Business Commons^™

The Evolution Of Sustainability In A Global Firm And Its Supply Chain, Robert Mefford, Payson Johnston

Finance

Firms typically go through an evolutionary process in development of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. This paper traces the development of CSR initiatives and the incorporation of sustainability into the corporate culture and business model of a large global firm in the electronics industry. The process at this firm involves several distinct stages and extends over a period of more than ten years. The organizational and managerial factors facilitating the broadening and deepening of CSR penetration and the institutional barriers encountered are discussed. The importance of fitting CSR initiatives to a company’s core competencies is evident at this firm …

Corporate Social Responsibility: Perspectives Of Hotel Frontline Employees, Sun-Young Park, Stuart E. Levy

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine hotel frontline employees' perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities at the hotel they currently work, and how their perceptions influence their level of organizational identification, an indicator of their relationship quality with the hotel.

Design/methodology/approach – This study uses 575 responses of hotel frontline employees in the US, collected through a national online survey.

Findings – Results show that hotel employees' perceptions of CSR activities encompass the host community, colleagues, and customers, beyond green practices. Moreover, their perceptions of CSR activities positively and significantly influence the level of organizational …

The Economic Value Of A Sustainable Supply Chain, Robert Mefford

Finance

The economic rationale to operate a global supply chain in a sustainable manner is developed. Arguments are made based on marketing, finance, and production theories that by engaging in socially responsible behavior the firm will increase sales, decrease costs, reduce financial risk, and increase profits which ultimately will increase returns to the firm’s shareholders. A model is developed of the mechanism by which modern production methods such as lean production and quality management result in sustainable corporate behavior which, in the long run, translates into higher stock valuations. The production effects cause marketing and financial risk effects that are complementary, …