Darbo objektas: įmonių socialinės atsakomybės vertinimas. Darbo problema– sporto organizacijų vadovų įmonių socialinės atsakomybės supratimo ir prioritetinių veiklų vertinimas. Darbo tikslas: įvertinti įmonių socialinę atsakomybę sporto organizacijose. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Apibrėžti įmonių socialinės atsakomybės sampratą bei jos sededamasias dalis; 2. Išanalizuoti suinteresuotasias grupes, turinčias įtakos vykdant įmonių socialinę atsakomybę ir įvertinti tokios veiklos teikiamas naudas ir kaštus; 3. Įvertinti kaip sporto organizacijų vadovai supranta įmonių socialinę atsakomybę ir kokias prioritetines veiklas jie išskiria. Darbo metodai: mokslinės literatūros analizė; anketinė apklausa; matematinė analizė. Tyrimo išvados: 1. ĮSA apibrėžimai sistemingai apima aplinkos, ekonominę, socialinę, suinteresuotųjų šalių ir savanorystės dimensijas, o pagrindinės sferos, kuriose organizacijos gali būti socialiai atsakingos, yra: ekonominė, teisinė, etinė ir filantropinė; 2. Pagrindinės suinteresuotosios grupės, kurios gali paveikti organizaciją imtis socialiai atsakingos veiklos yra: darbuotojai, vartotojai, tiekėjai, akcininkai/steigėjai, vadovai ir bendruomenė. Nors ĮSA yra siejama su papildomomis išlaidomis organizacijai, tačiau būdama socialiai atsakinga ji daugeliu atveju gali užsitikrinti geresnį įvaizdį, suinteresuotųjų grupių palankumą ir konkurencinį pranašumą; 3. Apibendrinant tyrimą, galima pateikti tokias išvadas: 3.1. Respondentų supratimas apie ĮSA susijęs su teisine... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Object of the work: the assessment of corporate social responsibility. The issue of the work– the managers of sporting organizations corporate social responsibility understanding and the priority activities assessment. Aim of the work: to eveluate corporate social responsibility in sporting organizations. Objectives: 1. To define the definition of corporate social responsibility and its components; 2. To analize concerned groups, which influence corporate social responsibility, and to eveluate its profits and expenses; 3. To explore how the managers of sporting organizations understand corporate social responsibility and what kind of priority activities do they carried out. Methods: the analysis of scientific literature, survey using questionairres, mathemathical analysis. Conclusions: 1. The definitions of CSR systematically include environmental, economical, social, stakeholders and voluntary dimensions, and the main sphere of which organizations can be socially responsible are: economical, legal, ethical and philanthropic; 2. The main cocerned groups, which can influence the organization to start socially responsible activities are: staff, consumers, suppliers, stakeholders, managers and society. Although CSR is related with aditional expences for the organization, in many cases, while being socialy responsible it can secure better image, the acceptance of concerned groups and competitive advantages; 3. While summarising the research following conclusions... [to full text]

