University of Vaasa - Vaasan yliopisto

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China’s restricted market forces which would have had also discouraged the
formation of innovative ideas that are basically the fundamentals of continuous
development (Pettigrew andWhipp, 1991). Essentially, new age approaches such as
that of social accounting and the notion that corporations need to act responsibly can
be considered as culminations of creative thinking that revolves very much around
moral values. For corporations, there is also generally a growing awareness of the
possibility that engaging in social initiatives, specifically in strategic philanthropy,
can increase its competitive context, that is the quality of the business environment in
the location or locations they operate in (Porter and Kramer, 2002).
Indeed, in the Danish business environment, recent developments seem to point that
companies are communicating their social actions to the public in a more
conspicuous manner and at the same time they are spending increasingly more
money on making their efforts known (Morsing 2003). This has also meant that
international CSR guidelines such as the UN Global Compact or GRI Reporting
Guidelines have become increasingly in the focus of corporations (Morsing 2003),
although these developments in CSR communication are sometimes criticized as
being nothing more than a public relations exercise.
The perception and understanding of corporations in the issue of CSR can be seen
through their framing of the CSR concept which is often formalized through their
Codes of Conduct or CSR Policies. In the context of this research, the topic of
discussion is largely related to the economic viability and the inter‐relationship of
stakeholders with the issue of social conduct. The following examples of formalized
CSR statements or intentions from corporations can be the point of departure:‐
“We create value for the societies in which we operate by acting as a responsible
neighbour, by integrating sustainability into our operations, and by being a good
employer.” – Danisco A/S.
“We strive to deliver energy solutions that are economically, environmentally and
socially responsible.” – Dong Energy A/S.
“In all our work, we strive to be economically viable, socially responsible, and
environmentally sound.” – Novo Nordisk A/S.
From these and other corporate statements, there appears to be an emphasis on
integrating social concerns into business operations. Danish companies appear to
view social partnerships seriously as well. This can be seen in for example Danisco’s
definition in which it wants to be seen as a responsible neighbor and a good
employer, which suggests an emphasis on the stakeholder element. Danish
corporations appear to acknowledge the needs of its stakeholders and signify the
understanding that their business activities would impact their stakeholders, whether
positively or negatively. Nevertheless, in these definitions, there is also a definite
focus on the products and services that these corporations provide, in that they would
ensure that what their goods and services are also socially responsible and thus is
acceptable to society.
Looking back at how CSR was initially framed in Denmark, the strong focus on
social affairs is not really surprising. The Danish government played a significant