The convergence of corporate social responsibility practices

Purpose – This paper tries to explain why many socially-responsible firms appear to converge on a standard set of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices instead of striving to differentiate themselves from rivals and achieve competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – Three explanations of this convergence are presented: herd behaviour, institutional isomorphism, and strategic cooperation. The different empirical predictions of these theories are laid down. The resulting framework is used to analyse a recent self-regulatory scheme launched by the steel industry, in which knowledge-sharing was used to stimulate poor performers to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Findings – Social practices of firms are very often driven by pressures to conform, instead of pressures to perform. Even firms that want to be innovative may be forced by stakeholder requests to adopt passive and imitative behaviour. Practical implications – The paper suggests that there are two types of CSR – convergent and divergent – and that firms need to establish which type of CSR best fits their needs before they address the issues raised by stakeholders. Originality/value – The literature on CSR focuses on the relationship between stakeholders and single firms. The paper tries to add to this literature by analysing the relationship between stakeholders and industries. The paper also contributes to the debate on the financial benefits of CSR by arguing that in industries where the convergent type of CSR is dominant researchers should not expect above-average returns for socially-responsible firms.corporate social responsibility; strategy; institutional isomorphism; herd behaviour; cooperative behaviour; private regulation

Optimal object grasping through Digital Twin representation in a robotic environment

LAUREA MAGISTRALENella robotica collaborativa uno degli aspetti fondamentali è la gestione del comportamento del robot in ambienti dinamici e in situazioni sconosciute dovute all'imprevedibilità dell’essere umano. Questa tesi propone un metodo per ottimizzare la presa di oggetti da parte del robot. L’idea principale è di modellizzarli tramite l’utilizzo di un Digital Twin, cioè una copia digitale del corrispettivo reale. Il robot assume così maggior consapevolezza degli oggetti da manipolare, garantendo una miglior flessibilità nell'ambiente di lavoro e quindi una maggiore capacità di adattarsi a scenari diversi. Il Digital Twin contiene un insieme di prese possibili, valutate cercando di massimizzare l’area di presa. Le informazioni presenti nel Digital Twin vengono integrate utilizzando le mappe di profondità di una telecamera RGB-D. L’oggetto è individuato all’interno dell’ambiente di lavoro e la sua posa nella scena è stimata e continuamente aggiornata attraverso un algoritmo di tracciamento. In questo modo l’oggetto viene contestualizzato all’interno della scena e le informazioni relative alla sua posa sono utilizzate per completare l’ottimizzazione della presa, valutando il bilanciamento di forze e la configurazione del manipolatore. L’applicazione di questo algoritmo permette al robot di manipolare oggetti con caratteristiche diverse anche in situazioni dinamiche in cui è presente un fattore di incertezza dovuto all’imprevedibilità del comportamento umano. Infine, sono stati effettuati degli esperimenti per valutare le performance del metodo proposto.In collaborative robotics it is fundamental to manage the robot behavior in a dynamic environment and in unknown situations due to the unpredictability of the human actions. This thesis proposes a method to optimize the robot grasping capabilities of objects. The main idea of this work is to model each object as Digital Twin, i.e. a digital instance of the real entity. The robot acquires hence more awareness about the objects to be manipulated, achieving more flexibility in the working environment and a better adaptation to different scenarios. Digital Twin information includes a set of feasible grasps, evaluated by maximizing the contact area. Data belonging to the Digital Twin are integrated with information coming from the depth map of a RGB-D camera. The object is hence found in the scene and its pose is estimated and continuously updated online. The pose is used to complete the grasp optimization through the evaluation of the force balance on the object and the robot configuration. This algorithm allows the robot to manipulate objects with different characteristics even in dynamic situations influenced by the unpredictability of the human behavior. Finally, experiments have been conducted to prove the method performance

Offshoring, Local Market Entry, and the Strategic Context of Cross-Border Alliances: The Impact on the Governance Mode

International alliances have been studied in considerable depth, but almost entirely as host market entry options. And while much global value production is done through international alliances, the organizational forms used to control dispersed value chains are often reduced to make or buy – that is, captive operations vs. market-based outsourcing. We examine how strategic purpose (vertical or offshore production vs. horizontal or production for local market entry) affects the choice of cooperative governance form. We contend that an offshore production role as opposed to a market entry strategy, makes an alliance more likely to be governed as a contractual alliance than as a joint venture. Data on 261 cross-border alliances in the major appliances industry largely support our hypotheses. Further strategic purpose moderates the effects of alliance activities and of the institutional environment of the host country on the choice of governance form

Sustainability and Implicit Contracts

Implicit contracts are “invisible handshakes” that are not legally binding but are grounded in mutual understanding between the parties of what they expect from each other. These contracts are very common both within the firm (e.g. between managers and employees) and in business relationships (e.g. between a firm and its suppliers). Typically, implicit contracts arise in rela-tionships that are in some way open-ended. An extensive literature has showed that implicit contracts allow firms to create value by encouraging relationship-specific investment and moti-vating effort by stakeholders. This chapter focuses on how sustainability satisfies existing im-plicit contracts (including a broad social contract with society at large) and facilitates a firm in entering new implicit contracts by improving its trustworthiness. I argue that the adoption of sustainability is directly related to industry- and firm-level variables that make implicit contracts important to a firm’s strategies, and inversely related to the strength of overriding factors that make a firm trustworthy. Based on this reasoning, I analyse four areas in which rates of sus-tainability adoption can vary according to the importance of implicit contracts

