Eleanor O'Higgins

Corporate social responsibility: an avenue for sustainable benefit for society and the firm?

Purpose – The objective of this paper is to investigate the benefits arising from various corporate social responsibility (CSR) approaches, to determine which approach generated the most sustainable mutual benefit accruing both to the focal firm, as well as to society and the firms stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach – The ethnographic case studies are based on interviews with senior managers from six companies which are members of Business in the Community Ireland, a not‐for‐profit organization comprised of companies which are active about CSR initiatives.Findings – Results show that for the companies interviewed, CSR initiatives that are voluntary and strategic, as opposed to coerced and/or non‐strategic, generate the most sustainable mutual benefit to the firm itself and its social beneficiaries.Originality/value – The paper presents a framework to analyze approaches to CSR, using the dimensions of strategic/non‐strategic, voluntary/coerced. The study discovers ways to reconcile the conventionall...

Music piracy: ethical perspectives

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the issue of illegal downloading of music under an ethical lens.Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical framework observed was one which included three independent variables: individual, situational and experimental elements. The dependent variable of the study was legal vs illegal downloading of music. A 20‐item questionnaire was completed by 84 respondents. The final four questions in the study were guilt‐inducing questions (which the respondent was informed of in compliance with ethical primary research); the remainder of the questions were neutral in nature.Findings – The paper finds that the respondents illegally download despite viewing the act as immoral. Respondents choose to morally disengage from the non‐ethical nature of the act in an attempt to avoid feeling guilty about illegal downloading and also to avoid any blame being attributed to them personally. Many respondents feel the act of illegal downloading is simply todays reality and that there is n...

National Networks of Corporate Power: An Irish Perspective

This paper maps the network of interlocking directorships formed by the boards of the top 50 financial and 200 non-financial companies in Ireland. The Irish network is compared with those in ten countries, based on the same sample size and selection criteria as used in this paper, using the methods and theory of Social Network Analysis (SNA). Fundamental to the paper is the idea that the network of interlocking directorates is in some way structured, and not the result of random processes.Irish boards were found to have a relatively loosely connected network structure which is sparser and less dense than those of other countries. This is reflected in the relatively low percentage of multiple directors and the relatively fewer number of directorships per multiple director.In general, indigenous Irish public companies tended to be central in the network, while a disproportionately large number of foreign and private companies were isolated on the periphery. However, a number of foreign-owned companies were central to the network -- in particular, those which started as indigenous Irish companies which were subsequently taken over.When account is taken of the nature of the Irish economy and business, in comparison with that of the ten other countries, it is seen that the opportunities for company interlinking at board level in Ireland are relatively fewer. However, within these constraints, there is a thriving network of corporate power in Ireland.

Stakeholder salience and engagement in political organisations

Purpose – To study relationships between focal organisations and their stakeholders in a generic way, beyond the agency/transaction cost approach usually used in business research. The domain was political parties and their stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach – Study participants were officials and activists in five major Irish political parties. They were asked to nominate their most important stakeholders, to rate these stakeholders on salience as represented by power, legitimacy and urgency and to describe extent and intensity of their party engagement with these stakeholders.Findings – Stakeholders considered more important to the organisation receive higher levels of engagement from the parties than those stakeholders thought to be less critical. The results suggest that high levels of stakeholder engagement can yield beneficial electoral results for political parties. The importance of looking after “internal stakeholders” is also supported. The three attributes of power, legitimacy and urgency...

Hob: a New Tool for Tracking and IncreasingValueAdded

Abstract The Heart of the Business (HOB) model put forward in this articlecapturesthe origin of a companys success by integrating financial outcomes with the value addedprocessesthat create those outcomes. These processes arise out of the unique capabilities of thefirm, and itsorganizational infrastructure. The application of this model to a company currentlyregarded assuccessful, Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) and highlighted bycomparisons withthree peer companies illustrates the models value in making strategic decisions.

Has Sam's Magic Passed its Sell-by Date?

Is Wal-Marts magic formula still working or will the renowned US retailer ultimately fall prey to the affliction common to apparently invincible incumbents - relying too much on a once-winning recipe in the face of environmental change and formidable rivals?