Iso 26000 A Standardized View On Corporate Social Responsibility

This book provides a comprehensive and detailed introduction to the ISO 26000 standard for social responsibility (SR) in businesses and corporations. In addition to discussing the standard’s focus on various stakeholders and seven core topics, the book underscores its key aspects and most debatable issues, with a focus on its connection to sustainable business practices. It presents numerous cases and practical examples of the ISO 26000’s implementation and discusses the outcomes and lessons learned, in terms of the extent to which organizations can envision practicing CSR in ways that fit their activities, stakeholders and environment. Lately, the ISO 26000 has proved to offer an interesting and important approach to the standardization of (corporate) social responsibility. Approached and perceived as a voluntary standard that does not include any specific requirements, determining the best way to implement and work with it involved a considerable amount of experimentation. This book showcases the current state of application and discusses how different countries have developed their own specific versions of the standard, which organizations can use to certify their SR processes.

Over the last ten years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has grown from being criticised as a management fad to being endorsed as good business practice by the majority of the world's leading companies. It has also become ever more complex; and the majority of companies are now in need of clarity and guidance to actively engage with CSR in practice, to develop strategies that reflect the unique context in which each company operates and to embed CSR within their values. ISO, the International Organization for Standardization, began developing an International Standard providing guidelines for social responsibility (SR) in 2005. This long-awaited guidance standard was finally published in November, 2010 as ISO 26000. Developed by stakeholders from industry, government, labour, consumers, non-governmental organizations and others, ISO 26000 will almost certainly become the single most authoritative worldwide standard for SR. In only a few years' time, many thousands of organizations around the world are likely to be using ISO 26000 as a foundation for their SR policies. ISO 26000 is voluntary, and includes no specific requirements; therefore it is not a certification standard. Nonetheless, business users in particular are anxious to measure against the new ISO guideline their current efforts at implementing SR issues within their overall business strategy. Furthermore, many organizations have indicated that they may reformulate current strategies or develop new initiatives based on the content of ISO 26000. This book, written by international experts who have closely followed the development of ISO 26000, is the first to provide potential users with a comprehensive roadmap to the new standard and a compass to identify where they stand in relation to it now. ISO 26000 defines all of the key terminology of SR, provides advice about the ways in which organizations can identify their social responsibilities and how SR can be integrated not only into companies, but into all types of organizations. It is not another code or norm, but an overarching blueprint for social responsibility. This book covers all the key content of ISO 26000, examining the development of the standard, the topics covered and how key themes such as stakeholders are dealt with. It is rich in tools and benchmarking exercises, illustrative material, case examples, and help for companies looking to base their CSR policy on ISO 26000. It also contains an overview of the actions and expectations of organizations that wish to work in accordance with ISO 26000. Timely, detailed and practical, ISO 26000: The Business Guide to the New Standard on Social Responsibility will be an essential resource for the thousands of organizations that need an expert view on how the new standard works, where they stand in relation to it, and how they can work towards developing their CSR efforts in line with its content.

While the number of publications on corporate social responsibility has skyrocketed since the last economic crisis that began in 2008, challenges still remain in the modern economy that make socially responsible business a leading topic both in the field of science and business practice. The concept of corporate social responsibility covers not only practices implemented by enterprises but also attitudes represented by consumers and other market entities. Though much has been written about corporate social responsibility and the potential benefits it offers businesses, there remains a misunderstanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR), responsible management (RM) and responsible consumption (RC). Examining the level of responsible management practices implemented by Polish enterprises and assessing consumer attitudes in the field of corporate social responsibility will serve to identify best business practices and enhance management theory. Because this research examines both sides of the market, companies and consumers, it offers a more holistic view on social responsibility, responsible management and responsible consumer behaviour. The contribution of this book is the development of the assessment tool for measuring social responsibility of every enterprise – Enterprise Social Responsibility Index (EnSRI) and Consumer Social Responsibility Index (CnSRI). This book is written to meet the needs of academics, students, company owners and managers. It also provides an integrated view of responsibility from the point of view of both enterprises and consumers.

ISO 26000 is a voluntary guidance standard that attempts what no other global standard on social responsibility has: to consolidate in one place the fundamental expectations of organizations regarding their responsibilities to society. Because the standard was developed by a global, multi-stakeholder group—representing more than 90 countries—the standard addresses the wide landscape of social responsibility and provides valuable context for implementation in all types of organizations. This book is structured to help you navigate ISO 26000 and to provide succinct, practical information for implementing its guidance. The book is akin to a GPS that speaks point-to-point guidance as you help your organization set and move toward its social responsibility goals, based on the broader map that ISO 26000 provides. “If you’re planning to use ISO 26000 to integrate social responsibility into your organization, this book is a must-read. It’s the quintessential road map for making the most of the standard’s extensive scope through practical tools, expert insights, and a systematic approach.” Jeffrey Hogue Vice President of Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Danisco ”ISO 26000 in Practice uses the continuous improvement (Plan-Do-Check-Act) framework to translate the standard into actionable steps on the journey from legal compliance and risk management to meaningful core values and sustainable growth.” Marc P. Kelemen President NanoSynopsis, LLC “This book is beneficial for those organizations that need a helping hand to address sustainability, as well as for those who want to use the standard to reflect on their existing framework, assess alignment with ISO 26000, and identify areas for improvement.” Johanna C. Jobin Sustainability Programs Manager EMD Millipore “Bernhart and Maher show how to take the first bite of the social responsibility apple, and the second, with each bite bringing you a greater degree of comfort that your organization's essential obligations are recognized and on their way to being addressed. This book is easy to use and filled with helpful tips, tables, and examples.” Dorothy P. Bowers Chair, U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ISO 26000 (2006 – 2009)

The role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the business world has developed from a fig leaf marketing front into an important aspect of corporate behavior over the past several years. Sustainable strategies are valued, desired and deployed more and more by relevant players in many industries all over the world. Both research and corporate practice therefore see CSR as a guiding principle for business success. The “Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility” has been conceived to assist researchers and practitioners to align business and societal objectives. All actors in the field will find reliable and up to date definitions and explanations of the key terms of CSR in this authoritative and comprehensive reference work. Leading experts from the global CSR community have contributed to make the “Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility” the definitive resource for this field of research and practice.

This book takes a fresh look at current issues in corporate social responsibility (CSR) with a special focus on emerging economies. In particular, it includes dedicated chapters on the theory of CSR, related principles and values, and insights from cross-generational investigations. In turn, the second part of the book examines the relation between financial performance and social responsibility in different industries and types of organizations. The third part presents cases involving emerging economies, and addresses reporting, auditing and accounting, as well as sector-specific issues for e.g. retailing and banking. Lastly, the book tackles the aspects of financial performance and taxation in a number of case studies and practical examples. Overall the book provides cutting-edge insights into the theory and practice of CSR from European countries that can be considered emerging or developing.

This book examines the practice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Latin America, with a particular focus on Brazil. Drawing on historical developments and theoretical reflections alike, it introduces readers to the state of the art in Brazilian CSR. The authors present a range of regulatory and entrepreneurial frameworks that form the basis for business and CSR activities in Brazil. In a number of detailed case studies from various Brazilian institutions and enterprises, the book provides revealing insights into the practice of sustainable and responsible business conduct in this country. Subsequent chapters show the effects of anti-corruption laws, which have since informed corporations’ compliance agendas, and discuss recent, massive corruption scandals. Generally speaking, the book provides a highly informative and practice-oriented resource that successfully reconciles an ostensible contradiction – corporate social responsibility and Brazil.