The convergence of corporate social responsibility practices

Purpose – This paper tries to explain why many socially-responsible firms appear to converge on a standard set of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices instead of striving to differentiate themselves from rivals and achieve competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – Three explanations of this convergence are presented: herd behaviour, institutional isomorphism, and strategic cooperation. The different empirical predictions of these theories are laid down. The resulting framework is used to analyse a recent self-regulatory scheme launched by the steel industry, in which knowledge-sharing was used to stimulate poor performers to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Findings – Social practices of firms are very often driven by pressures to conform, instead of pressures to perform. Even firms that want to be innovative may be forced by stakeholder requests to adopt passive and imitative behaviour. Practical implications – The paper suggests that there are two types of CSR – convergent and divergent – and that firms need to establish which type of CSR best fits their needs before they address the issues raised by stakeholders. Originality/value – The literature on CSR focuses on the relationship between stakeholders and single firms. The paper tries to add to this literature by analysing the relationship between stakeholders and industries. The paper also contributes to the debate on the financial benefits of CSR by arguing that in industries where the convergent type of CSR is dominant researchers should not expect above-average returns for socially-responsible firms

The convergence of corporate social responsibility practices

Purpose – This paper tries to explain why many socially-responsible firms appear to converge on a standard set of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices instead of striving to differentiate themselves from rivals and achieve competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – Three explanations of this convergence are presented: herd behaviour, institutional isomorphism, and strategic cooperation. The different empirical predictions of these theories are laid down. The resulting framework is used to analyse a recent self-regulatory scheme launched by the steel industry, in which knowledge-sharing was used to stimulate poor performers to curb carbon dioxide emissions. Findings – Social practices of firms are very often driven by pressures to conform, instead of pressures to perform. Even firms that want to be innovative may be forced by stakeholder requests to adopt passive and imitative behaviour. Practical implications – The paper suggests that there are two types of CSR – convergent and divergent – and that firms need to establish which type of CSR best fits their needs before they address the issues raised by stakeholders. Originality/value – The literature on CSR focuses on the relationship between stakeholders and single firms. The paper tries to add to this literature by analysing the relationship between stakeholders and industries. The paper also contributes to the debate on the financial benefits of CSR by arguing that in industries where the convergent type of CSR is dominant researchers should not expect above-average returns for socially-responsible firms

Sustainability and Implicit Contracts

Implicit contracts are “invisible handshakes” that are not legally binding but are grounded in mutual understanding between the parties of what they expect from each other. These contracts are very common both within the firm (e.g. between managers and employees) and in business relationships (e.g. between a firm and its suppliers). Typically, implicit contracts arise in rela-tionships that are in some way open-ended. An extensive literature has showed that implicit contracts allow firms to create value by encouraging relationship-specific investment and moti-vating effort by stakeholders. This chapter focuses on how sustainability satisfies existing im-plicit contracts (including a broad social contract with society at large) and facilitates a firm in entering new implicit contracts by improving its trustworthiness. I argue that the adoption of sustainability is directly related to industry- and firm-level variables that make implicit contracts important to a firm’s strategies, and inversely related to the strength of overriding factors that make a firm trustworthy. Based on this reasoning, I analyse four areas in which rates of sus-tainability adoption can vary according to the importance of implicit contracts

Unraveling the effects of environmental outcomes and processes on financial performance: A non-linear approach

We examine the roles of the outcome and process dimensions of environmental performance in determining financial performance as measured by Tobin’s q. Outcomes refer to the impacts of the firm on the natural environment, while processes are the firm’s actions to reduce these outcomes. We focus on a specific outcome—carbon emissions—and suggest that it affects Tobin’s q non-linearly. We find that firms achieve the highest financial performance when their carbon performance is neither low nor high, but intermediate. We also find that environmental processes moderate this relationship as they reinforce firms’ financial performance through improved stakeholder management. This mixed picture suggests that firms do not generally internalize the costs of poor carbon performance, but those that stand out in both environmental outcomes and processes achieve net financial benefits. These findings are based on a sample of carbon-intensive firms that disclosed their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the Carbon Disclosure Project from 2007 through 2013

Can Telematics Improve Driving Style? The Use of Behavioural Data in Motor Insurance

The use of behavioural data in insurance is loaded with promises and unresolved issues. This paper explores the related opportunities and challenges analysing the use of telematics data in third-party liability motor insurance. Behavioural data are used not only to refine the risk profile of policyholders, but also to implement innovative coaching strategies, feeding back to the drivers the aggregated information obtained from the data. The purpose is to encourage an improvement in their driving style. Our research explores the effectiveness of coaching on the basis of an empirical investigation of the dataset of a company selling telematics motor insurance policies. The results of our quantitative analysis show that this effectiveness crucially depends on the propensity of policyholders to engage with the telematics app. We observe engagement as an additional kind of behaviour, producing second-order behavioural data that can also be recorded and strategically used by insurance companies. The conclusions discuss potential advantages and risks connected with this extended interpretation of behavioural data.Comment: Paper sent for publication on a journal. This is a preliminary version, updated versions will be uploade

Unraveling the effects of environmental outcomes and processes on financial performance: A non-linear approach

We examine the roles of the outcome and process dimensions of environmental performance in determining financial performance as measured by Tobin’s q. Outcomes refer to the impacts of the firm on the natural environment, while processes are the firm’s actions to reduce these outcomes. We focus on a specific outcome—carbon emissions—and suggest that it affects Tobin’s q non-linearly. We find that firms achieve the highest financial performance when their carbon performance is neither low nor high, but intermediate. We also find that environmental processes moderate this relationship as they reinforce firms’ financial performance through improved stakeholder management. This mixed picture suggests that firms do not generally internalize the costs of poor carbon performance, but those that stand out in both environmental outcomes and processes achieve net financial benefits. These findings are based on a sample of carbon-intensive firms that disclosed their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the Carbon Disclosure Project from 2007 through 2013