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The growing interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) has led to renewed attention to the relationship between businesses and key stakeholders, such as NGOs or local communities. Curiously, however, one societal actor - trade unions - is largely missing from such discussions, while the employment relations (ER) literature seldom engages with the concept. This situation is all the more remarkable since - at least in continental Europe - unions have traditionally played a prominent role in defending the interests of one key stakeholder, the employee. Written by dedicated experts in their field, this book addresses a key gap in both the CSR and ER literatures, namely trade union policies towards CSR as well as their engagement with particular CSR initiatives and the challenges they face in doing so. The research covers 12 European countries, which, when taken together, constitute a representative sample of industrial relations structures across the continent. This book will be essential reading for scholars and students of international business, employment relations, public policy and CSR.

ABSTRACTThis case study examines the strategies by two very different types of textile companies for supplying garments in a more sustainable way: Sweden‐based H&M, a large international firm, and hessnatur of Germany, a small niche player. In particular, the case discusses the strategies the two companies have adopted with regard to managing supplier relations and monitoring adherence to social and environmental standards. The case also discusses the respective implications the two companies' strategies have on society. It aims to stimulate critical thinking regarding the multiple ways in which corporate strategies affect the sustainability footprint of both the company and the wider society in which the company is embedded. The case study should thus be of interest to students of strategic management, but also be useful to those interested in sustainable development or supply chain management. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

This article provides a conceptual framework for understanding key psychological barriers to implementing sustainable development in procurement process by local government and health care authorities. This task is an important one as a comprehension of psychological barriers is a prerequisite for understanding how individuals engage with the often more visible technical, budgetary or regulatory barriers in sustainable procurement. The article highlights how progress towards sustainable procurement is hampered by a combination of (1) individual factors; (2) organizational factors; (3) small group adaptation processes; (4) adaptation processes within the organization; and (5) external adaptation processes between organizations. The framework thus contributes to filling the conceptual space between human agent and organizational structure by pointing to the importance of cognitive filters and ideational resources that interact at various levels within an organization and in the complex network of formal or informal partners that surround it.

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility: Corporate Activities, the Environment and Society adds to the current debate on the societal-level impacts of corporate social responsibility (CSR). This edited volume offers conceptual and empirical contributions highlighting various dimensions of CSR impacts. What differentiates the book from others is that we examine the impact of CSR at the societal level, rather than focussing only on those at occur at the level of the firm. The book's contributions present novel perspectives that comprise, among others, empirical analyses of CSR activities, accounts of impacts in various geographic locations, and state-of-the-art reviews of extant literature on the topic. The practical examples and theory-building presented here help us to better capture the societal impacts of contemporary CSR practice. This book will appeal to scholars and students as well as practitioners and policy makers interested in practical and theoretical aspects of CSR impacts at the societal-level.

The increasing involvement of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in global governance has been both applauded for its potential to make governance more effective and criticized for lacking democratic legitimization. Hence we investigate the effectiveness of one transnational governance regime, corporate sustainability reporting according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). We found that the GRI has been successful in terms of output effectiveness by promoting the dissemination of sustainability reporting, in particular among Asian and South American companies. However, the outcome effectiveness of the GRI is limited as reporting showed a rather uniform content across countries and sectors which does not reflect materiality considerations. As GRI reporting does not seem to have facilitated greater company-stakeholder interaction, its impact effectiveness is likely to be limited too. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PurposeAgainst the backcloth of a growing geopolitical and economic importance of emerging economies, this paper seeks to ask whether emerging economy firms are willing to match their increased economic weight with greater social responsibility. Given a relative scarcity of research into CSR in Russia, particular attention is to be given to firms from that country.Design/methodology/approachThe research question is examined through an analysis of differences between firms from industrialized nations, transition economies, and newly industrialized countries in terms of the breadth and depth of their sustainability reporting. This three‐way comparison analyses corporate sustainability reporting according to the GRI G3 framework developed by the Global Reporting Initiative.FindingsThe firms in the sample display clear evidence of a divide between industrialized and emerging economies, with Russia occupying a middle position. Contrary to expectations, however, emerging economy firms outperform those from industrialized nations in their coverage of GRI indicators.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings leave open two possible conclusions: either emerging economy MNEs have leaped to the front in terms of addressing sustainability or they have been able to use GRI reporting as window‐dressing to hide a dirtier reality. From a different angle, the strong evidence of a North‐South divide in the sample also lends support to the national business systems approach to CSR.Originality/valueThe paper adds to a small but growing body of cross‐national studies into CSR that go beyond OECD member countries. In particular, it constitutes one of the first studies not only to tease out CSR priorities of large Russian firms but also to elucidate differences in terms of CSR priorities between newly industrialized countries and transition economies.

AbstractThere is much evidence that Corporate Social Responsibility has increasingly become embraced by industry in Europe. The transfer to Europe of what essentially is a concept embedded in American capitalism, however, results in some interesting contextualizations. One of the most interesting of these is the impact of CSR on one of the most powerful actors to determine the social responsibility of corporations in the European context, namely trade unions and their institutional infrastructure. In many cases unions perceive CSR as a threat, as it transfers yet more power and discretion to managers. By contrast, trade unions in countries with a strong corporatist tradition claim to be themselves drivers of CSR. An altogether different situation exists in Eastern Europe, where unions lack the legitimacy and influence to shape the emerging CSR agenda. Given such a spread of positions, what similarities and differences can be detected in union approaches to CSR? Which specific aspects of CSR are supported by European unions? How have European unions adapted their strategies in response to CSR? This article employs an institutional comparison perspective of selected European countries to explore the role unions play in CSR activities. It maps out the conceptual territory and provides one of the first overviews of the topic.Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.