Empowering Corporate Social Responsibility in Chinese Nongovernmental Organizations

Abstract

One must overcome multiple barriers to develop viable corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) headquartered in Beijing, China. Our qualitative, collective case study follows up on Yu and Webber's (2010) research, which explored how a Chinese nongovernmental organization in Guangzhou, Guangdong province developed corporate social responsibility in the country's socioeconomic and political context. The 15 participants in the current study were chosen because of their association with the China CSR Map, Syn Tao project and their willingness to be interviewed. Participants identified economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities as key categories for CSR consideration within the framework of consumers, employees, government, and other stakeholder interest. The authors’ findings offer insights into the factors pertaining to the development of a viable CSR program in China's political context. China CSR Map, Syn Tao identified its key stakeholders and suggested that governmental leaders create a set of CSR standards to discipline Chinese companies’ behaviors toward achieving the goals of building a harmonious society and a beautiful China.