1,721,008 research outputs found
Global challenges of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development: an introduction.
Full text linkOver recent years, the concepts, and associated practices, of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development have been subject to considerable challenges. These challenges range from basic questions concerning their purpose and organizational intent through to relevance to contemporary issues and suitability for both local and global applications. We can perhaps condense these challenges, into the questions—are corporate social responsibility and sustainable development meeting expectations, if not why not and what needs to change in order for their conceptual promises to be realized? These are questions that were formulated during the editing and as such were not set for the book contributors. Nevertheless, each author has in their own way explored these questions and in the process have provided us with some fascinating insights both into challenges and potential solutions
Paying the price for corporate social responsibility: social costs and dividends of oil and gas company approaches in Nigeria.
Full text linkCorporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown in prominence over recent years. And rising levels of interest have been accompanied by contests within academic and business circles over the purpose and suitability of businesses having social responsibilities. The spectrum of opinion ranges from the view that CSR is an unnecessary and inappropriate cost for businesses to an integral and essential way for organisations to operate in order to secure sustainable futures. This debate has been well documented and it is not intended to review here. Although trans-national corporations' (TNCs) intentions are disputed, it is apparent that many organisations are spending considerable amounts of money under the remit of CSR. Financially, TNCs are paying the price for their policies. Again the extent to which this is investment to be subsequently recovered through accompanying business opportunities is not under discussion here. Instead, the author is interested in the social consequences of CSR and the implications for Southern hemisphere societies and communities. The particular focus in this paper is upon oil and gas TNC approaches within Nigeria. By looking at the social costs in the Niger Delta region in particular we can begin to identify why investments in CSR policies have failed to reap community dividends
Corporate social responsibility and development in South Africa: socio-economic contexts and contemporary issues.
Full text linkThis chapter will discuss historical contexts and contemporary issues in Corporate Social Responsibility in South Africa. Here, the private sector has been forced to adopt socially responsible policies that are more advanced than those in many of the richer economies; spending in Corporate Social Investment (CSI) far exceeds that of wealthier countries. This is due to the adoption of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) legislation, the set of affirmative action policies adopted by the post-apartheid government to give historically disadvantaged groups economic opportunity. Relationships between business and society in South Africa are thus significantly shaped by the country's divided history of colonialism and apartheid, as well as by its present developmental challenges. Indeed, given that big business was one of the main beneficiaries of the Apartheid regime, it was ironically apartheid and the social unrest that it brought about that first stimulated corporate social responsibility practices in the country. Today, any South African company's performance is rated on a number of BEE scorecards, with companies collecting points for Corporate Social Responsibility. Although corporate involvement in development is usually portrayed as diametrically opposed to the state's involvement, the South Africa government has a very active role in defining and motivating CSR. At the same time, CSR funding is becoming ever more vital for the non-profit sector, with NGOs receiving an average of 20 % of their income from corporations. Moreover, CSI spending in 2012 by the top 200 South African companies alone amounted to a total of R7 billion, of which over a third was channelled through non-profit organisations. These complex intersectoral relationships under the banner of CSR have led to a maturing and professionalisation of companies' CSR strategies and practices in recent years, which this chapter will outline with reference to recent scholarship and to original research by the author
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
CSR, Local Content and Taking Control: Do Shifts in Rhetoric Echo Shifts in Power from the Centre to the Periphery?
Full text linkIn the current climate of increasing rhetoric around protectionism, nationalism and border security versus free movement, transnational corporations are having to negotiate some particularly tricky issues. One of these is the increasing prevalence of local content regulations which are impinging more and more upon the ways those corporations operate, including having an impact upon the scope and nature of corporate social responsibility and sustainable development activities. In this chapter I examine the historical, political and economic context of local content policies, exploring their roots in conflict and the contemporary, contested discourses that lie behind the development of different local content requirements. As local content requirements have become increasingly adopted by countries in the developing world they have displaced activities more generally associated with corporate social responsibility, a move which is synchronous with claims that CSR is a neo-colonial means by which the developed world attempts to continue to exert power over its erstwhile colonies. I explore how this has worked in different contexts, highlighting the rhetorical nature of policy setting, reflecting power struggles on the international stage rather than meaningful or sustainable developments in terms of national or local economies
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
A study on the factors and mechanisms facilitating renewable energy development and access in Togo.
