Corporate Responsibility in Europe

Thomas Beschorner is chair for business ethics and director of the Institute of Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, and professeur associe at the CCEAE, Universite de Montreal, Canada. Thomas Hajduk is a research assistant at the Institute of Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen. Samuil Simeonov is a project manager in the department "Business in Society" of the Bertelsmann Stiftung.

The sector-specific approach to Corporate Responsibility (CR) has attracted little attention so far, although the industrial sector is a key variable in any company's economic environment. Therefore, this book introduces sector-specific CR as a way to increase the success and impact of business engagement. It focuses on sectorspecific initiatives with government involvement as appropriate governance mechanisms to address sustainability challenges through public-private collaboration.
What is the state of sector-specific CR across Europe? How do sector-specific initiatives work and what are criteria for their good performance? What roles do governments play in such initiatives? To answer these questions, the book draws on rich empirical evidence from five industries across eight European countries as well as on the expertise of numerous CR and industry experts. In doing so, its target audience is both researchers and practitioners. Academics will find a starting point for further research in this emerging field, whereas practitioners are offered empirical and effective models for promoting sector-specific CR.

Komplexe Probleme in einer globalisierten Welt erfordern kollektives Handeln. Der Wirtschaft kommt dabei eine zentrale Rolle zu. Wenn Politik Unternehmen über Corporate Responsibility (CR) in die Lösung gesellschaftlicher Probleme einbinden will, hilft der Branchenansatz, die jeweils spezifische Verantwortung greifbar zu machen. Welche Rolle kann Politik in branchenspezifischen CR-Initiativen spielen? Wie kann sie die Unternehmen bei der Wahrnehmung ihrer Verantwortung unterstützen? Was sind gute Ansätze und Strategien? Die vorliegende explorative Studie "Corporate Responsibility in Europe" stellt eine Bestandsaufnahme von branchenspezifischen CR-Initiativen in fünf Industriezweigen in acht europäischen Ländern dar. Mit dem Buch erhalten Akademiker wichtige Anhaltspunkte für die weitere Forschung. Praktiker lernen nachahmenswerte Beispiele von CR-Initiativen kennen.