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International assignments rely on interactions between host country nationals (HCNs) and an international assignee (IA). These interactions are significantly determined by the reputation that the IA holds among HCNs. However, reputation has only scarcely been addressed in extant mobility research, and there is a lack of understanding about how the reputation of an IA shifts among HCNs during the course of an assignment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the development of an individual's reputation as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in the context of international assignments.

This is a conceptual paper that builds upon the central idea in extant research of individual reputation as a social construction and draws on sensemaking theory to develop its conceptual model.

As extant research argues for both a temporal and dynamic dimension of reputation, the authors introduce time and reputational richness as central model elements. Furthermore, the conceptual model proposes reputational events as the principal triggers for reputational shifts. Reputational events reveal quantitatively and qualitatively new informational cues about the IA to HCNs, who then use these cues to incrementally construct the IA's reputation in sensemaking processes. In addition, contextual factors of reputational shifts, namely accelerators and amplifiers, are discussed. The authors argue that these contextual factors may affect both the timing and the strength of reputational shifts.

The study introduces a novel conceptual model and contributes to the understanding of individual reputation development as well as the interactions between an IA and HCNs in international assignments.

The purpose of this chapter is to review the accumulated research on a strategically important intangible asset – organizational reputation – and articulate promising research pathways forward. To do so, I first provide definitional clarity by comparing reputation to the related constructs of status, celebrity, legitimacy, and social approval and highlight the codifiable, cumulative, and beneficial nature of reputation. I then discuss three developments in reputation literature: (1) conceptualizing reputation as a multidimensional, rather than generalized, construct; (2) theorizing about reputational malleability rather than its path dependence; and (3) focusing on the costs of a high reputation in addition to its benefits. Based on these developments and the increasing role of social media in affecting and reflecting stakeholder perceptions, I discuss three pathways for future reputation research. Specifically, I focus on the decrease in credibility of powerful intermediaries and increase in stakeholder empowerment, conceptualization of reputation as a flow rather than a stock, and the role of strategic reticence. My hope is that this chapter will stimulate conceptual and empirical work on the role of reputation in the complex and dynamic era of social media.

If major corporations struggle to define and place a value on reputation and reputational risk, what hope is there for small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)? It is assumed here that large corporations have greater resources available to them to do this and stronger imperatives to do so in the form of a greater number of external stakeholders, most notably shareholders and analysts. Is a structured approach to managing corporate reputation the exclusive preserve of companies with communications departments? Is corporate social responsibility (CSR), in as much as it is a voluntary activity, “good value” for SMEs and is cost versus benefit the only way to evaluate CSR? This paper reviews a spectrum of views on reputation and CSR and argues that searching for a definitive, value‐for‐money‐based formula for reputation management and CSR is at odds with stakeholder expectations, and that much evidence exists to suggest that truly effective CSR is the result more of pragmatism than theory or corporate strategy and in some ways SMEs are better placed to take advantage of CSR programmes.

Despite a surge in public and academic interest in the social sustainability conduct of firms, only few firms have taken responsibility for the social issues in their supply chains. This study seeks to extend our theoretical understanding of why some firms grow toward accepting this type of responsibility while others do not.

The authors conduct a systematic literature review for the purpose of theory building. Building on Gao and Bansal's distinction of instrumental and integrative views on business sustainability (2013, DOI 10.1007/s10551-012-1245-2) as well as corporate social responsibility development research, the authors review socially sustainable supply chain management (social SSCM) literature to theorize the interplay of driving factors that underly firms' choice to refrain from, start or deepen their engagement in social SSCM.

The authors propose an overview of the presumed mechanisms underlying the development of a reluctant, a purely instrumental or an integrative view on social SSCM. Among other things, the authors propose that it seems highly unlikely for conventional, profit-oriented firms to develop beyond an instrumental view on social SSCM.

This study conceptually extends current research on social SSCM by offering insights on how firms are driven to engage in it. This study offers first thoughts that should help managers and other stakeholders better understand the social SSCM potential of firms and how to realize this potential effectively.

This paper aims to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial performance (CFP) from a shared value perspective. Adopting reputation as a multilevel form of value that mediates the CSR–CFP relationship, the paper explains how CSR initiatives may enhance both firm and country reputation and how the amount of shared value between the two leads to CFP.

