Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum Pedersen

Making Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Operable: How Companies Translate Stakeholder Dialogue into Practice

© 2006 Center for Business Ethics at Bentley College. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK. Blackwell Publishing Ltd Oxford, UK ASR usiness and Society Review 0045-3609

The many and the few: rounding up the SMEs that manage CSR in the supply chain

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the anatomy of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) that try to manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the supply chain.Design/methodology/approach – The data used for analysis stem from a large‐scale survey of 1,071 Danish SMEs carried out in 2005.Findings – It is concluded that CSR activities directed towards the supply chains still remain the privilege of a small group of SMEs with quite advanced CSR systems.Research limitations/implications – The survey was not specifically designed for this article. Moreover, only Danish SMEs participated in the survey. Whether the evidence from Denmark can be generalised to cover SMEs in other countries is left to determine.Practical implications – The results indicate that there may be a need for more differentiated initiatives to promote CSR that will enable smaller enterprises to address CSR issues in the supply chain. Thus far, CSR has often been associated with large, high‐profile multinationals t...

Determinants of lean success and failure in the Danish public sector

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of lean implementation in Danish public sector organisations. It is proposed to structure the paper around a theoretical model based on a negotiated order perspective.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on interviews with 29 managers and employees from Danish public sector organisations who have been involved in the planning and implementation of lean projects over the past few years.Findings – The paper identifies a number of factors within the structural context and the negotiation context which are deemed important for the fate of lean projects in the public sector.Originality/value – The qualitative study brings new insights into the debate on the barriers and success factors in the lean transformation process in the public sector.

Collaborative consumption: business model opportunities and barriers for fashion libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and opportunities for business models based on the ideas of collaborative consumption within the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on a multiple-case study of Scandinavian fashion libraries – a new, clothes-sharing concept that has emerged as a fashion niche within the last decade. Findings – It is concluded that fashion libraries offers interesting perspectives, e.g. by allowing people to experiment with styles without having to pay the full cost and becoming a meeting place for young designers and end consumers. However, at present fashion libraries remain a small-scale phenomenon with difficulties reaching the mainstream market, not least due to limited financial and human resources as well as conventional fashion consumption patterns. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to the new phenomenon of fashion libraries and does not cover other types of collaborative consumption within the fashi...

Which firms use measures?: Internal and external factors shaping the adoption of performance measurement systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the anatomy of firms which adopt comprehensive performance measurement (PM) systems in order to gain an understanding of how internal (organisational capabilities) and external (perceived environmental uncertainties) factors shape performance measurement practices.Design/methodology/approach – This paper hypothesises that firms dominated by organic capabilities and operating in unpredictable markets are more likely to adopt comprehensive PM systems. The statistical test of these hypotheses is based on a 2008 survey of 299 Danish firms.Findings – This paper concludes that a limited number of internal and external factors have a significant influence on the adoption of PM systems. There is no consistent pattern, however, between the different sub‐categories of organisational capabilities/perceived environmental uncertainties and PM adoption.Originality/value – Much has been said about how changes in the environment and business structure require firms to dev...

Negotiating lean: The fluidity and solidity of new management technologies in the Danish public sector

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse how negotiations between the constituencies affect the processes and outcomes of lean projects in Danish public sector organisations. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is based on a qualitative analysis of interviews with managers and employees who have participated in lean projects in the Danish public sector. Negotiated order theory serves as the overarching theoretical framework for the analysis. Findings - The paper concludes that the processes and outcomes of lean depend not only on the technology itself, but also the negotiation context in which the planning and implementation of lean projects take place. Lean implementation is not a neutral and value-free activity; it is fluid and open for multiple interpretations, interests, and logics. Research limitations/implications - The project is based on qualitative data from lean projects in the Danish public sector. It cannot be concluded that the findings can be generalised to reflect all types of lean projects across organisational and geographical settings. Originality/value - The paper adds value to the relatively scarce literature on lean management in the public sector by exploring how negotiative processes influence the planning, implementation, and maintenance/development of lean projects.

All Animals are Equal, But: Management Perceptions of Stakeholder Relationships and Societal Responsibilities in Multinational Corporations

The stakeholder approach has become a popular perspective in mainstream management and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature. However, it remains an open question as to how real-life managers actually view stakeholders and what rationales and logics are used for explaining the relationship between the firm and its constituencies. This article examines whom managers in multinational corporations (MNCs) consider to be their important stakeholders, and how they describe the societal responsibilities towards these groups and individuals. It is concluded that managers still tend to hold a rather narrow (managerial) view of the firm and generally give priority to stakeholder groups who are directly involved in the firms core transformation system. The conclusions are derived from interview and survey data from 647 managers in four MNCs. The paper is based on data collected as part of project RESPONSE: a European Union- and corporate-funded initiative on CSR.

Which firms use measures

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the anatomy of firms which adopt comprehensive performance measurement (PM) systems in order to gain an understanding of how internal (organisational capabilities) and external (perceived environmental uncertainties) factors shape performance measurement practices.Design/methodology/approach – This paper hypothesises that firms dominated by organic capabilities and operating in unpredictable markets are more likely to adopt comprehensive PM systems. The statistical test of these hypotheses is based on a 2008 survey of 299 Danish firms.Findings – This paper concludes that a limited number of internal and external factors have a significant influence on the adoption of PM systems. There is no consistent pattern, however, between the different sub‐categories of organisational capabilities/perceived environmental uncertainties and PM adoption.Originality/value – Much has been said about how changes in the environment and business structure require firms to dev...

Sustainability innovators and anchor draggers: a global expert study on sustainable fashion

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore current barriers and opportunities for sustainability in the fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a study among 36 fashion experts from academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations, who took part in an online study on sustainable fashion. Findings – The results from the study indicates that the fashion industry faces immense social and environmental challenges and that the scale and scope of current approaches to sustainability are limited and fail to address more fundamental challenges linked to the dominant business models and consumption behaviors. Research limitations/implications – As the study is based on the knowledge, values, attitudes, and cultural stances of the participating experts it cannot claim to provide a picture of the “real world.” Nonetheless it contributes with a nuanced understanding of current challenges and opportunities within the industry, as experienced by key stakeholders in the field. Originality/value – The expert study approach moves beyond “good practice” case studies and allow a broader discussion of micro- and macro challenges for sustainability within the fashion industry. The learnings gained through such an approach could inspire future system level research as well as business model innovation in the industry.

Expanding the Concept of Quality Management to Global Supply Chains

In the light of globalisation and the international division of labour, the article will stress the importance of a new conception of quality management, focusing more on the social and environmental apsects of quality in global supply chains with a particular emphasis on suppliers’ perspectives. The increasing focus on corporate social responsibility, business ethics, corporate citizenship, sustainable development etc. indicates that managers have failed to see social and environmental aspects of the production as an integrated part of quality.