J. Jonker

Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Sense through Thinking and Acting

This article investigates how companies make sense of CSR. It is based on an explorative comparative case study of 18 companies in the Netherlands using background information, interviews and annual reports. Initially, the sensemaking process of CSR is guided and coordinated by change agents who are specifically appointed to explore the implementation of CSR in their company. These change agents initiate the CSR process within their own organisations. The meaning they develop stems from their personal and organisational values and frames of reference. By attuning the vocabulary of CSR to the language of their colleagues, they aim to gain support for this undertaking in their organisation. This sensemaking procedure can be divided into pragmatic, external, procedural, policy-oriented and value-driven processes. The capability of an organisation to embed CSR is the result of trial and error, personal preferences and the use of language by the change agent that fits the (dynamic) situation at hand. Thus, each organisation needs a tailor-made approach to implement CSR successfully.

Systems thinking for the integration of management systems

This paper discusses how a systems approach to management can be used to facilitate the development and implementation of an integrated management system (IMS) in an organization. It is argued that any solution to address the rapidly growing need for the integration of function‐specific management systems requires two elements: a conceptual model and a supporting methodology. While the research on IMS modelling is fairly advanced, evidenced by a number of existing models that would probably qualify to provide the basis for integration, development of methodologies to achieve fully‐integrated systems is still lacking. This paper therefore provides a set of criteria for selection of the most appropriate IMS model, followed by a discussion of one such model based on the systems approach. The presented model can be used to integrate the requirements of existing and upcoming function‐specific management system standards, and provide a foundation for the top‐down integration of internal systems that these standards describe. Subsequently, a short discussion on the issue of the IMS methodology is given, and the paper concludes with a list of questions that will help researchers design a comprehensive IMS methodology.

AA1000 and SA8000 compared: a systematic comparison of contemporary accountability standards

One of the ways to deal with stakeholder issues, is the use and application of accountability standards. Two recent accountability standards (AA1000 and SA8000) will be the subject of comparison in this paper. Firstly, the constituent elements of these new standards will be briefly described. The main purpose of this paper is a systematic comparison of both standards on their object and scope, their normative perspective, the basic principles, their improvement perspective and their methodological perspective. The paper concludes by discussing the added value of both standards in their use and practical application. Questions are raised as to whether the instrumental “translation” of notions such as “accountability” and “social responsibility” offer the right support to deal with these issues on an organizational level.

Looking Through the Eyes of Others: Assessing Mutual Expectations and Experiences in Order to Shape Dialogue and Collaboration Between Business and NGOs With Respect to CSR

What are the main differences in expectations between NGOs and companies who interact with each other with respect to corporate social responsibility (CSR)? This is the leading question for a research project within the framework of the Dutch National Research Program on CSR (2003–2004). The research starts with the observation that companies and NGOs are increasingly interacting regarding CSR. Exploring the mutual expectations in the early stages of an interaction can deliver valuable information about the possibilities for cooperation. In order to study these expectations and experiences, a web-based tool is developed. The application of this tool results in the relevant gaps between mutual expectations and the comparison of expectations expressed in the beginning of the interaction with the actual experiences.

Management Models for Corporate Social Responsibility

Finally in Business: Organising Corporate Social Responsibility in Five.- Finally in Business: Organising Corporate Social Responsibility in Five.- Generic Models for the Business Context.- The SIGMA Management Model.- CSR in the Extractive Industry: An Integrated Approach.- RainbowScore(R): A Strategic Approach for Multi-dimensional Value.- COMPASS to Sustainability.- sustManage(TM) - Integrating Corporate Sustainability.- The Molecule Model.- Global Compact Performance Model.- Generic Models for the Societal Context.- WEV: A New Approach to Supply Chain Management.- A Model for Multi-stakeholder Partnerships on Human Rights in Tourism.- The Guangcai Model.- Community Learning in the Indian Education Sector.- Creating Space for CSR in Melbourne.- Organising Identity.- Integrating People, Planet and Profit.- Reflexivity: Linking Individual and Organisational Values.- Self-Organising Leadership: Transparency and Trust.- The CSR Brand Positioning Grid.- Organising Transactivity.- On Dialogue: A Self-Development Tool.- Stakeholder Engagement: The Experience of Holcim.- Managing Expectations in Partnerships.- A Stepwise Approach to Stakeholder Management.- Fair Labour Association Model.- A Stakeholder Model for Emerging Technologies.- Organising Systems.- Product Stewardship for CSR.- Sabento Model: Social Assessment of Biotechnological Production.- The Branding of CSR Excellence.- The Four Dimensions of Responsible Purchasing.- The Hurdles Analysis: A Way to Greener Public Procurement.- Strategic CSR Communication: Telling Others How Good You Are.- CSR Online: Internet Based Communication.- Organising Accountability.- A Product Sustainability Assessment.- Drawing the Lines in Value Chain Responsibility.- Resource Efficiency Accounting.- The GoodCorporation Framework.- Promoting Human Rights in the Supply Chain.- Organising the Business Proposition.- Assessing the Value Chain Context.- Pursuing Sustainability Through Enduring Value Creation.- Price: Earnings Ratio and Commercial Performance.- A Strategy Model for Sustainable Profits and Innovation.- Modelling the Business Case for Sustainability.- Creating Competitive Advantage: The Sustainable Value Model.- CSR Upside Down: The Need for Up-Front Knowledge Development.

