AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings - Academy of International ...

MONDAY
networks. Using content analysis to analyze the debate unfolding around Better Place's attempts to
communicate their business model to constituents in Denmark, Israel, Canada, and Australia, we demonstrate
that the narrative process for creating legitimacy for the business model varies across the diverse contexts of
these countries. This reflects different configurations of stakeholders and agendas in different institutional
contexts and underlines the ongoing importance of institutional differences, even to very global issues such as
sustainability. We contribute to the growing literature on institutions in international business research. (For
more information, please contact: Morten Rask, Aarhus University, Denmark: mr@morten-rask.dk)
Session: 2.3.15 - Interactive
Track: 1 - Institutions, Governance, and CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility in International Business II
Presented On: July 2, 2012 - 13:00-14:15
Chair: Dorothee Feils, University of Alberta
A Comparative Study on Corporate Social Responsibility Communication between Chinese and German
Companies
Yiqin Wang, Harbin Institute of Technology
Boxia Shi, Harbin Institute of Technology
Yanfang Hao, Harbin Institute of Technology
CSR communication is important for multinational corporations to convey a positive image and to gain
legitimacy among stakeholders from different countries. This paper develops a comprehensive analysis
framework to conduct the comparative study of CSR communication and to explore the reasons for the
differences. Based on the framework, the paper compares the CSR communication in relation to the objects,
contents and strategy of the communication by structuring CSR communication keywords index system between
Chinese and German enterprises. Based on this empirical study, the paper argues that CSR communication is
challenged by the global economy and the culture. (For more information, please contact: Yiqin Wang, Harbin
Institute of Technology, China: yqw@hit.edu.cn)
Building International CSR on Solid Foundations: Location and Network Aspects of Nonmarket Environments
Rafael Lucea, George Washington University
Multinational companies' (MNCs) corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs frequently comprise a portfolio
of disconnected country-level programs or, alternatively, consist of blanket corporate policies that apply in the
same way across the geographies where the company operates. Yet, the international nonmarket environment
in which CSR programs operate is neither a completely fragmented nor a perfectly homogeneous one.
Building on the concept of stakeholder-issue-networks, we develop a model that explicitly takes into
consideration the role of geography in the characterization of a firm's nonmarket environment. This allows us to
develop a taxonomy of nonmarket environments on the basis of their geographic spread and their degree of
cross-border connectedness. We then explore the strategic and organizational implications that different ideal
types of (cross-border) nonmarket environments have for the development of international CSR policies. (For
more information, please contact: Rafael Lucea, George Washington University, USA: rafel@gwu.edu)
Global Diffusion of CSR Standards: A Comparison of the Global Reporting Initiative and the Global Compact
Stephen Chen, University of Newcastle
Petra Bouvain, University of Canberra
AIB 2012 Conference Proceedings
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