Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T10:37:39.869Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Transnational Corporate Social Responsibility: A Tri-Dimensional Approach to International CSR Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2015

Marne L. Arthaud-Day
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Comparatively few studies have analyzed the social behavior of multinational corporations (MNCs) at a cross-national level. To address this gap in the literature, we propose a “transnational” model of corporate social responsibility (CSR) that permits identification of universal domains, yet incorporates the flexibility and adaptability demanded by international research. The model is tri-dimensional in that it juxtaposes: 1) Bartlett and Ghoshal’s (1998, 2000) typology of MNC strategies (multinational, global, “international,” and transnational); 2) the three conceptual domains of CSR (human rights, labor, and the environment) proposed by the UN Global Compact (Compact 2003); and 3) Zenisek’s (1979) description of three CSR perspectives (ideological, societal, and operational). The end result is a multidimensional typology that permits the organization and development of empirical CSR research in an international setting.

Type
Articles
Information
Business Ethics Quarterly , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , January 2005 , pp. 1 - 22
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Business Ethics 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdeen, A. M. 1991. “Social Responsibility Disclosure in Annual Reports.” Business Forum 16(1): 23–26.Google Scholar
Amba-Rao, S. C. 1993. “Multinational Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, Interactions and Third World Governments: An Agenda for the 1990s.” Journal of Business Ethics 12: 553–72.Google Scholar
Aupperle, K. E. 1984. “An Empirical Measure of Corporate Social Orientation.” Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 6: 27–54.Google Scholar
Aupperle, K. E. 1991. “The Use of Forced-Choice Survey Procedures in Assessing Corporate Social Orientation.” Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 12: 269–79.Google Scholar
Bartlett, C. A., and Ghoshal, S.. 1987. “Managing Across Borders: New Strategic Requirements.” Sloan Management Review (Summer): 7–17.Google Scholar
Bartlett, C. A., and Ghoshal, S.. 1998. Managing Across Borders: The Transnational Solution. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Google Scholar
Bartlett, C. A., and Ghoshal, S.. 2000. Transnational Management. Chicago: McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Berleant, A. 1982. “Multinationals, Local Practice, and the Problem Of Ethical Consistency.” Journal of Business Ethics 1: 185–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broadhurst, A. I. 2000. “Corporations and the Ethics of Social Responsibility: An Emerging Regime of Expansion and Compliance.” Business Ethics: A European Review 9(2): 86–98.Google Scholar
Burton, B. K., and Hegarty, W. H.. 1999. “Some Determinants of Student Corporate Social Responsibility Orientation.” Business and Society 38(2): 188–205.Google Scholar
Business Source Premier. http://ehostvgw11.epnet.com/explain.asp?dbName=Business+Source+Premier. Accessed 11 July 2001.Google Scholar
Carroll, A. B. 1979. “A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance.” Academy of Management Review 4(4): 497–505.Google Scholar
Clarkson, M. B. E. 1991. “Defining, Evaluating, and Managing Corporate Social Performance: The Stakeholder Management Model.” Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 12: 331–58.Google Scholar
Clarkson, M. B. E. 1995. “A Stakeholder Framework for Analyzing and Evaluating Corporate Social Performance.” Academy of Management Review 20(1): 92–117.Google Scholar
Compact for the New Century. http://www.un.org/partners/business/davos.htm. Accessed 11 June 2003.Google Scholar
Corporate Environmental Report: A UNEP Study. http://www.unglobalcompact.org/gc/unweb.nsf/content/unepstudy.htm. Accessed 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Cumming, J. F. 2001. “Engaging Stakeholders in Corporate Accountability Programmes: A Cross-Sectoral Analysis of UK and Transnational Experience.” Business Ethics: A European Review 10(1): 45–52.Google Scholar
Donaldson, T., and Dunfee, T. W.. 1994. “Toward a Unified Conception of Business Ethics: Integrative Social Contracts Theory.” Academy of Management Review 19(2): 252–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, T., and Dunfee, T. W.. 1999. “When Ethics Travel: The Promise and Peril of Global Business Ethics.” California Management Review 41(4): 45–63.Google Scholar
Environics International Ltd. “The Millennium Poll on Corporate Social Responsibility: Executive Briefing.” http://www.unglobalcompact.org/gc/unweb.nsf/webprintview/gentools.htm. Accessed 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Epstein, E. M. 1989. “Business Ethics, Corporate Good Citizenship and the Corporate Social Policy Process: A View from the United States.” Journal of Business Ethics 8: 583–95.Google Scholar
Frederick, W. C. 1991. “The Moral Authority of Transnational Corporate Codes.” Journal of Business Ethics 10: 165–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friedman, M. 1962. Capitalism and Freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Gephart, R. P. Jr. 1991. “Multiple Methods for Tracking Corporate Social Performance: Insights from a Study of Major Industrial Accidents.” Research in Corporate Social Performance and Policy 12: 359–83.Google Scholar
Gladwin, T. N., and Walter, I.. 1976. “Multinational Enterprise, Social Responsiveness, and Pollution Control.” Journal of International Business Studies 7(2): 57–74.Google Scholar
Graves, S. B., and Waddock, S. A.. 1992. “Responses of Institutional Investors to Corporate Social Performance Measures.” Academy of Management Best Papers Proceedings: 338–42.Google Scholar
