Corporate Social Responsibility in Times of Crisis ― Practices and Cases from Europe, Africa and the World

This book explores national and transnational companies' Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in times and settings in which they are confronted with economic and social challenges and analyzes these situations, ranging from the financial crisis to fourth generation sustainability. Presenting a number of different cases from various parts of Europe, North America and Africa, it showcases how companies respond to the challenges of the development, consultation, implementation, integration, measurement and consolidation of CSR. Further it specifies how these corporations deal with uncertainties over corporate and financial resources, global financial stability and growing evidence for climate change.

The book describes CSR adaptation under challenging circumstances and argues for the strategic and operative legitimation of Corporate Social Responsibility in times of crisis.

Samuel O Idowu is a Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Corporate Social Responsibility at London Guildhall School of Business & Law, London Metropolitan University, UK. He researches in the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corporate Governance, Business Ethics and Accounting and has published in both professional and academic journals since 1989. He is a freeman of the City of London and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. Samuel is the Deputy CEO and First Vice President of the Global Corporate Governance Institute. He has led several edited books in CSR, is the Editor-in-Chief of two Springer’s reference books – the Encyclopedia of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Dictionary of Corporate Social Responsibility and an Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility. He is also a Series Editor for Springer’s books on CSR, Sustainability, Ethics and Governance. One of his edited books won the most Outstanding Business Reference book Award of the American Library Association (ALA) in 2016 and another was ranked 18th in the 2010 Top 40 Sustainability Books by, Cambridge University, Sustainability Leadership Programme. Samuel is a member of the Committee of the Corporate Governance Special Interest Group of the British Academy of Management (BAM). He is on the Editorial Boards of the International Journal of Business Administration, Canada and Amfiteatru Economic Journal, Romania. Samuel has delivered a number of Keynote Speeches at national and international conferences and workshops on CSR and has on two occasions 2008 and 2014 won Emerald’s Highly Commended Literati Network Awards for Excellence. To date, Samuel has edited several books in the field of CSR, Sustainability and Governance and has written four forewords to books. Samuel has served as an external examiner to the following UK Universities – Sunderland, Ulster, Anglia Ruskin and Plymouth. He is currently an external examiner at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Teesside University, Middlesbrough and Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Professor Stephen Vertigans is currently Head of School of Applied Social Studies at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. His research interests include corporate social responsibility and political violence with particular interest at present in energy related development in East and West Africa. In his publications, Stephen applies a sociological approach in order to try to enhance levels of understanding about the wider social, cultural and political processes which are instrumental in the success or failure of CSR policies.

Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea is a professor of Management at the University of Craiova, Romania. She teaches and conducts research in Human Resources Management, Project Management, Social Audit, Corporate Social Responsibility, Negotiation Techniques at University of Craiova, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in Romania. She is Visiting Professor in Cross-Cultural Management at Bordeaux Management School. and Visiting Professor in Human Resources Management at University of Corsica “Pasquale Paoli”, IAE Corte, Corte Corsica, France. As well she is Visiting Professor in Human Resources Management and Intercultural Management at Saint-Etienne School of Management (SESOM), France. Professor Adriana Schiopoiu Burlea is Romanian ambassador for ARGH (Association Francophone de Gestion des Ressources Humaines) and member of the Academie des Sciences du Management de Paris. She is member in many organising committees for national and international conferences.