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Corporate Social Responsibility Literature Review a Topic-Corporate

Last reviewed: March 21, 2013 ~22 min read
Abstract

This study focuses on corporate social responsibility where companies act beyond the compliance and meeting of legal expectations, but be actively involved in improving the social standards of the stakeholders. This additional commitment through programs that seek to distribute profits equitably so that even the neighborhood of an institution benefit. The literature review provides various dimensions that companies should practice in their CSR programs

Corporate Social Responsibility

Literature Review a topic-Corporate Social Responsibility

The term 'corporate social responsibility' is a social word that has often taken the world by a storm at its mention. Noya and Clarence (2007) in their book "The social economy: building inclusive economies" offers a succinct description and understanding of what normally takes place and get exemplified at the mention of this term in the business world. Many writers of business journals and books have described the source as one of the excellent read, which often participates in transforming the nature in which business ideas get conceived, exemplified, implemented, and functional in the human society. Noya and Clarence are succinct and most professional businesspersons. They have often inspired the lives of young executives and entrepreneurs in their bid to engage in the business of social entrepreneurship. Noya and Clarence (2007) in the book offer some immense and excellent ways in which one can be able to understand and make application of the whole concept of corporate social responsibility (Noya & Clarence, 2007).

Entrepreneurs often find themselves in the eve of challenges and difficulties as they try to establish small businesses using their innate and inspired corporate responsibility skills. The authors offer a good example of how such individuals can engage their ideas and record successes in their businesses of bringing positive impacts in the environment. It is a delightful book for business corporate. Noya and Clarence (2007), have the credit of being an excellent primer of corporate social responsibility, future relations, and the current trends in the business world. When one accesses and reads Noya and Clarence (2007), he or she will get a snapshot of what entails and takes place in the corporate social responsibility issues (Noya & Clarence, 2007).

Apart from bringing out a defined methodology and comparative aspects of entrepreneurship, Banerjee (2007) also provides the general overview of the difficulties and milestones faced by the social entrepreneurs. Moreover, the book is successful in relaying the difference between social enterprises and other traditional businesses within the notion of corporate social responsibility. Moreover, Noya and Clarence (2007), offers certain practical examples of how executives have shifted from being traditional businesspersons in the non-profit organizations to encored changers of the environment (Banerjee, 2007).

According to Noya and Clarence's (2007) book, "what everyone needs to know" by Antonella Noya and Emma Clarence, provides a directive approach to answers covering the many problems experienced by the business established and pioneers in the world. There are often fewer lessons on how people can get involved in offering solutions rather than problems to the business environment. According to Noya and Clarence (2007), there is much to be done and given to the world of business corporate social responsibility than is in the world today. Some of the themes, which have formed the rock and basis of Noya and Clarence's (2007) arguments, are the importance of engaging in social entrepreneurship, procedures, and processes of engaging successful social entrepreneurship, and the immense difference that exists between entrepreneurship and other business initiatives.

Evidently, several stories have often missed the mark and gone unreported in the world of business. People are prolific to build organizations with an intention of curbing the looming social problems. There are many such organizations and ideas to replenish the recent business environment. In short, the world is facing more of problems and challenges than is supposed to face problem solvers and equitable solution as corporate social responsibility. This notion or sentiment is used by the authors with the essence that the business environment is full of challenges to encounter rather than solutions to the social problems (Milton, 2011).

Nonetheless, human social entrepreneurs are establishing platforms that will act as ways in which humans demonstrate their potential in nature. As such, Noya and Clarence (2007), defined corporate social responsibility as the process through which people establishes and transform institutions which cater for the social problems like poverty, destruction of the environment, illiteracy, abuse of human rights, corruption, illness, and many others which thwart the normal and professional way in which humans should live better lives. According to Noya and Clarence (2007) arguments, corporate social entrepreneurship advances at establishing change among its clients with the human society being at focus. For instance, Noya and Clarence (2007), ascribes "the United States was unusual in the level in which its citizenry self-organized in addressing problems almost from the perspective of the nation."

