71 research outputs found
Contemporary discourses around corporate social responsibility and their influence on business and society relations
No full textPrograma de Doctorat en Empresarials / Tesi realitzada conjuntament amb la Universitat de Groningen (Països Baixos)[eng] This thesis is about discourses in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and specifically the discussion around the role of business and their contribution towards social development. These issues have implications for how the outcomes of development and progress are distributed in society and for how firms gain legitimacy. A review of CSR discourses was published in 2008 by Banerjee in the article “Corporate social responsibility: The good, the bad and the ugly”. I believed it was necessary to update his review to consider the new emerging discourses that seek to change the main considerations around the concept of CSR, especially regarding the power relations CSR creates. This updating of CSR discourses is important from a practical point of view, for example, to provide information for multinationals that need to balance international CSR and ethical standards with the local needs of a diverse set of stakeholders spread across the globe.
A categorization of CSR discourses also seems to be necessary so that social movements and local communities can have an overview of the positions of the various stakeholders and their different mental models around the CSR concept. Therefore, the research gap that this thesis aims to address is the lack of a recent overview of the different CSR discourses that clarifies propositions around: What is the main purpose of CSR?; Who should define CSR?; and Who should benefit from the overall action of CSR?. The primary overarching research question of this thesis is: How has CSR discourses of the last decade (2010-2020) changed the understanding of the relationship between business and society? Secondary research questions are: How have the emerging CSR discourses reshaped ideas around business and society?; What should be the main purpose of CSR?; Who should define CSR?; and Who should benefit from CSR actions?. To address these questions, I developed a set of research papers, presented in the form of chapters. Their main findings are summarised below.
Chapter 2: While evidence based-decision making and quantitative evaluation can assist in better understanding whether a CSR program is having positive effects, evaluations can also serve to legitimize the corporate interest and silence diverse and potentially contesting views about the CSR program results and corporate behaviour. Then, I consider whether the interest of corporations to measure their CSR programs and the emergent use of quantitative evaluation methods could represent an increasing power imbalance situation.
Chapter 3: With increasing demands around measuring, mitigating and compensating for climate change challenges, international agencies are creating instruments, such as the Green New Deal and the Circular Economy Plan 2.0. These are creating new market opportunities that seem to be well adapted to the private sector. However, this could also imply an excessive regulatory burden, especially on SMEs, and the need to address technological investments and innovation processes that are necessary but costly. I argue that these new requirements on SMEs are likely to increase the power imbalance between multinationals and SMEs that now need to follow these new regulatory demands.
Chapter 4: Power imbalances can be exacerbated by poor corporate conflict management and thus increasing the dependency of vulnerable communities. In the case of mega-infrastructure projects, improved insights for conflict management theories can come from the research field of political ecology, with its concern about social justice and a fair distribution around the use of and access to natural resources. This could bring light to complexities in the relationships between nature and society, and can inform the business management research field.
Chapter 5: Social movements can achieve positive results in terms of cultural power change, the conflict positioning of people, and even policy change. However, the effects of social movement actions might not be able to change company behaviour. Although societal changes can occur, it is still unknown if companies will adapt and listen to new social demands and views about development preferences and local expressions around how extraction activities should operate, especially in biodiversity-rich areas.
The main conceptual contribution of this thesis is to present an updated framework of CSR discourses and their approaches regarding the relationship between business and society. Although I believe that the understanding of CSR has not fundamentally changed from Banerjee’s (2008) thoughts, meaning that CSR is a legitimation tool, I have identified a range of competing discourses that have gained prominence, and I have considered their propositions around the main purpose of CSR, who should define this, and who should benefit from the CSR actions.
The framework of CSR discourses outlines six key CSR discourses that emerged between 2000 and 2020. (1) A ‘post colonialist discourse’, which understands that CSR seeks to legitimize corporate power and that corporations should define and benefit from the CSR actions. (2) A ‘political ecology discourse’ that posits CSR should aim to respect and avoid actions that could interfere or harm local livelihoods, worldviews, and the culture of local communities. Thus, local communities should define and benefit from the CSR action. (3) A ‘discourse around the policy effects of social movements’, whose main proposition is that policy and institutions are key to rule CSR and business behaviour. For this discourse, social movements and citizens, especially those thinking about development models paths, should define and benefit from CSR. (4) Another discourse is proposing the ‘quantitative measurement of CSR programs’, because this can prove that CSR has positive results for communities and companies. Thus, CSR managers should define what is the CSR action about. (5) The ‘green economy’ discourse, which proposes that the aim of CSR is to transform business models to create carbon neutral companies. Then, multilateral organizations should define the CSR action. (6) And the “environmental, social and governance-ESG- discourse’, which aims to offer low risk investment opportunities, meaning that investors and data vendors should define the content of CSR and that investors should be the main actor receiving benefits from the CSR actions.
