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    Zodiac Year Fate Eased by CSR: Fact or Fiction?
    (Elsevier Inc, 2025-07) Hu Y; Fang J; Bhuiyan MBU
    This study examines the relationship between the Chinese zodiac year of chairpersons and corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. Drawing on upper echelons and stakeholder theories, we argue that zodiac beliefs may lead chairpersons to prioritise CSR activities during their zodiac year to counteract potential bad luck and mitigate corporate risk. Using 24,418 observations from Chinese listed firms over the period 2010–2020, our empirical analysis reveals a significant and positive effect of chairpersons' zodiac year on CSR performance. We observe that the effect is transient, appearing before and during the zodiac year but diminishing thereafter. Further, our findings show that the zodiac year effect is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises, firms with higher levels of public, environmental and CSR concerns and those with favourable environmental track records. This study extends the application of upper echelons and stakeholder theories by incorporating chairpersons’ zodiac year effect.
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    Community Development through Corporate Social Responsibility in Livingston, Zambia: Are Hotels Actually Changing Business Practices?
    (Massey University, 2018) Chilufya, Andrew K
    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) presents unique prospects for both local development and valuable business returns for tourism companies. However, optimization of CSR-generated development impacts may largely depend on the willingness of companies to change their corporate practices more. This paper explores CSR practices of hotels and lodges in Livingstone, Zambia, and associated community development impacts of activities they implement in the surrounding Mukuni communities. Findings from research amongst eight hotel and lodge companies, show that where the voluntary process of change of CSR practices was accompanied by multi-stakeholder involvement, which tended to ameliorate adverse power relations, substantial community development benefits were widely captured by communities from CSR initiatives. These findings suggest that in situations where companies willingly incorporate pro-poor approaches in their business practices, multi-stakeholder involvement in CSR might be a plausible approach for ensuring equity and for augmenting the CSR community development impacts.
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    Essays on corporate social responsibility : a thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance, School of Economics and Finance, Massey University, 30 August 2014
    (Massey University, 2014) Ferreira, Christoffel Jacobus
    This thesis aims to deepen our collective understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The findings suggest the conventional aggregation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) raw scores and its interpreted impact on firm value is unsound. Instead, the value impact of CSR activities relies heavily on the relative position of the firm within its own industry. A firm tends to achieve a boost in value when it distinguishes itself over its peer firms. This finding is robust and holds for both responsible and irresponsible behavior. Information concerns and portfolio construction allude to a possible CSR clientele, which may suggest the existence of an optimal CSR level. Building on CSR’s effect on performance, the second part of the thesis focuses on the cultural drivers of CSR, using a geographic lens. This study investigates whether firm headquarter location is indicative of a firm’s CSR profile, and presents evidence that location affects firm value. The findings document that location has a large significant effect on the CSR profile of resident firms. The results contend that CSR varies significantly across geography. Furthermore, firms that diversify along a CSR continuum within their locale could share in an increase in value. The legal, cultural, and social demographic differences across geography explain some of the significant variation in CSR means between metropolitan statistical areas, states, and regions. More significantly, we show that CSR might destroy firm value. The result is robust to concerns of endogeneity, as the socio-economic indicators are used as exogenous instruments for CSR. The last part of the thesis contends that CSR is a proxy for good management, and as a result CSR firms should be less likely to engage in myopic activities. It presents evidence of an association between discretionary investment and CSR. The results indicate that firms that engage in socially destructive behavior are more likely to engage in myopic activities. More importantly, our results indicate that CSR (specifically concern) can be considered a proxy for good management. This indicates that firms with high levels of socially destructive behavior are more likely to manipulate earnings through myopic behavior. However firms with high levels of strength behavior are not less likely to be myopic, and in some cases might be more likely. Our results shed light on the complex interplay between discretionary activities and the multifaceted impact of CSR on firm’s corporate activities. As a final point our results indicate that socially responsible behavior is a poor indicator of good management and is unrelated to myopic behavior with regard to other discretionary expenditures. However, a firm’s level of socially destructive behavior is significantly correlated with management quality and the likelihood that a firm might engage in myopic practices for the sake of earnings manipulation.
