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1 – 10 of 209Chaudhry Ghafran and Sofia Yasmin
Developing economies often lack sufficient state regulation to encourage corporations to engage with environmental sustainability challenges. Environmental NGOs fill this vacuum…
Abstract
Purpose
Developing economies often lack sufficient state regulation to encourage corporations to engage with environmental sustainability challenges. Environmental NGOs fill this vacuum but this relationship is fraught with challenges, linked to each party’s competing interests. This paper examines how an environmental NGO operating in a developing country manages such challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
A longitudinal case study, from 2017–2022, based on semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis, with the main periods of field work in 2017 and 2020.
Findings
We unravel nuanced dynamics of accountability within an NGOs collaborative ecosystem. Our findings reveal a web of interlinked obligations and expectations, strategically adopted to reconcile environmental and CSR logics fostering trustworthy partnerships with firms. Despite aiming for transformative change, the NGO made gradual initiatives, to meet the challenges of fostering systemic change in developing nations. Institutional logics of professionalism and development allowed NGO members avoid mission drift and realign upward accountability relations into lateral ones.
Originality/value
The study provides insight into successful NGO-corporate partnerships and illustrates how accountability is negotiated, upheld, and reconceptualized in such collaborations.
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N. Nurmala, Jelle de Vries and Sander de Leeuw
This study aims to help understand individual donors’ preferences over different designs of humanitarian–business partnerships in managing humanitarian operations and to help…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to help understand individual donors’ preferences over different designs of humanitarian–business partnerships in managing humanitarian operations and to help understand if donors’ preferences align with their actual donation behavior.
Design/methodology/approach
Choice-based conjoint analysis was used to understand donation preferences for partnership designs, and a donation experiment was performed using real money to understand the alignment of donors’ preferences with actual donation behavior.
Findings
The results show that partnering with the business sector can be a valuable asset for humanitarian organizations in attracting individual donors if these partnerships are managed well in terms of partnership strategy, partnership history and partnership report and disclosure. In particular, the study finds that the donation of services and products from businesses corporations to humanitarian organizations are preferable to individual donors, rather than cash. Furthermore, donors’ preferences are not necessarily aligned with actual donation behavior.
Practical implications
The results highlight the importance of presenting objective data on projects to individual donors. The results also show that donors value the provision of services and products by business corporations to humanitarian operations.
Originality/value
Partnerships between humanitarian organizations and business corporations are important for the success of humanitarian operations. However, little is known about which partnership designs are most preferable to individual donors and have the biggest chance of being supported financially.
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Rodoula H. Tsiotsou, Sertan Kabadayi, Jennifer Leigh, Julia Bayuk and Brent J. Horton
This paper seeks to deepen and improve our understanding of business ethics in services by developing a typology that reconciles and integrates disparate and often conflicting…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to deepen and improve our understanding of business ethics in services by developing a typology that reconciles and integrates disparate and often conflicting ideas and viewpoints while providing practical guidance for ethical decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines current theoretical approaches in ethics to provide an understanding of the ethical theories, how they have been applied and how they have evolved in businesses and marketing. It discusses conceptual issues related to ethical dilemmas and the available typologies.
Findings
Based on the axioms of the Triple-A Framework for Ethical Service Research, the Typology of Ethical Dilemmas in Services (TEDS) is proposed. The typology identifies three types of dilemmas based on four dimensions considering all service interactions guided by normative ethics (virtue, deontological and consequentialism).
Practical implications
The proposed DILEMMAS process illustrates the practical application of TEDS.
Originality/value
This paper extends the ethics and services literature by offering a novel theoretical and practical approach to addressing ethical dilemmas. TEDS is authentic, advances our knowledge and applies to all service organizations that aim to manage ethical dilemmas effectively.