While many CSR studies are case studies or address CSR from a specific perspective (Crane et al., 2017; Maillet et al., 2021), this thesis takes a broad approach of CSR, with nuances according to how CSR is understood by the discourses’ proponents. In this research, I aimed to explain CSR from different lenses showing that the different perspectives can imply an understanding that can even be in tension with other discourses. This is the methodological contribution of this thesis, an approach that could serve for future research projects intending to interpret empirical or secondary data. With the results of this thesis, we know now that different stakeholders read CSR information in different ways because their mental models, and the meanings of the issues involved in the CSR actions, are different for each discourse proponent.
In terms of practical implications, the CSR discourse framework can be useful for policy makers while establishing rules and policies for governing business behaviour. Corporate managers at headquarters and those localized throughout the value chain can also benefit from being aware of major critiques on the role of corporations and the negative impact on firm performance and the risk portfolio. By addressing silent and silenced issues and power imbalance, companies can build more resilient relations with their communities of interest. An informed perspective from business executives about the real concerns and meaning of natural resources for local and Indigenous communities seems to be an approach that could drive operational continuity and sustainability. While the presence of mega infrastructure projects creates tensions and creates contradictory outcomes, discussing these tensions and contradictions between companies and communities could lead to a participatory process of determining the measures that could also be implemented.
From the contributions of this thesis, several specific recommendations can be derived:
(1) Impact evaluations of corporate social investment programs should include qualitative as well as quantitative data. The information gained from this qualitative data, if appropriately acted upon, will likely assist in obtaining and maintaining a social license to operate.
(2) Circular business models can create new market opportunities for SMEs while also triggering innovations in relation to sustainable materials and processes. SMEs can advocate to government and multi-lateral government agencies to inform the policymaking process about their main needs, and the market and regulatory obstacles they face.
(3) Senior corporate executives would be more successful in addressing the conflicts with the communities where they operate if they would embrace the local culture, understand the history of the conflict, and consider the underlying roots of the tensions.
(4) Senior corporate executives would be more successful in addressing CSR and conflict if they would understand social movements, including that social movements can change cultural power, transform power imbalances, affect the community positioning towards a mining project, and even influence public policies about issues related to the conflict
Extractivas en transformación por la resistencia territorial en Chile: Giro 3 V (Verdes, Veraces y Valorativas)
No full textExtractivas en transformación por la resistencia territorial en Chile: Giro 3 V (Verdes, Veraces y Valorativas)
No full textEl artículo revisa el fracaso “relativo” de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (RSE) en Chile en un contexto de resistencia territorial, errores de empresas y elementos de transformación socio-política. Se estudian casos de escándalos empresariales y resistencia socio ambiental. Con entrevistas a ejecutivos autocríticos, se propone un esquema de viraje hacia la corresponsabilidad empresarial y la sustentabilidad pactada con los actores territoriales. Se sugiere también un esquema para las industrias extractivas lo que es problemático por su asociación con la evasión tributaria, el daño ambiental, la cooptación de actores y la corrupción. Los esquemas explícitos de mayor sustentabilidad y corresponsabilidad se operacionalizan en el concepto de “Empresas 3 V”: Veraces en su información y pago de impuestos, Verdes en sus procesos productivos y en la vocación de mejorar el medioambiente, y Valoradoras de todos los trabajadores (propios y contratistas) así como generadoras de valor futuro para los territorios donde se insertan.The article refers to the “relative” failure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Chile, a context with territory-based conflicts, corporate scandals and socio political change. Cases on environmental, territorial and social movements against the current business model are studied.Through interviews to self-critical executives, a scheme to switch to company co-responsibility and sustainability agreed with the territory actors is proposed. The sustainability and co responsibility model proposed is called Companies 3V - for the three words in Spanish Veraces (Truthful) Verdes (green) and Valoradoras (Value-enabling). Truthful regarding information and tax payment disclosure, Green referring to the valued chain processes and their vocation to improve the environment; and conscious of the value of their employees (own and subcontracted) as well as of the value they can create for the communities in which they operate.O artigo analisa o fracasso "relativo" da Responsabilidade Social Corporativa (CSR) no Chile num contexto de resistência territoriais, rros empresariais e elementos de transformação sócio-política. Estudam-se casos de escândalos corporativos e resistência sócio-ambiental. A partir de entrevistas com executivos auto-críticos, propõe-se um esquema de mudança para a responsabilidade corporativa e a sustentabilidade pactada com os atores territoriais. Sugere-se também um esquema para as indústrias extractivas o que é problemático por sua associação com a evasão fiscal, o dano ambiental, a cooptação de actores e a corrupção. Os esquemas explícitos de maior sustentabilidade e co-responsabilidade são operacionalizados no conceito de "Empresas 3 V": Informação veraz e pagamento de impostos, Verdes em seus processos de produção e vocação para melhorar o meio ambiente e Valoradoras de todos os trabalhadores (proprios e tercereizados) assim como geradoras de valor futuro para os territórios onde estão inseridas
Trajectories through the intertextual paths of Sumido en Verde Temblor : towards a description of a territorial author’ reading and writing practices
No full textFil: De Campos, Yanina Fátima. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales; Argentina.La intertextualidad se presta al juego creativo de autor como una forma provocativa y seductora del lenguaje literario; al mismo tiempo, se (re)presenta en nuestros recorridos de análisis críticos y refl exivos de la escritura de Rodolfo Nicolás Capaccio. Sumido en verde temblor –mapa y no frontera estable- murmura ecos de otras voces interculturales que nos sugieren describir las prácticas de lectura y escritura de su autor territorial, relacionadas con la tópica de la “Conquista” y el “Descubrimiento” de América. Además, propone una entrada posible a su polifacético proyecto estético y a su particular archivo de escritor en construcción.
