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PRACTISING
CORPORATE SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
IN MALAYSIA
A Case Study in an
Emerging Economy
Loi Teck Hui
Practising Corporate Social Responsibility
in Malaysia
Loi Teck Hui
Practising Corporate
Social Responsibility
in Malaysia
A Case Study in an Emerging
Economy
Loi Teck Hui
Loi & Mokhtar (Chartered Accountants)
& Loi & Mokhtar Consulting
Bintulu, Malaysia
Cover credit line: Pattern adapted from an Indian cotton print produced in the 19th century
v
vi Acknowledgements
1 Introduction 1
3 Contexts 49
vii
viii Contents
ix
List of Figures
xi
List of Tables
xiii
xiv List of Tables
The world and its natural laws interact with human societies to affect
the health, activity, life, and well-being of all living things. Different
natural components of the earth interrelate to determine how the
human can make choices to support sustainable development. Scientific
principles are applied to create inventions to support human progress
and to establish a sense of community that supports human endeav-
ors. On the other hand, organizations are also established to address
the needs of communities via viable use of finite resources through eco-
nomic exchanges. Mobilization of economic activities relies on systems
of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
Satisfying the diverse interests of living things is dependent on a com-
plex balance of interconnected factors. The organizations set corporate
missions, establish code of ethics, and develop crucial resource capabili-
ties in order to deploy and share better the finite resources with other
living things.
Economic growth, social progress, and ecological balance are the fun-
damental components of sustainable development. An organization,
be it public or private, is not detached from the society and the natu-
ral environment. Given the tight interconnectedness of human-made
systems, communities, and environments, it is an uphill task for the
organizations to balance the diverse interests of their stakeholders in a
fast-changing world. Living up ethically to the sound corporate respon-
sibilities whether can be something that actually has a bottom-line pay-
off for the organizations remains an enigma. Hence, there is an urgency
to look into the roles and manners of modern organizations in building
a better future without forsaking universal principles.
People cling on to or thrust aside social artifacts. Exploration and
exploitation with local and international mindedness can lead to new
understandings, opportunities, and changes. The object of management
is a human community held together by the work bond for a common
purpose. Management always deals with the nature of man, and with
good and evil (Drucker and Maciariello 2004). Its process in essence
is a system of interdependency (Miller and Whitney 1999). Pragmatic
management upholds the output, often justifying the inputs in terms
of the results. Corporate mishaps imperil modern enterprises’ influence
on others through morality practices. Accounting irregularities, insider
1 Introduction
3
Against the above backdrops, the author conceives that CSR is much
more than an effective strategy or auxiliary social practice. Rather, it is
how the firm and its stakeholders interact and determine each other’s
future by sustaining the continuous fruitfulness of finite resources.
Thus, a central CSR question that this research aims to address is: does
a firm’s CSR and ethical practices really matter for it to fulfill economic self-
interests and societal expectations?
Using qualitative research methods, the research has the following
research objectives that seek to examine and understand holistically:
Sections 2.2, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7 in Chap. 2 provide the theoretical
cores for the above four research objectives.
Emerging markets constitutes over two-thirds of the world’s popu-
lation. The annual growth rates in gross domestic product (GDP) for
China and India have even sustained over the past few years at 7–10%.
6 L. Teck Hui
The emerging countries are gaining more economic and political clouts.
Country leaders, international managers, civil servants, and researchers
are in need of some guidance on how to respond to increased challenges
of practicing and maintaining corporate responsibility under the state
of uncertainty and value disparity. The emerging markets and emerging
firms can, therefore, be the important testing grounds for existing busi-
ness models and theoretical concepts. Malaysia was ranked among top
20 most competitive economies 2014–2015 by the World Economic
Forum (World Economic Forum [WEF] 2014). Among its 13 states,
Sarawak has one of the strongest economies and is the only state to
receive an A-rating from Standard & Poor’s (Renewable Corridor
Development Authority [RECODA] 2014). Located in Bintulu of the
Sarawak state, the premier energy town of Malaysia, BDA is a represent-
ative local government, a prevalent form of governmental institution,
which can reflect the state of practicing CSR in the areas in Malaysia.