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Diana Nandagire Ntamu, Waswa Balunywa, Isa Nsereko and Godwin Kwemarira
Social entrepreneurs engage in collective action to adapt and solve social problems in complex environments. Through collective action, they mobilise and access resources to…
Abstract
Purpose
Social entrepreneurs engage in collective action to adapt and solve social problems in complex environments. Through collective action, they mobilise and access resources to create positive social change in local communities. While previous studies explain the role of social identity in promoting cooperation, this paper aims to examine shared meaning as a predictor of collective action in social entrepreneurial ventures (SEVs). This study was conducted among founders of SEVs focusing on their engagement in collective action.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted a cross-sectional survey to achieve its objectives. The population comprised 558 SEVs registered with the Kampala Capital City Authority in Uganda. A sample size of 226 social ventures was determined using Krecjie and Morgan and participants were selected using the simple random sampling technique. The questionnaires were distributed by two research assistants, and 210 completed questionnaires were returned. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse survey data and test the study hypotheses.
Findings
The study findings show that shared meaning in the form of teamwork and group efficacy predict collective action in SEVs.
Research limitations/implications
The results have implications for social entrepreneurship researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Firstly, creating social ties by belonging to different groups in the community creates common understanding among social entrepreneurs and other actors fostering cooperation to solve problems in the local community. Secondly, understanding each other’s perspective well enough facilitates a shared view of social problems for combined action.
Practical implications
SEVs should provide relevant information using the right channels in local communities to promote collaboration. Failure to use the right communication channels may prevent collective action. Managers in social ventures should allow for open information sharing between themselves and the partners that they work with to address social problems. This enables them to share both the good and bad feedback. It also enables the growth of teams and improves how they work. The teams should be developed with specific responsibilities so that everyone is clear on what they should do while addressing social problems.
Originality/value
The researchers argue that shared meaning develops when social entrepreneurs interact with the local community and other stakeholders prompting joint action to address social problems. This study extends knowledge on collective action using the activity domain theory.
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This study explores the role of institutional pressures and top management support in digital corporate social responsibility (CSR) adoption. It also investigates the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the role of institutional pressures and top management support in digital corporate social responsibility (CSR) adoption. It also investigates the impact of digital CSR on social trust and corporate sustainability.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 279 managers of Jordanian companies. Smart PLS was utilized to analyze the research model and test hypotheses.
Findings
The results reveal that coercive pressures, normative pressures, memetic pressures and top management support significantly impact digital CSR adoption. The results also show that digital CSR significantly impacts social trust and corporate sustainability.
Originality/value
This study provides worthwhile insights into the literature on drivers of digital CSR, social trust and corporate sustainability in unprecedented crises. This study enriches the literature on the relationship between institutional theory and innovative IT solutions adoption theories. The review of prior research confirms an absence of empirical examinations of the causal relations among institutional forces, digital CSR, social trust and corporate sustainability.
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Guangming Xiang, Zheng He, Tianli Feng and Zhenzhen Feng
This paper aims to explore how firms enter or exit B Corp certification faced with the tension between local and B Corp institutions, providing a better understanding of the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how firms enter or exit B Corp certification faced with the tension between local and B Corp institutions, providing a better understanding of the unique impact of institutional complexity on B Corps' decision-making.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies multi-case analysis to 20 Chinese firms in various stages of B Corp certification, including eight certified B Corps, six decertified firms and six candidates. The qualitative data was used to code separately for two research questions.
Findings
The study findings reveal that: (1) Participants who can obtain expected social and economic benefits by innovating their operational mode to efficiently deal with this tension attempt to continuously pursue B Corp certification. A self-renewal model was developed to show how firms hybridize the two institutional logics; (2) Participants who find it hard to mitigate this tension tend to compromise with the local institution and conform less with the B Corp institution due to high opportunity and accounting costs, low short-term benefits and collective culture.
Originality/value
By highlighting the different responses of firms to institutional complexity, this study contributes to B Corp research, social identity theory and institutional complexity, providing practical implications for B Lab strategies in China.
