phd topics in corporate social responsibility

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• Published: 05 July 2016

Corporate social responsibility research: the importance of context

• Carol A. Tilt 1  

International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility volume  1 , Article number:  2 ( 2016 ) Cite this article

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There has, in recent times, been an increasing interest in understanding corporate social (and environmental) responsibility (CSR) and, in particular, CSR reporting in developing countries. However, many of these studies fail to investigate fully the contextual factors that influence CSR and reporting in those countries, preferring to rely on theories and hypotheses developed from studies undertaken in the West, particularly the US, UK and Australasia.

It may be argued that this is appropriate as many emerging economies are experiencing growth and moving towards having a more market-based orientation. Notwithstanding this, a large number of these countries have an entirely different socio-political environment, with different political regimes, legal systems and cultural influences. These factors have a significant effect on the applicability of theories such as stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and accountability theory, which are commonly used to explain the phenomenon of reporting.

In State Capitalist countries, such as China, an important influence on companies is the political ideology that underpins the nation’s government. The nature and impact of ideology and hegemony in China has been under-studied and, therefore, investigating how the ideology, and competing forces that may mitigate its influence, manifest themselves in Chinese reporting are essential. In the Middle East, countries such as Saudi Arabia have no free press, are ruled by a royal family, have a market dominated by the oil industry, and potential religious influences. Such socio-cultural differences mean societies develop different understandings of concepts such as sustainability and social responsibility. Finally, countries such as Sri Lanka have some similarities to other developing countries, but their economy is set against a background of a recent civil war – operating in a post-conflict economy is a factor rarely considered in social and environmental disclosure, yet has important influence on policy in these areas.

This paper discusses three contextual issues that warrant more and improved consideration in CSR research, with particular emphasis on CSR reporting research.

More and more corporations worldwide are involved in corporate social responsibility activities, and as a result are providing more social and environmental information to the public. Following from this, CSR disclosure, or reporting, has become one of the major fields of investigation by accounting scholars (Deegan 2009 ; Mathews 1997 ; Tilt 2001 ). Research that considers both CSR activity and CSR reporting has traditionally focused on companies in more developed economies, predominantly the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand (Burritt and Schaltegger 2010 ; Frost et al. 2005 ; Gray 2006 ; Gurvitsh and Sidorova 2012 ; Othman and Ameer 2009 ; Patten 2002 ; Sahay 2004 ), but recently there has been increasing interest in understanding the phenomenon in developing countries particularly as they experience growth and move towards a more capitalist orientation (Sumiani et al. 2007 ). Of the research that does exist, a number of papers suggest that ‘country’ is a determinant for CSR involvement and for the level of disclosure, but do not go much further.

Many of the studies of developing countries however, choose a framework for their investigation based on those shown to be meaningful for explaining disclosure in developed, capitalist economies. That is, they fail to investigate fully the contextual factors that influence firms and their reporting in those countries that have a different social, political, legal and/or cultural context.

It may be argued that this is appropriate as many emerging economies are experiencing growth and moving towards having a more market-based orientation. However, this is rarely acknowledged or questioned in these papers. Yet, it is reasonable to suggest that these factors have a significant effect on the applicability of theories such as stakeholder theory, legitimacy theory and accountability theory, which are commonly used to explain the phenomenon of reporting.

The majority of the world’s population lives in developing countries and each country experiences its own unique social, political and environmental issues (United Nations 2013 ). These countries are in the process of industrialisation and are often characterised by unstable governments, higher levels of unemployment, limited technological capacity, unequal distribution of income, unreliable water supplies and underutilised factors of production. As a result of rapid industrial development, policies are pursued that aim to attract greater foreign investment, and the investors are often keen to start benefitting from fiscal incentives and cheap labour. While these strategies make economic sense, they have adverse social and environmental effects, including the use of child labour, low or unpaid wages, unequal career opportunities, occupational health and safety concerns, and increased pollution.

In a review of the literature on determinants of CSR reporting (Morhardt 2010 ), reports that research on the impact of different variables in different regions is inconclusive due to the lack of enough studies. Factors that may influence CSR disclosure practices fall broadly into internal and external (Fifka 2013 ; Morhardt 2010 ), but are commonly classified further as (Adams 2002 : p224):

Corporate characteristics, such as size, industry group, financial/economic performance and share trading volume, price and risk;

General contextual factors, such as country of origin, time, specific events, media pressure, stakeholders and social, political, cultural and economic context; and

Internal contextual factors, including different aspects of corporate governance.

While CSR reporting has been studied by a large number of scholars, only a few fall into the second of the categories above, and consider context in detail. This is particularly relevant when considering developing countries. A few papers have specifically reviewed studies on developing countries. For example, (Belal and Momin 2009 ) categorise the work on developing countries into three groups: studies of the volume or extent of reporting; studies of the perceptions of CSR reporting by managers; and studies of the perception of CSR reporting by stakeholders. In all the studies reviewed there is little discussion of the context, other than a description of the country, and no real thought about the theoretical assumptions being made.

This paper presents a discussion of the different contextual issues or factors that show some evidence or potential to influence CSR and reporting in developing countries. It focusses on three specific issues and provides a research agenda for future consideration of the influence of context in CSR reporting research. The paper is structured as follows. The next section introduces some broad contextual factors that warrant consideration in the literature on CSR reporting. Next, three specific contextual issues are examined: the role of political ideology and hegemony; the influence of cultural understandings; and the impact of historical economic context. Finally, by way of conclusion, some recommended areas for further research are suggested.

Contextual considerations

Adams ( 2002 ) talks about the social, political, cultural and economic context, so some consideration of what this might mean is needed as each of these concepts themselves cover a variety of aspects, and indeed overlap. While papers may talk about the ‘social context’ in which the companies being examined operate, this is not well defined and little consideration is given to what this means. Some things that could be more explicitly considered include, inter alia : the role of the press; the status of women; the legal/justice system; the level of corruption; the level of government control, cultural understandings; and so on. This paper chooses to highlight three of these areas, and these are discussed briefly below in broad terms, followed by a discussion of some specific aspects of each identified as providing fertile grounds for future research.

Political system

Assumptions are often made about capitalist systems, whether explicit or implicit, as the vast majority of work on CSR reporting has been done in the Western context. However, there is little research looking at CSR reporting in socialist or communist countries. Some work has been undertaken on China (Dong et al. 2014 ; Gao 2011 ; Situ and Tilt 2012 ), but this work often applies the same conceptual frameworks as Western studies. What about the influence of ideology, and hegemony?