Verslo aplinkos pokyčiai, skatina įmonių komunikacijos su tikslinėmis auditorijomis pokyčius. Socialiai atsakinga įmonės komunikacija yra priemonė, leidžianti užsitarnauti didesnį visuomenės pritarimą įmonės vykdomai veiklai. Padidėjęs visuomenės dėmesys įmonių atliekamoms funkcijoms, tampa stimulu imtis socialiai atsakingų veiklų. Augantis visuomenės susidomėjimas ekologija, skatina įmones vis didesnį dėmesį skirti ekologinei atsakomybei, todėl darbe nagrinėjama ekologinės veiklos komunikacija, kaip svarbi visuomenės informavimo, lojalumo skatinimo, įvaizdžio gerinimo ir įmonės veiklos legitimacijos priemonė. Magistro darbo tikslas - išanalizuoti Lietuvos prekybos tinklų ekologinės veiklos komunikacijos sąsajas su klientų įmonės ekologinės veiklos vertinimu. Teorinėje darbo dalyje nagrinėjama darnaus vystymosi ir įmonių socialinės atsakomybės koncepcija, ĮSA teorijų raida, identifikuojami įmonių atsakomybės elementai. Toliau darbe analizuojamos įmonių ekologinės atsakomybės komunikacijos raiškos formos. Nagrinėjama sąveika tarp socialiai atsakingos įmonių komunikacijos ir palankaus visuomenės požiūrio į organizacijos veiklas. Tiriamojoje darbo dalyje, remiantis kokybine internetinių puslapių analize bei pusiau struktūruotais kokybiniais interviu su ekspertais, pateikiama Lietuvos didžiųjų prekybos centų socialiai atsakingos komunikacijos ir jos ekologinio aspekto analizė. Taip pat remiantis fokusuotų grupės diskusijų su klientais metu surinktais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Business environment changes, stimulates the communication with target audiences change. Socially responsible company’s communication is a means of earning a greater public acceptance of the company's operations. Increased public awareness of corporate functions; it becomes a stimulus to socially responsible practices. The growing public interest in the environmental problems encourages companies to increasingly focus on environmental responsibility, and work the ecological business communication as an important public awareness, loyalty, and improve the image of the business means of legitimization. The aim of the Master's thesis is to analyze the trades between Lithuanian supermarkets ecological performance of communication and the links with the client company environmental performance evaluation. The theoretical part deals with sustainable development and corporate social responsibility, the concept of corporate social responsibility theories of evolution, identification of elements of corporate responsibility. Further analysis of the work of corporate environmental responsibility of communication forms of expression. It is examining the interaction between socially responsible corporate communication and public-friendly approach to the organization's activities. The exploratory part of the work on the basis of qualitative analysis of web pages and semi-structured qualitative interviews with experts of the Lithuanian supermarkets a socially... [to full text]

Driven by the demands of drastic changes in today’s nature of work due to globalization and technological advances, researchers have continually revisited, redesigned, and restructured work design processes in a quest to identify the key characteristics that can result in desired organizational outcomes. Specifically, in current times, organizations are looking to develop socially responsible outcomes, otherwise referred as corporate social responsibility (CSR). A possible link between work design and CSR has been postulated by researchers, but few studies have emerged where the associations between work design and CSR factors are examined. The purpose of this study was to explore the link between work design and CSR using a work design-CSR conceptual model that was developed based on previous literature. The model depicted relationships between work design factors and CSR factors. Work design factors included work characteristics and worker characteristics. Work characteristics were measured using task, knowledge, social, and contextual characteristics; while worker characteristics were measured using personality traits. CSR Orientation (CSRO) was used as a reflective indicator of CSR at the individual level. The study sample consisted of 941 job incumbents of a public education institution in Texas. The data were collected using an online survey that included the work design questionnaire, the short Big Five Inventory, and the CSRO questionnaire. The model was tested using Structural Equation Modeling. Based on the results, a significant association between work characteristics and CSRO factors were obtained. As hypothesized, associations were found between task characteristics and profit CSRO, and between social characteristics and legal CSRO and philanthropic CSRO. The knowledge characteristics were found to have negative association to philanthropic CSRO. The findings also suggest that jobs that are high on problem solving and job autonomy had a negative association to philanthropic CSRO. Similarly, as the job complexity increased, individuals’ orientation towards profit making decreased, and information processing was found to be linked to legal compliance. Research and practice implications of these results are discussed.