According to Noya and Clarence (2007), many corporate problems and solutions come directly from the perspective of the people and the social set up in place. Corporate social responsibility offers people the ability to perceive social problems and conceive ideologies that counter these problems and challenges. Many governments as the United States of America amongst many developing and developed nations have failed in striking early and equitable solutions to problems faced by the citizens. The unwillingness of many governments has encouraged the social setup to take charge and commit itself in handling these troubles head-on. Such social organizations make up the corporate social responsibility structures. Such organizations are called self-organized groups. In many cases, the government-held organizations amongst others as church corporations and universities have been busy to take the lead. However, their negligence has forced many people to engage their own capabilities in solving the looming problems (Schwartz, 2011).

Schwartz (2011) advocates that not every organization established in the society have been involved in solving the problems faced by the people. Such organizations include social purpose organizations as nonprofit and non-governmental organizations. The responsibilities, left to these organizations, have been immense that immediate and concrete solutions have not been featuring, and decidedly less if any. They have been working as the governments with little influence over the immediate problems faced by the people.

The main problems facing such organizations are that they centre so much on the material poverty and not the dignity of the people. Moreover, these organizations are more proactive in ensuing charity actions instead of supplying respectful transactions as done by counterpart successful organizations and nations in the world. As such, many people in the society face the influence to engage individual organizations and actions that aim at solving every immediate problem facing them. People feel that they should be part of change and that they must own the change to come to the society.

For corporate social responsibility to take shape and face real establishment, Milton (2011) stresses the need for people to be involved. This will ensure that the immediate respondents and experts address the social problems facing people. Moreover, people participation in such activities will ensure availability of sufficient space for experimentation as people get the will to engage in these entrepreneurial activities. According to the authors, social entrepreneurs often know their position in the society. They are often in search for ways and means of solving problems (Milton, 2011).

This happens even if they know they do not have equitable skills and expertise. They believe in the art of experiencing them for the first time and developing expertise in them. They seek these by observing experts and immediately apply the concepts they gather. For instance, Milton (2011), stresses that corporate social responsibility often look for solutions and means of correcting mistakes instead of looking for blame and someone to fix them. According to Milton (2011), social entrepreneurs often fail to take failure as a show of individual's inability. Rather, they take them as challenges that need immediate responses.

Milton (2011) takes a further description of social entrepreneurs as compared to other individuals who either work in the government and nonprofit making organizations. Corporate social responsibility agents are attracted to challenges where they are determined to involve their skill and come up with immediate and long-time solutions. They are not after demonstrating or getting a chance to display their skills. Nonetheless, they aim at using their skills to depict what is likely to be a solution to the problems at hand for a long period. They are not gamblers in the making. As far as they are influenced by their innate desire and the magnitude of the problem, they take every chance to go beyond risks, painstaking, and seeking further information that assists in integrating the old tricks for success.

Milton (2011) has reiterated several influences and advisory mechanisms taken by people as they attempt to engage in enterprises worth devoting. Corporate social responsibility agents take pleasures in enabling others use their capabilities to derive and implement procedures used to solve social problems. The devotion, love, and passion for change and establishment of problem-free societies are the core aims of many agents. They dwell in their innate vigor, seriousness, and skillfulness to derive and implement solutions to every looming problem. Milton (2011) takes an example in Warren Buffet who had desired devotion to establishing and builds companies undervalued in the society. In fact, Warren had the entire idea of a social entrepreneur whose focus is to establish change in the society.

As a comparison, Milton (2011) depicts that as the activists' explain how to do; corporate social responsibility agents are often inside showing them what they can do. According to the authors of Milton (2011), it is more worth for the society to learn and know of the realities that face them rather than simply believe in their impossibilities to solve. For instance, Milton (2011) takes an example that when a citizen takes to the stage and demonstrates what is supposed to be done to curb certain problems, people thus find it easy, and they move forward into putting it in practice. The present society is made up of individual people whose focus is to embrace individualistic social norms whose future trends result in tribal alienations, collapse of military units, and sporting systems in the world.

This is not the tale of a real social corporate social responsibility. The reason behind this notion is that society should not behave like a machine in which the moment it is made, chances, and efforts to renew it are slim. In fact, the society should be fragile and open to daily renewal and innovative changes, which enables it to embrace every looming and future challenge (Milton, 2011).