Sociocultural environment

Human beings have “distinctive cultural (learned) characteristics, histories and responses to their environment” and the term ‘sociocultural’ is commonly used in anthropological research to describe these and the “interactions and processes” that this involves (Garbarino 1983 : p1). Some general studies of culture and CSR using Hofstede exist (Silvia and Belen 2013 ), but an in-depth analysis of different understandings and conceptions of terms such as CSR as a result of sociocultural influences is lacking. The work that does examine specific factors often suggests that the Western concept of CSR does not fit these contexts (Wang and Juslin 2009 ).

The majority of work that considers sociocultural factors has looked mainly at religious aspects of CSR, most commonly by reviewing reporting by Islamic organisation, such as Islamic banks (Maali et al. 2006 ; Siwar and Hossain 2009 ; Sudarma et al. 2010 ). The teachings of many religions focus on social responsibility, the relationship with the natural environment, treatment of others, fairness, justice, etc., so there is a natural expectation that religion-based organisations may be more likely to engage in CSR and CSR reporting. A more nuanced consideration of how this manifests itself in different societies would improve understanding of the drivers and motivations of these activities. Similarly, other sociocultural factors, such as national identity, values, social organisation and language, could be incorporated.

Stage of development

The emerging literature on CSR reporting outside the Western world examines countries that are ‘developing’ (Belal and Momin 2009 ; Momin and Parker 2013 ), but little depth is included about where they are in their development journey and how the potential conflict between economic and social goals impacts CSR or CSR reporting. Rostow’s ( 1962 ) Stages of Economic Growth model suggests there are five stages (traditional society, preconditions for take-off, take-off, drive to maturity, and age of high or mass consumption), yet most literature on CSR classifies countries only into developed or developing. The ‘developing’ classification potentially includes countries that are in Rostow’s first, second or third stage which may have an impact on their response to CSR issues. In addition to economic variables however, the United Nations also produces a Human Development Index (HDI) which considers life expectancy, education and income to measure how social, as well as economic, development (UNDP 2015 ). Both these concepts are important for consideration of CSR.

Importantly, consideration of just one or two aspects of these three broader contextual issues may result in misinterpretation of the results. Often these things interact, for example, social issues often cross over with cultural and religious impacts, or even with political influence where the regime is more hegemonic. It is thus important to consider, or at least acknowledge, the holistic nature of the context of the phenomenon being examined.

It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss all of the issues raised here although this would be an important part of a larger research program. Therefore, three particular contextual issues, and three specific contexts, are the focus of this paper: the role of political ideology and hegemony (China); the influence of cultural understandings (Middle East); and the impact of historical economic context (Sri Lanka).

Politics, ideology and state control

Ideology is a set of common beliefs that are shared by a group of people, and is “the fundamental social beliefs that organize and control the social representations of groups and their members” (Van Dijk 2009 : p78). Countries such as China provide a fertile research setting to examine the influence of ideology, and hegemonic approaches of influencing CSR, which have been missing from most CSR research in the region.

The Chinese political model has some unique characteristics. Among these is the dominance of ‘the party state’, which exercises control in different forms over most aspects of the economy that is unmatched when compared to other state capitalist economies. Political leaders use a variety of tools (Bremmer 2010 ) and it is the combination of three particular tools that sets apart the Chinese system: the exercise of control as a dominant shareholder, the ability to appoint key positions in major firms, and the means to influence decision-making via ideology. First, the party exerts shareholder power over state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Chinese SOEs play an instrumental role in society (Du and Wang 2013 ) and make up around 80 % of the stock market (Economist T 2012 ). As protecting the environment is a major part of the guiding ideology and the nation’s policy, SOEs are likely to be keen to provide CER. Second, the party exercises power over the appointment of the senior leadership in SOEs (Landry 2008 ). This has resulted in control as they are “cadres first and company men second. They care more about pleasing their party bosses than about the global market” (Economist T 2012 : p6). Third, party control is exercised through ideology. The party has cells in most larger firms, whether private or state-owned, which influence business decisions made at board meetings. Given that China considers the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist ideology as crucial this distinguishes it most significantly from other varieties of state capitalism that have a more liberal-democratic flavour.

There is some evidence that the first form of party control has been declining in recent times with the number of SOEs under the SASAC’s control halving over the last decade (Mattlin 2009 ). Similarly, since 1999, the share of SOEs in the economy has declined from 37 % to less than 5 %. This results in greater use of regulation and ideological hegemony to achieve its aims, yet most CSR research still uses state-ownership as a proxy for all types of state control.

Even after economic reform, ideology in China was still pervasive (Lieber 2013 ). Lieber ( 2013 ) argues that ideology is widely used to signal loyalty and the government is good at using ideology to “control and direct key vocabularies… (and) vague ideological language can create a climate of uncertainty thus increasing the range of a control regime” (Lieber 2013 : p346). However, the prevailing ideological themes in China are dynamic. In particular, most recently, new ideological themes have developed to respond to the changes in society. When economic reform began, “building up a socialist market economy with specific Chinese characteristics” was the guiding ideology (Zhang 2012 : p25). As such, economic growth was the country’s priority, but in 2005, “building up a harmonious society became the prevailing ideology” (and CSR is a key element of this resolution).

Ideology is used by the Chinese government to exert control over businesses. Traditionally, the government has “been considered a source of moral authority, official legitimacy and political stability…and …political language has been vested with an intrinsic instrumental value: its control represents the most suitable and effective way first to codify, and then widely convey, the orthodox state ideology” (Marinellin 2012 : p26). The language “developed and used by party officials … consists of ‘correct’ formulation, aims to teach the ‘enlarged masses’ how to speak and, how to think” (Marinellin 2012 : p26). The idea of the importance of a ‘Harmonious Society’ is the “re-contextualized discourse in response to the emergent issues in the changing social stratification order” (Zhang 2012 : p33). As a result, Chinese companies have been noticeably adopting the language of social concern and environmental protection.

It may therefore be suggested that CSR reporting in China is directly a response to the government’s ideological hegemony. However, the story is not as straightforward as it may first appear, for two reasons. First, despite a great deal of commitment to social and environmental regulation in China, implementation of these regulations has been limited. Second, as China enters a phase of continued economic development, Western influences may begin to have a moderating effect on the strength of the ideology.

The Chinese economy has grown rapidly in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) (World Bank 2016 ). The economic reforms that took place over the past decades were motivated substantially by the Chinese central government, and recent scholars have noted the positive role that ideology played in driving those reforms, notwithstanding that economists historically view ideology as “distorting… knowledge, judgment and decision making” (Lieber 2013 : p344).

