Professional Documents
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Emerald - CSR at Sea
Emerald - CSR at Sea
DOI 10.1108/02580540910961262
VOL. 25 NO. 7 2009, pp. 11-13, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 0258-0543
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
PAGE 11
sustainability and how they develop and implement strategies, practices and policies
addressing sustainability, in addition to identifying the developmental experiences of these
leaders that may have led to a focus on CSR. A lack of common understanding of CSR
leadership was one factor which prompted WW to get involved in the study.
The intent was to determine the level and form of understanding of the organizations
strategy and practices related to CSR and collect data on the perspectives and experiences
of the managers and other employees in enacting care for the environment and for social
issues, while also focusing on maintaining a positive financial bottom line.
At WW, although their involvement in so many projects that fall into the definition of CSR was
certainly something to be proud of, it was also an issue of concern that the activities were
diverse and it was not clear at headquarters that resources were being focused in the best
ways possible. The desire was to get managers all over the world to focus on the same
targeted areas for CSR. Given their reputation for philanthropic giving, WW was often the
recipient of more and more varied requests for donations than they could effectively
process.
aligning day-to-day decisions with both company values and local norms;
Like many other organizations, WW has been grappling with the issue of knowing what
impact their investments in social initiatives may have, and finding a way to assess or
Comment
Keywords:
Corporate social
responsibility,
Leadership,
Economic sustainability
This review is based on Wilh. Wilhelmsen Shipping Company: moving from CSR tradition to
CSR leadership by Tonya R. Hargett and Marcia F. Williams. As part of a larger CSR
research project on European-based companies practicing CSR, the authors explore the
depth and integration of CSR throughout the Wilh. Wilhelmsen Shipping Company, which
has its headquarters in Norway. The aim was to understand how the company defines CSR,
the developmental experiences of the leaders toward CSR, and to identify strategies,
policies and practices implemented to support CSR.
Reference
Hargett, T.R. and Williams, M.F. (2009), Wilh. Wilhelmsen Shipping Company: moving from CSR
tradition to CSR leadership, Corporate Governance, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 73-82.