IDEFICS
The role of Non-Financial Performance Measurement in Modern Organisational Life
CSR-driven Innovation
ISERC3
RESPONSE
European Platform
CSR in SMEs
Employer Branding
Corporate Communication and Sustainability

IDEFICSstudy, Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lifestyle-induced health EFfects In Children and infantS

The IDEFICSstudy, financed by the EU 6th Framework Programme, is a major multidisciplinary, intercultural project with partners in 11 EU countries and focusing on children aged 2 to 10 years. The project is conducted from September 2006 until August 2011. Its strategic objectives are:

1. to enhance knowledge of health effects of an altered social environment & lifestyle of children in Europe

2. and to develop, implement & validate specific intervention approaches in order to reduce the prevalence of diet- & lifestyle-related diseases & disorders in the EU

Prof. Lucia Reisch is chairing the Work Activity 07 “Consumer science”. Here, consumer behaviour is put into the broader perspective of society, e.g., internal and external factors of health behaviour are identified. Children’s health behaviour is not only influenced by individual characteristics and the family environment, but also by communities and school and on a societal level by all actors involved, e.g., political actors, mass media, food industry etc. A special interest within this consumer working area is laid on the role of commercials where a qualitative toolbox provides an insight into the effects commercials exert on children’s food related behaviour.

For more information, contact: Lucia A. Reisch  and Wencke Gwozdz

Non-financial performance measurement (NPM) systems have fast become an integrated part of organisational life. Some see the explosion in NPM systems as a reflection of a disillusion with existing management control systems, others as a representation of the instrumental rationalisation of organisations, and still others as a response to overall societal changes that increase the need to manage intangible assets.

Whatever the perspective, there seems to be some consensus that the new NPM systems may stimulate organisational changes, albeit not always in the way that was originally intended. Proponents believe that ‘what gets measured gets done’ and that NPM can potentially be a source of competitive advantage, whereas more sceptical voices argue that these systems have a more symbolic character and are only loosely coupled to organisational decision-making and behaviour.

The growing popularity of NPM combined with the ambiguity that still surrounds this area is the main motivation for this project. More specifically, the objective is to analyse how the adoption and use of NPM systems shape and in turn are shaped by the companies’ organisational routines. The project is less a matter of identifying the NPM systems that generate high financial performance than an attempt to draw up the architecture of the companies that adopt NPM and understand the organisational consequences of these management technologies.

The project is based on a web-survey and a number of case studies in order to render possible a theory-driven test of hypotheses as well as an inductive inquiry of NPM in a real-life context. With regard to the former, the web-survey tests a number of hypotheses regarding the relationship between the adoption of NPM and the companies’ organisational routines. With regard to the latter, the case studies enable a qualitative analysis of the rationales for adopting NPM, the factors that influence the implementation and daily use, and the intended/unintended impacts.

Theoretically, the project improves the understanding of the dynamic relationship between new management technologies (NPM) and the organisation (capabilities). On the one hand, the study of NPM helps explain how management technologies can be used to change, manipulate, and negotiate capabilities. On the other hand, the capabilities' theory contributes to the NPM research by showing how organisational routines affect the adoption and use of these systems.

Empirically, the project’s comprehensive investigation of NPM will make a noticeable contribution to the existing research base, where large scale empirical studies are still few. In Denmark only minor surveys of NPM have been carried out and even the international literature remains dominated by case studies.

For more information, contact Esben Rahbek Pedersen

Combining Design and Business in a Profitable and Sustainable Way

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has permeated management practice and theory up to a point, where CSR can be refered to as the latest management fad. Nevertheless, so far CSR integration into business processes has been very uneven. Most companies conceptualise CSR primarily as a tool to reduce risks and operational cost. Only a minority of companies is actually using CSR as a means to drive innovation. Among SMEs the amount is even smaller. This project aims to inspire and support creative CSR-driven innovation and design solutions for SMEs. The project will study solutions that respond to societal challenges in a profitable way and will strengthen Nordic and regional partnerships. It is part of the Nordic Center on Corporate Responsibility (NCCR).

