Catalina Soriana Sitnikov

Corporate Social Responsibility in Romania: Evolution, Trends and Perspectives

In Romania, responsible corporate behavior was initially evaluated based on commercial considerations of image and reputation, and not in terms of sustainable development or stakeholders needs. However, recently there has been a shift towards the implementation of the second approach, responsible practices being associated with long-term success, directly proportional to community development, environmental welfare and practices and connections within the area of influence. Despite the significant progress on the integration of responsible practices in organizations core business since EU accession, a number of challenges continue to exist, which must be addressed by all stakeholders, including increasing awareness of CSR/SR significance and of the integrated approach involved by the implementation of responsible practices; increasing awareness of the needs and benefits associated with incorporating responsible practices into business objectives and operations to ensure sustainable success; and increasing transparency, monitoring and assessment of CSR initiatives impact on all involved or affected stakeholders. Lately, there have been identified action areas considered fundamental to define tools that enhance social responsibility like Corporate social responsibility in the area of human resources; Social entrepreneurship; Fostering social responsibility through public procurement system; Corporate social responsibility in SMEs; CSR Reporting; Responsible Consumption; Social responsibility in schools and universities.

Towards a critical study of standardization: Corporate social responsibility, discourse and management practices

Purpose – This paper aims to highlight the links among standardization, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and critical management. It also aims at understanding the implication of the normalization process for CSR but also questions the nature of this concept. Design/methodology/approach – To determine the interest in standardization, we forecasted the trend in issuing ISO certificates based on autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and Holt statistical models. Then a critical approach is used to understand the nature of CSR. Findings – The paper focuses on a critical approach and challenge the definition of CSR through the lenses of standardization. It shows that the notion of CSR is polysemic and highlights the limits of standardization process. Research limitations/implications – The research is only based on ISO standards, not other kind of standardization process. Social implications – The paper questions the notion of CSR and shows the different elements that this notion covers. Origin...

The Need for Harmonization and Certification in Social Responsibility Area

Today the world is facing rapid changes and economic, social and environmental challenges. In this context, social responsibility, sustainability and business ethics issues are becoming increasingly important, especially in the business sector. Organizations goals cannot be separated from those of the society and the environment they operate in. The successful implementation of social responsibility programs can impact various matters within a company such as the competitive advantage, its repute, the competences to hire, train and motivate those employees that fit the best the given tasks, to attract the best clients by the means of developing and enhancing the organizational environment, to attract investments, sponsors, to improve community perceptions, connections with governmental bodies, mass/media, providers, clients and the whole community within that company operates.

ISO 26000: Is It a Case of Implementation or Simple Reporting? An Exploration of CSR Standards in Companies in Romania

Today, people live in a society that increasingly raises the matter for businesses to get involve in economic and social models of sustainability.

Theoretical Perspectives Concerning Modeling Consumer Behavior Influences on CSR and Marketing Roles in Shaping Consumer Perceptions

Consumers are stakeholders of an organization in many ways having a complex dimension. They are primarily ultimate beneficiaries of products and services. Consumers are also members of society interested in environmental issues and fair trade, members of local community (where the organization has its headquarters in the region), can be employed, relatives or friends of employees, can be shareholders of the organization. Consumers can play an important role in the regulation of entrepreneurial behavior if they are willing to reward socially responsible organizations by changing their purchasing behavior (preferring products and services of those organizations that invest in social responsibility programs). In this paper we propose to create a theoretical framework to determine the influence of CSR actions on the purchasing behavior (using the seven core subjects of ISO 26000) and the impact of marketing and CSR communication (its channels and tools) on purchasing decisions. Within these bidirectional approaches we will focus on three issues: consumer expectations on CSR activities, the managers’ perception on these expectations, and the decisions of managers on CSR actions and marketing tools and channels used for communicating CSR. Since there is a gap between these three aspects, it is highly important not only evaluating CSR activities but also consumer perceptions over these activities, and the effectiveness of marketing channels and tools used for communicating CSR. The proposed instrument allows organizations to evaluate these aspects and managers to make the best decisions concerning the selection of appropriate CSR activities, choosing channels and marketing tools to enable effective communication.

Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Romania

In times of financial and economic crisis companies face difficulties causing them to review their costs and restructure their activities. This affects also corporate social responsibility programs, both in terms of size and complexity, despite the fact that current economic, social and environmental challenges any society faces are even more pronounced. During such difficult periods, some companies choose to strengthen their social responsibility programs as to increase their reputation and to gain the trust of the local community where they operate. On other hand, there are companies that substantially reduce their social responsibility budgets and activities.

Relationships Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Strategic Planning

Currently, organizations still have not reached full maturity in terms of implementing CSR programs. They continue to address CSR in different ways and focused on different objectives. Despite the fact that many organizations, especially multinationals, have developed and implemented CSR programs, they have not managed to fully integrate them within the organization’s strategy. Activities included in CSR programs are not integrated within core activities, but parallel to them.

Impact of CSR on Economies with Weak Governance

At present, in the least developed countries and in a number of developing countries, one can notice weak public and organizational governance. Economies characterized by weak public and organizational governance are those economies in which governments do not wish or are unable to fulfil their responsibilities. Public authorities do not make efforts to protect the rights (including property rights) or to provide basic public services in good conditions (such as social programs, programs for infrastructure development, prudential supervision of various economic sectors). These “governmental failures” lead to failures on a large scale in relation to political, economic and civic institutions.

CSR Life-Cycle Exploration

During the last century, CSR has developed dynamically from the believe that business is responsible for what transpires in societies—in terms of factors which contribute to social, economic and environmental achievements and with regard to taking sustainable actions which reduce the external negative effects of business operational activities on the environment. Business is also deemed responsible for connecting positively business and society and consolidating relations between parties. Due to CSR’s dynamic nature as a cluster and its contextual dimension, it continues to change society in all ramifications. Since the intention of this chapter was to search for the life-cycle of CSR, it was important to look at the terms that it takes its root from. And so, some key issues in CSR development were outlined, such as corporate responsibility (CR), global sustainability, social responsibility, as well as some of the first definitions of CSR.

Will the Global World Change the Leaders? - Prophets and Pioneers of the Future

The paper provides insights into the capacity of these leaders to re-shape mentalities, believes, meanings, consciousness of individuals and shapes models of spiritual, reenchanter business leaders binding the individuals, business organizations and surrounding world, and several tools and methods used to reenchant the organization and its members. The approach was a qualitative one, based on the link between empirical observation and leadership theories. In particular, leaders in various lines were observed, as constructive poles, reforming or recreating meanings of daily life in post-modern world. Various literatures had been investigated, as well as different trends of opinion, leaders discourses, and mass-media. A rate of uncertainty accompanied the research as result of advertising behind personalities. Difficulties in finding the core of these individuals joined the track of research, reason for developing several models of leaders. So far, reenchanting was mainly tackled from sociologic point of view while the assignation to post-modern management connects the spirituality of leaders and leading from soul producing the kind of leaders that individuals, organizations and world long for.The research revealed a set of characteristics of leaders who, cultivating a deep inner spiritual life, bring the rational to supra-rational and teach unobservant, uncertain and unconscious individuals to notice what nature and life are trying to show them. In addition, a major finding was the substantiation of a cluster of methods and tools that leaders can use to reenchant the individuals.