Abstract Background and purpose: Many people think that the corporate social responsibility is inseparable from large companies. However, small condiment companies have come to realize the importance of corporate social responsibility in recent decades as well and begun to implement it gradually. But there are still some challenges and opportunities that are faced by small condiment companies. This study will contribute to increases in literature of corporate social responsibility of SME by examining the SME in Chinese state policy context. And the purpose of this study is to find out the opportunities and challenges confronted by small condiment companies in implementing corporate social responsibility through the case study of the small condiment company, Meihua Condiment Co. Ltd. Shandong Branch. Method: The main method used in this study is single case study, which helps the authors get in-depth investigation, rich description and better understanding of how a small condiment company implements corporate social responsibility and the opportunities and challenges it faces therein. In this thesis, semi-structured face-to-face interviews that are aimed to get detailed information about the small condiment company---Meihua Condiment Co. Ltd. Shandong Branch are held. Since the face-to-face interview allows more communication between the authors and interviewees, and through the interviews, the authors get more familiar with the main condition of the company and know how they implement the CSR, as questions raised to the interviewees mainly concern how the company runs and how it implements corporate social responsibility. Around the topic of implementing CSR in small companies, the authors had looked up and analyzed the internet information like in China Development Observations, professional journals, and different digest like Special Focus, thus come up with an conclusion that small companies are faced with both challenges and opportunities. Furthermore, through the practical investigation of a small typical company--Meihua Condiment Co. Ltd. Shandong Branch, the authors make a step future to prove this argument. Conclusion: During the process of implementing CSR, small condiment companies may face plenty of opportunities such as low production cost, high group cohesiveness and less social responsibilities, but also lots of challenges such as enterprise development resistance and low social recognition. The investigation on a condiment SME in China shows that it’s important to combine both business opportunity and government effort for small condiment company to implement CSR. The small condiment company can take the advantage of its little social responsibility to save much effort to promote productions, utilize its strong staff coherence to improve production enthusiasm, make effort to do charity work well to establish good reputation, transfer the capital saved from taxes reduction to development, actively carry out moral construction for responding the nation’s summons, enhance enterprise’s sense of social responsibility. Meanwhile, the company shall also face challenges and take full advantages of them. What is more, due to the financial constrain and lack of external attention, the government shall transform its functions, deepen the reform, create good external environments and broaden the financing channel for small condiment company, enhance the company’s sense of safe production and solve the environment and products problems well. Key words: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Small Condiment Company, Opportunities, Challenges, Corresponding Countermeasures

New Zealand initiatives to address supply-chain labour conditions are tending towards reliance on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), a form of private regulation. This thesis explores the effectiveness of private regulation for improving labour conditions, and reasons for its emergence, using the case study of the New Zealand-China relationship. It is argued that CSR brings only cosmetic improvements to a minority of workers in China. It is no replacement for strengthened law enforcement and organisation of workers for affecting significant improvements. CSR can also undermine improvements, and should be approached with caution. The trend towards CSR in New Zealand can be explained by businesses‘ gradually-increasing need and capacity to defend and pursue competitive advantage. However, the trend is best explained as a result of the constraints and power imbalances resulting from the neoliberal political context. For New Zealand to make a genuine commitment to social responsibility would require a shift in power, to groups that will challenge existing constraints and demand explicit action from the Government. It would also require New Zealand consumers and businesses to assume a greater share of the true costs of production. For New Zealand to contribute to improved labour conditions in China would require greater support for the Chinese labour movement and state enforcement. This support could take the form of increased cooperation, highlighting non-compliances, union collaboration and development aid.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a worldwide issue as organizations are under increasing pressure to behave in socially responsible ways. Environmental responsibility as a part of CSR is often connected with sustainability and protection the environment. This is of a significant importance to New Zealand and its 'clean' and 'green' image. One industry having an impact on the environment, and also having a strategic position in the economy of New Zealand is the wine industry. The aim of the research is to understand what motivates and sustains companies' CSR practices. This exploratory study examines (1) what drives the industry to engage in CSR practices, (2) the role of stakeholders in the company's decision making, and (3) CSR practices in the wine industry. A qualitative research approach supplemented by quantitative measures was adopted to answer the research questions. 24 case study organizations (wineries) were studied and 31 managers interviewed. The research found that the most important drivers of CSR practices are personal values, preferences and satisfaction with this profession. This is followed by product quality and customers' demand. Though New Zealand wine companies are also driven by the market; the market still does not value CSR initiatives and companies do not receive a price premium for sustainable or organically grown grapes. Furthermore, environmental regulations belong to important drivers affecting companies' decision-making. However, companies do not consider current New Zealand's regulations as significantly difficult to follow. On the other hand, companies want to preempt future regulations. The research also revealed that the most important stakeholders are owners, shareholders, customers, wholesalers and international businesses. The role of communication and ecolabelling is also discussed. As a result, the study proposes a typology matrix that differentiates organizations' involvement in CSR according to the extent of CSR practices and their drivers. This study contributes to understanding of the New Zealand wine industry status in environmental CSR at the present, the extent of drivers of proactive environmentalism and companies' stakeholders, and the description of a typology matrix of companies engaging in CSR. This contribution is valuable for those interested in CSR, and the future of New Zealand's wine industry.

Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera och systematisera vilka drivkrafter som är aktuella idag gentemot tidigare framtagna drivkrafter, för publika företag, för att upprätta en hållbarhetsredovisning. Metod: I denna uppsats har den kvalitativa arbetsmetoden tillämpats. Vi ansåg att den kvalitativa metoden var mer tillämpbart på vår studie då vi hade avsikt att på en djupare förståelse för företagens drivkrafter bakom hållbarhetsredovisningen. Vi har valt att genomföra semistrukturerade intervjuer i form utav både ett personligt möte och via telefon. Empiri: Det sammanställda resultatet från vår undersökning är att det finns en hel del olika drivkrafter bakom företagens hållbarhetsredovisningar. Majoriteten utav företagens drivkrafter är likadana, skillnaden är inte betydande.. Många utav drivkrafterna från tidigare gjord forskning är inte förekommande idag. Slutsats: Slutsatsen med denna studie är att drivkrafterna till varför publika företag upprättar en hållbarhetsredovisning till en viss del skiljer sig gentemot tidigare framtagna drivkrafter. De främsta aktuella drivkrafterna bakom publika företags hållbarhetsredovisningar är att företagen skapar en legitimitet genom att ha en transparens emellan företaget och dess intressenter, det föreligger en efterfrågan från ägare och nya potentiella investerare och förbättra interna processer och den interna organisationen för att skapa en långsiktighet.

The purpose of this thesis is to be able to conclude which of the two, cause fit communication or cause commitment communication, is the best strategy for companies to adapt when looking to reduce consumer skepticism when communicating their CSR. CSR is nowadays a core component in every business yet so many managers find it hard to justify because they do not reap the benefits from engaging in CSR (Porter & Kramer, 2006). CSR has to be communicated in order for companies to reap the benefits from their endeavors (McElhaney, 2009). However, when companies do this consumers tend to get skeptical about the CSR motives of the company, which results in companies not gaining any benefits from their CSR at all (Bhattacharya, 2010). To solve this problem, researchers have suggested many different communication strategies to reduce consumer skepticism when companies communicate their CSR. In this thesis we test the consumer skepticism reducinge ffects of Cause Fit Communication and Cause Commitment Communication to conclude which of the two is the most efficient at reducing consumer skepticism. To fulfill our purpose we have used a quantitative method and constructed a survey where we have asked people about their perception of different companies’ CSR communication when the companies used Cause Fit Communication or Cause Commitment Communication. The answers from the respondents were analyzed through which we could conclude which of the two strategies is better. From our findings it was very hard to conclude which of the two communication strategies was the best at reducing consumer skepticism. However, we could see that Cause Commitment Communication had the highest consumer skepticism reducing effects. After having conducted this research we truly believe that the two communication strategies can be just as efficient at reducing consumer skepticism as long as one follows the guidelines we have provided in this thesis.

This study examines Corporate Social Responsibility in Sustainable Development and the notion of the Triple Bottom Line as an imperative in today’s socially responsible corporation. Standardization is used as a tool for integrating social and environmental costs and benefits into the financial bottom line of an organization. This research aims to discover what standards or methods are used to measure social and environmental progress in three organizations in Houston, Texas and the implied potential for CSR as a driver for profitability. The primary data included in this research was captured through semi-structured qualitative interviews with upper level management of the three companies included in the final study. The results consistently supported positive correlations between CSR and improvements in company image and stakeholder relations. One participant was also able to report evidence of increased profitability through cost containment as a result of their integration of CSR initiatives throughout their organization.

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a voluntary approach for businesses to assume extended responsibilities. Companies are required by various stakeholders to account for the environmental and social consequence of their activities. Stakeholder driven pressure are an extrinsic driver of CSR. Many empirical studies of CSR have focused on extrinsic drivers, but few studies focus on intrinsic drivers of CSR. In this study, the focus is placed on the intrinsic driver of a company’s CSR strategy and activities. Applying a CSR sense-making process model provided by Basu and Palazzo (2008), this study will explore the mindset of a company, so that a profile of CSR characteristic would be created. We will then be able to understand why a company response to external stakeholder expectation as the way it does. In this paper, a case study is carried out within the Swedish clothing retail sector. Three case companies, namely Hennes&Mauritz, Mini Rodini and Houdini sportswear are chosen due to their excellence in CSR actions. The study aims to find out the intrinsic logic behind the Swedish clothing retail companies’ CSR strategies and actions. The similarities and differences of the case companies are compared. Further implications of how to effectively carry out CSR are given to other retailers in the same sector.