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The syncretism of environmental and social responsibility with business economic performance

The syncretism of environmental and social responsibility with business economic performance Purpose – The present conceptual study aims to discuss 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 syncretism – and inherent objective and subjective perspectives – to 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 attention form scholars 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. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal Emerald Publishing

The syncretism of environmental and social responsibility with business economic performance

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References (84)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
ISSN
1477-7835
DOI
10.1108/14777831211262891
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Purpose – The present conceptual study aims to discuss 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 syncretism – and inherent objective and subjective perspectives – to 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 attention form scholars 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.

Journal

Management of Environmental Quality An International Journal – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 21, 2012

Keywords: Syncretism; Metabolism analogy; Corporate social responsibility; Corporate environmental responsibility; Constructionist narratives; Systemic/pragmatic narratives; Social responsibility; Narratives; Corporate strategy

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