With economic reform however, has come substantial environmental degradation which in turn has led to poor health outcomes for much of society generally. This led to a high level of commitment to environmental regulation in particular from as early as the 1990, followed by the release of even more rigorous regulations on environmental protection in the 2000s. However, despite the high commitment made by the Chinese central government, implementation of these policies is quite poor (Bina 2010 ). In terms of environmental regulation, for example, the implementation problems stem from a number of areas, including: the position of environmental protection agencies in the political framework; conflict between central and local governments; and supervision issues. The system of supervision of local environmental departments is a key problem (Bina 2010 ). When an environmental department is set up in the central government, corresponding environmental departments are set up in local governments. Ideally, these local departments should be agencies of the central department, deliver the central environmental department’s strategies, and supervise local environmental protection implementation. In reality, the local environmental departments are subservient to the local rather than central governments. All their financial support and staff appointments come from local governments. Therefore, rather than supervising local environmental protection implementation, the local environmental departments become “rubber stamps” for local governments (Zheng 2010 ). Therefore, it is unlikely that there will be efficient enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies at the local level (Bina 2010 ; Zheng 2010 ).

Finally, as China heads towards a market economy, government intervention becomes a policy choice, and markets function as a tool of national interest (Zhao 2011 ). However, as Chinese firms become more involved with foreign trading partners and markets, their reporting activity is also influenced by foreign and global organisations, leading to potential tension between demonstrating commitment to state ideological goals and meeting the requirements of global stakeholders.

Given the complexity of the context, research into CSR reporting in China needs to take into account the specific aspects of Chinese politics and culture in order to provide a nuanced understanding, and ultimately an improvement, of CSR reporting activities. However, a review done of the literature on CSR in by Chinese showed that it is very descriptive with little depth and much of the CSR literature is conceptual, descriptive, or argumentative in nature (Guan and Noronha 2013 ). The authors noted proper research methodologies are not systematically applied in some studies, and supporting theories are lacking. In the non-Chinese studies on China, there is also a predominance of papers on determinants and volume of reporting (Situ and Tilt 2012 ), with very few considering broader contextual factors, other than a few that look at specific cultural attributes (e.g., Rowe & Guthrie 2009 ).

Sociocultural understandings

Notwithstanding a move towards a market orientation of many developing countries, such as in China as outlined above, conceptions of CSR by management of companies in these countries may be quite different to those in the West (Wang and Juslin 2009 ). These differing conceptions may be a result of differing values and attitudes, language, religion or identity. Even specific elements of CSR are conceived of differently, for example in China, the main understanding of sustainability is in terms of environmental protection (Situ et al. 2013 , 2015 ). These socioculturally derived understandings are inevitably reflected in their reporting.

In another example, in the Middle East, the predominant perception of CSR is that it simply means philanthropic donations. In this region, the issue of social responsibility is relatively new, and as such the number of studies of CSR and CSR reporting in the Gulf region is growing (Al-Khatar and Naser 2003 ; AlNaimi et al. 2012 ; Emtairah et al. 2009 ; Mandurah et al. 2012 ; Marios and Tor 2007 ; Minnee et al. 2013 ; Nalband and Al-Amri 2013 ; Naser et al. 2006 ; Naser and Hassan 2013 ; Qasim et al. 2011 ; Sangeetha and Pria 2012 ). Many of these studies do not consider the cultural context to a very great extent as the research is emerging and focusses on perceptions. For example, Mandurah et al. ( 2012 ) and Emtairah et al. ( 2009 ) explored managerial perceptions of the concept of CSR in Saudi Arabia and found that managers are aware of the concept, but there is little connection between the managerial level perceptions and firms’ workforce. The authors describe CSR as being in its infancy phase, which limits the understanding of the concept to the view that CSR simply means being philanthropic. This indicates a different, and perhaps less developed, understanding of the concept in the region compared with the West, but the reasons for this, and the consequences for CSR reporting, are under-explored. Some authors suggest the narrow use of the term is because of the religious obligations towards society, (Visser 2008 ). There is only minimal evidence of any CSR practices other than philanthropy-based or any strategic approaches to CSR for long-term benefits (Visser 2008 ), but the trend is increasing and the forms that philanthropy takes is expanding.

It has also been argued that politics plays a significant role in increasing the awareness of CSR in the Arab world. Avina ( 2013 ) suggests that the perception of CSR in the Middle East changed after the Arab spring event, for both local and international firms. The term CSR more than a decade ago had little meaning to the public (Visser 2008 ) but since the Arab spring, the sense of social responsibility among civil society and the corporate sector has increased Avina 2013 ). Firms realised that they play a role in social responsibility, not just governments, and recognised that CSR should go beyond just donations to charitable causes (Avina 2013 ). Ronnegard ( 2013 ), however, predicts that CSR in the Middle East will not mimic the Western concept because of the strong influence of culture and religion in the region. Moreover, the influence of stakeholders in the Middle East is considered to be limited due to there being a lack of free press, few lobby groups and the different cultural attributes of employees and consumers. Some studies in Gulf countries have however, suggested that stakeholders, such as government and charitable organisations, may have an impact on firms’ behaviour (Emtairah et al. 2009 ; Naser et al. 2006 ). Others suggest that CSR may have developed as a concept due to the increase of foreign direct investment into Arab countries, the trend of shifting family and government owned firms into the public domain, and the globalisation of the region’s large national firms.

From the limited studies that have been undertaken, there is evidence of CSR reporting by Gulf country companies, with human resources and community involvement being the dominant themes in may reports Abu-Baker and Naser 2000 ). Thus, understanding of motivations for CSR reporting is not yet well developed and few existing studies consider the different level of stakeholder pressure in the region. This suggests that more research is needed on the formation of notions of CSR within specific contexts. This region is of particular interest because, according to the Human Development Report (HDI 2013 ), countries in the region are classified as high, or very high, in human development. That is, they are not only trying to develop and improve their economy, but are also trying to improve the quality of life of their citizens (Ramady 2010 ). The overall outlook of these countries indicates that they are performing well, however, Fadaak ( 2010 ) notes that identifying poverty lines is a challenge because of a lack of a clear definition of poverty in the region. There are no official reports considering poverty or other social problems and no GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries were found in the list of the World Bank Database in relation to the poverty rate.