Harzing, A.-W. 2000. “An Empirical Analysis and Extension of the Bartlett and Ghoshal Typology of Multinational Companies.” Journal of International Business Studies 31(1): 101–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holme, R., and Watts, P.. 2000. “Corporate Social Responsibility: Making Good Business Sense.” World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Geneva, Switzerland. http://www.unglobalcompact.org/gc/unweb.nsf/webprintview/gentools.htm. Accessed 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Hopkins, M. 1999. The Planetary Bargain: Corporate Social Responsibility Comes of Age. New York: St. Martin’s Press, Inc.Google Scholar
Jackson, K. T. 1997. “Globalizing Corporate Ethics Programs: Perils and Prospects.” In From The Universities To The Marketplace: The Business Ethics Journey: The Second Annual Vincentan Conference, ed. Fleckenstein, M., Maury, M., Hartmann, L. P., and Primeaux, P.. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 17–25.Google Scholar
Jackson, T. 2000. “Management Ethics and Corporate Policy: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.” Journal of Management Studies 37(3): 349–69.Google Scholar
Jackson, T., and Artola, M. C.. 1997. “Ethical Beliefs and Management Behaviour: A Cross-Cultural Comparison.” Journal of Business Ethics 16: 1163–73.Google Scholar
Johnson, H. H. 2001. “Corporate Social Audits—This Time Around.” Business Horizons (May–June): 29–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Langlois, C. C., and Schlegelmilch, B. B.. 1990. “Do Corporate Codes of Ethics Reflect National Character? Evidence from Europe and the United States.” Journal of International Business Studies 21(4): 519–39.Google Scholar
Leong, S. M., and Tan, C. T.. 1993. “Managing Across Borders: An Empirical Test of the Bartlett and Ghoshal [1989] Organizational Typology.” Journal of International Business Studies 24(3): 449–64.Google Scholar
Lerner, L. D., and Fryxell, G. E.. 1994. “CEO Stakeholder Attitudes and Corporate Social Activity in the Fortune 500.” Business and Society 33(1): 58–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Manakkalathil, J., and Rudolf, E.. 1995. “Corporate Social Responsibility in a Globalizing Market.” SAM Advanced Management Journal (Winter): 29–32, 47.Google Scholar
McGuire, J. B., Sundgren, A., and Schneeweis, T.. 1988. “Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance.” Academy of Management Journal 31(4): 854–72.Google Scholar
McWilliams, A., and Siegel, D.. 2001. Corporate Social Responsibility: A Theory of the Firm Perspective.” Academy of Management Review 26(1): 117–27.Google Scholar
Meznar, M. B., and Johnson, J. H. Jr. 1996. “Multinational Operations and Stakeholder Management: Internationalization, Public Affairs Strategies, and Economic Performance.” Academy of Management Proceedings, 357–61.Google Scholar
Miles, M. P., and Covin, J. G.. 2000. “Environmental Marketing: A Source of Reputational, Competitive, and Financial Advantage.” Journal of Business Ethics 23: 299–311.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naor, J. 1982. “A New Approach to Multinational Social Responsibility.” Journal of Business Ethics 1: 219–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. 1998. “Industry Self-Regulation and Regulatory Regimes.” http://www.unglobalcompact.org/gc/unweb.nsf/content/regulation.htm. Accessed on 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Parkhe, A. 1993. “‘Messy’ Research, Methodological Predispositions, and Theory Development in International Joint Ventures.” Academy of Management Review 18(2): 227–68.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perspectives on Globalization. http://www.unglobalcompact.org/gc/unweb.nsf/content/globalization.htm. Accessed on 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Peters, G., and Enderle, G.. 1998. “A Strange Affair: The Emerging Relationship Between NGOs and Transnational Companies. http://www.pwcglobal.com/uk/eng/ins-sol/survey-rep/ngoreview_allsalliukeng.html. Accessed 25 September 2000.Google Scholar
Pohlman, R. A., Ang, J. S., and Ali, S. I.. 1976. “Policies of Multinational Firms: A Survey.” Business Horizons (December): 14–18.Google Scholar
Prahalad, C. K., and Doz, Y. L.. 1987. The Multinational Mission: Balancing Local Demands and Global Vision. New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Quazi, A. M., and O’Brien, D.. 2000. “An Empirical Test of a Cross-National Model of Corporate Social Responsibility.” Journal of Business Ethics 25: 33–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rondinelli, D. A., and Berry, M. A.. 2000. “Environmental Citizenship in Multinational Corporations: Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development.” European Management Journal 18(1): 70–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samiee, S., and Athanassiou, N.. 1998. “International Strategy Research: Cross-Cultural Methodology Implications.” Journal of Business Research 43(2): 79–96.Google Scholar
Simerly, R. L. 1997. “Corporate Social Performance and Multinationality: An Empirical Examination.” International Journal of Management 14(4): 699–703.Google Scholar
Solomon, C. M. 1996. “Put Your Ethics to a Global Test: Prepare to Walk a Moral Tightrope.” Personnel Journal (January): 66–68, 70, 73–74.Google Scholar
Swanson, D. L. 1999. “Toward an Integrative Theory of Business and Society: A Research Strategy for Corporate Social Performance.” Academy of Management Review 24(3): 506–21.Google Scholar
Wartick, S. L., and Wood, D. J.. 1998. International Business and Society. Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishers Inc.Google Scholar
Williams, S. M., and Pei, C-A. H. W.. 1999. “Corporate Social Disclosures by Listed Companies on Their Web Sites: An International Comparison.” The International Journal of Accounting 34(3): 389–419.Google Scholar
Wood, D. J. 1991. “Corporate Social Performance Revisited.” Academy of Management Review 16(4): 691–718.Google Scholar
Zenisek, T. J. 1979. “Corporate Social Responsibility: A Conceptualization Based on Organizational Literature. Academy of Management Review 4(3): 359–68.Google Scholar