Nistler CoBPA Faculty Research

Celebrate the impact of our research.

Dr. Sean Valentine paper accepted into the Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal

Sean Valentine

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Sean Valentine, Professor of Management for his recent paper accepted for publication in the Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal, which is a Level 2 journal on the CoBPA Journal Quality List.

Title: “A Leasehold Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility”

Authors: Martin Greller (The New School), and Sean Valentine (University of North Dakota)

Employee Responsibilities & Rights Journal – JQL Level 2

Abstract:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) connects organizations with various environments and constituencies. CSR is enacted through governance and strategic processes, yet this can cause distortions as the process conforms to an agency theory narrative. This paper analyzes the role agency plays in CSR and offers an alternative (the leasehold approach) that uniquely describes the relationships among owners, organizational leadership, and contemporary management practices. An alternative to the existing paradigm is explored by 1) acknowledging the robust role of leaders in determining vision, strategy and CSR, 2) recognizing that governance balances obligations to multiple parties to whom leaders have committed, 3) allowing that those commitments determine the organization’s accountabilities necessary to demonstrate promised performance, 4) focusing on value creation more than distribution of surplus, and 5) highlighting that financial and social outcomes are equally legitimate. Implications for theory/practice are offered; leasehold indeed offers an open, autonomous, and accountable way to view corporate governance and CSR.