En este sentido, mediante el continuo afán de refractar nuestro deseo en diálogo perpetuo con el de los lectores, buscamos recorrer un trayecto de difusión y transferencia que nos permita avanzar en nuestro trabajo como investigadores de la Universidad pública. Con ello, intentamos situar y desplazar en escena la libertad del significante que se despliega en toda nueva lectura y escritura reflexiva y que busca desencadenar un nuevo Texto capaz de de-escribir la práctica de la escritura (Cfr. Barthes, 2002: 106-108).Intertextuality lends itself to the author’s creative play as a provocative and seductive form of literary language; at the same time, it is (re)presented in our tour through the critical and refl ective analysis of Rodolfo Nicolás Capaccio’s writing. Sumido en verde temblor –map, not a steady frontier–, murmurs echoes of other intercultural voices that suggest us to describe its territorial author’ practices of reading and writing, which are related to the topic of the “Conquest” and “Discovery” of America. In addition, it proposes a possible entry to the author´s multifaceted/versatile aesthetic project and to his particular archive of writer under construction. In this sense, through the constant ambition to refract our desire in perpetual dialogue with that of the readers, we seek to follow a path of diff usion/dissemination and transference that allows us to advance in our work as researchers of the public university. With this, we try to situate and move on the scene the signifi er’s freedom that unfolds in every new reading and refl ective writing that seeks to trigger a new Text capable of de writing the practice of writing (Barthes, 2002: 106- 108)
La quotidienneté comme champ d’action et discours d’autorité du socialisme tardif : l’exemple du récit de Grigori Gorine Contribution à la question de Derjavine (K voprosu o Deržavine)
No full textThe article focuses on the clash Soviet everydayness and authoritative discourse in the humorous short story “ K voprosu o Derzhavine ” by Grigorii Gorin , Soviet / Russian writer of the Era of Stagnation . Placing the ‘ sacred ’ figure of Russian classicist poet Gavrila Derzhavin into the sphere of the late Soviet quotidian the author , through the naïve narrator ’ s voice , dilutes the strict line between the ‘ high ’ and the ‘ low ’. Gorin necessitates a dialogue between the seemingly invincible Soviet bureaucratic authority (the director of the plant ) and the representative of the supposed ‘ dictatorship of the proletariat ’ (the worker of the plant ) whose communication is effectively mediated by the professor , the representative of the Soviet intelligentsia . The study suggests that using the elements of skaz and theatricality Gorin depicts Soviet quotidian as arena for debasing moves towards the authoritative discourse on the part of ordinary Soviet citizens , offering a potentiality of the transformative action.Mouton Yanina. La quotidienneté comme champ d’action et discours d’autorité du socialisme tardif : l’exemple du récit de Grigori Gorine Contribution à la question de Derjavine (K voprosu o Deržavine). In: Revue Russe n°51, 2018. Russie, la force des faibles. pp. 113-120
El Estado de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial en América Latina
No full textEl Estado de la RSE 2011 es un estudio cuantitativo que describe las percepciones de consumidores y ejecutivos de empresas sobre el estado de la Responsabilidad Social Empresarial (en adelante, RSE) en América Latina
The possibilities and limitations regarding the use of impact evaluation in corporate social responsibility programs in Latin America
No full textPurpose: Improvement in the evaluation methodologies used in the public policy and development fields has increased the amount of evidence-based information available to decision makers. This helps firms evaluate the impacts of their social investments. However, it is not clear whether the business sector is interested in using these methods. This paper aims to describe the level of interest in, knowledge of and preferences relating to the impact evaluation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs by managers in Latin American companies and foundations. Design/methodology/approach: A survey of 115 companies and foundations in 15 countries in Latin America was conducted in 2019. Findings: The results indicated that most respondents believed that quantitative impact evaluation could address concerns about CSR program outcomes. However, monitoring and evaluation were primarily seen to be for tracking program objectives rather than for making strategic decisions about innovations to enhance the achievement of outcomes. Decision-making tended to respond to community demands. The main challenges to increasing the use of impact evaluation were the lack of skills and knowledge of management staff and the methodological complexity of evaluation designs. We conclude that there needs to be increased awareness about: the appropriate understanding of social outcomes; the benefits of evaluation; when impact evaluation is useful; how to prepare an evaluation budget; and the effective use of rigorous evidence to inform program design. Originality/value: Acceptance by the business sector of quantitative measurement of the social impact of CSR programs will lead to improved outcomes from social investment programs.</p