Similarly, in other developing countries the importance of local economic, cultural, and religious factors that shape the business environment, and understandings of charity and philanthropy, need to be taken into account. Empirical work in this area is lacking (Lund-Thomsen et al. 2016 ). In Sri Lanka, for example, “the most common arguments used to ‘sell’ the business case for CSR and CP [Corporate Philanthropy], for example an improved brand image, increased market or customer share, employee retention, mitigated regulatory risks, and reduced tax burden, are considered mostly irrelevant” (Global Insights 2013 : p1). Business leaders engage in CSR for a range of business, humanitarian, social, religious, and political reasons. Key amongst them is a belief that ‘giving back’ to society discharges religious obligations to the poor, and an awareness that being seen to contribute to national development goals is important (Global Insights 2013 ). Hence, the conception of CSR in this region is culturally determined, but also shaped by the economic environment.

• Economic development

As well as government control, culture and political factors, the stage of economic development a country is in is also an important contextual factor that may impact CSR reporting. In China, as discussed above, the drive for economic reform led directly to environmental impacts which needed to be addressed. A number of other developing countries have been examined for their reporting on CSR issues, particularly from the Asian region (Andrew et al. 1989 ; Elijido-Ten et al. 2010 ), India (Mishra and Suar 2010 ; Raman 2006 ; Sahay 2004 ), and Bangladesh (Belal and Owen 2007 ; Belal and Roberts 2010 ; Khan 2010 ; Muttakin et al. 2015 ).

While these countries are classified as developing (IMF 2015 ), Bangladesh and India score only medium for human development. Another country in the region, Sri Lanka, has a high rating on the HDI, and has been exhibiting extensive growth since the end of a 30-year war (WPR 2015 ). Thus, exhibiting both economic and social growth aspects makes it an interesting case for studying CSR.

Sri Lanka has a population of over 20 million and foreign companies have increased their investments with one billion US dollars in direct foreign investments in 2013 alone ( BOI ). Classified as a middle income developing country, the challenge for Sri Lanka is to achieve high economic growth without causing irreversible damage to the environment and while continuing to eliminating social issues such as poverty, malnutrition and poor workplace ethics (Goger 2013 ). In addition, Sri Lanka also has a long history of corporate philanthropy, largely led by individuals whose values and actions stem from religious and cultural views (Beddewela and Herzig 2013 ) but has recently seen an increase in private firms offering development-related initiatives. Public infrastructure projects have been the main element of post-war economic planning, but there still remains rural poverty in the country. Thus, the primary motivation for CSR and philanthropy in Sri Lanka is poverty reduction, particularly for children and youth, social welfare organisations like orphanages and elderly homes, hospitals and health services, and veterans’ charities (Global Insights 2013 ). Thus, the economic, cultural, and political context means that these poverty rates have fallen (data indicates that the rate went from approximately 20 % in 2000 to under 9 % in 2013) and that inflation has slowed (Wijesinha 2014 ), so opportunities for private businesses to contribute to infrastructure abound. However, these private, development-orientated, CSR initiatives have often failed to deliver their aims and there is considered to be a danger that they may in fact perpetuate the causes of poverty and ethnic and religious conflict given their ties to particular ethnic groups (Global Insights 2013 ).

Notwithstanding this environment, the topic of CSR reporting in Sri Lanka has received relatively little research attention compared to other parts of the world (see Belal and Momin 2009 , for a review). In terms of motivations for CSR, there is some evidence that firms in which senior management have a positive outlook towards social and environmental practices tend to disclose more on these aspects, as compared to other firms (Fernando and Pandey 2012 ). However, reporting on CSR initiatives is not mandatory thus it is likely that any voluntary reporting by Sri Lankan firms will vary significantly. One study of reporting was conducted by Senaratne and Liyanagedara ( 2012 ) who examined the level of compliance with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines in the disclosures of publicly listed companies, selected from seven business sectors. The authors conclude that the level of compliance with the GRI is low and that disclosures vary significantly amongst the companies, potentially reflecting varying commitment to CSR. Similarly, a longitudinal study across five years (2005–2010) was carried out by Wijesinghe ( 2012 ) to identify trends in CSR reporting in Sri Lanka and the study identified an increasingly positive trend, predicting similar levels of disclosures provided by companies in developed countries. The few studies that have been conducted examining the predominance of reporting in Sri Lanka, mostly examining multinational companies, conclude that CSR reporting is gaining momentum in Sri Lanka but is still emerging as the concept of CSR itself emerges (Beddewela and Herzig 2012 ; Hunter and Van Wassenhove 2011 ).

Conclusion and a future research agenda

As more and more research on CSR in developing countries emerges in the academic literature, it is important to ensure that appropriate consideration is given to the context in which the research takes place. Examination of CSR and CSR reporting practices without contextualisation could perpetuate flawed understandings that are based on evidence from research in the developed world. Different political, social, cultural and economic environments impact on the both the development of, and reporting of, CSR activities and consequently impact on the value of these activities to benefit society and the natural environment.

A suggested agenda for future research, that considers context in more depth, includes:

Consideration of ideological and hegemonic regimes and their attitude towards CSR. This research would consider potential positive and negative impacts of the political and governance system. In China, for example, the potential for Communist Party ideology to increase environmental protection and improve social conditions is vast, and is starting to be seen to have a strong impact on firm behaviour. Examination of this over time will provide an important contribution to understanding the role of government beyond the more common analysis of environmental protection regulation.

Greater examination of sociocultural variables in different countries, beyond analysis of religious influence, and beyond the use of Hofstede. Understandings of concepts such as CSR in countries in Asia, the Middle East and the Asian sub-continent, are known to differ from those in the West, so understanding their potential to lead to better (worse) CSR outcomes is important. The variety of variables that could be included is vast, but some clearly important issues include: language, secularism, freedom of the press, access to information, homogeneity of values and attitudes, and the existence of a national figurehead or identity.

Longitudinal examination of the process of economic development. Countries where the economy is developing rapidly, such as China and the Middle East; and countries where the historical economic context differs dramatically, such as in Sri Lanka where the need for development is borne out of conflict, provide rich backgrounds to consider how CSR is developing alongside economic developments.

A comprehensive framework for examining these, and other, potential factors that influence CSR and CSR reporting in developing countries does not exist, but Table  1 attempts to provide a preliminary outline of some factors that could comprise such a framework, and be used to guide future research. As mentioned earlier, it is important to note, however, that these variables are not discreet and are likely to interact with each other. This is noted in the table as a reminder that the classifications are somewhat artificial and that acknowledgement of a more holistic consideration is important.

These are clearly only a selection of opportunities for CSR research on developing nations and emerging economies. Calls for more work on these factors have continued since Adams’ ( 2002 ) original call, but there is still vast scope to improve our understanding of CSR practice throughout the world (Fifka 2013 ), where much of the social and environmental damage is taking place.

