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Book part
Publication date: 14 September 2020

Virginia Munro

To determine the new responsibility and new form of CSR required in an evolving ecosystem, this chapter covers the historical evolution of CSR including the various additional…

Abstract

To determine the new responsibility and new form of CSR required in an evolving ecosystem, this chapter covers the historical evolution of CSR including the various additional labels CSR has attracted, and its many surrogate, complementary, and alternative terms and themes. Some parties still view CSR as just a form of Philanthropy; however, current definitions for CSR involve many components, which have adapted over time. The new CSR definition provided by the European Commission in 2011, for example, mirrors some of the changes created by the inclusion of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in 2015. The creation of shared and integrated value and the ongoing development of the social enterprise industry are further developments, alongside the growing trend toward B-Corp registration, the increasing emphasis on ‘business-for-purpose’ and the rise of the ‘be the change’ movement. This chapter discusses this journey and reveals how CSR has followed a cycle of social movements through several industrial revolutions. As we head toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution and usher in the new era for Globalization 4.0, this requires new business models, new labels, and new adaptations of CSR. These concepts are introduced in this chapter and developed further in later chapters.

Details

CSR for Purpose, Shared Value and Deep Transformation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-035-8

Article
Publication date: 29 May 2007

Sarah E.A. Dixon and Anne Clifford

The purpose of this paper is to extend research into social and ecological entrepreneurship. It aims to examine how ecopreneurs can create an economically viable business whilst…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to extend research into social and ecological entrepreneurship. It aims to examine how ecopreneurs can create an economically viable business whilst retaining their core environmental and social values.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory approach within the phenomenological research paradigm. Single case study of Green‐Works triangulating data collection – semi structured interviews, micro‐ethnography and document analysis. Inductive approach.

Findings

A strong link is identified between entrepreneurialism and environmentalism. The entrepreneurial flair of the CEO enables the pursuit of environmental, social and economic goals. The success of the Green‐Works business model stems from the business's symbiotic relationships: firstly with large corporate bodies, which are keen to quantify their CSR efforts; secondly, with the community and social partners, who provide employment and training for disadvantaged people and a route to relatively risk free growth; and thirdly, with government and social institutions, which provide special concessions and support. The strong economic foundations of the model provide sustainability for the environmental and social objectives of the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

Research restricted to one UK case study – a model that has evolved in part through policies and business trends specific to the UK. Further research should compare this business model with other social enterprises within the UK and other countries.

Practical implications

Provides a practical framework for social and green entrepreneurship. Of interest to ecopreneurs and social enterprises seeking economic sustainability; to governments, wishing to promote CSR, environmentalism and social enterprise; and to corporate organisations wishing to demonstrate a quantitative contribution to the environment and society.

Originality/value

Demonstration of natural fit between environmentalism and entrepreneurialism. Presentation of business model offering economic sustainability for environmental and social enterprises.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 March 2020

Karim Moustaghfir, Sara El Fatihi and Mohammed Benouarrek

Building on the little guidance in the existing literature regarding the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm…

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Abstract

Purpose

Building on the little guidance in the existing literature regarding the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance, this study aims to generate theoretical propositions that underpin an integrative framework following a systematic literature review, then to test such a framework within the context of a small and medium enterprise (SME) to demonstrate how employees’ knowledge and competencies are translated into added value while fostering the company’s entrepreneurial capabilities and culture.

Design/methodology/approach

For the purpose of this research, a systematic literature review was adopted to build the propositions underpinning an integrative theoretical framework linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. A single case study approach was then followed to test the propositions of the integrative theoretical framework within the context of an SME, while adopting a triangulation methodology for data collection, including questionnaires, interviews and archival data. Data analysis was conducted following the procedures of a pattern-matching methodology.