According (Milton, 2011), successful social entrepreneurs take further steps in establishing the expected. They take pleasure in teaching other people what they can to and how they can do it when solving social challenges. For instance, Milton (2011) has taken an example of the American take where "the only social change that organizations regularly recruit on top college campuses alongside investment banks and consulting firms, has been amazingly successful redirecting talent into public education." Milton (2011) takes this approach exemplary. One of the procedures employed by the U.S. bodies is to make the entire process competitive and prestigious. As such, many people are incorporating their abilities to solve the social problems and introduce other safety mechanisms of growth and development. Secondly, the corporate social responsibility jobs have been set to be competitive and challenging. Finally, the state establishes mechanisms that encourage candidates to join justice fighters who will become lifelong comrades.

According to Destefanis and Musella, (2009) "what is a business for by Charles Handy," success for a corporate social responsibility is not about building the biggest or best organization in the field. It is about changing the field. Within the concept of corporate social responsibility, the authors of Destefanis and Musella, (2009) clearly describe that the growth phase is one of the most difficult and tricky stages in which a corporate social responsibility is to understand and equitably involve scaling measures. Scaling of ideas is the most influential and effective remedial measure ascribed by Destefanis and Musella, (2009) during this time. The desire and need for demand should not overlook the general intention and objective of changing the environment so that future challenges will be easy to handle. This will ensure sustainability of the society as posed by Destefanis and Musella (2009) "…the idea of sustainability can be considered in two ways: the sustainability of an institution and the sustainability of ideas or values. The way we speak about sustainability refers to individual institutions…in thinking about sustainability, it is critical to focus on the forest" (Destefanis & Musella, 2009).

Corporate social responsibility is a wide field of business and study, which often entails or demands a lot of demonstration and comparative understanding. It is imperative and concise to state that every business establishment in the world is a product of entrepreneurship skills and ideological generation. Corporate social responsibility takes care of many small businesses that often get well paying and developmental among many businesspersons. As depicted by Destefanis and Musella, (2009), corporate social responsibility is a comprehensive term, which takes or assumes several meanings according to how an individual applies it in the real business world.

Social change is a product of corporate social responsibility. In the modern society, growth, and development of a society is a necessity hence many people are encouraged to conceive and implement ideas, which will oversee these social changes taking place in society. Corporate social responsibility takes part or plays an integral role in bringing social change in terms of economic upbringing and maintenance. Corporate social responsibility is a different entity from the government undertakings. Corporate social responsibility depicts the innate ability of the people in a society to bring change in their business lives.

Moreover, Destefanis and Musella, (2009) has reiterated on the difference that exists between corporate social responsibilities. All these forms of responsibilities are available and many people in the society often practice it. Destefanis and Musella (2009) have established a solid understanding of the various challenges mired by the societies and the way corporate social responsibility techniques bring a total solution and overhaul of difference in such societies. In summary or consolatory part of Destefanis and Musella (2009), innovation and implementation has much emphasis as Destefanis and Musella, (2009) turns out to encourage people to engage in corporate social responsibility activities. In this, social entrepreneurship a system and skill through which people are able to take long-ranged changes within a society. As such, Destefanis and Musella, (2009) is a "must read" since every with a desire and intention to plunge into business makes a start by being a corporate social responsibility (Destefanis & Musella, 2009).

Managing out: The (Australian) Public Sector in the community has changed the role and responsibilities of middle managers in the public sector. Gru-newa-lder, (2008) identifies some of the key factors that have produced greater emphasis on building relationships within, between, and outside government agencies in the Australian public sector. They include service delivery, law making, rule making and development, tax collection and managing government finance and monitoring enforcing laws and regulations. From these key factors, service delivery together with monitoring and enforcing laws and regulations stand tall and deserve more in-depth research and analysis within the paradigms of corporate social responsibility (Gru-newa-lder, 2008).

Growth and development

The Australian public sector has benefited enormously through its service delivery initiatives initiated by the managing out program. Service delivery incorporates a number of institutional and organization fields of business in Australia. For instance, through the managing out program, transport and communication sectors had all been opened to reach the most remote parts of the country. Many social amenities had not been transfigured to the remote parts of the country but due to the innovativeness of managing out, service delivery has received a positive end. Moreover, managing out has opened communication to many parts of the country. For instance, this initiative involved the use of modern technology, which shifted the attention of many entrepreneurs into high-profiled corporations, organizations, and companies. This also shifted the kinds of services offered by these organizations to the people of Australia.

