Research aims and objectives represent some of the central features that determine the relevance, novelty, and validity of a study. The articles in question is Corporate Social Responsibility Reports: A Thematic Analysis Related to Supply Chain Management. Within its framework, Tate, Ellram, and Kirchoff (2010) address the titular concept in terms of its effect on supply chain management in the business environment of the 21st century. The authors clearly describe the importance of the topic, as corporate social responsibility continue to play a role of paramount importance in corporate relations and performance. It has a direct impact on the way, in which a company is perceived by its stakeholders. Therefore, it is vital to communicate the information that reassures them of the organization’s commitment to the values that are accepted in a particular community. Corporate social responsibility reporting is an efficient way of accomplishing this task by “giving back” to society. According to Tate et al. (2010) CSR relies on three pillars, which are social, economic, and environmental efforts to support communities by corporate organizations. This way, corporate social responsibility may become a key determinant of strategic success.
In light of this information, corporate social responsibility becomes of the central notions within modern companies’ framework of operation. However, due to the novelty of the subject matter, its exact relationship with other strategic components remains unclear. In this regard, the study by Tate et al. (2010) aims to “determine how supply chain strategies factor in to the triple-bottom line of 100 socially and environmentally responsible global companies” (p. 19). In order to ensure a comprehensive coverage of the central problem, the authors address it from the perspective of three pertinent issues that represent the objectives of study (O’Gorman and MacIntosh, 2015). First, the study was to fill the gap in the CSR strategy research, showing how organizations address related issues. Second, the intersections between corporate social responsibility problems and supply chain management were to be explored. Third, Crawdad’s content analysis techniques were used to examine the contents of the contemporary supply chain management literature. Based on these objectives, corresponding research questions were proposed, becoming the central driving force of the study.
Overall, research objectives put the central aim into a tangible perspective. In other words, they help the reader understand what specific steps are taken to advance the body of knowledge toward a better understanding of the subject matter (Adams, Khan, & Raeside, 2014). In this article, the stated aim is rather broad, as it seeks to provide further knowledge on a topical concept in its relation to one of the fundamental elements of business management. When a reader encounters it in isolation, questions may arise as to how this ambitious aim can be realized in practice. Topical questions usually imply a certain degree of controversy, as different experts and researchers may favor varying techniques and views on the subject matter. Research objectives add a specific structure to the discussion, highlighting the steps toward the final aim. Through them, readers can see and appraise the methodological solutions of the authors, as well as their general stance on the subject. In this particular article, the reader immediately understands that Crawdad’s analysis techniques are used, and from where the analyzed materials come.
The contemporary state of business management is characterized by a major paradigm shift that has been occurring since the past decade. It is conditioned by the increasing role of several important factors, one of which is globalization. In turn, this phenomenon is powered by the rapid development of technology as advanced solutions considerably enhance the humanity’s ability to travel and communicate on a global scale (Agudelo et al., 2019). Simultaneously, society has grown to acknowledge its topical concerns of a more sophisticated nature. Since the dawn of business management studies, an emphasis has been laid on making organizations efficient and profitable. Spoken differently, the key tasks have historically revolved around the generation of revenues and acquiring sufficient shares of the markets. The 21st century marks the emergence of a global marketplace, in which the intricacy of the relationship between its numerous elements has become unprecedented (Ali et al., 2020). At the same time, there growing concerns regarding the impact of corporate activities on the planet, namely in economic, social, and environmental terms (Sharma, 2019). This explains the rise of corporate social responsibility as a critical concept of modern business.