Each Academic partner has chosen and collected data from three cases within their respective country. These cases have been selected in terms of innovation of business models, design or technology, which makes 15 cases in total. cbsCSR has been the main driver behind data collection and deliverables, among these are state-of-the-art literature reviews. All data is collected and analysed at cbsCSR in order to compare SME engagement within the Nordic countries and determine future business recommendations.

The project aims at strengthening the efforts of Nordic SMEs to generate profitable innovative products and services driven by environmental and societal considerations. Together, the Nordic countries hope to be able to make a difference by underpinning and upgrading enterprises and business partners with knowledge and concrete business tools aimed at promoting and supporting CSR driven innovation – innovation, which is set to improve the competitiveness, sustainability and growth of Nordic SMEs.

This project includes the following Nordic partners:

For more information contact Mette Morsing

Social Entrepreneurship has become a global phenomenon that employs innovative approaches to solve social problems with the aim to radically improve benefits to society. Traditionally, academic interest in the topic has focused on practitioner events and teaching. Only recently social entrepreneurship has become subject to rigorous academic analysis.

The International Social Entrepreneurship Research Conference (ISERC) series has been set up to be the leading event for advancing this academic research agenda. In 2008, the third ISERC meeting was hosted at Copenhagen Business School by Kai Hockerts (CBS), Johanna Mair (IESE), and Jeff Robinson (NYU). Following a careful peer review process of over 40 paper submissions, thirteen papers were invited for presentation. Speakers came from leading busines schools including Bocconi, Cambridge, Darden, LSE, NYU, Oxford, and Vanderbuild. The presentations gave both empirical and conceptual/theoretical insights into social entrepreneurship as a global phenomenon applying different perspectives and theoretical lenses.

ISERC3 has helped with the further refinement of theoretical concepts and scholarly ideas regarding this area of research, and the solidification of a research network for thought leadership and knowledge generation in social entrepreneurship. The meeting was an important step towards securing creative partnerships and cross-national research projects. Participation for the conference was capped at 50 scholars representing the main research streams in Europe and North America. Thanks to the support of the European Commission's Asia Link programme, we were also able to welcome participants from Singapore and the Philippines, thus, extending the reach of ISERC into Asia.

For more information, contact Kai Hockerts .

From 2004 until 2007, CBS partnered in a joint international research effort with INSEAD and Bocconi University. The project RESPONSE aims at understanding how multinational companies see their responsibility towards society and how this is aligned (or not) with the expectations of their stakeholders. At CBS the project was executed by Professor Peter Neergaard, Associate Professor Kai Hockerts, and Dr. Esben Rahbek Pedersen with the help of seven research assistants.

With 400 interviews and a web-based survey with 1,100 managers, RESPONSE is the largest research projects on CSR to date, made possible through a EURO 1.3 million grant from the European Commission’s Framework Programme. An average of 20 interviews per company (top managers and key stakeholders) were carried out in 19 companies, eight of which were conducted by CBS researchers.

Having concluded data collection in 2007, the RESPONSE project is currently analysing its data and developing several research papers. An initial draft report was presented to the European Commission in autumn 2007 at the project’s concluding conference. Furthermore, work in progress has been presented at the EABIS colloquium, the Academy of Management, and several research workshops. A follow-up conference was held in June 2008, at which further findings were presented and discussed.

Coordinating a cross-national research project such as RESPONSE requires much energy. “There has been a lot of administrative work in getting this project realised, but the international dimension has added a unique quality. Nevertheless, it has been a challenge and inspiration to interview top executives in large multinational companies,” concludes Peter Neergaard.

