CSR and Development: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Sagebien, Julia; Whellams, Melissa

doi:10.1080/02255189.2010.3673731

Cited by 11 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…We concur with Sagebien and Whellams (2010) for the need for realistic expectations of what CSR and companies can and cannot do. CSR remains a firm-centric activity that is incapable of delivering sustained comprehensive and equitable development (Sagebien and Whellams, 2010). This, however, does not justify issues raised by the practitioners about projects that are initiated for the publicity but are never accomplished.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…Conversely, CSR can be "bad" development. This is the case when it ignores issues of poverty and social inequalities and when it lacks development expertise and operates within imported agendas that are not locally relevant (Sagebien and Whellams, 2010). Within the development paradigm, CSR can be "bad" development when it only serves the business strategies or interests without addressing developmental goals (Sagebien and Whellams, 2010).…”

Section: Ijssp 355/6mentioning

confidence: 99%

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“We don’t want school bags”

Barsoum

Refaat

2015

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the competing and overlapping discourses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Egypt, a setting with a serious knowledge gap on CSR. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with key players in the field of CSR in Egypt conducted in the fall of 2013 and early 2014. Informants included in this study were CSR staff members at major multinational enterprises (MNEs) operating in Egypt, key partner non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the field of CSR, media and public relations agents that are partners with MNEs in launching CSR media campaigns about CSR activities. Findings – The paper identifies three themes in the discourse on CSR among some of the key field players including CSR practitioners at MNEs, NGOs and media specialists. First, CSR is seen as a western version of a long standing philanthropic tradition, that is rooted in religion. The comparison between CSR and indigenous religious practices discredits CSR as a vulgarized form of giving that seeks to take more than give. Second, the surmount challenges of poverty and unemployment place heightened expectations on CSR to seriously address these challenges. It is in view of these challenges that CSR is accused of doing “bad” development, which is the third theme identified in the data. Research limitations/implications – There is a dearth of research on CSR in Egypt, which largely remains a setting less explored in terms of CSR. This paper problematizes the connection between CSR and development. It also highlights the importance of studying CSR in different contexts. Practical implications – The findings in this paper are relevant for the design of CSR programs in contexts of countries in the south. Social implications – CSR is a normative practice, understanding the views of its practitioners and criticisms of the field is central to its development and maturity. Originality/value – Paper builds on original data collected by the authors. It addresses a lacuna of research on CSR in the Middle East region, particularly Egypt.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Ijssp 355/6mentioning

confidence: 99%

“We don’t want school bags”

Barsoum

Refaat

2015

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy

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“…As Khandker et al (2010: 4) explain, “The main question of impact evaluation is one of attribution—isolating the effect of the program from other factors and potential selection bias.” Similarly, in the CSR literature, we seek to make attributions about the effects of these initiatives (e.g., Wood, 2010). A number of studies have cited the parallels and complementarities between the CSR and development literatures (Oetzel & Doh, 2009; Sagebien & Whellams, 2010). Several authors have examined CSR through the development lens (Blowfield, 2005; Newell & Frynas, 2007).…”

Section: Designing a New Approach To Csr Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have examined CSR through the development lens (Blowfield, 2005; Newell & Frynas, 2007). There is even a debate regarding whether CSR is good or bad for development (Sagebien & Whellams, 2010). Interestingly, failure to focus on impacts underpins this literature’s arguments against CSR.…”

Section: Designing a New Approach To Csr Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond Good Intentions: Designing CSR Initiatives for Greater Social Impact

Barnett

Henriques

Husted

2020

Journal of Management

214

135

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Are corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives providing the societal good that they promise? After decades of CSR studies, we do not have an answer. In this review, we analyze progression of the CSR literature toward assessing the performance of CSR initiatives, identify factors that have limited the literature’s progress, and suggest a new approach to the study of CSR that can overcome these limits. We begin with comprehensive bibliometric mapping illustrating that although social impact has infrequently been its explicit focus, the CSR literature has measured outcomes other than firm performance, especially in the current decade. Thereafter, we conduct a more fine-grained analysis of recent CSR studies. Adapting a logic model framework, we show that even the most highly cited studies have stopped short of assessing social impact, often measuring CSR activities rather than impacts and focusing on benefits to specific stakeholders rather than to wider society. In combination, our analyses suggest that assessment of the performance of CSR initiatives has been driven by the availability of large, public secondary data sources. However, creating more such databases and turning to “big data” analyses are inadequate solutions. Drawing from the impact evaluation literature of development economics, we argue that the CSR field should reconceive itself as a science of design in which researchers formulate CSR initiatives that seek to achieve specific social and environmental objectives. In accordance with this pursuit, CSR researchers should move toward “small data” research designs, which will enable studies to better determine causation rather than just identify correlation.

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“…(Waddock, 2007, p. 255) Development practitioners and scholars, like business executives and NGO staff, are also concerned about the lack of robust empirical evidence supporting the claims of CSR's contributions to development (see Sagebien and Whellams (2011) for a summary of the debates on 'whether CSR is good or bad development'). Despite the alleged and real benefits experienced by many communities through firm CSR policies and practices, there is also still much debate about the long-term impacts of mining itself, as well as concern around the paternalistic, firm-dependent relationships that can emerge when the company takes a leading role in community development through its CSR policies.…”

Section: The Four Premises In Detailmentioning

confidence: 98%

Governance Ecosystems

2011

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CSR and Development: Seeing the Forest for the Trees

Cited by 11 publications

References 27 publications

“We don’t want school bags”

“We don’t want school bags”

Beyond Good Intentions: Designing CSR Initiatives for Greater Social Impact

Governance Ecosystems

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