Importantly, research of this kind must be transdisciplinary as perspectives from areas such as political science, philosophy and economics are essential. Only with in-depth, contextualised understandings can improvements to the nature of CSR activity be implemented.

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Acknowledgements

It is important to acknowledge that this paper provides an overview of a larger research program currently being undertaken by a team of doctoral students at Flinders University and the University of South Australia. Credit must be given to Ms Hui Situ (Flinders University) who is researching environmental reporting in China, Mr Abdullah Silawi (Flinders University) who is researching social responsibility reporting in the Gulf region, and Ms Dinithi Dissanayake (University of SA), who is researching environmental disclosure in Sri Lanka.

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Tilt, C.A. Corporate social responsibility research: the importance of context. Int J Corporate Soc Responsibility 1 , 2 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40991-016-0003-7

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Studying for a PhD

Studying for a phd at the iccsr gives you the opportunity to undertake cutting-edge research within a world-class research institut..

A PhD is offered as a full time programme of study, consisting of an initial taught component comprising modules on research methods, philosophy of social science, followed by structured supervision leading to the preparation of a doctoral thesis.

The themes below indicate current research interests within the ICCSR. In exploring these areas, the team draw from a range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches.

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Successful applicants may be eligible to apply for one of the scholarships to support their study period. Scholarships are normally tax-free, and cover tuition fees and living costs for each of the three years. Information about the range of scholarships available can be accessed through the NUBS Doctoral Programmes page .

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Applicants are also invited to look at the research profiles of ICCSR staff members and need to consider proposal submission criteria. The PhD in CSR is administered as part of Nottingham University Business School’s suite of postgraduate programmes.  Information on the application process and admissions requirements is provided on the School’s web pages.

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Here at the BCCCC, our ongoing work with member companies helps us understand the issues today's corporate citizenship professionals are facing. With this audience in mind, we curate and summarize the latest CSR research studies each month. Use the briefs below to better integrate corporate citizenship into your business strategy and/or develop new solutions for pressing social challenges. For your convenience, the briefs are sorted into several prominent categories, all under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility. 

Corporate Citizenship

How consumers respond to CSR messaging from social media influencers

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers explored how consumers would respond to CSR messaging from non-CSR-themed social media influencers.

Storytelling engages customers in corporate citizenship on a personal level

RESEARCH BRIEF - Communicating CSR commitments and results within the context of stories (vs. bulleted list or other stripped down forms) can improve attitudes toward the company and thereby encourage positive attitudes and intentions with the company.

CSR and firm performance: The essential role of risk and strategy alignment

RESEARCH BRIEF - CSR activities that align with the strategic vision and risk preferences of the firm can deliver better performance.

Storytelling improves consumer trust and engagement in corporate citizenship

RESEARCH BRIEF - Consumers are more engaged in and believing of corporate citizenship communications that have a narrative style and focus on individuals—and are therefore less skeptical toward the initiatives they convey.

Engaging Employees

Create advantage in the war for talent: Promote diversity during job recruitment

RESEARCH BRIEF - Active job seekers were asked to measure the impact of public acknowledgment of diversity practices in recruitment of both LGBTQ jobseekers and non-LGBTQ prospects.

Increasing minimum wage benefits employees, productivity

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers observed the effect of the minimum wage on worker productivity and well-being among more than 40,000 salespeople whose pay is partly based on performance.

Communication of talent management strategies should account for self-perception

RESEARCH BRIEF - When it comes to inclusive vs. exclusive talent management strategies, how do employees feel about what's fair? How do their own self-perceptions play a role?

Sustainability training improves eco-friendly behaviors outside of work

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined the direct and indirect relationships between employee participation in an environmentally focused training at work and employees' eco-friendly behaviors outside of work...

Community Involvement

The Effect of Corporate Philanthropy on Consumer Behavior

RESEARCH BRIEF - Engaging in corporate philanthropy increases consumer purchase intention and participation in corporate philanthropic activities.

Want to increase donations? Pick a number...

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined how varying the way in which donations are solicited (e.g., requesting a specific amount vs. requesting an open-ended donation) affects donation amount and total number of donations.

Perceived control impacts donors’ likelihood to give money versus time

RESEARCH BRIEF - To explore how a greater number of donors might be induced to give money, researchers conducted a series of seven studies with nearly 2,800 participants...

Adjust grantee oversight to achieve intended outcomes

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined survey responses from 242 nonprofit organizations that received funding from foundations. They analyzed how non-monetary factors in the grantee-grantor relationship are linked to...

Sustainablity Reporting

Does more robust ESG disclosure reduce a firm's future earnings risk?

RESEARCH BRIEF - To investigate the relationship between ESG disclosure and future earnings risk, researchers studied disclosure scores and analyst forecast data for 1,004 S&P Global 1200 firms

How industry-related factors affect SDG-related reporting

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers studied firm ESG reporting across 36 countries with both developed and developing economies to understand what factors might influence whether a firm would report ESG metrics in alignment with SDGs.

Increased ESG ranking lowers the cost of corporate debt

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined more than 1,500 bonds from S&P 500 companies and the firms’ ESG scores to determine if there is a relationship between a company’s score and their cost of debt.

Does ESG news affect stock price? Only if it’s financially material

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers studied ESG information from a wide variety of sources—including reports by analysts, media, advocacy groups, and government regulators— for 3,000 companies...

Responsible Corporate Leadership

Will a higher ratio of women board members improve ESG performance?

RESEARCH BRIEF - To examine the relationship between women board directors and corporate social performance including how national culture may affect this relationship—researchers looked at nearly 3,200 public firms across 38 countries over 7 years.

Age demographics of top management teams impact environmental management strategies

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand what effect the age of top management team members has on a firm’s environmental management strategies, researchers analyzed data from over 500 U.S. firms over eight years.

Women directors positively affect ESG performance, especially in certain countries

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers looked at the ratio of women directors on the boards of 3,175 global firms alongside the firms’ corporate social performance scores.

Women CFOs are clearer communicators with shareholders—and it pays off

RESEARCH BRIEF - CFOs who are women tend to speak more realistically, concisely, and quantitatively than their male counterparts in less scripted portions of earnings calls. Read how investors respond...

Environmental Sustainability

Does environmental CSR influence consumers’ purchase intentions more than other CSR types?

RESEARCH BRIEF - Sharing information about a company’s environmental efforts at the point of purchase can increase a consumer’s reported willingness to buy a given product.

