Title: Corporate volunteering – business implementation issues

Authors: Louise Lee

Addresses: School of Management, Massey University, Private Box 756, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract: The importance of corporate volunteering has been acknowledged internationally, particularly in practitioner literature relating to corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, while a growing number of businesses support corporate volunteering initiatives, existing research on the challenges of implementing such CSR activities is scarce. This paper provides practice-based insights into CSR implementation by examining business managers| understandings of the drivers and operating practices for corporate volunteer schemes and the challenges facing business managers in implementing such initiatives. Results from this study indicate that managers perceive corporate volunteering programmes as being driven by an array of motivations, representing an uneasy mix of business efforts to satisfy internal and external stakeholder concerns. Managers face challenges organising corporate volunteering programmes in ways that support significant social goals, while serving strategic business interests and offering meaningful experiences for employees.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; implementation challenges; community involvement; business implementation; volunteering initiatives; business managers; drivers; operating practices; volunteer schemes; motivation; internal stakeholders; external stakeholders; stakeholder concerns; social goals; strategic interests; meaningful experiences; employees; programme organisation; New Zealand; business environment; corporate volunteering; volunteers; conceptual embedment; empirical research; future perspectives.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBE.2011.040173

International Journal of Business Environment, 2011 Vol.4 No.2, pp.162 - 182

Published online: 27 Sep 2014 *

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