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    he relationship between CSR and HRM : a study of large New Zealand organisations : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2014) Sarvaiya, Harshakumari
    Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource management (HRM) are well established research fields. In recent years scholars have evinced greater interest in discussing the interdependence between these constructs. However, there is a dearth of empirical research focusing on the link between CSR and HRM in practice, resulting in limited understanding of how these two notions are linked in complex and dynamic organisational settings. To address this knowledge gap, this exploratory study examines the two-way relationship between CSR and HRM. It is positioned within an interpretive paradigm and employs qualitative research methodology, drawing on data from interviews with 29 CSR and HR professionals from large New Zealand organisations. The study begins by focusing on the relationship from CSR to HRM, examining the relevance of CSR to HRM. From a stakeholder perspective, the empirical results reveal that CSR has some applicability to HRM. The study identifies four HR aspects that are often addressed under the scope of CSR. However, the findings also indicate that such a CSR–HRM interface is contingent upon CSR-related variables, namely the scope of CSR, the stage of CSR development and industry variation in the application of CSR. Next the relationship from HRM to CSR is explored, highlighting the roles of HR in the development and implementation of CSR strategy. The findings, based on Ulrich’s HR model, suggest that HR has significant involvement in the implementation of CSR by playing the roles of employee champion, change agent and administrative expert. Contrary to the assumptions outlined in the literature, however, the findings do not support the strategic partner roles of HR in developing CSR strategy. Importantly, these roles cannot be discussed with a ‘one size fits all’ approach as they are subject to organisational factors, such as CSR structure and roles and the position of HRM. Finally, the study investigates CSR–HRM integration resulting from the two-way relationship. Drawing on the integration theory, the empirical results indicate that collaboration and interaction between CSR and HR professionals develop various levels of CSR–HRM integration, ranging from strong and moderate to weak. This is due to the influence of behavioural factors which emerge against the backdrop of CSR-related and organisational factors. The study concludes that the relationship between CSR and HRM is contextual in nature, and structural variables are more dominant than agency in shaping such a relationship. Overall, the outcomes of this thesis expound a CSR–HRM relationship framework incorporating contextual factors, and develop a generous understanding of the twoway CSR–HRM link. This may assist scholars of future research and practitioners, both CSR and HR, towards more effective CSR–HRM integration. Hence, the contribution of this study is both theoretical and empirical.
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    Partnering for progress: Business partnership with non-profits in New Zealand
    (Massey University. Department of Management and International Business, 2008) Eweje, Gabriel; Palakshappa, Nitha
    This paper examines partnerships between business organisations and non-profits in New Zealand. Collaboration is becoming increasingly essential as organisations grow in both size and influence, and public pressure intensifies for organisations to address pressing social and environmental concerns. An increasing number of businesses have responded by engaging in corporate citizenship programmes to resolve social problems. Social partnerships between business and non-profits are widely promoted as important new strategies which will bring significant benefits to wider stakeholders. A key concern in business/non-profit collaboration is how organisations might collaborate to achieve mutually beneficial objectives and align with the organisations corporate social responsibility. This research seeks to develop an understanding of what the objectives of such relationships might be and to what extent these objectives are achieved.
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    CSR and staff retention in New Zealand companies: A literature review
    (Massey University. Department of Management and International Business, 2006) Eweje, Gabriel; Bentley, Tim
    This working paper examines the notion that there is a relationship between CSR and staff retention in organisations. Studies have shown that people are becoming more aware of business activities in many countries. As such, companies with good CSR policies are being rewarded by consumers and this is manifested in companies’ financial position in the long term. On the other hand, consumers will punish companies with poor CSR reputation. This review is illustrated through an analysis of literature on corporate social responsibility intended to advance that there is a relationship between CSR and staff retention in organisations. By translating the general principles of CSR into business practices, by developing better measures of CSR, and by empowering and engaging employees, businesses are more likely to embrace CSR so that it penetrates all business activities.