IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v25y2018i4p674-689.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Mechanisms of change: Stakeholder Engagement in the Australian Resource Sector through CSR

Author

Listed:
  • Anne Elizabeth Fordham
  • Guy M. Robinson

Abstract

The study sought to draw new perspectives on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) is shaped and created within the resource sector. The study focused on examining the role of external stakeholders in influencing the CSR strategies implemented by Australian resource companies. Data were gathered by semi‐structured interviews with key stakeholders involved with 25 resource companies located in South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Consistent with sociological theories of CSR, stakeholders such as business and community leaders, non‐government organizations (NGOs), and government employees were able to influence CSR by empowering communities to participate in CSR, bridging cultural divides between companies and communities, and linking companies to key society standards. This was facilitated by the expression of personal ethical values and knowledge sets by stakeholders and where relevant those of their organization. A range of stakeholders were active agents of change, bringing in new ideology, skills, and expertise, and, at times, challenging existing corporate practice. This process was underlined by relationship building and trust. Stakeholders effectively introduced higher ethical values to concepts of public accountability, environmental sustainability, and social justice in line with personal and organizational ethics. The study also identified factors which promoted stakeholder influence and gave stakeholders power within CSR. This included a range of institutional‐level factors such as regulatory and legal frameworks, company policy, and cultures, but also interpersonal skills and abilities of the individuals involved. The study highlights the strategic benefits of stakeholder involvement in CSR within the Australian resource sector and discusses implications for the broader resource industry. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Suggested Citation