Institutional Investors, Climate Disclosure, and Carbon Emissions

RESEARCH BRIEF - Investor demand for climate-related information leads to greater corporate climate disclosure and lower carbon emissions from firms.

Implications of Legal, Cultural & Governance Factors on Corporate Climate Commitment

RESEARCH BRIEF - The purpose of this study was to understand how a country's culture and legal system, as well as internal governance mechanisms, influence a company's commitment to addressing climate change.

Climate risk disclosure and institutional investors

RESEARCH BRIEF - In this study, researchers focused on three groups of institutional investors with higher disclosure demand, which they deemed “climate-conscious investors.”

The Value of Corporate Citizenship

Fortune 500 and Employment-Related CSR

RESEARCH BRIEF - Smaller firms can attract and attain more high-quality employees by improving and communicating non-monetary benefits.

Do ESG scores play a role in a firm's market value?

RESEARCH BRIEF - This study observed market value of ~200 firms from 2002 to 2021. Researchers looked at the firms’ overall ESG scores and scores for each of ESG’s three pillars: environmental, social, and governance...

How ESG affects equity valuation, risk, and performance

RESEARCH BRIEF - Can positive changes in a company's ESG characteristics serve as a useful indicator for predicting investment quality?

Supply Chain Management

Using vague language diminishes CSR message credibility

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand the relationship between different types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages and consumer trust, researchers surveyed participants about the CSR reputation of a specific unnamed company.

CSR performance affects supply-chain contracting decisions

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand whether an increase in available CSR information affects supplier contracting decisions, researchers gathered over 3,500 supplier-year observations.

Wage-related interventions for workers who earn low wages

RESEARCH BRIEF - Can companies increase worker compensation for employees earning low wages without a negative impact to the bottom line?

Mandatory nonfinancial disclosure increases supply chain transparency

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand how mandatory ESG disclosures might affect firms’ supply chain due diligence, researchers analyzed 1,500 firms from 2005-2016, reviewing nearly 10,000 firm year observations.

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Corporate Social Responsibility: the institutionalization of ESG

Anderson, Erika (2023) Corporate Social Responsibility: the institutionalization of ESG. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Understanding the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on firm performance as it relates to industries reliant on technological innovation is a complex and perpetually evolving challenge. To thoroughly investigate this topic, this dissertation will adopt an economics-based structure to address three primary hypotheses. This structure allows for each hypothesis to essentially be a standalone empirical paper, unified by an overall analysis of the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance. The first hypothesis explores the evolution of CSR to the modern quantified iteration of ESG has led to the institutionalization and standardization of the CSR concept. The second hypothesis fills gaps in existing literature testing the relationship between firm performance and ESG by finding that the relationship is significantly positive in long-term, strategic metrics (ROA and ROIC) and that there is no correlation in short-term metrics (ROE and ROS). Finally, the third hypothesis states that if a firm has a long-term strategic ESG plan, as proxied by the publication of CSR reports, then it is more resilience to damage from controversies. This is supported by the finding that pro-ESG firms consistently fared better than their counterparts in both financial and ESG performance, even in the event of a controversy. However, firms with consistent reporting are also held to a higher standard than their nonreporting peers, suggesting a higher risk and higher reward dynamic. These findings support the theory of good management, in that long-term strategic planning is both immediately economically beneficial and serves as a means of risk management and social impact mitigation. Overall, this contributes to the literature by fillings gaps in the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance, particularly from a management perspective.

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Doctor - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

Distance degree programs for adults & professionals., bircham international university - adult degree programs online., doctor ph.d. degree - business & media, csr corporate social responsibility via distance learning.

This Doctor Ph.D. Degree of Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, reviews the ethical responsibility of enterprises, and the impact of their activity and products on society. CSR has proven to become an efficient public and institutional relations tool. It demonstrates that corporation are not only engaged in making money through the sales of their products and services, but do also care to impact positively their communities. CSR deals with charitable projects, community development, public affairs, sustainability and business ethics.

Academic Supervisor : Fernando Fernández Sánchez More information about this academic supervisor at Bircham University Human Network. More info...

The Doctor Ph.D. Degree online via distance learning offers students the highest level of specialization a discipline can offer. More info...

* 45 to 72 academic credits above a Master's program. * Average Duration: 24 months. * Program Structure: 70% textbooks + 30% Thesis. * Admission is open for adults over 27 years of age. * Master's degree or international equivalent (5 years of study) is required for admission.

Fees include all: Program of study, textbooks, study guide, evaluation and assessment, diploma, and transcript. Cost per BIU earned postgraduate credit: 130 Euros (170 US$) Cost per transferred credit from previous education and/or professional experience if required: 20 Euros (25 US$)

45 ... 72 Academic credits Tuition Fee :Min. 5.850 Euros (7.650 US$) ... Max. 9.360 Euros (12.240 US$).

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela.

Payment plans are available upon request up to 36 monthly installments. More info...

Faculty of Business & Media via distance learning

• Doctor Ph.D. Degree

45 ... 72 Academic credits required for this distance learning degree program.

Composition:.

+ 39 Academic credits - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Online + Other additional subjects + 18 Academic credits - Research methodology and final project or thesis.

+ 39 Academic credits: CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Online

BIU Earned Credits Credits earned through the completion of academic work at Bircham International University (Reports, Projects and Thesis).

1 BIU Earned Credit = 1 USA Semester Credit (15 hours of learning) = 2 ECTS Credits (30 hours of study). Courses list (each subject accounts for 3 academic credits): You may study any subject as an independent online continuing education course. More info...

Postgraduate level continuing education course. Previous knowledge in this field of study is required.

601CSR - Media Influence 602CSR - Social Welfare 603CSR - Mass Communication 604CSR - Organizational Communication 605CSR - Cross Cultural Social Perspectives 606CSR - Public Relations 607CSR - Social Community Management 608CSR - Sustainability 609CSR - Special Events Operations 610CSR - Public Relations Campaigns 611CSR - Ecology & Human Impact 612CSR - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility 613CSR - Cultural Resources Management More info...

Bibliography: CSR Corporate Social Responsibility via distance learning The corresponding textbooks are included in the fees. Once the fee has been paid, the books may take between two to five weeks to reach your address. Bircham International University offices may inform you at any time of the status of your books. If the book is in English, the required report must be written in English unless you have requested to write it in other language and have gained Bircham International University authorization. More info... Click here to access the recommended bibliography.

+ Additional courses may be selected from other modules in the Faculty of Business & Media from Bircham International University if required. This selection must be approved by the Distance Learning University Education Board. For example: Public Relations .

