CBS Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (CBSCSR)
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Theory and Practice of Stakeholder Engagement in ScandinaviaStrand, Robert; Freeman, R. Edward (Frederiksberg, 2012)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: In this article we clarify the historical roots of stakeholder theory to establish that a much larger role was played by Scandinavian thinkers in its development than is currently acknowledged. We show that important contributions to the stakeholder concept were being made by Eric Rhenman and his Scandinavian contemporaries in parallel to the contributions from the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in the early 1960s and thereafter and thus are not a “historical trail” as they are currently labeled. Therefore we offer a significant modification to the historical narrative as presented in Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach (Freeman, 1984). These important Scandinavian contributions include the first publication and description of the expression „stakeholder‟ in management literature accessible to scholars throughout the world and the introduction of the first stakeholder map to the management literature. We use this occasion to consider potential relationships between these early Scandinavian contributions to the stakeholder concept with current practices of well-known Scandinavian companies. Through this we contend the evidence suggests relationships worthy of further considerations. We conclude by endorsing the expression “Scandinavian cooperative advantage” through which we intend to provoke increased attention from beyond Scandinavia. Cooperation between companies and their stakeholders is increasingly recognized as necessary for the social and environmental sustainability of world and the long-term profitability of companies where we contend inspiration for such cooperation may be prosperously drawn from Scandinavia. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/8657 Files in this item: 1
Strand_Freeman_WP01-2012.pdf (1.319Mb) -
How Managers in Multinational Corporations perceive Stakeholders and Societal ResponsibilitiesRahbek Pedersen, Esben (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: The stakeholder approach has become a popular perspective in mainstream management and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature. However, it remains an open question how real‐life managers actually view their stakeholders and what rationales are used for making judgments about their relative importance. This article will try to answer these questions by examining who managers in multinational corporations (MNCs) consider as their stakeholders and how they value them. It is concluded that managers still tend to hold a rather narrow (managerial) view of the firm and primarily give priority to stakeholder groups which are directly involved in the core transformation system. The conclusions are derived from interviews and surveys of in total 662 managers in four MNCs. The data is collected as part of RESPONSE: a large EU‐ and corporate‐funded initiative on corporate social responsibility (CSR). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7936 Files in this item: 1
wp cbscsr 2009-5.pdf (567.6Kb) -
Vallentin, Steen; Murillo, David (, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: Modern governmental approaches to CSR (corporate social responsibility) have two distinguishing traits: they tend to define competitiveness as their primary concern and to make use of liberal and indirect means of steering. Contributing to a political understanding of CSR and focusing empirically on developments within the EU, this paper approaches CSR governance in general and competitiveness-driven CSR governance in particular from the point of view of an analytics of governmentality – thus introducing governmentality studies to the field of CSR. The aim of the paper is first, conceptually, to make sense of the governmentality approach in terms of the practical brand of critique it embodies and its positioning vis-à-vis other comparable contributions to our understanding of the government of CSR. And second, analytically, to propose a framework for analyzing the governmentalities of CSR. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7908 Files in this item: 1
wp cbscsr 2009-4.pdf (213.7Kb) -
An Empirical InvestigationFrederiksen, Claus S. (Frederiksberg, 2009)[More information][Less information]
Abstract: This paper examines the relation between policies concerning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and philosophical moral theories. The objective is to determine which moral theories form the basis for CSR policies. Are they based on ethical egoism, libertarianism, utilitarianism or some kind of common-sense morality? To address this issue, I conducted an empirical investigation examining the relation between moral theories and CSR policies, in companies engaged in CSR. Based on the empirical data I collected, I start by suggesting some normative arguments used by the respondents. Secondly, I suggest that these moral arguments implicitly rely on some specific moral principles, which I characterise. Thirdly, on the basis of these moral principles, I suggest the moral theories upon which the CSR policies are built. Previous empirical studies examining the relation between philosophical moral theories and the ethical content of business activities have mainly concentrated on the ethical decision-making of managers. Some of the most prominent investigations in that regard propose that managers mainly act in accordance with utilitarian moral theory (Fritzsche and Becker, 1984; Premeaux and Mony, 1993; Premeaux, 2004). I conclude that CSR policies are not based on utilitarian thinking, but instead on some kind of common-sense morality. The ethical foundation of companies engaged in CSR thus does not mirror the ethical foundation of managers. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10398/7822 Files in this item: 1
Working_paper_03_2009.pdf (395.6Kb) -
Crone Jensen, Elisabeth; Thusgaard Pedersen, Janni; Neergaard, Peter (Frederiksberg, 2009)[More information][Less information]
