Table of Contents
Acknowledgments xiii
1 Conceptualizing Corporate Social Responsibility 1
Box 1.1: The Sullivan Principles 2
Corporate Social Responsibility: Seeking Parameters 5
Defining CSR 6
Box 1.2: Definition of CSR 8
Benefits and Costs of CSR 9
Two Sides of CSR Cost-Benefit Analysis 9
CSR Costs for Corporations 10
CSR Costs for Society 12
CSR Benefits for Corporations 13
CSR Benefits for Society 14
Winning and Sustaining Support for CSR 14
Other Conceptual Questions about CSR 16
CSR: Modern or Historic? 16
Box 1.3: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Standards 19
Forms of CSR 20
Where Is CSR’s Home? 22
Should CSR Standards Be Localized or Globalized? 24
Conclusion 27
2 Strategic CSR 29
Characteristics of the Corporation 31
Stakeholder Expectations and the Importance of Organizational Identification 32
Reputational Benefits of CSR 35
Perceived Motives for CSR Initiatives 38
General Strategic Guidance: Approaching the CSR Process as Change Management 44
Everyone Loves a Good Story 45
The CSR Process Model: A Brief Preview 47
3 CSR Scanning and Monitoring 51
Issues Management 53
Scanning and CSR 54
Prioritizing CSR Concerns 54
Monitoring and CSR 57
Scanning and Monitoring in Concert 58
Stakeholder Engagement’s Role in Scanning and Monitoring 58
Conclusion and Critical Questions 60
4 Formative Research 63
Researching Stakeholder Expectations for CSR 67
Box 4.1: MyStarbucksidea CSR Suggestions 68
The Expectation Gap Approach 69
Box 4.2: IKEA Child Labour Code of Conduct 71
Origins of Expectation Gaps 73
Box 4.3: Pinkwashing Detection 75
Relevance of Operant Conditioning Theory to Stakeholder Challenges 77
The Alignment Approach 80
The Counterbalance: Corporate Concerns 85
Conclusion and Critical Questions 85
5 Create the CSR Initiative 89
Selecting the CSR Initiatives: Appreciating the Contestable Nature of CSR 90
Differing CSR Expectations among Stakeholders 90
Stakeholder Salience 91
Box 5.1: Stakeholder Salience 92
What Constitutes CSR? 92
Stakeholder Participation in Decision Making 94
Organizational Justice in the Engagement Process 96
The “Right Amount” of CSR 98
When Employees Challenge CSR: Considering Internal Stakeholders 99
Preparing for Negative Stakeholder Reactions: Message Mapping 101
Developing CSR Objectives 101
Box 5.2: Message-Mapping Template 102
Process versus Outcome Objectives 103
Conclusion and Critical Questions 105
6 Communicate the CSR Initiative 109
CSR Promotional Communication Dilemma 110
Box 6.1: Overview of Corporate-Activist Partnerships 116
Communication Channels for CSR Messaging 116
Overview of Communication Channels for CSR 117
Box 6.2: Social Media Overview 118
Employees as a Communication Channel 122
External Stakeholders as a Communication Channel 123
Strategic Application of Social Media to CSR Communication 124
The Overall CSR Promotional Communication Strategy 128
Annual Reports and CSR Communication 128
Conclusion and Critical Questions 133
7 Evaluation and Feedback 137
Evaluation 138
Assurance and CSR Evaluation 141
Stakeholder Engagement in the Evaluation Process 142
Box 7.1: Musgrave Group Assurance Statement 2006 143
Box 7.2: Basic ROI Formula 145
Considering Return on Investment 145
Feedback 146
Feedback from Stakeholders on the CSR Process 147
The Communication Audit 148
Conclusion and Critical Questions 148
8 CSR Issues 153
Overarching Concerns for CSR Initiatives 154
Responsibility for CSR Initiatives 155
Limitations from Industry, Culture, and Law 157
Industry Standards 157
The Culture and Socioeconomic Context 158
Box 8.1: Culture and Activism 160
The Legal Context 161
Beyond Limitations 161
Parting Thoughts 162
References 165
Index 177
