The syncretism of environmental and social responsibility with business economic performance

Abstract

Purpose-The present conceptual study discusses the integration of corporate social and environmental responsibility (ESR/CSR) into business strategies and operations. The objective is to propose a conceptual framework for synthesising pragmatic and constructionist theoretical discourses on ESR. Design/methodology/approach-The paper applies the concept of syncretismand inherent objective and subjective perspectivesto the field of ESR/CSR. A review of existing literature unfolds the construct of syncretism as a continuum integrating both systemic/pragmatic narratives and constructionist/ethnographic. The metabolism analogy is further discussed to stress the salience of ESR in determining the prospects for corporate sustainable development. Findings-The achievement of syncretistic equilibrium is understood to occur at the intersection of constructionist and pragmatic epistemological influences. Existing research suggest that reducing or removing the external cost induced in industrial processes and exploiting marketing opportunities to signal positive ethicality of the firm are possible pathways for syncretistic equilibrium. The metabolism analogy is argued to abound with constructive implications on how businesses can provoke synergistic or symbiotic correlations between ESR and economic sustainability. Practical implications-By integrating constructionist and pragmatic narratives into one conceptual proposition, it is hoped that this paper can lead to a better understanding of the way societal responsibility appears to business managers and, through that insight, lead to improvement in practice. Examining the extent to which metabolic processes and the functioning of the business system inspire comparable challenges can offer supportive basis for contriving effective ESR integration strategies. Originality/value-Both constructionist (e.g. individuals' values) and systemic (e.g. business case for CSR) narratives have received considerable scholars' attention in the field of ESR/CSR. Yet, they have never been assembled into one conceptual proposition. Syncretism constitutes a new line of thinking for conceptualising the constructionist and pragmatic challenges related to the integration of ESR into business strategies and operations.

Beyond win–win: A syncretic theory on corporate stakeholder engagement in sustainable development

“…In relation to management scholarship and sustainability, Martinez () and Berger, Cunningham, and Dumright (, pp. 143–144) refer to syncretism to evoke a “combination of noneconomic and economic objectives” in the mainstreaming of corporate social responsibility and its embedding in the day‐to‐day culture, processes, and activities of a firm.…”

“…They define it as a management philosophy, an overarching approach to business that mirrors a corporate effort to appreciate and respond to the often conflicting views and values of a diverse set of stakeholders (Berger et al, ). The concept of syncretism is however used by Berger et al () as one element in a multiform framework for corporate social responsibility mainstreaming, not as the central theme of analysis, and by Martinez () as a way to describe the challenge of combining pragmatic and constructionist discourses in business, not as an integrative theory of CS.…”

“…In their review of CS research, Van der Byl and Slawinski () highlight both the lack of research exploring how firms can address the tensions inherent within the CS concept in order to make progress and the need for novel approaches to understanding and managing those tensions. This article builds upon the work of Martinez (, ) by refining the theoretical construct of syncretism to position it as a potential resource for scholars and practitioners to understand and pursue a paradigmatic shift toward sustaincentrism. The syncretic theory discussed here integrates insights from multiple disciplines (Whiteman, Walker, & Perego, ), with foundational ideas drawn from cultural, religious (the “source domains” of syncretism), and CS literature.…”

Evaluation of E-business micro and macro determinants by Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model

“…The scientists, who analysed the influential factors of traditional business, stress the unavoidable impact of economic (Martinez, 2012;Hogevold et al, 2014;Svensson & Wagner, 2015; Molthan-Hill, 2015 and others), political-legal (Ye, Wan, & Chen, 2011; Al-Khattab, Aldehayyat, Alrawad, Al-Yatama & Al-Khattab, 2012; Adomako & Danso, 2014 and others), socio-cultural (Martinez, 2012;Hogevold et al, 2014;Svensson & Wagner, 2015;Molthan-Hill, 2015;Ma, Xu, Sun & Bian, 2017 and others) and technological-ecological (Zsolnai, 2002;Gurtoo & Antony, 2007;Hogevold et al, 2014 and others), environmental context (Chatzoglou, Chatzoudes, 2016), psichological (Sarmah, Sharma & Gupta, 2017) environment. Since e-business is just another form of traditional business, it can be presumed that the abovementioned macro environmental determinants may have an impact not only on traditional, but also on e-business.…”

Reality and Prospects of E-Business in Lithuania

“…According to, Harris and Rae (2009), e-business should be oriented towards the market in order to retain competitive advantage. On one side, particular markets, usually domestic, where business enterprises and consumers share the same culture, customs and similar attitudes, can be more opened to e-business development, whereas the others (for instance, foreign markets) may burden it due to social and cultural differences of suppliers and consumers (Martinez, 2012;Adomako & Danso, 2014;Molthan-Hill, 2015). Furthermore, delivery to foreign markets might require additional investment in communications and logistics, which also slows down e-business development (Mangiaracina et al, 2015).…”