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Legitimating Business Activities Using Corporate Social Responsibility: Is there a Need for CSR in Agribusiness?

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  • Heyder, Matthias
  • Theuvsen, Ludwig

Abstract

result, enterprises in the agribusiness sector are increasingly exposed to the public eye (Jansen/ Vellema: 2004). The perception of consumers and other stakeholders - which are according to Freeman “any group or individual who can affect, or is affected by, the achievement of the organization’s objectives” - is of growing criticism and risk-consciousness and manifests itself in changed attitudes towards food production (Jäckel/Spiller: 2006; Haddock: 2005). The use of GMO in agriculture, e.g., is regarded to be morally reprehensible (Becker: 1999). The BSE-crisis and other food scares led to growing consumer uncertainty and resulted in decreased meat consumption and in the increasing percentage of outspoken vegetarians and low-meat consumers (von Alvensleben: 1997; Staack: 2005). Moreover, the influence capacity of stakeholders is growing (Gerlach: 2006). As a result these factors have reduced the legitimacy of traditional (e.g., animal production) as well as new production technologies (e.g. bioenergy) in the agribusiness. In the long term the success of enterprises in the agribusiness can be affected by legitimacy losses. Against this background, legitimacy is regarded as a resource that guarantees the long-term survival of an enterprise (Palazzo/Scherer: 2006). Primarily the market based view in general management literature and the macro-institutional approach in neo sociological-institutionalism are employed to understand business operations embedded in societal structures. In this context legitimacy means the conformation of an organization with social norms, values and expectations (Oliver: 1996).

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  • Heyder, Matthias & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2008. "Legitimating Business Activities Using Corporate Social Responsibility: Is there a Need for CSR in Agribusiness?," 110th Seminar, February 18-22, 2008, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 49851, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
  • Handle: RePEc:ags:eaa110:49851
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.49851
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Hajdu, Anna & Gagalyuk, Taras & Bukin, Eduard & Petrick, Martin, 2021. "Determinants of corporate social responsibility among farms in Russia and Kazakhstan: a multilevel approach using survey data," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 24(4), May.
    3. Hajdu, Anna & Daziano, Marcos F. & Visser, Oane, 2021. "Institutions and individual values motivating corporate social responsibility activities in large farms and agroholdings," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 24(4), April.
    4. Michels, Marius & Luo, Hao & Weller von Ahlefeld, Paul Johann & Mußhoff, Oliver, 2023. "Compliance with pre-harvest interval rules in apple production—A comparative analysis of green nudges among fruit growers and agricultural students in Germany," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Heyder, M. & Theuvsen, L., 2009. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the Agribusiness: A Research Framework," Proceedings “Schriften der Gesellschaft für Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften des Landbaues e.V.”, German Association of Agricultural Economists (GEWISOLA), vol. 44, March.
    6. Matthias Heyder & Ludwig Theuvsen, 2009. "Der Einsatz von GVO: Empirische Ergebnisse zum Legitimierungsdruck und zur Corporate Social Responsibility im Agribusiness," Journal of Socio-Economics in Agriculture (Until 2015: Yearbook of Socioeconomics in Agriculture), Swiss Society for Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, vol. 2(1), pages 143-176.
    7. Friedrich, Nina & Heyder, Matthias & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2012. "Sustainability Management in Agribusiness: Challenges, Concepts, Responsibilities and Performance," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 3(2), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Friedrich, Nina & Heyder, Matthias & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2012. "Sustainability Management in Agribusiness: Challenges, Concepts, Responsibilities and Performance," 2012 International European Forum, February 13-17, 2012, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 144979, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    9. Heyder, Matthias & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2010. "Corporate Social Responsibility in the agri-food sector: the case of GMOs," Problems of World Agriculture / Problemy Rolnictwa Światowego, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, vol. 10(25), pages 1-18, September.
    10. Meixner, Oliver & Pollhammer, Elisabeth & Haas, Rainer, 2015. "The communication of CSR activities via social media A qualitative approach to identify opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises in the agri-food sector," 2015 International European Forum (144th EAAE Seminar), February 9-13, 2015, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 206248, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    11. Pere Mercadé‐Melé & Carmina Fandos‐Herrera & Sofía Velasco‐Gómez, 2021. "How corporate social responsibility influences consumer behavior: An empirical analysis in the Spanish agrifood sector," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(3), pages 590-611, July.

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