The paper first establishes the theoretical foundation for the relationship between CSR and CFP. It then draws connections to a more recent stream of literature surrounding the concept of creating shared value to expand upon this relationship, adopting reputation as a multilevel form of shared value that mediates the CSR–CFP relationship. The paper further discusses moderating influences of this relationship that may vary contextually with emerging economies such as those in Latin America.

The paper argues that as markets become further developed, CSR initiatives will create a higher proportion of shared reputational value between a corporation and country. This is the result of from aligning CSR initiatives that benefit a society, with the strategic goals of the firm – the essence of creating of shared value – but is more difficult in emerging markets, especially volatile ones.

This paper offers insight into a complex relationship between CSR, shared reputational value and CFP by introducing the more recent concept of creating shared value. Several propositions related to this general relationship, and some related to the difference among emerging markets (such as those in Latin America), address the need for more research related to corporate and country reputation, creating shared value and in the emerging market context.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility and utility of developing an independently defined and accredited benchmark standard for responsible food marketing. To identify provisional evidence and insights on factors likely to be critical to its successful development and its capacity to strengthen the effectiveness of responsible food marketing policy.

Desk-based cross-policy domain case study.

There is promising evidence that the development and deployment of an evidence-based, independently defined and verified responsible food marketing standard is feasible. Provisional findings on factors critical to the development of an effective standard and strategically significant evidence gaps are presented as insights in support of future food marketing policy and research planning.

Further investigation of these preliminary findings is required.

The study has provisionally identified an innovative intervention with the potential to strengthen statutory, voluntary and internationally coordinated food marketing control policy approaches.

This is the first report of research into the potential for an independent benchmark standard to advance and strengthen responsible food marketing policy goals.

This paper aims to indicate a shift in focus from legacy to the leveraging of event impacts, and previous papers have indicated a growing awareness of the brand-related legacies associated with sport mega-events for a host nation. However, none have explored this in relation to the strategic activities of nation brand stakeholders.

The case of South Africa and the 2010 FIFA World Cup was selected, as this host nation clearly stated its aim of using the sport mega-event to develop its brand. A qualitative study explored the insights of selected, definitive nation brand stakeholders and experts, elicited using in-depth, semi-structured interviews (n = 27) that took place two to three years post the event.

A thematic analysis clustered the leveraging imperatives into seven key strategic focus areas, namely, the media, local citizens, stakeholder partnerships, the tourism experience, design, sustainable development and urban transformation and event hosting.

This paper is not an audit of leveraging activities nor does it assess the costs of leveraging. The focus on a specific case has allowed for an in-depth analysis, although, for greater transferability of these findings, it is recommended that further comparative studies be conducted, especially in emerging nation contexts.

The paper identifies key strategic focus areas as well as examples of practical activities for leveraging mega-events to gain and sustain nation brand benefits. In particular, stakeholders are urged to plan and budget for leveraging before, during and especially post an event.

In light of the critique of mega-events linked to their social impacts and costs, this paper recommends leveraging focus areas, and especially the mobilisation of citizen support, that can assist the realisation of positive social outcomes.

The paper adds to the emerging discourse of nation branding, highlighting opportunities derived through sport mega-events and assisting brand stakeholders to leverage such opportunities more effectively.

This paper aims to understand how emerging economy firms can use the growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability as an opportunity to drive corporate social innovations (CSIs) so as to create shared value and gain competitive advantage.

The paper applies a case study design. Building on in-depth interviews with company officials, document analysis and secondary sources, the paper presents a model of CSIs.

The case study presents evidence of how Agarwal Packers and Movers Limited – an Indian family managed business firm operating in the fragmented, unorganized and highly competitive household relocation segment of the Indian logistics industry – used socio-environmental sustainability challenges to drive CSIs. These innovations helped it to differentiate itself from competitors and gain competitive advantage, while creating shared value simultaneously.

Indian firms have been lagging behind on both sustainability/CSR and innovations. Driven by domestic regulatory requirements, as also the need to compete in a globalizing economy, emerging economy firms may strategize to integrate their sustainability agenda with innovations to influence both organizational and societal outcomes.

Firm innovations, even in advanced countries, have been driven by market triggers, with ideas internal to the firm. The paper contributes to the limited research on innovations in emerging economy firms and shows how they may “leapfrog” their growth pathways by systematically integrating their sustainability agenda with innovation activities.