30/09/2022

Corporate Social Responsibility and

Business Ethics

Carmina Nunes | FEUC

|carmina.nunes@uc.pt

Course Content
• Introduction - Our changing world and the evolution of CSR
• From CSR pyramids to shared value and beyond: CSR models and
frameworks
• Moving beyond shareholders: Internal and external stakeholders
• The S in CSR: Social and global issues
• Environmental sustainability: The role of business in sustainable
development
• Responsible leadership: Inspiring CSR
• CSR reporting
• Benchmarking CSR: Frameworks, standards, certifications and indices
• Business ethics: How philosophy can help us make ethical decisions in
2
today’s business
2

1
 30/09/2022

From CSR pyramids to

shared value and beyond:
CSR models and frameworks

Case study: Ben & Jerry’s

• Ben & Jerry’s demonstrate strategic CSR by aiming to be

sustainable and responsible throughout their value change
and to use the business as a force for good.

2
 30/09/2022

Case study: Ben & Jerry’s

• Our Social Mission. Ben & Jerry’s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu2VBQBpn7U

• The video explains the three-part mission that the company

operates on – with an aim to create linked prosperity for
every who is connected to their business – suppliers,
employees, farmers, franchisees, customers and
neighbours

Case study: Ben & Jerry’s

• The case presents an interesting example of ‘strategic CSR’ and

offers insights into how companies with social goals embedded in

their missions since inception can retain the core values that they

stand for, even if they are acquired by larger companies with

varying cultures.

• Ben and Jerry’s, since it was founded, has had a social goal as

part of its business and is committed to a sustainable corporate

concept of linked prosperity for everyone who is connected to their

business. 6

3
 30/09/2022

Case study: Ben & Jerry’s

• After Unilever took over the company in 2000 and it seemed that the
company may lose its commitment to the social aspect of its
business, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders of the
company heavily criticised Ben & Jerry’s for ‘selling out’.
Subsequently, in 2009, Paul Polman, the new CEO announced a
commitment of Unilever to social and environmental values, as a
result of which, employee engagement is now quite high. Ben and
Jerry’s is viewed by many stakeholders as a social icon, because of
the political stand it takes on many sensitive environmental and
social causes such as the recent Black Lives Matters movement.
7

Case study: Ben & Jerry’s

1. How did Ben & Jerry’s CSR change over the years and for
what reasons?
2. Would you say that its CSR is holistic? What do you learn
from its current mission?
3. What makes it a CSR icon? Why do you think being a
social icon makes companies more desirable for
acquisition by larger corporations?
4. What can the company still do to improve its CSR?
Provide a list of three things it could do better.
8

4
 30/09/2022

Carroll’s Pyramid of business

responsibilities (based on Carroll, 1991)

Criticism of the CSR Pyramid

 Hierarchy, implying financial responsibility is most important

 Too much emphasis on philanthropy, not sustainability

 Overlap between responsibilities

 Tensions between responsibilities

 Cultural and ethical relativism

10

10

5
 30/09/2022

Alternative pyramid of business

responsibility according to business students
(Haski-Leventhal, 2014)

11

11

CSR stages and learning process

(based on Zadek, 2004)

12

12

6
 30/09/2022

Content and motivation of each CSR

stage (Zadek, 2004)

Can you think of other companies you can place in each stage?

13

13

Three levels of CSV (based on Porter and

Kramer, 2011)
Nestlé was one of the first companies in the world to adopt a CSV
approach.
Creating Shared Value

14

14

7
 30/09/2022

Case study: Nestlé

1. What are the positive and negative aspects of Nestlé’s

CSV?
2. Do you think it creates shared value?
3. What does this case teach us about CSV?

15

15

The CSR engagement matrix (based

on Haski-Leventhal et al., 2017)

16

16

8
 30/09/2022

Strategic CSR

• Strategic CSR is a holistic and long-term approach to the

broad responsibilities of business, based on stakeholder
integration and ethical behaviour while utilising the firm’s
resources and brand to address societal and environmental
issues.

17

17

Six components of strategic CSR

18

18

9
 30/09/2022

 Reference:

 Haski-Leventhal(2022). Strategic Corporate Social

Responsibility: A holistic Approach to Responsible &
Sustainable Business

19

19

10