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At the beginning of the 21st century, multiple and diverse social entities, including the public (consumers), private and nonprofit healthcare institutions, government (public…
Abstract
At the beginning of the 21st century, multiple and diverse social entities, including the public (consumers), private and nonprofit healthcare institutions, government (public health) and other industry sectors, began to recognize the limitations of the current fragmented healthcare system paradigm. Primary stakeholders, including employers, insurance companies, and healthcare professional organizations, also voiced dissatisfaction with unacceptable health outcomes and rising costs. Grand challenges and wicked problems threatened the viability of the health sector. American health systems responded with innovations and advances in healthcare delivery frameworks that encouraged shifts from intra- and inter-sector arrangements to multi-sector, lasting relationships that emphasized patient centrality along with long-term commitments to sustainability and accountability. This pathway, leading to a population health approach, also generated the need for transformative business models. The coproduction of health framework, with its emphasis on cross-sector alignments, nontraditional partner relationships, sustainable missions, and accountability capable of yielding return on investments, has emerged as a unique strategy for facing disruptive threats and challenges from nonhealth sector corporations. This chapter presents a coproduction of health framework, goals and criteria, examples of boundary spanning network alliance models, and operational (integrator, convener, aggregator) strategies. A comparison of important organizational science theories, including institutional theory, network/network analysis theory, and resource dependency theory, provides suggestions for future research directions necessary to validate the utility of the coproduction of health framework as a precursor for paradigm change.
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Rachel D. Williams and Lydia P. Ogden
This reflective chapter examines recent trends in social work–public library partnerships. The chapter begins by framing interprofessional collaboration between social work and…
Abstract
This reflective chapter examines recent trends in social work–public library partnerships. The chapter begins by framing interprofessional collaboration between social work and public libraries as a vehicle for the collective impact that can create lasting and sustainable change in communities. Next in the chapter is an overview of the current state of public libraries’ capacity to support individuals in crisis through community partnerships. Next is a description on how interprofessional collaboration can support public libraries in general and the importance of collaboration with social work more specifically. A presentation of the existing models of public library–social work partnerships and their impact on the role of public libraries in their communities follows, with a discussion of the services provided by public libraries, and how partnerships might change the nature of social work practice. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of the barriers and challenges to these partnerships with an eye toward the future of such partnerships and developing their capacity to enhance the health and wellbeing of their patrons, and the safety and resilience of their cities and communities.
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Ali Asghar Sadabadi, Zohreh Rahimi Rad and Azam Mirzamani
This study first aims to survey the state of user innovation in Iran and then identified barriers and incentives for user innovation in Iran.
Abstract
Purpose
This study first aims to survey the state of user innovation in Iran and then identified barriers and incentives for user innovation in Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, a questionnaire (through 1,360 adults from Iran) prepared by De Jong (2016) was used to survey user innovation.
Findings
The results showed: the percentage of user innovators is high in Iran, there is no linear relationship between the income of a country and the percentage of the user innovators, there is a positive relationship between the education level and the percentage of user innovators in Iran, there is no linear relationship between the number of people educated in the scientific and technical fields and the percentage of user innovators. Finally, based on surveying users opinion in questionnaire, four incentives and five barriers in user innovation were identified that can help policymakers to improve their innovation policies.
Originality/value
Literature review in this field showed it was found that in a number of developed countries, the issue of user innovation has been addressed, but in Iran as a developing country, no such research has been conducted so far. In addition, it was found that so far, no comprehensive research has identified barriers and incentives for user innovation, so this study, first surveyed the state of user innovation in Iran and then identified barriers and incentives for user innovation in Iran.
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The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the coopetition strategy (CS) (the simultaneous pursuit of collaboration and competition) on sustainable performance (SP…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the coopetition strategy (CS) (the simultaneous pursuit of collaboration and competition) on sustainable performance (SP) through the serial mediation of knowledge sharing (KS) and open innovation (OI).
Design/methodology/approach
A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from corporate business enterprises, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for analysis.
Findings
Empirical evidence supports the coopetition strategy's role in enhancing KS, which in turn fosters OI, leading to improved SP. It has also been concluded that KS and OI have a significant serial mediation effect on the relationship between CS and SP.
Practical implications
Through the integration of KS and inward-outward open innovation, the coopetition model enables coopetitors leverage each other’s resources and capacities for mutual sustainability. To fully benefit from it, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must change their perception of free competition and actively engage in coopetition activities, particularly in the realms of knowledge and OI.
Originality/value
The most novel contribution of this study to the growing body of knowledge on SP is the establishment of empirical evidence regarding the crucial role of a serial mediation of KS and OI in the relationship between CS and SP. Unlike earlier research, this study provides a structured perspective and understanding of how and why CS, KS and OI were leveraged to enhance the SP of SMEs.
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