To strengthen the analytic generalization of this research and to
lessen the critical of disadvantages in limiting the research sample, the
author also conducted online information and secondary data analyses
on five representative city councils in the world to find out the com-
monalities of their CSR and social practices with BDA. The city coun-
cils are, namely Hong Kong District Councils, Vancouver City Council,
London Councils, Sydney City Council, and New York City Council.
The author believes that the findings of this CSR research can be repli-
cated in other local governments.
What constitutes wealth creation remains an enigma when a firm is
deeply intertwined with the social milieu. It seems that the current chal-
lenging global economy can sound difficult for the firms to implement
CSR programs, not linked to their overall business strategies and profit
creation goals. This exploratory CSR study shows that by adhering to
good corporate citizen practices, the commitment to practice CSR as an
organizational core routine can be of value to the firms for demonstrat-
ing uniqueness that generates a form of corporate sustainability with
broader societal acceptance. It also informs the ongoing debate on the
strategic role of CSR, and highlights how governmental agencies adopt
CSR by providing novel descriptive data in the areas. This can be an
important first step for the subsequent large-scale quantitative research.
1 Introduction
7
References
Atkinson, D.J., & Field, D.H. (Eds.) (1995). New dictionary of Christian eth-
ics and pastoral theology (Economic ethics, pp. 115–121). Leicester, Inter-
Varsity Press.
Chatterjee, S. (2003). Enron’s incremental descent into bankruptcy: A strategic
and organizational analysis. Long Range Planning, 36(2), 133–149.
1 Introduction
11
Abstract This chapter surveys the related literatures in CSR and strat-
egy to establish the theoretical framework, in line with the research
aim and objectives. Section 2.1 reviews the trends of CSR concepts
and definition. A comprehensive CSR definition is, then, adopted. The
state of CSR trends and developments in Malaysia are also reviewed.
Section 2.2 deals with the related stakeholder literatures that form the
theoretical core to understand the state of BDA’s stakeholder manage-
ment in addressing multiple stakeholder interests. Section 2.3 discusses
the dimensions of CSR and ethical business practices with specific
examples given in each of the dimensions. Section 2.4 contends with
the literature on strategic intent and strategic mission, Sect. 2.5 deals
with the dimensions of CSR planning and implementation processes,
and Sect. 2.6 reviews CSR performance issues. The author examines
two major theories of the firm, the characteristics of a good strategy, and
the salient features of a transformative CSR in Sect. 2.7.
The concept of CSR has already existed in different names, forms, and
practices before the beginning of its growing popularity in the late
1990s, the aftermath of major economic crises and corporate debacles.
The CSR ranks high on corporate practice and academic research agen-
das. Regulators even introduced the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Higgs
Report for corporate reforms. The classic view holds that the fundamen-
tal goal of a manager is to maximize a firm’s profit. Conversely, the hap-
pening of corporate failures informs the importance of aligning a firm’s
strategy process with appropriate morality values and management prac-
tices in order to create, deliver, and share value.
This chapter has the following organization. Section 2.1 reviews in brief
the origins and evolution aspects of CSR concepts. A well-encompassing
CSR definition is, then, searched and adopted. The state of CSR develop-
ments in Malaysia, informed by the existing literature, is also presented.
Section 2.2 presents the core stakeholder literatures, seeking to investigate
the state of BDA’s stakeholder management mechanism in addressing
and balancing multiple stakeholder interests. Section 2.3 provides some
specific examples in each dimension of CSR and ethical business prac-
tices identified with reference to the CSR definition adopted in Sect. 2.1.
The categorizations of CSR and ethical business practices that form the
framework for analyzing the commonality of the practices between BDA
and five other major city councils in the world are presented in Sect. 8.2,
Chap. 8. In what follows, Sect. 2.4 deals with the literature on strategic
intent and strategic mission, Sect. 2.5 copes with the dimensions of CSR
planning and implementation processes, and Sect. 2.6 reviews CSR per-
formance issues. Before wrapping up Sect. 2.7, the author examines two
major theories of the firm, the characteristics of a good strategy, and the
salient features of a transformative CSR.
