A Theorisation on the Impact of Responsive Corporate Social Responsibility on the Moral Disposition, Change and Reputation of Business Organisations

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility has been a densely researched area. Research paradigms have evolved significantly stamping from a sociological focus to a more business integrated framework and the currently growing emphasis on quantifying its performance. However, while much literatures champion the proponents of a proactive corporate social responsibility, the contributions of the more responsive version have been largely under studied. This is not an empirical paper. Far from it, this paper attempts to unveil the current literature gaps pertaining to responsive corporate social responsibility. This paper explores the intrinsic contributions of responsive corporate social responsibility on the moral discourse, organisational change and reputation management in an organisation. It theorises the concept of responsive corporate social responsibility as a moderator of external pressures, as a vector of a moral reboot in organisation change and a device for salvaging reputational damage in business organisations. This paper draws from the literature gaps between studies of normative morality and its interaction in principles of general management, organisational change concepts, branding and corporate reputation. It underwrites to examine the moral contents and discourse of business firms when faced with hostile externalities and studies the moral entrails in its organisational change processes and sequentially how this implicates the corporate reputation of a firm. This paper argues that the impacts of responsive corporate social responsibility and its ability to impact moral dispositions in business organisations deserve closer scrutiny. Study on the influence of responsive corporate social responsibility on organisation change and reputational salvage has similarly is also underscored. This article provides a theoretical review of the emerging gaps in corporate social responsibility and prompts that the concept of responsive social responsibility warrants closer attention.

Sensemaking Corporate Social Responsibility, Reflexive Organisational Change and Moral Transpose, the Case of Volkswagen ‘Diesel Dupe’ Crisis

“…The likes of Shell reflexive organisational change is evidence of a sensemaking and reflexive change often reflected from their linguistic and conative expressions (Basu & Palazzo, 2008). The works of Tan et al (2017Tan et al ( , 2018 studied this form of reflexive discourse in organisation change and moral legitimacy. The examples of Shell's repentance from its Brent Oil Spar saga in 1995 deeply construed an organsation change that reflexively transformed the business and altered its moral legitimacy.…”

“…Kant insists that moral maxims must be categorically imperative so that their values must be without contradiction and presents its purest sense. A pivotal point is that one must treat "humanity as an end and never a means to an end" and that a rule must be universally acceptable (Tan et al, 2018).…”

“…Firms are misguided to undertake one perspective in the sacrifice of the other. Tan et al (2018) in their work addressed the point that a crisis can trigger a firm's moral transpose from utilitrainism to Kantianism. Their work specifically highlighted VW's moral transpose during in the diesel crisis.…”

“…Although the prevalence of CSR has grown exponentially, corporate scandals at global scale prompted critics to dispute the usefulness of CSR as an appropriate tool for corporate legitimacy. Despite its extensive development, CSR remains a singular contradiction of overlapping theories and a labyrinth of confusion (Tan et al, 2018). For instance, CSR is regularly associated to disguise corporate misbehaviors (Lantos, 2001), mislead public perceptions (Harrison & Wicks, 2013) and charged for exhibiting a capitalistic stint (Rakesh et al, 2013).…”

“…Tan et al (2018) clearly explored this CSR sensemaking, reflexive organisation change and moral transpose in the work titled "A Theorisation on the Impact of Responsive Corporate Social Responsibility on the Moral Disposition, Change and Reputation of Business Organisations". Tan et al (2018) explored the interface between CSR sensemaking, reflexive organisation change and moral transpose in the case of Shell's mismanagement of the Brent Oil Spar storage buoy saga in the Atlantic in 1995. The saga triggered backlash and public discontent resulting in Shell's share price decline and tattered reputation.…”