Dynamics of corporate social responsibility: towards a new ‘conception of control’?

Abstract

Abstract:Corporate social responsibility (CSR) was long associated with the ethics of company heads but now falls within an institutional process whereby practices give rise to rules which in turn modify company actions. CSR has spread as a result of social demand for a more ecological society, but it also constitutes a response to the crisis of shareholder governance. Drawing on the notion of ‘conception of control’ set out by Neil Fligstein (1990), we argue that CSR has given rise to a new ‘conception of control’, which we term ‘shareholder–CSR compatible’. Such a conception reflects how governance changes when environmental and societal responsibilities are combined with responsibility to shareholders. Shareholder value is still central within the enterprise, but top managers must now assume the position of mediators between these two imperatives.

Análise da evolução da adesão de empresas ao Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial (ISE)

“…Neste sentido, preocupações com sustentabilidade são diretamente associadas aos interesses de acionistas, gestores e credores, uma vez que estão relacionadas à continuidade da empresa. O conceito de sustentabilidade empresarial transcende a questão da continuidade da empresa e associa-se à sustentabilidade do planeta e à responsabilidade da organização com as futuras gerações (SCHWARTZ;CARROLL, 2008;LAMARCHE;RUBINSTEIN, 2012). Há, portanto, uma sinergia entre o conceito filosófico de desenvolvimento sustentável adotado, sua integração ao core business da entidade que é a RSC, e a continuidade destes elementos propiciando a sustentabilidade (BRAGA; SILVA; SANTOS, 2015).…”

Does CSR Contribute to Sustainable Development? What aRégulationApproach Can Tell Us

“…At the same time, CSR is utilized in order to strengthen ties with suppliers, employers, or even customers. This strategic CSR line is less often identified, even though it lies at the heart of the shareholder conception of the company which makes the enhancement of the latter’s assets paramount (Lamarche and Rubinstein 2012). To this end, the MNEs increase their power over their subcontractor networks.…”

“…Following Fligstein (1990), who defines different “conceptions of control” (in the sense of the successive representations of the company, its strategies and its objectives over time), it is possible to identify a new configuration which has been termed the “shareholder-CSR compatible” conception (Lamarche and Rubinstein 2012). Within such a framework, strategic CSR approaches mainly rely on a modification of private rules, which confirms the interaction between the dynamics of the rules and the productive process.…”

La RSE entre Institution du capitalisme et stratégie productive : une grille de lecture

“…La RSE-Stratégie participe ainsi à la structuration de la gouvernance du réseau d'entreprises dont la coordination est complexe et les conséquences potentiellement coûteuses car elles mettent en jeu la réputation des donneurs d'ordres. Dans les cas Mattel-Barbie (Lamarche et Rubinstein, 2012) et Puma (Palpacuer, 2008) l'atteinte à la réputation de la marque à travers le réseau fournisseur a ainsi des effets sur les stratégies productives. L'appui sur la RSE légitime et normalise les pratiques et les contraintes imposées aux sous-traitants.…”

“…Alors que la RSE-Institution tend à légitimer l'action des entreprises sur le registre politique, la RSE-Stratégie opère, quant à elle, sur le registre productif et de gouvernance, et toujours dans une optique de légitimation. Dans l'esprit des travaux de Fligstein (1990) qui définit les différentes « conceptions du contrôle » dans le sens de représentations de l'entreprise, de ses stratégies et des objectifs qui se sont historiquement succédées, une nouvelle conception émerge, que nous avons désignée « conception shareholder-RSE compatible » (Lamarche et Rubinstein, 2012). Les démarches de RSE-Stratégie, s'appuient dans ce cadre principalement sur une modification de règles privées.…”