Corporate Social Responsibility: Johnson & Johnson Creating Community Relations and Value through Open Social Innovation and Partnership across Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can be risky for organizations on many fronts. They are not only resource intensive but they can be perceived by stakeholders as “greenwashing;” meaning the organization works to appear more ethical than they are in practice (Pompper, 2015). This chapter explores the complementary roles that human resources and public relations may play in creating a transparent and authentic CSR program that builds community relations and value for internal and external stakeholders in Sub-Saharan Africa. It proposes a CSR strategy based on the Open Social Innovation (OSI) model and Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) framework; both constructs that call for developing stakeholder partnerships that build capacity and empower communities. This chapter offers a case study of the CSR initiative of health-care provider, Johnson & Johnson, to illustrate how OSI-based CSR (1) contributes significantly to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan African communities, (2) facilitates the creation of synergies between human resources and public relations, ensuring that CSR initiatives are driven by a partnership of internal and external stakeholders; and (3) enables authentic corporate citizenship communication without sacrificing shareholder value.

Citation

Oshin-Martin, M. (2017), "Corporate Social Responsibility: Johnson & Johnson Creating Community Relations and Value through Open Social Innovation and Partnership across Sub-Saharan Africa", Pompper, D. (Ed.) Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Ethical Public Relations (The Changing Context of Managing People), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 167-197. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78714-585-620181007