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CSR in Japanese Companies: Perspectives from Managers

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  • Gabriel Eweje
  • Mina Sakaki

Abstract

Increasingly, corporations are expected to be more socially and environmentally responsible in the communities and society where their operations are located. This is more so with ever growing sensitivity towards social and environmental issues, and demands from various stakeholders expecting corporations to do more for society. This study examines managers' actual CSR perceptions and practices in Japan. The paper reports on an empirical study carried out in Japan in 2012, where 12 Japanese global companies were interviewed about their CSR and sustainability strategy and practices. Results reveal that companies that participated in the study are keen to demonstrate that CSR is integral to their business strategy and have various projects and initiatives to support their position and commitment. For example, the tsunami disaster in March 2011 demonstrates how Japanese companies pulled their resources together to support the victims. However, there are other areas such as volunteering, diversity in the workplace and work–life balance that require more business attention. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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  • Gabriel Eweje & Mina Sakaki, 2015. "CSR in Japanese Companies: Perspectives from Managers," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(7), pages 678-687, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:24:y:2015:i:7:p:678-687
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1894
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    3. Kazunori Kobayashi & Gabriel Eweje & David Tappin, 2018. "Employee wellbeing and human sustainability: Perspectives of managers in large Japanese corporations," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 801-810, November.
    4. Rebecca Chunghee Kim & Akira Saito & V. Mohan Avvari, 2020. "Interpretation and integration of “creating shared value” in Asia: implications for strategy research and practice," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 19(4), pages 379-406, September.
    5. J. Alfredo Flores‐Hernández & Jesús J. Cambra‐Fierro & Rosario Vázquez‐Carrasco, 2020. "Sustainability, brand image, reputation and financial value: Manager perceptions in an emerging economy context," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 935-945, July.
    6. Rebecca Chunghee Kim & Akira Saito & V. Mohan Avvari, 0. "Interpretation and integration of “creating shared value” in Asia: implications for strategy research and practice," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 0, pages 1-28.
    7. Fukuda, Katsufumi & Ouchida, Yasunori, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the environment: Does CSR increase emissions?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Valentina Lagasio & Nicola Cucari & Carl Åberg, 2021. "How corporate social responsibility initiatives affect the choice of a bank: Empirical evidence of Italian context," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(4), pages 1348-1359, July.
    9. Masahiro Hosoda, 2022. "Adoption of integrated reporting and changes to internal mechanisms in Japanese companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(2), pages 421-434, March.
    10. Kamalesh Kumar & Giacomo Boesso & Rishtee Batra & Jun Yao, 2019. "Explicit and implicit corporate social responsibility: Differences in the approach to stakeholder engagement activities of U.S. and Japanese companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1121-1130, September.
    11. Gabriel Eweje, 2020. "Proactive environmental and social strategies in a small‐ to medium‐sized company: A case study of a Japanese SME," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(7), pages 2927-2938, November.
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    13. Faruk Bhuiyan & Kevin Baird & Rahat Munir, 2022. "The associations between management control systems, market orientation and CSR use," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 27-79, March.
    14. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility in Small and Medium Enterprises in Vietnam," OSF Preprints acdm6, Center for Open Science.
    15. Morgan X. Yang & Ji Li & Irina Y. Yu & Kevin J. Zeng & Jian‐Min (James) Sun, 2019. "Environmentally sustainable or economically sustainable? The effect of Chinese manufacturing firms' corporate sustainable strategy on their green performances," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 989-997, September.
    16. Stefan Gold & Ilma Nur Chowdhury & Fahian Anisul Huq & Kristin Heinemann, 2020. "Social business collaboration at the bottom of the pyramid: The case of orchestration," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 262-275, January.
    17. Maurizio Massaro & Carlo Bagnoli & Francesca Dal Mas, 2020. "The role of human sustainability in professional service firms. Evidence from Italy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2668-2678, September.
    18. Gregory Jackson, 2016. "Toward a Conceptual Framework for Understanding Institutional Change in Japanese Capitalism: Structural Transformations and Organizational Diversity," Working Papers halshs-01643921, HAL.
    19. Enrico Fontana & Hyemi Shin & Chikako Oka & Jos Gamble, 2022. "Tensions in the strategic integration of corporate sustainability through global standards: Evidence from Japan and South Korea," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 875-891, March.

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