Findings

This research confirms the strategic role of HRM practices in fostering the firm’s entrepreneurial orientation and capabilities, while nurturing, enriching and bundling employees’ knowledge, skills and distinctive competencies within the context of a company’s innovation-driven strategy. HRM practices through a strategic alignment with the company’s business strategy, contribute to shaping up organizational attitudes, behaviors and cultural determinants that are, in turn, conducive to better innovativeness, risk propensity and initiative-taking. Theoretical and empirical evidence shows how such corporate entrepreneurialism is then translated into adding value activities, individual and group productivity and overall organizational performance.

Research limitations implications

This research generates meaningful insights on how HRM practices contribute to shaping up corporate entrepreneurship attitudes and transforming them into both individual and organizational results while building on conceptual assumptions and empirical evidence. The authors believe such insights have the potential to lay the foundations of a comprehensive theoretical model that disentangles the complexities and the dynamics of how strategically-oriented HRM interventions could help an organization redirect its employees’ competencies into innovation and entrepreneurial capabilities to generate a competitive advantage in an ever-changing business environment. Future research should emphasize mainly on multiple case study approaches and ethnographic methodologies for the sake of result generalizability and holistic understandings.

Practical implications

This research draws significant conclusions for SMEs to cope with the change and the fierce competitive dynamics affecting current business environments. To consolidate and further develop their strategic positioning, this research suggests that SMEs could leverage distinctive individual and group competencies, through strategically aligned HRM actions and investments, to foster learning and generate entrepreneurially-oriented cultural values and management style conducive to innovation, performance and competitive advantage.

Originality/value

This research offers integrated and holistic views of how HRM practices affect organizational performance while leveraging on learning to create the necessary cultural and managerial conditions for corporate entrepreneurialism. This research builds on both theoretical propositions and empirical evidence to lay the foundations of a comprehensive model linking HRM practices, entrepreneurial orientation and firm performance. From a practical perspective, the research findings suggest new human resource developmental venues while placing much emphasis on the value of creating the innovation-driven managerial culture and fostering entrepreneurially-oriented attitudes to achieve better performance results.

Book part
Publication date: 9 July 2010

Frank Dobbin and Jiwook Jung

Agency theorists diagnosed the economic malaise of the 1970s as the result of executive obsession with corporate stability over profitability. Management swallowed many of the…

Abstract

Agency theorists diagnosed the economic malaise of the 1970s as the result of executive obsession with corporate stability over profitability. Management swallowed many of the pills agency theorists prescribed to increase entrepreneurialism and risk-taking; stock options, dediversification, debt financing, and outsider board members. Management did not swallow the pills prescribed to moderate risk: executive equity holding and independent boards. Thus, in practice, the remedy heightened corporate risk-taking without imposing constraints. Both recessions of the new millennium can be traced directly to these changes in strategy. To date, regulators have proposed nothing to undo the perverse incentives of the new “shareholder value” system.

Details

Markets on Trial: The Economic Sociology of the U.S. Financial Crisis: Part B
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-85724-208-2

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 14 September 2020

Virginia Munro

Abstract

Details

CSR for Purpose, Shared Value and Deep Transformation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-035-8

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2011

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Abstract

Purpose

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

Design/methodology/approach

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Findings

The overall survey results point to management support for corporate entrepreneurialism being related significantly to improving competitiveness. The use of rewards, recognition and opportunities for employees to determine their own activities and pursue their own agenda where appropriate are highly significant factors. Time allocated to idea generation and innovation activities appears to be less marked, however, than in previous studies elsewhere. One limitation to the findings is that it is concerned specifically with one industry; 181 operational managers provided usable responses but with all of them in manufacturing, this limits the way the findings can be generalized to other industries; at the same time, some companies who might have offered a different perspective did not give permission for the research to take place at all.

Practical implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Social implications

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact.

Originality/value

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.