Enhanced energy deposition efficiency of glow discharge electron beams for metal surface treatment
No full textThe energy deposition efficiency and focal spot dynamics of electron beams produced by pulsed cold-cathode high-voltage glow discharges for metal surface treatment are investigated for two different cathode geometries. A concave cathode geometry in which the focusing is dominated by the convergence of the electric field lines in the cathode fall region is compared with a flat cathode in which the focusing is exclusively caused by the self-generated magnetic field. Results of the treatment of AISI 4140 carbon steel samples show that the concave cathode geometry significantly increases the efficiency, reduces the threshold power necessary for melting, and is less sensitive to variations in the discharge parameters and sample position. The results of numerical modeling indicate that the observed increase in efficiency is caused by the longer persistence of the focal spot on the sample. The model can be used to predict the discharge parameters required for a desired treatment.Fil: Mingolo, Nelida. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Cesa, Yanina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Martínez, Oscar Eduardo. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Etcheverry, Javier Ignacio. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rocca, Jorge J.. State University of Colorado - Fort Collins; Estados Unido
Not informed by the author
No full textA perda progressiva de células dopaminérgicas nos gânglios da base é característica patológica da doença de Parkinson (DP), que resulta na disfunção de respostas automáticas motoras. O estudo se baseia no fato de que as disfunções motoras, de automaticidade e cognitivas compartilham a via córtico-estriatal, onde acontece esta perda dopaminérgica. Estudos dos componentes desta via detectaram ativação do estriato durante o aprendizado implícito. Por outro lado, estudos que mediram o tempo de reação em participantes com DP em diferentes tarefas revelaram correlações entre desempenho motor e aquisição implícita do conhecimento. O objetivo principal do presente trabalho é avaliar o aprendizado implícito de sequências probabilísticas na Doença de ParkinsonThe progressive loss of dopaminergic cells at the basal ganglia is a pathological aspect of Parkinsons Disease (PD) that results in the dysfunction of motor automatic responses. The present study is based on the fact that motor, automatic, and cognitive dysfunctions share the cortical striatum pathway, which suffers from dopaminergic loss. Past studies of this pathway components have shown the striatum activation during implicit learning. Although, studies that measured reaction time in individuals with PD at different tasks revealed correlations between motor performance and implicit knowledge acquisition. Our main goal is to evaluate the implicit learning of probabilistic sequences on Parkinsons Diseas
Social revolution and mining projects:The potential role of cultural power in transforming mining conflict
No full textLatin America has been experiencing numerous mining conflicts, leading to a critical discourse around extractivism and an increase in anti-mining movements seeking social change and to influence policy. Some movements have been successful, others not. Therefore, it is appropriate to consider how resistance to mining could achieve meaningful long-term social change. Despite increasing knowledge about the strategies and political opportunity structures that have helped social movements achieve outcomes, there remains need for better comprehension about how cultural power can be used to enable social change that would lead to reduced power imbalances and inequality. The 2019 social revolution in Chile (often called 18-O after the rally on 18 October 2019) provided an opportunity to analyze social change processes. We investigated, at national and subnational levels, the playing-out of cultural power during the social uprising, specifically in relation to the Dominga mining project. We found that cultural power affected the conflict dynamic and led to significant policy outcomes at the national level (e.g. a process to develop a new constitution and the adoption of the Escazú Agreement) and at the local level (e.g. implementation of a protected area, designation of two new Indigenous communities, and public authorities refusing to grant approval for the Dominga mine). However, the Dominga mining company largely did not change its strategy or behaviour, and arguably hardened its position. This ultimately led to it losing social and political support. We show how cultural power can lead to groundswell transformation with potential to create sustained change.</p
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