Corporate Social Responsibility

Question 1

What are the 4 types of sustainability (Aust, Matthews & Muller, 2020)?

Answer 1

➔ Socially responsible HRM: considers diversity, health and safety
➔ Green HRM: concerns environmental sustainability
➔ Triple bottom line: people-planet-profit but can lead to paradoxical tensions such as role ambiguity and turnover
➔ Common good HRM: places collective interest above - or equal to - org. wishes, needs and desires e.g. not working with bad suppliers

Question 2

What is the difference between inside-out and outside-in sustainability?

Answer 2

➔ Inside-out serves an economic purpose first and sustainable second
➔ Outside-in (Common Good HRM) serves a sustainable focus first (think of SDGs)

Question 3

What is the opposite of embedded CSR?

Answer 3

➔ Embedded CSR: integrated within a firm’s strategy and is more likely to be seen as substantive (other-serving), often employee related and internal
➔ Peripheral CSR: activities that are external from the firms strategy and likely to be symbolic (self-serving), HR acts operational as it is external from HR processes

Sarvaiya et al. (2018) conclude that HR is more involved with implementing CSR than developing it (except internal CSR e.g. employee well-being) and take on the role of the administrative expert through e.g. payroll

Question 4

How can the AMO model influence green HRM?

Answer 4

➔ Developing green Abilities: selecting on green values and giving green training
➔ Motivate green employees: PM criteria relating to green achievements and compensation for participation in green HRM
➔ Providing green Opportunities: employee involvement and union roles

Question 5

What is signaling theory?

Answer 5

Signaling theory suggests that job seekers use whatever info they have as signals that help inform their employment decisions.

Corporate social performance can influence anticipated pride, perceived value fit and expected treatment. By doing so it makes organizations more or less attractive to potential job seekers.

Also relates to the ASA model: attraction-selection-attrition

Question 6

Describe the three steps in the evolution of CSR based on Turner et al. (2019)

Answer 6

➔ Traditional usage: org. are solely responsible to stakeholders and not society as a whole
➔ Social issue statements: a stance taken by an organization on a political/social issue, does not include action
➔ Socially controversial: when an organization takes action, for example Chick-Fil-A donating to anti-LGBT groups. Due to its controversial nature, it can lead to negative impacts

Question 7

Is the current millennial generation more or less attracted to CSR?

Answer 7

More attracted to CSR due to:

1) Their societal awareness resulting from social media use
2) Parental support allowing them to stay at home, not being forced to take just any job to make ends meet
3) They are more mobile and have access to more resources while job shopping

Question 8

What are the three characteristics of sustainable HRM practices?

Answer 8

1) Help achieve the triple bottom line (people-planet-profit)
2) Impacts internal and external stakeholders
3) Is conducted over a long-term horizon

Question 9

Name the paradoxes related to HRM

Answer 9

For organizations:

1) Efficiency vs. substance: the tension between deploying human resources efficiently (long-term) while also sustaining them
2) Efficiency vs. responsibility: Also considering the social legitimacy of an organization’s practices such as burn-outs
3) Present vs. future: tension between short- and long-term effects (e.g. cutting costs because of Covid-19 but in the long-term you need those you laid off)

For HR professionals:

4) Paradox of belonging: HR professionals need to secure their roles within the organization and to acquire legitimacy (strategic role), overlooking the needs of the workforce (employee advocate)
5) Paradox of performing: HR professionals involved with supporting CSR strategies that include conflicting goals, need to consider how HRM policies and practices will support each of the goals related to the triple bottom line

Question 10

Difference between proscriptive and prescriptive HR practices?

Answer 10

➔ Proscriptive: what an organization has to do in order to avoid harm (e.g. avoid slavery) and is often upheld by the law as minimum ethical standards
➔ Prescriptive: going above and beyond the minimum and doing good

Examples of prescriptive HRM:
➔ Economically doing good: ownerships programs (e.g. shares) help commit employees in the long-term
➔ Environmentally doing good: recruiting employees whose values align with the sustainable goals of the company
➔ Socially doing good: making practices and policies that support employee well-being