play a major role in developing entrepreneurs in their communities, responding to the needs of industries and improving the standards of living within communities. Therefore, CSR is an important inclusive concept which has forced organisations to involve stakeholders in their decisionmaking. In other words, while it is justifiable for a company to make a profit, it should do more than that by being philanthropic, by doing more for society and by complying with the laws that govern that country, including caring for the environment. The purpose of this study was to understand how the FET sector is addressing CSR challenges. A qualitative study was undertaken to investigate how FETs are operating and what their responsibility should be with regard to CSR. Due to the fact that CSR has many definitions, a qualitative study was adopted to give participants an opportunity to express themselves in terms of how they are addressing CSR in the colleges they are connected to. A qualitative study was used to capture rich information from the participants. An interview guide was used and was integrated with theory from the literature. The study was conducted in four FETs in Gauteng and participants who had more extensive knowledge on CSR were selected. The results indicate that FETs are addressing the CSR challenges they are faced with. The findings from the study indicate that CSR is critical for the survival of colleges. It has many benefits for the colleges and is the only way to proceed if they want to stay in business. The research finding indicates that FETs are committed and consider themselves to have a responsibility towards CSR.

This dissertation focuses on the influences of the presence of multinational enterprises (MNEs) on the overall level of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in host countries or regions through the joint effects of the presence of MNEs and the local institutional environment. It resides in the intersection of international business (IB) literature and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature with the purpose of shedding new light on both literatures by combining and expanding both literatures. There are three essays. The first essay is a conceptual study to comprehensively examine the antecedents of CSR activities, emphasizing the factors of the presence of MNEs and the increased globalization (i.e., the increased interconnections and interdependence among individuals and countries). We propose an integrated theoretical model based on a combined theoretical lens of institutional theory, stakeholder theory and social cognitive theory. We argue that the antecedents of CSR can be framed at multiple levels (i.e., societal level, organizational level and individual level), and firms not only reactively respond to social pressures but also proactively initiate CSR practices. In order to further emphasize the effects of the presence of MNEs, two empirical studies (i.e., the second essay and the third essay) are conducted. The second essay examines the influence of the variant presence of MNEs on host countries’ institutions and the joint influence of these two factors on host countries’ overall CSR. The findings largely support our arguments that the presence of foreign MNEs positively influences overall CSR across host countries directly and indirectly via national level institutions. The third essay further exemplifies the effect of the heterogeneous presence of MNEs on local CSR across regions within an emerging economy, namely China, partially through the mediation effects of Chinese regional institutions. The findings largely support our arguments that the presence of foreign MNEs positively influences indigenous firms’ involvement in CSR-related activities directly and indirectly via regional institutions. The contributions, limitations and implications are discussed.

Chapter 1.---Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) compete in mission statements. Opportunities for impact vary across issues---NGOs with broader missions expect to execute higher-impact projects but provide less precision to donors as to the types of projects that will be funded. I develop the first model in which competing NGOs strategically design their mission statements. Scope of the mission is a strategic complement. Competition leads NGOs to design inefficiently narrow missions while free entry leads to a socially excessive number of NGOs in operation. With low barriers to entry NGOs' missions overlap, each addressing issues that are not the preferred issue for any of its donors, and leading to greater expected impact at the periphery of its mission. Chapter 2.---In many settings firms rely on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to certify pro-social attributes embodied in their products. I develop a model of competition between NGOs in the provision of labeling services. Competition between a fixed number of NGOs features a race-to-the-top in labeling standards, but entry of NGOs offering new labels pushes standards down. Competition between NGOs often results in a socially-excessive number of labels, with each label excessively stringent. Compared to a setting in which firms can credibly communicate the social attributes of their products, labels demand greater pro-social behavior than desired by firms, although with proliferation of the number of labels this discrepancy disappears. In contrast to existing models, firms may engage in excessive corporate social responsibility when they rely on NGOs as certifying intermediaries. Chapter 3.---The intrinsic motivation of a firm's management for engaging in pro-social behavior is an important determinant of a firm's social conduct. I provide the first model in which firms run by morally-motivated managers engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) in a competitive setting. CSR induced by moral management crowds out a competitor's strategic CSR, increasing profitability and leading shareholders to strategically delegate moral managers. Firms run by moral managers can engage in a socially-excessive amount of CSR, and shareholders appoint such managers if and only if moral management is sufficiently effective at crowding out a competitor's strategic CSR.

The paper focuses on evaluation of corporate social responsibility in Starbucks and Tchibo. To fulfil this aim is used the analysis of CSR activities of companies mentioned above. The indispensable part of this paper is also research in form of a questionnaire, that investigates the public awareness of sustainable activities and it´s attitude to this issue. In the first part of this paper can be found a theoretical introduction to the problem, two following chapters are focused on Starbucks and Tchibo. The last part of the paper is dedicated to the questionnaire.

This thesis analyzed the Drivers and Implementation Approaches of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Family Businesses. Qualitative Analysis based on Semi-Structured Interviews was conducted in the region of Southern Lower Saxony and later on quantified through category-based Content Analysis. The results suggest that Drivers of CSR can be divided into value-based and strategic, and Implementation Approaches into informal and formal. Family Businesses are more likely to be driven by values and implement an informal approach. Further, a model to define CSR, called Four-Peak Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility, was developed. It consists of two fundamental stones of CSR, Compliance and Profitability, and four peaks called Marketplace, Workplace, Community and Environment.