Scholars and practitioners alike indicate a movement in corporate philanthropy toward "strategic" giving, for example, giving that improves the firm's strategic position (ultimately the "bottom line") while it benefits the recipient of the philanthropic act. Although the existence of this trend is widely accepted, it is represented in the literature most often by anecdotal evidence. This article presents the findings of a survey of corporate giving managers of U.S. firms that have had an established giving program of at least 5 years, with annual giving totaling at least $200,000 each year. The data show that corporate giving managers believe their firms are becoming increasingly strategic in their philanthropic activities. The findings also indicate that institutional-, firm-, and individual-level influences combine to precipitate strategic philanthropy. These findings lend support to the belief that the nature of corporate philanthropy is evolving to fit a more competitive marketplace.

When attempting to articulate the nature and scope of corporate social responsibility (CSR), a variety of opinions emerge.

No abstract

Examinations of corporate discourse tend to dichotomize ethical stakeholder relationships and strategic business decisions, but when the ethical/economic conflict is cast in rhetorical terms, the apparent contradictions can be seen as a failure of traditional Western managerial discourse. Decision making within bureaucratic organizations has followed the traditionally rational, assertive forms of Western discourse, but management theorists increasingly urge corporations to adopt practices more appropriate for complex, adaptive, self-organizing communities. This emerging rhetorical form has practical utility in an adaptive, post-industrial "learning organization " but also allows a performance of organizational citizenship that integrates ethical and economic values in a discourse of corporate ecology.

No abstract