Details

Strategic Direction, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0258-0543

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1998

Ian Clark

This paper provides a case study of a previously unresearched industry, Engineering Process Plant Contracting, it examines how a project management firm responded to heightened…

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Abstract

This paper provides a case study of a previously unresearched industry, Engineering Process Plant Contracting, it examines how a project management firm responded to heightened competitive pressures through a process of entrepreneurial innovation. A key component in this focused on the corporate human resource function as a full business partner in project management and its contribution to the “bottom line”, a clear recognition of its positive strategic significance. The evidence suggests that prevailing competitive conditions determine the nature and direction of HRM’s strategic integration with a firms entrepreneurial goals. Where cost reduction strategies prevail the function is likely to institutionalize entrepreneurial goals determined elsewhere. Where cost containment and the reduction of internal inefficiencies prevail a more positive integration between the function and the firms entrepreneurial goals is necessary.

Details

International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2554

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 2003

Neal E. Thornberry

In good and bad economic times, innovation is a requisite for companies seeking to remain competitive especially in uncertain and turbulent times. Many organizations are…

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Abstract

In good and bad economic times, innovation is a requisite for companies seeking to remain competitive especially in uncertain and turbulent times. Many organizations are increasingly looking to “corporate entrepreneurship” as a way of combating the lethargy and bureaucracy that often accompany size. But can mangers, who are expected to act like entrepreneurs really be trained to do so? The purpose of this study, then, was to determine whether large companies, through management education and action learning projects, could indeed turn mangers into corporate entrepreneurs. Four large organizations, that had embarked on formalized “corporate entrepreneurship” management development programs formed the basis for this field research. Results indicate that many managers can indeed be trained to act like entrepreneurs and that these actions can result in significant new value creation. However, companies who embark on corporate entrepreneurial development programs also need to be aware of the pitfalls and problems that can happen, when newly trained corporate entrepreneurs re‐enter the organization.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 22 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 April 2007

Joshua Abor and Charles K.D. Adjasi

The purpose of this paper is to identify the extent to which the corporate governance framework can be applied to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and discuss these issues

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the extent to which the corporate governance framework can be applied to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and discuss these issues further within the Ghanaian context.

Design/methodology/approach

After considering some of the key issues, the paper shows how relevant these issues are to the SME sector.

Findings

It is clear that corporate governance brings new strategic outlook through external independent directors and enhances firms' corporate entrepreneurship and competitiveness. Again the problems of credit constraint and managerial incompetence in the Ghanaian SME sector could also be overcome with a good corporate governance structure in place.

Research limitations/implications

The discussion mainly focuses on corporate governance within the context of Ghanaian SMEs.

Originality/value

This paper provides conceptual insights on the application of corporate governance among SMEs.

Details

Corporate Governance: The international journal of business in society, vol. 7 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-0701

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 May 2012

Ellen Enkel and Sanjay Goel

Since corporate ventures operate under the organizational conditions of a parent company, this article aims to highlight key conditions influencing the success of a new venture.

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Abstract

Purpose

Since corporate ventures operate under the organizational conditions of a parent company, this article aims to highlight key conditions influencing the success of a new venture.

Design/methodology/approach

Two cases of corporate venturing are analyzed regarding their performance since they are characterized by different conditions within one international consumer‐goods company. Hence, the literature on corporate entrepreneurship is reviewed and combined with a case study to explore the role and drivers of organizational conditions in the inception and development of new corporate ventures.

Findings

The case study reveals two key organizational differences pertaining to corporate new ventures — procedural clarity and procedural discipline. These differences mitigate the variety of risks that corporate entrepreneurs face and smooth or hinder their way to evolve their venture from ideas to business.

Research limitations/implications

As the study includes two venturing cases within the same company in the fast moving consumer goods industry (FMCG), the findings are so far limited to the characteristics of this company type and its sector.

Practical implications

This article supports mid‐level managers to run corporate ventures more successfully by introducing a clear action plan with well defined phases. Individual managers' impact should be limited and linked to a more objective network‐structure.

Originality/value

In contrast to previous literature, this paper highlights the influence of organizational conditions under which corporate ventures are initiated and operated. Additionally, there are further factors identified, the ventures' internal visibility, and the knowledge support by the parent company, which will influence the venture's success or failure.

Details

Journal of Business Strategy, vol. 33 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0275-6668

Keywords

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