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Abstract:
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In this dissertation I examine the establishment of corporate social responsibility
(CSR) bureaucracies at corporations and I come to consider the CSR bureaucracy
as a space for reflection within the corporation. In the face of charges that
bureaucracies are inherently unethical and devoid of consideration for humanistic
concerns, I argue that within the large bureaucracy that is the corporation, the CSR
bureaucracy can create a space in which tensions that arise from conflicting values
and purposes can be identified, negotiated, and actions coordinated. I position this
dissertation within the field of CSR, to which I introduce the Weberian distinction
between formal and substantive rationality as means through which to identify and
describe tensions that become apparent with the CSR agenda. This dissertation
contains four articles, two of which draw from the engaged scholarship approach.
One includes findings from a study I conducted as an action/intervention
researcher with a U.S. corporation during the period in which a CSR bureaucracy
was established. The other includes findings from a study of CSR focused MBA
courses I instruct in which reflection is a primary learning objective. The other
two articles include findings from studies I conducted to explore the establishment
of a CSR position to the top management teams of U.S. and Scandinavian
corporations. |
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