For more information, contact:
Esben Rahbek Pedersen
Peter Neergaard
Kai Hockerts

 

In the period 2004 to 2007, The European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) gathered Business Schools from all over Europe to take part in the CSR Platform Project. The Platform was supported by a grant from the EU Commission under the sixth framework with the aim of coordinating and developing the research activities of the issue of CSR in Europe, that is to develop “The European Platform for CSR Excellence”.

The project was put into being, because of three key shortfalls of the mainstream academic literature on the field of business in society. First, the European research agenda on CSR appeared fragmented. Secondly, the field had not paid much attention to the perspective of other stakeholders on the role of business in society. Thirdly, the dissemination of research on CSR issues was diffuse (as documented by CBS scholars Ougaard, M. & Elgaard Nielsen, M., 2002), that is there was a lack of interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-fertilisation in dissemination efforts and that there was no strategic dissemination of CSR research at the European level.

The CSR Platform Project was unique as it provided a platform for academic institutions, business, policy-makers and civil society actors with interest in CSR to discuss and shape the European CSR research agenda. The Project provided the opportunity to align and integrate research to achieve synergies between European research institutions. It also helped create a view of best practices in relation to dissemination of research findings.

The project was divided into seven Work Packages. cbsCSR was responsible for CBS’ collaboration with the European partners in two work packages: “European CSR Network for Scholars” (WP3) and “European CSR Network for Young Scholars” (WP2).

Together with Bart Neerscholten (EABIS), Nigel Roome (The Management Development Network, EFMD) and Matthew Wood (EFMD), CBS scholars Mette Morsing, Jonas Eder-Hansen and Cheryl Iseli handled the Work Package “European CSR Network for Young Scholars”. In relation to the project, CBS, katholische Universität Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Warwick Business School, INSEAD and Cranfield School of Management investigated how to identify ‘best practice’ and to improve the local knowledge environments. It was found that CBS, with a starting point in traditional fundamental fields within business economics, has been very active in facilitating cross-disciplinary work.

CBS choose to try to strengthen the CSR Platform project and to work with knowledge dissemination by having a seminar with keynote speaker Dr. Edward Freeman. The seminar, entitled “Building Bridges between Fundamental and Applied Business Disciplines on the Role of Society” attracted 90 European participants on 25 October 2005.

Researchers were invited to present from either fundamental scholarly disciplines (including political science, economics, sociology etc.) or an applied business discipline (including strategy, marketing, finance etc.) to begin the exploration and discussion of applied-fundamental research. A result from the conference was a list of opportunities as well as a list of barriers in relation to improving the CSR agenda and the dissipation of knowledge.

"cbsCSR has been an important partner in the CSR Platform project. Especially, the unique CBS approach to CSR research and teaching that has consistently integrated applied and fundamental disciplines on various levels. Consequently, cbsCSR has delivered valuable insights and inputs to the creation of the EABIS Platform for Excellence in CSR Research."

Bart Neerscholten, Research Manager, EABIS

For more information, contact Mette Morsing 

cbsCSR was invited to chair the National Research Panel and Project on “CSR in SMEs in Denmark”, as part of the People and Profit project, which is funded by the EUs Social Foundation and Agency for Employment, and headed by the Danish Agency for Commerce and Companies under the Danish Ministry of Commerce and Trade. “CSR in SMEs in Denmark” was part of the People & Profit initiative, which was initiated to prepare the Danish businesses for the increasing international competition by documenting the strong CSR integration in Danish businesses and to help the integration of citizens into the labour market. Small- and medium-sized companies, particularly, were identified as lacking documentation as opposed to multinational companies, as SMEs have not experienced the same vulnerability in respect to media as some MNCs. The initiative should make sure Denmark reaches the goals set up in the Lisbon Agenda.

The overall purpose of establishing the panel and the project was to create awareness about risks and opportunities for SMEs in relation to CSR, and to disseminate knowledge to more than the 4,000 companies and 12,000 people who participated in the People and Profit educational programmes.