Research work resources and network - Doctor - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility:

ADSRS - Asociación para el Desarrollo Sostenible y la Responsabilidad Social AMEC - International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication ANEIMO - Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Investigación de Mercados y Opinión Pública CPMCS - Portuguesa dos Meios de Comunicação Social CRA - Corporate Responsibility Association DIRCOM - Asociación de Directivos de Comunicación E-RSE - Plateforme de l’Engagement RSE et Développement Durable EBNCSR - European Business Network for Corporate Social Responsibility IASB - International Association of Speakers Bureaus ICA - International Communication Association ICRS - Institute of Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability IECA - International Environmental Communication Association ORSC - Observatorio de Responsabilidad Social Corporativa More info...

Joining the proper association is the best way to become an updated professional. Bircham International University graduates may join many professional associations. Membership requirements for each association may vary depending on the degree program, specialization and graduate resume en each occasion. BIU can not guarantee membership in all instances. BIU does not intermediate in these procedures. Bircham International University provides a list of available memberships and professional references from each faculty where some BIU graduates may belong. Contact directly the ones you select. More info...

+ 18 Academic credits (Research methodology and final project or thesis. More info... ).

Admission requirements: Doctor - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

Bircham International University distance learning degree admission requirements differ depending upon the Faculty and the major of study. There is no discrimination with respect to race, color, sex, beliefs and/or religion. A minimum of 30% of the total number of credits required by any adult degree program syllabus has to be transferred from previous education and/or validated from professional experience in order to gain admission. A maximum of 20% of the total number of credits required by the distance learning degree program can be transferred from professional and life experience. More info...

Click to Download... Application for Admission

Learning outcomes: Doctor - CSR Corporate Social Responsibility

The following learning outcomes are compatible with the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) for lifelong learning and continuing education. The EQF directives facilitate acceptance of this course credits by many higher education institution. These learning outcomes are achieved after completion of this course with a passing grade. Better grades will demonstrate higher analysis, evaluation and critical thinking skills. More info...

EQF LEVEL 6. Advanced knowledge and critical understanding. Outcome resulting from course content assessment and its applicability to problem solving. The student's ability to combine the different parts of the text and to form a new coherent and harmonic final report will determine the critical understanding of the subject and an advanced knowledge of CSR Corporate Social Responsibility. The student written report style, content, and structure play an important role in the assessment and applicability of the knowledge about CSR Corporate Social Responsibility to different Business & Media decision making scenarios and problem-solving. More info...

EQF LEVEL 7. Advanced knowledge and critical thinking. Outcome resulting from written critical thinking and its applicability to problem solving. The student will contrast and evaluate the learned material with his/her own knowledge and experience to express an opinion about CSR Corporate Social Responsibility, to consider the practical application of the key concepts, and to argue the conclusions along the written report. Personal judgments and opinion should be based on sound criteria and must be clearly discussed. More info...

BIU adapts each Distance Learning Higher Education degree program to the needs of each student. More info...

CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Online

Recognition - Distance degree programs - More info... Accreditation - Distance Learning University - More info... Degree Legalization - Graduate Services - More info... Acceptance of these Distance Learning Higher Education academic credits is always the prerogative of the receiving institution or employer. Recognition criteria differ depending on each educational institution, or company policy, or country legal framework.

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MIT Corporation elects 10 term members, two life members

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The MIT Corporation — the Institute’s board of trustees — has elected 10 full-term members, who will serve one-, two-, or five-year terms, and two life members. Corporation Chair Mark P. Gorenberg ’76 announced the election results today.

The full-term members are: Nancy C. Andrews, Dedric A. Carter, David Fialkow, Bennett W. Golub, Temitope O. Lawani, Michael C. Mountz, Anna Waldman-Brown, R. Robert Wickham, Jeannette M. Wing, and Anita Wu. The two life members are: R. Erich Caulfield and David M. Siegel. Gorenberg was also reelected as Corporation chair.

Natalie Lorenz-Anderson '84, the 2024-2025 president of the Association of Alumni and Alumnae of MIT, will also join the Corporation as an ex officio member. She succeeds R. Robert Wickham ’93, SM ’95.

As of July 1, the Corporation will consist of 80 distinguished leaders in education, science, engineering, and industry. Of those, 24 are life members and eight are ex officio . An additional 25 individuals are life members emeritus.

The 10 new term members are:

Nancy C. Andrews PhD ’85 , executive vice president and chief scientific officer, Boston Children’s Hospital

Andrews is a biologist and physician noted for her research on iron diseases and her roles in academic administration. She currently serves as executive vice president and chief scientific officer at the Boston Children’s Hospital and professor of pediatrics in residence at Harvard Medical School. She previously served for a decade as the first female dean of the Duke University School of Medicine. After graduating from medical school, she completed residency and fellowship at BCH, joining the faculty at Harvard as an assistant professor in 1993. From 1999 to 2003, Andrews served as director of the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology MD-PhD program, and then was appointed professor of pediatrics and dean for basic sciences and graduate studies at Harvard Medical School. Andrews currently serves on the boards of directors of Novartis, Charles River Laboratories, and Maze Therapeutics.

Dedric A. Carter ’98, MEng ’99, MBA ’14 , chief innovation officer, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Carter currently serves as the vice chancellor for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development and chief innovation officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has cabinet-level responsibility for the entrepreneurship, innovation, economic development, and commercialization portfolios at the university through Innovate Carolina and the Innovate Carolina Junction, a new hub for catalyzing innovation and accelerating entrepreneurial invention located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, among other oversight and engagement roles. Prior to his appointment, he was the vice chancellor for innovation and chief commercialization officer at Washington University in St. Louis. Before that, he served as the senior advisor for strategic initiatives in the Office of the Director at the U.S. National Science Foundation, in addition to serving as the executive secretary to the U.S. National Science Board executive committee.

David Fialkow , co-founder and managing director, General Catalyst Partners

Fialkow currently serves as managing director of General Catalyst Partners, a venture capital firm that makes early-stage and transformational investments in technology and consumer companies. His areas of focus include financial services, digital health, artificial intelligence, and data analytics. With business partner Joel Cutler, Fialkow built and sold several companies prior to founding General Catalyst Partners in 2000. Early in his career, he worked for the investment firm Thomas H. Lee Company and the venture capital firm U.S. Venture Partners. Fialkow studied film at Colgate University and continues to produce documentaries with his wife, Nina, focused on health care and social justice.