Moura-Leite and Padgett 2011). The main idea of Bowen’s work (1953)
perhaps marked the beginning of the modern era of social responsibility
in the 1950s (Carroll 1999). Core areas of the CSR development dur-
ing the era included management as a public trustee, balanced claims to
corporate resources by the sum of interests, and relating Christian ethi-
cal principles of conduct to solve business problems (Frederick 1960),
although there was scant CSR definition in the literature (Carroll
1999). The 1960s marked a significant growth in the CSR literature in
attempting to more accurately state what CSR meant and its impor-
tance to business and society (Carroll 1999; Moura-Leite and Padgett
2011). At a macro-social level, many CSR issues, for example, the rela-
tionship between corporate social performance and financial returns
were superficially discussed (Lee 2008). The definitions of CSR contin-
ued to proliferate in the 1970s. Perhaps Carroll’s (1979) definition on
a theoretical four-part of CSR, namely economic, legal, ethical, and
philanthropic, embedded in a conceptual model of corporate social
performance was the earliest, more established framework of CSR
(Carroll 1999).
Carroll’s (1979) CSR framework was refined during the 1980s (Jones
1980; Wartick and Cochran 1985), the 1990s (Wood 1991), and the
2000s (Schwartz and Carroll 2003). During the 1980s and 1990s,
there were more empirical studies, fewer original but refined CSR
definitions. The CSR concept served as the building block for alterna-
tive or complementary themes (Carroll 1979, 2008). From the 1990s
onward, the concept of CSR has become almost universally sanctioned
and promoted by all constituents, including the international organi-
zations such as the United Nations and the World Bank (Moura-Leite
and Padgett 2011). There were more and continuous attentions given
to CSR measurement initiatives, diverse themes, and empirical studies
that sought to reconcile CSR theory with practice. The scenarios seem
to continue to the 2000s, as the field has evolved into a highly heteroge-
neous literature.
Following the major corporate debacles and economic crises, happen-
ing in the first decade of the new millennium, there were tighter institu-
tional reforms to make sustainable development in an important source
of institutional legitimacy of firms. CSR becomes an important strategic
16 L. Teck Hui
issue for major firms in the 2000s. It attracts a large number of research
attention in numerous themes and settings (Carroll and Shabana 2010;
Moura-Leite and Padgett 2011). At the same time, it also evolves into
a highly heterogeneous literature with some areas relatively unexplored
and lacking empirical research (Aguinis and Glavas 2012). The quests to
revise, adapt, and find business relevance of the existing CSR literatures
still continue. New perspectives will almost be sure coming up in com-
ing years.
In summary, an organization exists for legitimate causes. To be profit-
able perhaps is the starting point for many firms. The firms make prof-
its when society places demand on their goods and services. Through
the continuous cycle of wealth creation, distribution, and regeneration,
they can afford to offer more jobs to uplift the living standard of the
society. Hence, the long-term financial viability to justify for a going
concern status will be the goal of all the firms. In 2011, the European
Commission (European Commission [EC], 2011, p. 6) makes an
account of the CSR definition as:
and Rahim 2003; Rashid and Ibrahim 2002), the corporate social report-
ing (Thompson and Zakaria 2004), the level of awareness and the per-
ceptions of accounting professionals of the meaning of CSR (Zulkifli
and Amran 2006), and the CSR practices and disclosure by government-
linked companies (GLGs) as a result of the introduction of the GLGs
transformation manual or the Silver Book (Atan and Razali 2013;
2 Theoretical and Managerial Framework
19
Esa and Ghazali 2012; Ghazali 2007; Rahman et al. 2011). Besides,
other studies focus more widely on the CSR disclosure issues such
as levels of disclosure, types of disclosure, and quantity of informa-
tion disclosed (Ahmad and Sulaiman 2004; Jamil et al. 2002; Janggu
et al. 2007).
Malaysia was ranked among top 20 most competitive economies
2014–2015 by the World Economic Forum, ahead of Australia (no. 22)
(WEF 2014). Paradoxically, it had also unsatisfactory ranking, i.e.,
no. 53 (Australia no. 9) in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 by
the Transparency International (Transparency International, 2013).
The state of CSR trends and developments in the country remains an
enigma. Table 2.1 below presents some further research works, which
show mixed pictures on the trends, written in the areas.
A local government like BDA is the level of government at the bot-
tom of a pyramid of governmental institutions, with the national gov-
ernment at the top and the state government at the middle. Being the
closest to the people, its public policies will have direct impact on the
local communities as well as economic and environmental infrastruc-
tures. Thus, this CSR research is reflective of a mainstream perspective
in the areas on the state of practicing CSR in Malaysia that has not
received enough attention in the current literature.
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