The Research Panel consisted of Allan Lerberg Jørgensen (The Danish Institute for Human Rights), Anne Ellerup Nielsen (Aarhus School of Business (ASB)), Anne Roepstorff (cbsCBS), Christa Thomsen (ASB), Henrik Wenzel (Technical University of Denmark), Jeanette Lemmergaard (University of Southern Denmark), Joachim Boll (The Danish National Centre for Social Research), Karin Buhmann (Roskilde University), Martin Marcussen (University of Copenhagen), Mette Andersen (CBS), Mette Mønsted (CBS), Ole Mølvadgaard (Aalborg University), Peter Lund-Thomsen (cbsCSR), Steen Hildebrandt (ASB), Steen Vallentin (cbsCSR), Søren Jeppesen (cbsCSR) and chaired by Mette Morsing (cbsCSR).

The purpose of the research panel was to qualify the debate. The panel collected knowledge and helped disseminate it and comment on it. It commented on the education material created through the People & Profit project, and it contributed with inputs to the train-the-trainers' programme. Finally, a book was published in 2008 by Børsen.

The research project has produced what is so far known as the largest data collection in relation to CSR in SMEs in Denmark. The research project should collect and create knowledge. The research project initiated small research projects, contributed to the publishing of articles, and created a catalogue of best practices.

The research project resulted in a conference, “The Social Responsibility of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises – Integration of CSR into SME Business Practice”, which is described in further details on the following page.

"While the People and Profit project was a very Danish idea, it turned out to evoke an unexpected international attention. We have travelled internationally to talk about the project and we were invited to talk in the World Bank. Inviting cbsCSR researchers to engage with us in discussing and exchanging ideas on the project has been an enriching experience. We have challenged each other and we will continue to do so in the future: collaborate and challenge each other.”

- Carsten Ingerslev, The Danish Commerce and Companies Agency.

For more information, contact Mette Morsing .

Sanne Frandsen started her TDC-supported industrial PhD project in the fall of 2008 with a focus on employer branding, while asking the question of how CSR influences the corporate employer brand. Sanne Frandsen has a MA in Danish and Communication and she came from a position in TDC’s communication department. Her PhD project focuses on exploring how corporate communication and HR may integrate their efforts to strategically pursue the challenges of employer branding. Rather than seeing employer branding as an exercise, which targets external stakeholders, i.e. potential employees, or seeing employer branding as an issue of identity and identification, Frandsen’s project explores how the corporate identity of the company plays a role for external communication with the ambition of creating a strong employer brand.

Her PhD project addresses a subject with much focus on current Danish society; yet an area that is relatively unexplored theoretically, and Frandsen’s contribution is, through empirical studies, to explore the relations and dynamics of HR and corporate communication towards employer branding.

A key question for the PhD project is how employer branding strengthens the perception of the company as an attractive place to work among potential and existing employees?

For more information, contact Sanne Frandsen

Carina Christine Skovmøller started her VELUX supported industrial PhD project in January 2008. Carina Christine Skovmøller has a MA in Communication and Economics and she works at VELUX Stakeholder Communications.

Carina Christine Skovmøller’s project focuses on the implementation of sustainable living in VELUX communications on a global level. The aim is to uncover, which parameters are the most decisive in relation to whether or not sustainable living can be managed in a way, so that it appears credible, but at the same time respects the relationship between global and local level in the company.

Carina Christine Skovmøller will do the PhD in collaboration with cbsCSR and VELUX A/S. Her supervisors are Professor Anne-Marie Søderberg (cbsCSRaffiliated) and Professor Mette Morsing (cbsCSR).

"VELUX's answer to the climate situation and to the demands made of us and our products is ‘Sustainable Living’, which for us means three things: that the buildings of the future have a sound indoor climate, that they are energy efficient and that we have to use renewable energy sources. We hope that we are able to use some of the results from this PhD internally in our future work with sustainable living.”

Michael Rasmussen, Markering Director, VELUX A/S

For more information, contact Carina Skovmøller