Petra Bouvain

Corporate social responsibility in financial services: A comparison of Chinese and East Asian banks vis‐à‐vis American banks

Purpose – This study compares the associations between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and brand value in the financial services industry in East Asia and the USA.Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 84 major banks in East Asia (China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan) and the USA is used to test the links between CSR and brand value using ANOVA and multiple regressions.Findings – Brand value is positively related to CSR for the entire sample, but is associated with distinctively different CSR factors depending on the geographic markets. In Japan and South Korea brand value is associated with a banks appreciation for its employees, while in China, brand value is linked to a focus on the community. East Asias culture is rooted in Confucianism, a philosophy that emphasises caring for the “greater good” (i.e. for the community) and for ones subordinates. In contrast, Americans are more concerned with “green” issues, and subsequently caring for the environment is associated with brand va...

A Comparison of Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in the United States, Germany and Australia

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting is not mandatory in most countries, but has been adopted by many large companies from around the world. The terms corporate social responsibility, global citizenship and sustainability can now be found in the corporate reports and websites of large and small corporations from around the world. However, considerable variation exists among firms worldwide. While some companies (e.g. Henkel, BHP, Johnson and Johnson) have a long-standing tradition in reporting information and have created separate internet sites to show all facets of their corporate responsibility and sustainability, other companies provide only limited information, in many cases related to corporate giving and sponsorship, or in some cases no information at all.

Word-of-Mouth Amplified – An Exploration of Hotel Customer Feedback Websites

The tourism industry has been one of the industries that have been active in online promotion since the start of the Internet. Most hotels now have a website that promotes their property and provides information about the amenities that are offered, in most cases augmented by the display of photos, downloadable brochures and videos. Most offer customers also the possibility to book online and to communicate via e-mail. Customers have relied on the information provided by hotels and some reviews by third parties such as travel guidebooks.

Adoption of the Global Reporting Initiative by FT500 firms: Overcoming the Liability of Foreignness

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the most widely accepted global framework for voluntary corporate reporting of environmental and social performance and has been adopted by thousands of businesses across 72 countries (GRI, 2013). It is considered the ‘leading template for voluntary sustainability reporting’ (Brown et al., 2009) and the ‘most relevant institution in the sustainability context’ (Moneva et al., 2006). However GRI reporting has fallen far short of attaining a status equivalent to financial reporting standards, which are mandatory in most countries. Sustainability reporting standards such as the GRI have not yet achieved the same status and are only mandatory in a few countries. Despite its name, implementation of the GRI has been highly uneven geographically. Indeed, in some countries such as the USA and the UK, an analysis of companies in the GRI database (http://database.globalreporting.org/) shows that the uptake and diffusion of the GRI to new organizations appears to be slowing down (Levy et al., 2010).