Barbara Krumay

The Good, the Bad, and the Successful – How Corporate Social Responsibility Leads to Competitive Advantage and Organizational Transformation

Abstract This paper presents a referential stage model for corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation by linking CSR to four business operations: project management, quality management, strategic management and organizational learning. Companies try to cope with societal demands by integrating them into these business operations: (1) integrating societal demands into project management by initiating a project in an area that is perceived as ‘good’; (2) avoid ‘bad things’ by applying quality management for CSR implementation; (3) strategic CSR perceives societal demands as opportunities to create shared value and (4) transformational CSR helps to overcome constraints like low materiality and developing the capabilities of a company. While the first two stages aim at ‘doing good’ or ‘avoiding bad’, strategic and transformational CSR are key for ‘being successful’. Based on extended literature review and well-documented studies, our referential framework offers insights into underlying patterns, potentials and limitations of linking CSR to business operations. Companies can assess the stage they have reached, strive for higher materiality, boost their competitiveness, and evolve in terms of CSR maturity. Hence, the referential framework adds a new and application-oriented perspective to the discussion of the business case for CSR and demonstrates how stages lead to competitive advantage and organizational transformation.

Security and Privacy in Companies: State-of-the-art and Qualitative Analysis

Privacy and security are relevant topics in both -- research and practice. Although they are often used together, implicitly assuming that they represent the same concept, they actually represent different concepts that are closely related. First, this paper presents a way to differentiate between these two topics from a conceptual point of view. Furthermore, it depicts some commonly accepted privacy regulations that exist in the OECD, EU and US. Second, we show how privacy and security are defined and implemented in practice, based on three interviews, conducted in different Austrian companies. The interviews picture the specific situation in the companies. Similarities and differences between the three interviews as well as between the interviews as a whole and the conceptual considerations were found and are described. To explain the maturity of these companies in terms of their understanding of privacy and security, we analyzed and visualized the interviews.

The E-Waste-Privacy Challenge

Hardware is replaced with increasing frequency, whether it is broken or not. The constantly increasing pile of e-waste contains hardware that has been used for producing, processing, and storing data. Although mechanisms exist to erase data before disposal, it is unclear how companies apply them to different types of hardware. In this exploratory research based on a grounded theory approach, we developed a framework showing relationships between privacy awareness, hardware types, end-of-life handling, and data protection measures. Based on the sample data, we identified types of hardware that are experienced as being critical storage devices, whereas the storage capacity of others is not perceived as being critical. Based on the framework, research could begin to further elaborate solutions to this problem. This work also recommends the development of guidelines that integrate e-waste and privacy or data protection.

The impact of virtual communities on e-loyalty: a conceptual framework

Regarding the success of virtual communities, several factors and prerequisites are essential. At the same time, companies are looking for factors influencing e-loyalty. In this paper, a framework (VC2E-Loy) is presented, which compares the attitudes arising in virtual communities with prerequisites of e-loyalty. First, the fundamentals of both – e-loyalty and virtual communities – are discussed. Then, attitudes and factors derived from literature are presented. The framework is created based on the factors extracted from literature. Finally, the framework is described and information on validation, open questions and further research is given.

The Role Of Information Systems To Support Disaster Management

Society is challenged by various catastrophes, requiring fast and accurate management of information and communication. Handling these challenges needs clearly-defined and well-accepted processes and – most critically – a huge quantity of data, which has to be collected, processed and submitted. In the context of natural catastrophes and public disaster management, governments are challenged. Beyond government involvement, private companies are also forced to react to disasters, establish appropriate procedures, define responsibilities, and make decisions. In such times of emergency, information systems (IS) are important instruments used to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of disaster-handling activities in companies. Furthermore, information systems support companies in their efforts to regain trust, reestablish reputation, and sustain their ability to operate. In this exploratory work, we have investigated how information systems support disaster management in two companies within the passenger transportation industry. Based on interviews, we identified different IS support for disaster management, especially for coordinating activities, processing information, and communicating with stakeholders. We validated the need for training, harmonisation and standardisation of information, as well as ways to manage false news about accidents that may be transmitted