Full text linkEnergy demand is continually increasing due to population growth, improved standard of living, as well as the widespread emergence of industries. This high demand for energy must be met by production with a reasonable reserve margin for sufficiency. Literature reviews and field visits show that Togo has a significant amount of natural resources - such as wind, solar, biomass and hydro - required to implement a nationwide sustainable energy system. However, to date, Togo has relied on biomass energy and energy import from Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire and Nigeria. Although the use of renewable energy is continually increasing, and the technologies are becoming far more affordable, this source of energy still struggles for development in many countries, including Togo. In Togo, research to understand the current energy situation and possible ways to resolve the energy issues are limited. With the continuous increase in Togo's population and living standards, and the emergence of industries, the need to develop renewable sources of energy has become a necessity. This research uses a mixture of methodologies combining qualitative and quantitative approaches (and the use of strategic frameworks such as Delphi, PESTEL and SWOT for analysis) to investigate the potential of renewable energy, its impacts and factors that will help its development. The Delphi method is used to analyse the possibilities, barriers and solutions for energy growth, and to discuss the views of respondents regarding renewable energy development in Togo. The study results show a desire to develop renewable energy technologies, with the most preferred energy sources being solar photovoltaics (PV) and small-scale hydropower energy to increase energy access. However, key barriers exist, including: the complexity of existing policies and regulations; a lack of clarity and transparency; a lack of readily available information for renewable energy, causing high risk for investors; a lack of public-private sector partnership; the non-inclusion of private companies in decision making; and the monopoly of the electricity company. In addition, coordination between entities in the energy sector is weak, dedicated institutions are lacking, responsibilities are unclear and coordination among agencies is poor. Finally, there is a lack of awareness, high cost of tariffs, and a lack of standardised power purchase agreements and power purchase tariffs amongst others. The study recommends: the review of existing policies and regulations for clarity, transparency and simplicity; the introduction of incentive measures in taxation; and standardization of power purchase agreements and power purchase tariffs in a way that is fair and beneficial to all. Development of financial models in the form of grants to seek help from funding bodies, working with banks to provide loans to small/medium businesses to initiate new ventures and a micro financing model with payment in the form of crops are also recommended. Moreover, the production of materials that are accessible, efficient and adapted to Togo would be critical, as well as liberalizing the energy sector, strengthening management, prioritizing renewable energy and promoting diversification for system optimization. Furthermore, real mapping of technology resources is recommended to provide readily available data for investors. An increase in stakeholders' participation in all stages of the project is encouraged, and gender and age inequalities should be avoided in energy policy, planning and implementation. Finally, the study recommends raising awareness and educating everyone, including illiterate people, about renewable energy and partnering with relevant countries that could help train experts
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Somalia's insecurity and the normalisation of violence.
Full text linkIn this chapter, the transformation of violence in Somalia is explored alongside concomitant shifting levels of insecurity and social constraint. Key historical, regional, national and international factors behind Somalia's structural weaknesses are examined. It is argued that shifting levels of social and individual constraints and the weakening and discarding of other forms of social controls have contributed to the diminution of levels of pacification and the normalisation of violence. These factors help to explain the recent pragmatic popularity of Islamic courts and institutions that have contributed to some degrees of security and predictability. Consequently I am not challenging the perception that Somalia faces considerable challenges with violence endemic. I am, however, seeking to embed these forms of violence within longer term social and political processes. Unfortunately the identification of the deep rooted nature of many of today's problems does not provide easy solutions. On the contrary, this analysis suggests that isolated acts of aid and/or intervention will not address the causes of violence over the longer term and acknowledges that the various attempts at state-building have ultimately proved detrimental. Nevertheless, addressing the fundamental problems facing Somalia can only become a possibility, however distant, when the long standing complexities are acknowledged
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