Wayne Fallon

Giving with one hand: On the mining sector's treatment of indigenous stakeholders in the name of CSR

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the political dimensions in the relationships between mining companies and their aboriginal stakeholders in Australia. Practical applications of stakeholder approaches to corporate social responsibility (CSR) can overlook indigenous people at the local level of those who are most affected by mining.Design/methodology/approach – Informed by critical discourse analysis, the paper reports on a critical web‐based study that synthesises disparate community and business perspectives to explore the representations of CSR relationships between mining companies and aboriginal stakeholders.Findings – Through their rhetorical manipulation of the CSR discourse, mining companies construct a homogeneous representation of aboriginal peoples, for strategic purposes. Companies maintain a public image as good corporate citizens, while using the rhetoric to divert their CSR activities to less problematic indigenous groups, thus ignoring the claims of stakeholders w...

Using hypertext ethnography to understand corporate‐stakeholder relations in CSR

Purpose – Within the context of a broader project that analysed CSR practices, this paper seeks to explain a methodological approach to web-based research that the authors call “hypertext ethnography”. This approach aims to enable the paper to focus on the relations between three publicly listed corporations in Australia and the recipients of a selection of their CSR programs. Design/methodology/approach – Informed by ethnographic principles, hypertext ethnography provided the research protocols and analytical frame that were used to deconstruct the meanings in web texts that represented the connections between the corporations and their CSR stakeholders. Findings – The corporations and the stakeholders articulated their perspectives on CSR in affirmative ways, apparently to maintain their positive benefactor-recipient relations. While these discourses held the potential to mask more complex tensions in their relationships, the web was found to provide a rich hypertextual story that had a vastly broader scope than the self-contained corporate and stakeholder agendas. Research limitations/implications – The research approach presented here provides a useful first approximation to the study of CSR, through self representations, and offers a rigorous critical understanding of the practice of CSR. The approach can achieve much with only limited resources, but it could be developed through on-site ethnographic research. Practical implications – Because image-conscious corporations are often reluctant to participate in CSR research, the unobtrusive approach of hypertext ethnography can provide access to important data for the researcher. This is especially significant in the case of critical research, and when the characteristics of the CSR contributions or stakeholder relations are to be investigated. Originality/value – This paper offers a new way for approaching the study of CSR, by taking advantage of rich sources of data that are publicly available. Treating the web texts as primary data and critically analysing them following rigorous research protocols, enable new opportunities for understanding the public representations of CSR.

Leadership in Vietnamese state owned enterprises (SOEs)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore multiple stakeholders’ perceptions of leadership in Vietnamese state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents findings from semi-structured interviews that were conducted in Vietnam, with seven different stakeholders who had varying understandings of Vietnamese business leadership within the Vietnamese business context. All interviews were transcribed, then translated into English, and thematic analysis of the interview data undertaken. Findings – The paper suggests that there was a significant variation in Vietnamese leadership perceptions when compared to Western leadership practices, especially when considering the perceptions of those stakeholders with regard to business leadership in the Vietnamese collectivist cultural context. The themes presented include: SOE decision making and responsibility; SOE promotions and appointments; and SOE performance. Research limitations/implications – In the absence of studies of leadership in Vietnamese SOEs, and leadership studies in the Vietnamese culture in general, this research was deliberately exploratory and qualitative. Future mixed methods or quantitative studies are recommended to offer more generalizable conclusions. Practical implications – Implications are discussed that point to leadership changes in Vietnamese organizations, and at the individual level, to assist the Vietnamese government, SOEs, and future leaders. Recommendations are also made that are intended to assist foreign business investors and multinational companies operating in Vietnam, now and in the future, to improve their leadership capacity within this context. Social implications – Vietnam is a country in social and economic transition. Understanding the leadership practices and perceptions, especially how that might differ from leadership in Western nations, is critical for the success of organizations in Vietnam and, in turn, for the economic and social prosperity of the Vietnamese people. Originality/value – The paper contributes perceptions of business leadership in Vietnamese SOEs that have not previously been explored and should be, especially given this critical time of economic and social transition for the Vietnamese nation and economy.

Towards a Hybrid Approach to the Governance of Islamic Schools in NSW

This chapter proposes an approach that draws on a hybrid model of governance. The text outlines an empirical study of the governance and management practices in Islamic schools in New South Wales, Australia. The Islamic worldview was used to guide this research, and governance theories form the theoretical framework. Findings suggest that the issues of compliance, accountability and transparency with schools’ registration and stakeholder needs are influenced by confusion between a stewardship model of governance and directors’ sense of ownership of the institutions. The study proposes a hybrid approach to the governance of these schools, by adopting a combination of stewardship theoretical attributes and the Islamic worldview.

Leadership in the Transition from a Socialist to a Market Economy: Multi-Stakeholder Perceptions of Business Leadership in Vietnam

Vietnam is a socialist country with a collectivist culture, transitioning toward a market-oriented economy. It can now be understood to represent a type of market-oriented socialism (Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee, 2001; Nguyen, 2005; Harm, 2013). The applicability of Western leadership theories to collectivist cultures has been a neglected area of leadership research as have investigations of stakeholders’ perceptions of leadership, especially in a transitioning economy such as Vietnam’s. In this exploratory, qualitative study, stakeholders from three different types of business enterprise in Vietnam were asked about their perceptions of leadership. Evidence of Western leadership trait and style theories from the 1950s and 1960s were perceived in business leaders in Vietnam. Also reported was a Vietnam-specific, family leadership approach, perhaps resulting from the collectivist culture still dominating Vietnam. The need for Western companies to better understand Vietnamese business hosts, peers, and stakeholders’ perceptions of leadership, especially when doing business in a cross-cultural context, is highlighted. Leadership in Vietnam is a complex and multifaceted cultural phenomenon and should be investigated further.