This paper examines whether strategic orientation toward corporate social responsibility (CSR) is instrumental in shaping small firms’ social responsibility practices leading to their enhanced financial performance and reputation. Data were collected from 182 small businesses operating in Malaysia based on random sampling technique and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. Analysis of the findings confirm that small firms’ long-term strategic approach toward CSR is critical in driving their responsible practices toward environment, customer, community, employees, and suppliers which in turn impact small firms’ financial performance and better reputation building. These findings suggest that customers' and employees’ interests are strategic imperatives that small firms should address in enhancing their financial performance and building better reputation in the community. These findings have important implications for small firms’ strategic policy posture which are highlighted in the paper. The paper also identifies the possible limits of the research and suggests avenues for future studies.
Articles scientifiques
Social Responsibility and Performance: Does Strategic Orientation Matter for Small Businesses?
- 31 Octobre
- Clics: 6823
- Section: Fil de veille -
- Articles scientifiques
Characterizing desired futures of Canadian communities
- 31 Octobre
- Clics: 5671
- Section: Fil de veille -
- Articles scientifiques
Publication date: September 2016
Source:Futures, Volume 82
Author(s): Laura Cameron, Catherine Potvin
In sustainability research and practice, one method widely used in exploration is visioning, in which desirable sustainable futures are articulated and explored in depth. Communities across Canada have used this method to develop collective desirable futures, in many cases to provide an end goal for local sustainable development. In this paper, we conduct a metaÂ-analysis of desired futures created by communities across Canada with the aim of identifying regional commonalities according to the three pillars of sustainability, social, environmental, and economic. Although sustainability demands a balance between its social, economic and environmental components, Canadians futures apparently place the greatest importance on social aspects with 338 desires against 222 and 230 respectively for economic and environmental sustainability. Community (105); Infrastructure, development, and transportation (126); and Natural environment (157) are the categories most frequently recorded within each of the three components of sustainability. The metaÂanalysis also noted significant differences amongst regions. The study was conducted in the context of an initiative known as the Sustainable Canada Dialogues that mobilized 60+ scholars from across the country around a consensus on science Âbased, viable solutions for greenhouse gas reduction. Our results suggest that climate policy that simultaneously reduces greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing some of the key aspects of social sustainability would be attractive to many Canadians.
Source:Futures, Volume 82
Author(s): Laura Cameron, Catherine Potvin
Sustainability in the prospective scenarios methods: A case study of scenarios for biodiesel industry in Brazil, for 2030
- 31 Octobre
- Clics: 5712
- Section: Fil de veille -
- Articles scientifiques
Publication date: September 2016
Source:Futures, Volume 82
Author(s): Maria Amelia de Paula Dias, João Nildo de Souza Vianna, Claus Felby
In order to build prospective scenarios for biodiesel industry in Brazil, with a sustainable perspective, it was necessary to develop a cross-disciplinary work to include Sachs’ dimensions of sustainability into the scenarios method. This meant linking concepts from different disciplines, without transforming it in a new discipline. In order to support the proposition for the new method, a study case is presented, the framework for the biodiesel scenarios in Brazil, by 2030. An in-depth interview was used to test the proposition of having the sustainability dimensions as driving forces. The result was the identification of a critical uncertainty composed of various aspects related the response to climate change and environmental conservation. The scenario storylines that were developed based on the critical uncertainties showed that sustainable options for the future are possible if the mental maps are enlarged to see beyond the business as usual. The results show that the scenarios storylines go through social, environmental and economic aspects, supported by other aspects like the territorial and political. Also it showed that sustainable options are possible if the mental maps are enlarged to see beyond the business as usual.
Source:Futures, Volume 82
Author(s): Maria Amelia de Paula Dias, João Nildo de Souza Vianna, Claus Felby
Hope and anticipation in education for a sustainable future
- 31 Octobre
- Clics: 5828
- Section: Fil de veille -
- Articles scientifiques
Publication date: Available online 19 October 2016
Source:Futures
Author(s): Maria Ojala
Global sustainability problems pose serious challenges for humanity. In handling these problems education for sustainable development (ESD) is seen as important. Different key competences that ESD should focus on have been introduced, such as the ability to deal with future dimensions. Still, studies indicate that future dimensions are not always included in ESD and that many young people are pessimistic concerning the global future. Therefore, one could argue that a focus on anticipatory emotions, especially hope, should be included in ESD. There is a worry, however, that hope will lead to unrealistic optimism and/or less engagement. The aim of this paper is to problematize the discussion about hope in relation to ESD and the global future by grounding it in theories from different disciplines and in empirical research about young people, hope, and climate change. The review shows that hope is a complex, multifaceted, and sometimes contested concept. Hope can be related to denial, but in other cases it can help people face and do something constructive with their worries about the global future. The close relation between hope and trust is emphasized and a need for critical emotional awareness in ESD is argued for.
Source:Futures
Author(s): Maria Ojala
The effect of cross-listing on the environmental, social, and governance performance of firms
- 16 Septembre
- Clics: 7345
- Section: Fil de veille -
- Articles scientifiques
Publication date: Available online 14 September 2016
Source:Journal of World Business
Author(s): Barbara Del Bosco, Nicola Misani
We propose that cross-listing is associated with better environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance, because cross-listed firms adopt ESG practices to mitigate the liability of foreignness (LOF) in foreign financial markets. Institutionalization processes have made ESG practices important for managing challenges associated with the LOF. With tests involving the S&P Global 1200 index, we show that cross-listing improves corporate social responsibility (CSR; i.e., social and environmental dimensions) but not corporate governance. The effects of cross-listing on CSR also depend on investor protection regimes of listing destinations: Stronger regimes correspond with poorer CSR performance, suggesting that they limit managerial discretion.
Source:Journal of World Business
Author(s): Barbara Del Bosco, Nicola Misani
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