The government of Australia's corporate social responsibility on the services of government is an excellent range of services carried by the agency. Because of the initiative, the government took up the responsibility of delivering services in three categories. Corporate social responsibility was offered to people with respect to their needs as disability services, age care, and many others. This ensured that people got their share of the products and services. In the social welfare sector, service delivery was administered to the public housing together with many other community services. Moreover, people in the community use services at stages during the lifetime as training and education, healthcare services, and other emergency services. All these deliverables were accomplished due to the efforts of the managing out initiative.

Corporate social responsibility is one of the main areas of focus that has been shifted to a higher notch by the Australian government. Initially before the establishment of the managing out agency, much of concern was centered at concentrating the services to government agencies. These agencies often failed in one way or the other. With time, this resulted in what is termed as a flab in the government segments of operation. Most agencies started to influence change and bring diversity in the field of service delivery. The remote places of Australia were to benefit from the corporate social responsibility services offered by the initiative (Destefanis & Musella, 2009).

Monitoring and enforcing laws and regulations

Hawkins (2006) points out the difference in how contemporary public policy analysts understand the relationship between government agencies and citizens. Corporate social responsibility views that government agencies are different in operation as do citizens. They view that government agencies are superior to citizens maintain the interest towards public sector government agencies and that citizens are lowly attributed to governance in the agencies. Laws and regulations are the basic connotations of operation in any nation as viewed by the Australian government. Moreover, the managing out initiative is an absolute replica of what it was perceived to happen towards change in the Australian government and the public sector. With time, the initiative served to better the lives of the people as it totally altered and improved the observance of laws and regulations in the country (Hawkins, 2006).

Government agencies and corporate social responsibility

The Australian public service is n entity, which is operated by the citizens. In essence, everything, which takes place in the public service, is under the inventiveness of the managing out initiative. Nonetheless, much ado is yet to reveal that citizens deal mostly with government agencies but in some indirect comportment. Initially, the citizens participated in doing the ordinary jobs, which were offered by the government. For instance, the public service is a gigantic entity with ranks that run down the managerial aspects of an organization. With these ranks present, the government agencies elicit much response and need to have a unified sector free from citizen involvement. With time, this established a gap between the government agencies and the ordinary citizens. Thus, this is the difference being viewed by the contemporary public policy analysts.

Corporate social responsibility dilemma

It is unreasonable for corporate social responsibility employees to work in one of the environments that encounter ethical predicaments. Corporate social responsibility workers always are confronted with ethical problems and practices, which are part of human and worker interaction while at work. Many social programs have infused their individual courses in professional and ethical considerations, which form the basis of principles, and value systems in these organizations. Workers are often expected to work or behave at work in accordance to the inscribed ethical considerations. However, this has often not been the case. Problems keep arising as concerns workers and these ethical considerations. As such, this piece of study has endeavored to explore on the nature of corporate social responsibility dilemmas in various institutions, most of which is a comparison between the private and public sectors as far as ethical dilemmas is concerned (Destefanis & Musella, 2009).

Evidently, corporate social responsibility dilemmas occur because of a breakdown in the protocol of communication between the workers and agents at work. Corporate social responsibility dilemma refers to a strain between an organization, agents who form part of the organization, and the worker. Fundamentally, ethics are code of conducts that are supposed to define the cause and effect of every worker. When the code of corporate social responsibility fails to materialize, they result in a corporate social responsibility dilemma. First, Machiavelli states that a corporate social responsibility dilemma occurs when an agent who is supposed to spell a decision on how things should be done fails to do so.

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References
8 sources cited in this paper
  • Banerjee, S. B. (2007). Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
  • Destefanis, S., & Musella, M. (2009). Paid and unpaid labour in the social economy: An international perspective. Heidelberg: Physica-Verlag.
  • Gru?newa?lder, A. (2008). Corporate social responsibility: Implementation in German companies. Mu?nchen: GRIN Verlag GmbH.
  • Hawkins, D. E. (2006). Corporate social responsibility: Balancing tomorrow's sustainability and today's profitability. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Milton, F. (2011). The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.
  • Noya, A & Clarence, E. (2007). The social economy: building inclusive economies. OECD
  • Schwartz, M. S. (2011). Corporate social responsibility: An ethical approach. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press.
  • Sociaal-Economische Raad. (2001). Corporate social responsibility: A Dutch approach. Hague?: SER, Sociaal-Economische Raad.
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PaperDue. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility Literature Review a Topic-Corporate. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/corporate-social-responsibility-literature-86839

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