In this regard, the complex relationship between CSR and the fundamental tenets of organizational management represents a promising avenue of additional research. The concept itself is rather broad: it suggests that modern companies are expected to contribute to the sustainable development of the society, in which they operate and gain profits (Islam et al., 2021). In most cases, CSR is discussed within the framework of environmental studies (Abbas, 2020). Indeed, sustainability on its own refers to the idea that today’s commercial operations should not undermine the ability of future generations to thrive by depleting the resources and rendering certain regions uninhabitable. However, in addition to the environmental efforts, there economic and social matters addressed by CSR. In the first domain, organizations are expected to conduct their commercial activities with honesty and transparency (Zaman et al., 2022). From a social perspective, in addition to considering the interests of future generations, companies should meaningfully contribute to the quality of life today. This dictates the increased attention to stakeholder relations, in which companies usually seek to reassure their consumers and investors, as well as regulators.
On the other hand, the social component appears to lack an emphasis on other category of stakeholders that is directly affected by the organizational behavior. More specifically, the employees of an organization directly contribute to its performance by dedicating their time and efforts to the mission. Therefore, it is in the best interests of the company and its management to ensure a positive environment, in which the workers can thrive and reach their full potential (Castro-Gonzalez et al., 2021). Otherwise, the employees may feel prompted to leave the company, which causes a phenomenon known as the worker turnover. When it reaches high levels, the company’s ability to follow its strategic development plan inevitably declines (Ng et al., 2019). Naturally, modern managers actively seek effective solutions to prevent turnover, but it is a complex phenomenon that is determined by a range of factors.
This prompts a question regarding how corporate social responsibility factors into the presence and degree of the employee turnover in modern organizations. The proposed research will address this question from an academic perspective, drawing data from the contemporary body of knowledge. This way, evidence-based guidelines will be provided for managers, explaining the areas, in which more efforts can be used to prevent turnover. More specifically, it will aim to explain the correlation between an organization’s adherence to the tenets of corporate social responsibility and the employee turnover within it. For this purpose, the study will accomplish a sequence of objectives that are formulated as follows:
- Investigate the contemporary body of literature to identify the key factors and implications of employee turnover;
- Investigate the key areas of corporate social responsibility, drawing from the contemporary body of academic literature;
- Research 10 multinational companies in terms of their CSR efforts and turnover rates;
- Identify and explain the relationship between reported corporate social responsibility and employee turnover intentions.
Reference List
Abbas, J. (2020) ‘Impact of total quality management on corporate green performance through the mediating role of corporate social responsibility’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 242, 118458.
Adams, J., Khan, H.T.A. and Raeside, R. (2014) Research methods for business and social science students. 2nd ed. Sage, New Delhi.
Agudelo, M. A. L. et al. (2019) ‘A literature review of the history and evolution of corporate social responsibility’, International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, 4, 1.
Ali, H. Y. et al. (2020) ‘How corporate social responsibility boosts firm financial performance: the mediating role of corporate image and customer satisfaction’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), pp. 166-177.
Castro-Gonzalez, S. et al. (2021) ‘How can companies decrease salesperson turnover intention? The corporate social responsibility intervention’, Sustainability, 13(2), 750.
Islam, T. et al. (2021) ‘The impact of corporate social responsibility on customer loyalty: the mediating role of corporate reputation, customer satisfaction, and trust’, Sustainable Production and Consumption, 25, pp. 123-135.
Ng, T. W. H. et al. (2019) ‘Employee perceptions of corporate social responsibility: effects on pride, embeddedness, and turnover’, Personnel Psychology, 72(1), pp. 107-137.
O’Gorman, K. and MacIntosh, R. (2015) Research Methods for Business & Management. A guide to writing your dissertation. 2nd ed. Goodfellow Publishers Ltd, Oxford.
Sharma, E. (2019) ‘A review of corporate social responsibility in developed and developing nations’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(4), pp. 712-720.
Tate, W.L., Ellram, L.M. & Kirchoff, J.F. (2010) ‘Corporate social responsibility reports: A thematic analysis related to supply chain management’, Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(1), pp. 19-44.
Zaman, R. et al. (2022) ‘Corporate governance meets corporate social responsibility: mapping the interface’, Business & Society, 62(4), pp. 690-752.