Managing intangible assets

Purpose – To develop a concept of managing intangible assets in contemporary organisations. Insight is given into the rise of the network organisation and the importance of talent, social capital and identity in this kind of organisation.Design/methodology/approach – This paper develops a conceptual framework based on a theoretical analysis of recent literature in the fields of human resource management and organisational identity.Findings – Organisations in contemporary society fundamentally differ from the ones dominating the twentieth century. Work nowadays is providing service(s), organising based upon a mix of peoples talents, social capital and information and communication technology (ICT). Modern organisations depend on talent. Talents make the distinctive difference between an organisation and its competitors. Organising with talents requires a second‐order form of networks: (social) cohesion in the network quintessential to make it work. This can be found in the notion of “social capital”. Yet ...

Third generation quality management: the role of stakeholders in integrating business into society

This contribution outlines the development of quality theory through various stages to the point where it now recognises the impact of external groups and individuals on the output of quality products and services. In particular, it articulates how the developments in stakeholder theory have coincided with the development of a theoretical framework for quality management and how stakeholder involvement relates to the output of the organisation. It examines some of the implications of this re‐orientation and aims to describe tomorrow’s emerging stakeholder model of quality. Finally, it argues that the new conceptualisation represents a generational change as it has fundamental ramifications for the nature of organisations and the way they maintain and evaluate quality. The differences between the generations are characterised and examined to demonstrate their potential significance.

AccountAbility 1000: a new social standard for building sustainability

The pressing need to build common frameworks to redefine the performance and sustainability of organisations, has led to the development of a new standard, AccountAbility 1000 (AA1000). AA1000 is a quality framework that aims to make clear how principles of accountability and sustainability are related and complementary. Accountability is founded in democracy and is also the principle used as the basis of financial and other forms of accounting, auditing and reporting. In accountability’s relationship to sustainability, however, there has been little clarity. Sustainability – defined broadly by the concept of the triple bottom line – is underpinned by three forms of accountability: social‐ethical, environmental and economic accountability. With the introduction of a new social standard AA1000, the difficult‐to‐bridge gaps within the sustainability debate – between morality and science, measurement and performance, inclusion and exclusion – are addressed using a model of accountability. AA1000, it is argued, represents an innovation for sustainability by linking the development of accounting, auditing and reporting of sustainability with the need to create legitimacy for outcomes, through a process of stakeholder engagement and inclusion.

Human Value Management. The Influence of the Contemporary Developments of Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Capital on HRM

In both practice-oriented and academic discourses the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM) are often treated separately. It is argued here that this is an outdated approach. Starting from the observation that organisations develop towards open systems, it becomes obvious that CSR and HRM are intertwined. In open systems cooperative action is based on the willingness of humans to bring in and develop their talents as part of communities of work. The proper functioning of organisations becomes dependent on shared values between networks of people. At the same time these networks broaden the perception of what (new) roles and functions organisation should fulfil. This brings in the notion of CSR. Organisations are expected to encompass a broadening range of responsibilities combining the delivery of added value in the market place with broadening responsibilities. These developments require a repositioning of the role and perception of HRM towards a new strategic approach labelled here as Human Value Management. This paper offers an exploration of this HVM approach by comparing it to HRM and linking it to CSR. As such it offers a conceptual framework enabling the formulation of a series of questions for future research.

Towards a third generation of quality management: Searching for a theoretical re‐conceptualisation of contemporary organisations based on the notions of stakeholders and transactivity

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of the changes that have occurred in Quality Management to demonstrate that a generational change has occurred. It then seeks to establish a firm theoretical basis for the identified change.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an analysis and critique of the quality management, stakeholder and management literature and is undertaken to identify emergent trends and themes. By questioning the basic assumptions underpinning the literature these trends and themes have been re‐conceptualised into a model that the authors believe helps with interpretation and explanation.Findings – The findings in this paper are that the notion of quality, which has been around for more than a century, appears to be moving into a new phase. Having commenced as an object‐oriented measurement and control device focusing on the quality of the output (of either a product or service), it has experienced a profound expansion and reorientation to now encompass the ove...