Abstract
Public opinion of the roles of companies in society has shifted dramatically in recent decades. Producing high-quality goods and services is no longer enough. Constituents expect corporations to address environmental and social problems linked to whatever they sell and however they conduct business. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to voluntary actions—that is, actions not required by law—that attempt to further some social good, counter some social ill, or address the externalities of their operating in the world. CSR as a corporate function has gone from a nominal commitment to a strategic necessity. But despite all CSR buzz, executives do not always understand its role in global brand building. Imbuing a global brand with positive social associations can be more complicated than simply operating responsibly in the world. Firms must understand the multiple facets of CSR, how to operationalize CSR in the brand’s customer proposition, and how to leverage these associations to influence customer behavior. The chapter addresses these issues.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Kiron, David, et al. (2015), “Joining Forces: Collaboration and Leadership for Sustainability,” MIT Sloan Management Review & Boston Consulting Group.
- 2.
Kiron et al. (2015); Holt, Douglas B., John A. Quelch, and Earl L. Taylor (2004), “How Global Brands Compete,” Harvard Business Review, 82 (September), pp. 68–75.
- 3.
The Economist (2015), “Starbucks in Britain: A Loss-Making Machine,” February 14.
- 4.
Barker, Alex (2014), “Brussels in Crackdown on ‘Double Irish’ Tax Loophole,” Financial Times, October 9; http://www.politicususa.com/2016/01/29/bernie-sanders-terrifies-wall-street-exposing-top-10-corporate-tax-dodgers.html; accessed March 30, 2016.
- 5.
Marriage, Madison (2014), “Aggressive Tax Avoidance Troubles Large Investors,” Financial Times, November 9.
- 6.
Lanis, Roman and Grant Richardson (2012), “Corporate Social Responsibility and Tax Aggressiveness: An Empirical Analysis,” Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 31, pp. 86–108; Davis, Angela et al. (2016), “Do Socially Responsible Firms Pay More Taxes?” The Accounting Review, 91 (1), pp. 47–68
- 7.
https://www.propublica.org/article/the-impact-and-echoes-of-the-wal-mart-discrimination-case; accessed March 17, 2016.
- 8.
Meyer, Pauline (2015), “Google Stakeholders & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),” August 22, Panmore Institute; http://panmore.com/google-stakeholders-corporate-social-responsibility-csr-analysis; accessed August 23, 2016.
- 9.
Banjo, Shelley (2014), “Inside Nike’s Struggle to Balance Cost and Worker Safety in Bangladesh,” Wall Street Journal, April 22, p. A1; Bradshaw, Tim (2014), “Apple in Supply-Chain Purge at Africa Mines,” Financial Times, February 14, p. 17; Mundy, Simon (2014), “Samsung Hit by New Claims of a Supplier Using Child Labour,” Financial Times, July 11, p. 18.
- 10.
Ikea Group Sustainability Report (2015), http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/img/ad_content/2015_IKEA_sustainability_report.pdf; accessed March 18, 2016.
- 11.
The Economist (2013), “Less Guff, More Puff,” May 18; http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/90dbff8a-3aea-11e2-b3f0-00144feabdc0.html#axzz42qKIJsgu; accessed March 18, 2016.
- 12.
The Economist (2014), “A New Green Wave,” August 30, p. 63.
- 13.
http://www.pfizer.com/responsibility/workplace_responsibility/human_rights_statement; accessed 14 March 2016.
- 14.
http://kff.org/health-costs/poll-finding/kaiser-health-tracking-poll-june-2015/; accessed March 4 2016.
- 15.
https://www.paypal.com/stories/us/paypal-withdraws-plan-for-charlotte-expansion; accessed June 11, 2016.
- 16.
- 17.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/making-sense/high-ceo-pay-push-consumers-away/; accessed March 30, 2016.
- 18.
Oakley, David and Kiran Stacey (2016), “BP Faces Revolt over Chief’s 20% Pay Rise,” Financial Times, April 8, p. 14.
- 19.
Gill, Amiram (2008), “Corporate Governance as Social Responsibility: A Research Agenda,” Berkeley Journal of International Law, 26 (2), pp. 452–478.
- 20.
Lindgreen, Adam et al. (2012), “Corporate Social Responsibility Brand Leadership: A Multiple Case Study,” European Journal of Marketing, 46 (7/8), pp. 965–993.
- 21.
Du, Shuili, C.B. Bhattacharya, and Sankar Sen (2007), “Reaping Relational Rewards from Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Competitive Positioning,” International Journal of Research in Marketing, 24 (3), pp. 224–241.
- 22.
Nielsen (2015), “The Sustainability Imperative,” October.
- 23.
Du, Shuili, C.B. Bhattacharya, and Sankar Sen (2010), “Maximizing Business Returns to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): The Role of CSR Communication,” International Journal of Management Reviews, 12 (1), pp. 8–19.
- 24.
Items used in this tool are adapted from Du et al. (2007).
- 25.
Du et al. (2007).
- 26.
Luo, Xueming and C.B. Bhattacharya (2006), “Corporate Social Responsibility, Customer Satisfaction, and Market Value,” Journal of Marketing, 70 (October), pp. 1–18; Luo, Xueming and C.B. Bhattacharya (2009), “The Debate over Doing Good: Corporate Social Performance, Strategic Marketing Levers, and Firm-Idiosyncratic Risk,” Journal of Marketing, 73 (November), pp. 198–213.
- 27.
Janssen, Catherine, Sankar Sen, and C.B. Bhattacharya (2015), “Corporate Crises in the Age of Corporate Social Responsibility,” Business Horizons, 58, pp. 183–192; Sun, Wenbin and Kexiu Cui (2014), “Linking Corporate Social Responsibility to Firm Default Risk,” European Management Journal, 32, pp. 275–287.
- 28.
For examples, see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fH834IFpGTQ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNS2nvkjARk; accessed September 27, 2016.
- 29.
The Economist (2014).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Steenkamp, JB. (2017). Corporate Social Responsibility. In: Global Brand Strategy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94994-6_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-94994-6_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-94993-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-94994-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)