  • Anne Elizabeth Fordham & Guy M. Robinson, 2018. "Mechanisms of change: Stakeholder Engagement in the Australian Resource Sector through CSR," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 674-689, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:25:y:2018:i:4:p:674-689
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1485
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1485
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.1485?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alexander Dahlsrud, 2008. "How corporate social responsibility is defined: an analysis of 37 definitions," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(1), pages 1-13, January.
    2. Tzu‐Yi Kao & Jason C. H. Chen & Ji‐Tsung Ben Wu & Ming‐Hsien Yang, 2016. "Poverty Reduction through Empowerment for Sustainable Development: A Proactive Strategy of Corporate Social Responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(3), pages 140-149, May.
    3. Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe & Adam Lindgreen & François Maon & Joëlle Vanhamme, 2016. "Investigating the Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Global Tea Supply Chain: A Case Study of Eastern Produce Limited in Malawi," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(3), pages 165-178, May.
    4. Giacomo Manetti, 2011. "The quality of stakeholder engagement in sustainability reporting: empirical evidence and critical points," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(2), pages 110-122, March.
    5. Harrison, Jeffrey S. & Wicks, Andrew C., 2013. "Stakeholder Theory, Value, and Firm Performance," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 23(1), pages 97-124, January.
    6. Laura Schons & Maria Steinmeier, 2016. "Walk the Talk? How Symbolic and Substantive CSR Actions Affect Firm Performance Depending on Stakeholder Proximity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 358-372, November.
    7. Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe & Adam Lindgreen & François Maon & Joëlle Vanhamme, 2016. "Investigating the Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Global Tea Supply Chain: A Case Study of Eastern Produce Limited in Malawi," Post-Print hal-02998128, HAL.
    8. Sandra Waddock, 2010. "From Individual to Institution: On Making the World Different," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(1), pages 9-12, July.
    9. Lars Moratis & Satu Brandt, 2017. "Corporate stakeholder responsiveness? Exploring the state and quality of GRI‐based stakeholder engagement disclosures of European firms," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 312-325, July.
    10. Angeloantonio Russo & Francesco Perrini, 2010. "Investigating Stakeholder Theory and Social Capital: CSR in Large Firms and SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 207-221, January.
    11. Anna Katharina Provasnek & Anton Sentic & Erwin Schmid, 2017. "Integrating Eco‐Innovations and Stakeholder Engagement for Sustainable Development and a Social License to Operate," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(3), pages 173-185, May.
    12. Lei Wang & Heikki Juslin, 2013. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the Chinese Forest Industry: Understanding Multiple Stakeholder Perceptions," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 129-145, May.
    13. Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe, 2016. "Doing Stakeholder Engagement Their own Way: Experience from the Malawian Mining Industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(1), pages 1-14, January.
    14. Fordham, Anne Elizabeth & Robinson, Guy M. & Blackwell, Boyd Dirk, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility in resource companies – Opportunities for developing positive benefits and lasting legacies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 366-376.
    15. Eberhard, Rachel & Johnston, Nathan & Everingham, Jo-Anne, 2013. "A collaborative approach to address the cumulative impacts of mine-water discharge: Negotiating a cross-sectoral waterway partnership in the Bowen Basin, Australia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 678-687.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Andre Poyser & Dan Daugaard, 2023. "Indigenous sustainable finance as a research field: A systematic literature review on indigenising ESG, sustainability and indigenous community practices," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(1), pages 47-76, March.
    2. Simone Pizzi & Sara Moggi & Fabio Caputo & Pierfelice Rosato, 2021. "Social media as stakeholder engagement tool: CSR communication failure in the oil and gas sector," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 849-859, March.
    3. Ismail Khan & Imran Khan & Bilal bin Saeed, 2019. "Does board diversity affect quality of corporate social responsibility disclosure? Evidence from Pakistan," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1371-1381, November.
    4. Rafał Kowalczyk & Wioleta Kucharska, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility practices incomes and outcomes: Stakeholders' pressure, culture, employee commitment, corporate reputation, and brand performance. A Polish–German cross‐country study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 595-615, March.
    5. Lida Esperanza Villa‐Castaño & Jesús Perdomo‐Ortiz & Sebastian Dueñas‐Ocampo, 2023. "Business–society interface: An exploration of a paradigmatic heuristic model of corporate social responsibility in Colombia," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(6), pages 3203-3221, November.
    6. Bart Manning & Geert Braam & Daniel Reimsbach, 2019. "Corporate governance and sustainable business conduct—Effects of board monitoring effectiveness and stakeholder engagement on corporate sustainability performance and disclosure choices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(2), pages 351-366, March.
    7. Anne Elizabeth Fordham & Guy M. Robinson, 2018. "Mapping meanings of corporate social responsibility – an Australian case study," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-20, December.
    8. Zhao, Panting & Yao, Xin & Shen, Rui, 2024. "Capital market internationalization and firms' ESG performance: Evidence from the inclusion of China A-shares in the MSCI Emerging Market Index," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    9. Khojastehpour, Morteza & Shams, S.M. Riad, 2020. "Addressing the complexity of stakeholder management in international ecological setting: A CSR approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 302-309.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Anne Elizabeth Fordham & Guy M. Robinson, 2018. "Mapping meanings of corporate social responsibility – an Australian case study," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-20, December.
    2. Matthew Johnson & Friederike Redlbacher & Stefan Schaltegger, 2018. "Stakeholder Engagement for Corporate Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of B2C and B2B Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 659-673, July.
    3. Lorenzo Dal Maso & Giovanni Liberatore & Francesco Mazzi, 2017. "Value Relevance of Stakeholder Engagement: The Influence of National Culture," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 44-56, January.
    4. Sergiy D. Dmytriyev & R. Edward Freeman & Jacob Hörisch, 2021. "The Relationship between Stakeholder Theory and Corporate Social Responsibility: Differences, Similarities, and Implications for Social Issues in Management," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1441-1470, September.
    5. Natalia Marzia Gusmerotti & Francesco Testa & Margherita Macellari & Marco Frey, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility embeddedness through a social network analysis: The case of an Italian multiutility company," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 455-469, March.
    6. Debora Scarpato & Gennaro Civero & Vincenzo Rusciano & Marcello Risitano, 2020. "Sustainable strategies and corporate social responsibility in the Italian fisheries companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2983-2990, November.
    7. David Benjamin Billedeau & Jeffrey Wilson & Naima Samuel, 2022. "From Responsibility to Requirement: COVID, Cars, and the Future of Corporate Social Responsibility in Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-16, May.
    8. Jaime-Andres Correa-Garcia & Maria-Antonia Garcia-Benau & Emma Garcia-Meca, 2018. "CSR Communication Strategies of Colombian Business Groups: An Analysis of Corporate Reports," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-19, May.
    9. Riccardo Torelli & Federica Balluchi & Katia Furlotti, 2020. "The materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement: A content analysis of sustainability reports," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 470-484, March.
    10. Fernando Ubeda & Alvaro Mendez & Francisco Javier Forcadell, 2024. "Sustainable banking and trust in the global South," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 15(S1), pages 34-44, March.
    11. Veronica Devenin & Constanza Bianchi, 2018. "Soccer fields? What for? Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility initiatives in the mining industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 866-879, September.
    12. Emanuela Jurietti & Andreina Mandelli & Morana Fudurić, 2017. "How do virtual corporate social responsibility dialogs generate value? A case study of The Unilever Sustainable Living Lab," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(5), pages 357-367, September.
    13. Tingko Lee & Wei‐Tsung Liu & Jun‐Xian Yu, 2021. "Does TMT composition matter to environmental policy and firm performance? The role of organizational slack," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 196-213, January.
    14. Simona Cosma & Rossella Leopizzi & Simone Pizzi & Mario Turco, 2021. "The stakeholder engagement in the European banks: Regulation versus governance. What changes after the NF directive?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 1091-1103, May.
    15. Cristian R. Loza Adaui, 2020. "Sustainability Reporting Quality of Peruvian Listed Companies and the Impact of Regulatory Requirements of Sustainability Disclosures," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-22, February.
    16. Adrienn Reisinger & Roland Z. Szabó, 2024. "The event‐driven social responsibility in small and medium‐sized enterprises," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 3927-3939, September.
    17. Joanna Dyczkowska & Tomasz Dyczkowski, 2020. "Building Stakeholder Relations through Ongoing Engagement and Constructive Dialogue: Lessons from Large Biopharmaceutical Companies," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 2), pages 733-746.
    18. Brunella Arru, 2015. "Indagine sulla comunicazione della responsabilit? sociale delle societ? quotate italiane," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2015(4), pages 15-46.
    19. A. D. Nuwan Gunarathne & Ki‐Hoon Lee, 2020. "Eco‐control for corporate sustainable management: A sustainability development stage perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2515-2529, November.
    20. Andrea Venturelli & Simona Cosma & Rossella Leopizzi, 2018. "Stakeholder Engagement: An Evaluation of European Banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 690-703, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:25:y:2018:i:4:p:674-689. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.