The Role of Collaboration in Achieving Corporate Social Responsibility Objectives

摘要

Our framework for the collaboration among firms and NGOs adds a new dimension to the existing view of collaboration in the social responsibilities of firms. It provides criteria for managers to apply when seeking to optimize both the social/environmental and economic impacts from joint initiatives between rntheir firms and NGOs. It also shifts the underlying logic from one of pure competition to recognizing the potential for co-opetition. Although the benefits of communal strategies across firms are well documented,57 the prevailing view among both managers and researchers appears to be that competitive CSR strategies are best suited to deliver economic benefits to the firm. For example, reputational benefits that are secured by one firm are often assumed to be at the expense of other firms, either competitors within the same industry or firms within the same community.58 Managers should undertake efforts to connect with existing networks to support opportunities for collaborative involvement with other firms, NGOs, or both. Doing so will provide skills and preparation that will allow them to consider a broader range of collaboration options in their CSR initiatives.