Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Categorizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in B2B markets: the why, when and how

Categorizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in B2B markets: the why, when and how PurposeThis paper aims to address the questions of why, when and how business-to-business (B2B) firms engage in sustainability initiatives. The authors believe that this is the first attempt to address all three questions in a single paper, and one of the earliest to focus on these in B2B markets.Design/methodology/approachThe sustainability initiatives of B2B firms throughout the value/supply chain were examined. Input data came from external sources and the firms themselves. Two conceptual frameworks were developed, illustrating why firms partake in sustainability initiatives and when and how they may do so.FindingsThis paper provides two conceptual frameworks that address why, when and how firms get involved in sustainability initiatives, and how they can better communicate their involvement to stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsTo obtain a broader perspective of B2B firms’ involvement in sustainability initiatives, a variety of third-party sources were used, augmented with data from firm websites. Examples of firms the authors selected were constrained by the collection of firms described in student research papers.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests useful guidelines for firms considering starting or expanding sustainability initiatives by providing frameworks that address why, when and how firms do so, with examples of firms illustrating engagement in each area. It also provides communication guidelines, necessary for enhancing stakeholder relations.Social implicationsIntegrating environmental sustainability within a firm’s strategy can improve corporate image and increase efficiency, while contributing to a better world environment.Originality/valueA review of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature indicated that most research has focused on business-to-consumer markets. This paper addresses CSR in B2B markets, examining players at all levels of the value/supply chain: manufacturers, channel intermediaries and end-users. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing Emerald Publishing

Categorizing corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in B2B markets: the why, when and how

Download PDF
10 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/categorizing-corporate-social-responsibility-csr-initiatives-in-b2b-on40DdKI9T

References (36)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0885-8624
DOI
10.1108/JBIM-02-2016-0036
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to address the questions of why, when and how business-to-business (B2B) firms engage in sustainability initiatives. The authors believe that this is the first attempt to address all three questions in a single paper, and one of the earliest to focus on these in B2B markets.Design/methodology/approachThe sustainability initiatives of B2B firms throughout the value/supply chain were examined. Input data came from external sources and the firms themselves. Two conceptual frameworks were developed, illustrating why firms partake in sustainability initiatives and when and how they may do so.FindingsThis paper provides two conceptual frameworks that address why, when and how firms get involved in sustainability initiatives, and how they can better communicate their involvement to stakeholders.Research limitations/implicationsTo obtain a broader perspective of B2B firms’ involvement in sustainability initiatives, a variety of third-party sources were used, augmented with data from firm websites. Examples of firms the authors selected were constrained by the collection of firms described in student research papers.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests useful guidelines for firms considering starting or expanding sustainability initiatives by providing frameworks that address why, when and how firms do so, with examples of firms illustrating engagement in each area. It also provides communication guidelines, necessary for enhancing stakeholder relations.Social implicationsIntegrating environmental sustainability within a firm’s strategy can improve corporate image and increase efficiency, while contributing to a better world environment.Originality/valueA review of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature indicated that most research has focused on business-to-consumer markets. This paper addresses CSR in B2B markets, examining players at all levels of the value/supply chain: manufacturers, channel intermediaries and end-users.

Journal

Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing – Emerald Publishing

Published: Oct 2, 2017

There are no references for this article.