Bennett W. Golub ’79, SM ’82, PhD ’84 , co-founder and senior policy advisor, BlackRock

In 1988, Golub was one of eight people to start BlackRock, Inc., a global asset management company. In March of 2022, he stepped down from his day-to-day activities at the company to assume a part-time role of senior policy advisor. Formerly, he served as chief risk officer with responsibilities that included investment, counterparty, technology, and operational risk, and he chaired BlackRock’s Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Beginning in 1995, he was co-head and founder of BlackRock Solutions, the company’s risk advisory business. He also served as the acting CEO of Trepp, LLC. a former BlackRock affiliate that pioneered the creation and distribution of data and models for collateralized commercial-backed securities, beginning in 1996. Prior to the founding of BlackRock, Golub served as vice president at The First Boston Corporation (now Credit Suisse).

Temitope O. Lawani ’91 , co-founder, Helios Investment Partners, LLP

Lawani, a Nigerian national, is the co-founder and managing partner of Helios Investment Partners, LLP, an Africa-focused private investment firm based in London. He also serves as co-CEO of Helios Fairfax Partners, an investment holding company. Prior to forming Helios in 2004, Lawani was a principal at the San Francisco and London offices of TPG Capital, a global private investment firm. Before that, he worked as a mergers and acquisitions and corporate development analyst at the Walt Disney Company. Lawani serves on the boards of Helios Towers, Pershing Square Holdings, and NBA Africa. He is also a director of the Global Private Capital Association and The END Fund, and has served on the boards of several public and private companies across various sectors.

Michael C. Mountz ’87 , principal, Kacchip LLC

Michael “Mick” Mountz is a logistics industry entrepreneur and technologist known for inventing the mobile robotic order fulfillment approach now in widespread use across the material handling industry. In 2003, Mountz, along with MIT classmate Peter Wurman ’87 and Raffaelo D'Andrea co-founded Kiva Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of this mobile robotic fulfillment system. After Kiva, Mountz established Kacchip LLC, a technology incubator and investment entity to support local founders and startups, where Mountz currently serves as principal. Before founding Kiva, Mountz served as a director of business process and logistics at online grocery delivery company Webvan, and before that he served as a product marketing manager for Apple Computer working on the launch of the G3 and G4 series Macintosh desktops. Mountz holds over 40 U.S. technology patents and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2022.

Anna Waldman-Brown ’11, SM ’18, PhD ’23

Through her work with the Fab Lab network, which spun off from the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, Waldman-Brown has worked with international policymakers and grassroots innovators across more than 60 countries to foster creative problem-solving and sustainable development. She helped build up and connect fab labs across dozens of countries, co-organized two week-long fab lab conferences and developed the ongoing Fab Festival, curated open-source development of an early Maker Map and several lists of academic articles related to the Maker Movement, and finalized an official collaboration with Autodesk and the international Fab Lab network. In addition to providing informal mentorship and support for students across the Institute, Waldman-Brown became involved in the burgeoning MIT Grad Student Union (GSU)/UE Local 256 around 2019 to advocate for practical solutions to improving graduate student life and health and safety. Her current work as an industrial strategy policy analyst is through the Made in America Office, which is part of the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Management and Budget.

R. Robert Wickham ’93, SM ’95 , president, MIT Alumni Association

Skilled in building go-to-market teams, strategic planning, operational management, and delivering results, Wickham has held leadership roles at Salesforce and Oracle, and gained foundational experiences in management consulting and entrepreneurship. As the former general manager of Tableau Asia Pacific, a Salesforce business unit, Wickham spearheaded significant growth initiatives. He also served as chief of staff for Asia Pacific and led specialized teams in Platform and Emerging Technologies, which included pivotal technologies such as the Lightning Platform and Einstein Analytics, and drove the launch of Salesforce’s $50M Australian venture fund and its regional program for startups. Before joining Salesforce, Wickham led Oracle’s Engineered Systems business across Australia and New Zealand, and the System Management business in North America. He joined Oracle through its acquisition of Empirix Web Division, where he ran sales for North America.

Jeannette M. Wing ’78, SM ’79, PhD ’83 , executive vice president for research, Columbia University

Wing is the executive vice president for research and professor of computer science at Columbia University, and previously served as Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute. Wing’s current research interests are in trustworthy AI, and her areas of research expertise include security and privacy, formal methods, programming languages, and distributed and concurrent systems. Prior to Columbia, Wing worked at Microsoft, where she served as corporate vice president of Microsoft Research, overseeing research labs worldwide. Before joining Microsoft, she was on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, where she was the head of the Department of Computer Science and associate dean for academic affairs of the School of Computer Science. During a leave from Carnegie Mellon, she served at the National Science Foundation as assistant director of the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate.

Anita Wu MBA ’16 , partner, AlixPartners

Wu is a partner in the retail practice at AlixPartners, a global consultancy specializing in management advisory, business performance improvement, and corporate turnarounds. Outside of client services, she is the global leader for AlixPartners’ Women’s Empowerment Network. Prior to moving to the U.S. for MIT, Wu led smart cities design in Sydney, Australia, and implemented various initiatives that improved commuter usage of public transportation. She has also previously led the operations for a nonprofit, Light the Way, where she fundraised and delivered education curriculum and microfinancing programs for farming villages in Nepal. She currently resides in New York City.

The two life members are:

David M. Siegel SM ’86, PhD ’91 , co-founder and co-chairman, Two Sigma

Siegel is a computer scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Before co-founding the financial sciences company Two Sigma, he was chief technology officer and managing director at Tudor Investment Corporation. Prior to that, he was a senior leader at D.E. Shaw, where he ultimately rose to be the firm’s first chief information officer. Siegel is currently an active investor and advisor, and serves as a board member for Re:Build Manufacturing, a family of industrial businesses. He is co-founder of the Scratch Foundation, with MIT Professor Mitchel Resnick ’88. He founded the Siegel Family Endowment in 2011 to support organizations and leaders that will understand and shape the impact of technology on society, and as the organization’s chairman devotes significant time and energy to actively engaging with this work.

R. Erich Caulfield SM ’01, PhD ’06 , founder and president, The Caulfield Consulting Group

Since 2013, Caulfield has served as the founder and president of The Caulfield Consulting Group, a management consulting firm that specializes in improving organizations’ performance through strategic and operational support. Between 2011 and 2013, he was the New Orleans federal team lead for the White House’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Initiative and, from 2010 to 2011, was a White House Fellow at the Domestic Policy Council. Between 2008 and 2010, Caulfield served as chief policy advisor to Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Cory Booker. Before entering government service, Caulfield worked in management consulting as an associate at McKinsey and Company, focusing on process design and public sector-related projects. Caulfield is also a member of the board of directors for the New Orleans Business Alliance.

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