Jon Burchell

It's Good to Talk? Examining Attitudes Towards Corporate Social Responsibility Dialogue and Engagement Processes

No abstract available.

Confronting the “corporate citizen”: Shaping the discourse of corporate social responsibility

Purpose – To demonstrate, through the application of Faircloughs critical discourse analysis framework, that the discourse surrounding corporate social responsibility (CSR) has broader implications.Design/methodology/approach – Argues that the evolution of CSR has become a two‐way process of interaction between business and civil society.Findings – As companies place increasing emphasis on their ability to act responsibly as “corporate citizens”, CSR provides new opportunities for social actors to assimilate these strategies; enabling them to scrutinise, question and oppose the business practices of global corporations and challenging them to prove that there is more to CSR than merely corporate rhetoric.Originality/value – Demonstrates that the discourse surrounding CSR has broader implications.

Responsible management education in UK business schools: Critically examining the role of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education as a driver for change

As examinations of the ethics of business practice have increased so too have questions regarding the role of business schools. A key aspect of this re-evaluation has been the emergence of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management Education, reflecting the growing emphasis upon ‘soft regulation’ and voluntary action within new governance frameworks around responsible business practice. This article focuses upon the changing nature of responsible management education within UK business schools and examines the potential role of Principles for Responsible Management Education in shaping these developments. The article examines the findings of two surveys of responsible management education conducted in 2006/2007 and 2009/2010, and qualitative data derived from case studies of five Principles for Responsible Management Education signatory schools. The article questions whether there is any direct evidence for Principles for Responsible Management Education as a driver of curriculum change. It suggests that its primary impact may lie with its facilitative capacity and the ability of active faculty members in utilising this capacity.

Banging on open doors? Stakeholder dialogue and the challenge of business engagement for UK NGOs

In recent years, increased pressure from civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has heightened the need for companies to engage with their critics. As the notion of corporate social responsibility has come to the fore in the business world, there has been a rapid expansion in the commitment to stakeholder engagement and dialogue. The changing relationship between NGOs and businesses is examined by focusing upon the impact of stakeholder dialogue processes on these relationships in the United Kingdom. The use of new social movement theory in identifying NGOs as key ‘secondary’ stakeholders is highlighted. Further application of new social movement research can provide key insights into the pressures of institutionalisation that may face groups engaging in dialogue. Empirical data on stakeholder dialogue is utilised and comparisons are made with the experiences of European environmental movements during the 1980s and 1990s. The potential for institutionalisation that accompanies opportunities for engagement is considered, as are the mechanisms through which NGOs seek to contain this threat.

“It ain't wot you do, it's the way that you do it”

Purpose – This paper seeks to understand the views of employees in a UK company on an employee vounteering (ESV) scheme. It further seeks to advance theory in this area by integrating organisational identity (OI) and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB). The paper moves forward the scholarly work on ESV by interviewing employees who do and do not volunteer within ESV schemes.Design/methodology/approach – A purpose sample of 31 (n = 31) interviewees was drawn from all levels of the studied organisation. The method follows a qualitative approach using NVIVO as the analysis tool. The interview was triangulated using a focus group.Findings – Employees have a range of emotions and responses to a company operating an ESV scheme. The study is particularly interesting in that it studies employees of a gambling organisation that bring in further rich employee views on the scheme. Much of the sparse literature on ESV does not pick up on UK‐based organisations and this study is therefore revealing.Research lim...

Bridging the Gaps in Employee Volunteering: Why the Third Sector Doesn’t Always Win:

Employee Volunteering (EV) schemes represent a cornerstone of many company Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies, being identified as a classic “win-win” situation in which businesses contribute significant resources into local communities while gaining a more skilled and engaged workforce and increased reputational benefits. This article questions the “win-win” scenario of EV arguing that existing research has focused predominantly upon the business–employee dimension while largely ignoring the role of third sector organizations engaging in these relationships. By focusing more directly on third sector experiences, the article identifies four “gaps” which place considerable constraints on the reach and impact of EV. It demonstrates the importance of not simply presuming a “win” for the third sector and the added value that can be gained from redirecting EV research toward the “business/nonprofit interface.”