978-1544351575 Lecture note Chapter 11

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Chandler, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility, 5e

SAGE Publishing, 2020

Lecture Notes

Part VI: A Sustainable Perspective

Chapter 11: Sustainability

Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (5e) is organized into six distinct parts, each with

two chapters and a case study. Each part presents CSR from a different perspective.

Together, they draw on core concepts and innovative models to provide a comprehensive

overview of CSR, as well as detailing the practical challenges faced by firms that grapple

with this complex topic across all aspects of operations. Throughout the book and its

accompanying instructor materials, useful teaching tools, contemporary examples, online

resources, and provocative questions for discussion and debate allow easy application in the

classroom.

Part VI concludes this textbook by demonstrating how firms can embed a strategic CSR

perspective throughout the organization by building values-based businesses that serve the

interests of their broad range of stakeholders.

Chapter Summary

Chapter 11 leads off Part VI by investigating the origins of sustainability and its relevance

for firms today. It highlights the original United Nations report that defined this term; it also

comments on the recent COP21 (Paris, France) and COP24 (Katowice, Poland) agreements.

In addition to discussing sustainability conceptually, this chapter investigates sustainability

as it is practiced by multiple firms. It concludes with a detailed analysis of the level of waste

our current economic system generates.

Annotated Chapter Outline

1. Introduction

This section briefly frames the chapter by posing this question: What is the extent of

firms’ collective responsibility for the environment? By asking a series of follow-up

questions, it introduces the discussion for students, seeking in particular to frame

sustainability in a practical context.

2. Sustainable Development

This section defines the term sustainability, including differentiating it from the

Chandler, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility, 5e

SAGE Publishing, 2020

3. Sustainability in Practice

4. Waste

This section seeks to apply the concept of sustainability further by demonstrating how

inefficient our current economic system is in terms of resource utilization. The

5. Beyond Sustainability

This section concludes Chapter 11 with a call for reform of our economic system.

Strategic CSR recognizes that the status quo is unstable, but also recognizes the

Strategic CSR Debate

Motion: An e-waste tax should be levied on all consumer electronics.

A strategic CSR perspective supports arguments in favor of this motion. A key

tenet of strategic CSR is the idea that stakeholders need to hold firms to account

for their actions, rewarding behavior that meets expectations while punishing

behavior that falls short of expectations. One way this can be achieved is by

incorporating all costs into the price of the goods we purchase (see the discussion

of lifecycle pricing in Chapter 8). If we care about preserving our planet, an e-

waste tax that incentivizes recycling is one way in which we can account for those

costs while incentivizing market-based alternative solutions.

Suggested Answers to Questions for Discussion and Review

1. Is sustainability an issue you consider in your purchase decisions? Why or why

not?

Chandler, Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility, 5e

SAGE Publishing, 2020

The answer to this question will vary from student to student. In order to practice the

2. Have a look at this video: https://www.storyofstuff.org/movies/story-of-stuff/.

Does it change your answer to Question 1? How do you answer the main

question posed in the video: How can we make a linear economic system more

sustainable?

An answer to this question will depend on each student’s reaction to the video and

their answer to Question 1. In terms of creating a more sustainable economic system,

3. Is sustainability a high enough priority in business, politics, and society today?

Why, or why not? If not, what should be done to change that?

These are big questions to which different students will bring different perspectives.

Of course, understanding and implementing strategic CSR throughout operations will

4. Have a look at Marks & Spencer’s (M&S’s) Plan A

(https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/plan-a)? Do you sense this is a genuine

effort? More importantly, is it enough?

While different students will interpret M&S’s website in different ways, the firm does

5. How can you minimize the amount of e-waste you produce? How often do you

upgrade your smartphone or computer? Is it fair that workers in developing

countries (including children) have to clean up our e-waste?

Hopefully, an answer to this question will prompt students to reflect on the number of

consumer electronic devices that dominate their lives and the implications and