Contenu du sommaire : Responsabilité et/ou culpabilité ? Innovation et/ou prudence ? ou agir « de manière créative et responsable »

Responsibility and/or culpability ? Innovation and/or prudence ? or acting « in a creative and responsible manner »Commercial Social Responsibility is a notion which requires constant thought and often critical analysis. We may be surprised to observe that without any ambiguity, those who refer to CSR or recommend this, are often those who disregard it. This would, therefore, appear to be the initial analysis undertaken by Alain Finet and Romina Giuliano, the author of the publication opening this issue : CSR, asbestos and Eternit. What did we know ? What did we seek to know ? This permanent question to which the answer is often, including from a legal and media point of view, anachronical ! It is, therefore, the dominant economical ideology which is the primary cause. This does not absolve the men and women who are guilty of this, but it is necessary to reject this commodity of sacrificing expiatory victims to the media gods with their crocodile tears. Indeed “globally, two economic logics clash : the logic of profit and that of equal distribution of assets”, states Benedict 16th, when calling for an “economic conversion”, whose thinking we found to give meaning and an original direction to this thinking on CSR. There is, therefore, good reason to reflect on this, as the eight contributions to this issue have done across various domains, so as to provide a greater understanding : Management : responsibility and innovation. Beyond those who are responsible, culpable, and beyond innovation and prudence, there is a land which is given to us all « so as we can live creatively and responsibly ».

Financial performance versus social responsibility in cement industry : the case of Eternit, a Belgian companyResponding to problems from to the use of the asbestos in past, various measures were organized to try to find solutions for the victims affected by a disease which can be mortal, still today. In this article, we were interested, more particularly, in the Belgian company Eternit which was strongly mediatized, in the 80s, because of sanitary problems. The different interviews we made, indicate that Eternit knew how to regild its brand image by applying a model of social responsibility. Indeed, over the last years, Eternit obtained various types of certifications notably the certification OHSAS 18001 : 2007. We were able to draw as a first observation that Eternit is, today, a company which can be considered as clean. However, this article aims to objectify to what extent the means implemented by Eternit are sufficient to compensate its inglorious past.

A new way of understanding the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility : the case of Eternit
This article aims at analyzing the Belgian company Eternit ; we are interested in this company insofar as she faced in the past medical problems having generated terminal illness. The study was conducted using various prospects for analysis, generally considered in a separate way. Firstly, we concentrate on the negationnism of the company compared to the problems involved in asbestos. In this way, we try to understand the reasons which could explain the maintenance of a catastrophic sanitary situation. Secondly, we focus on the possible efforts made by this company in the field of the Corporate Social Responsibility in order to restore its brand image. For this purpose, we carried out an analysis of the part of the annual report devoted to these problems as well as an analysis of speech of people working within Eternit. Our analyses are carried out on the basis of Tropes software to qualify the manner with which the direction of this company is expressed. We note, on the one hand, that there exists a certain interest on the various stakeholders and on the ecological environment. On the other hand, in the oral speech, the topics selected are related on safety and environment.

The cement company and the Eternit asbestos scandal : attempt to explain the governance
This article aims at analyzing the Corporate Governance of the group Eternit cement-manufacturer. We are interested in this company insofar as she known in the past of the medical problems having generated terminal illness. For this reason, several legal initiatives were undertaken by the victims of asbestos or their descendants : the most popularized through the media being the lawsuit of Turin in 2009 and, more recently, the lawsuit of Brussels in 2011. The objective of this research is to consider the orchestration of the negationnism of Eternit for the problems generated by the contact of asbestos while being based on the analysis of the methods of governance of this company. We show that the maintenance of the activities of the company without handing-over in question of the methods of production was supported by the consolidation of family interests and the installation of specific structures of governance. The modifications orchestrated at the end of the 90's with the production processs are in fact the reflection of an institutionalization of the problems involved in asbestos and took place thanks to a transfer through media towards the public sphere of problems which long time were remained confined in the professional sphere.

Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) : Rethinking the theoretical background : Analyze and arbitration by the Global Exposure DegreeOriginally, Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (CSER) was based on a voluntary approach on the part of companies in favour of enhancing social performance. However, the voluntary component, which implies three possible options (agreement, refusal or avoidance) (C. Oliver, 1991) seems to have weakened considerably over the last few years. CSER seems to have become the only possible option (D. Litvin, 2003). It has become difficult to find a transnational company that does not use it. The concept is now imposed upon them (N. Barthe, 2006). However, CSER is perceived as a democratic denial in civil society (Attac, 2003), exacerbating criticism and, consequently, damaging their reputation. Based on the work of R.H. Miles (1987), and the work of J. Weber and D.M. Wasieleski (2003), on the degree of global exposure (DGE), this article focuses on current modalities of adhesion and on the dynamic of diffusion of CSER. On the basis of a qualimetric study, it proposes a re-reading of the knowledge of adhesion modalities underpinning the generalised diffusion of CSER policies.

The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility between logical and non-market public : the assumption of labor regulationsThe institutionalization of the Corporate social responsibility of the Company implies new rules of the economic game between firms and their stakeholders. This institutionalization is a source of potential conflicts. The article questions the fragility of certain scenarios which are based on the classic hypothesis of autoregulation of markets. Our hypothesis is that the RSE could be carried by a labor-unions bounce. It is based on a certain number of empirical data, analyses, and theories on the processes of negotiation of R.B. Freeman and J. Medoff, and A.O. Hirschman.

The beliefs on diversity and their roles in management
In this article, we highlight first of all from a review of literature that : 1- the beliefs on diversity are bound to the self beliefs ; 2- their natures are different ; 3- They can be a support or a limit for management. Our study consists in 14 semi-directive interviews of persons in charge of Human Resources. We identified three types of beliefs on diversity and clarify their nature. We conclude on practical learning.

Innovation in services : Technological differences and organizational similarities between French and German firmsIn this study we examine the impact of external services on the innovative capacity of French and German firms. We show that external services improve the quality of the products and enable firms to obtain better performances. We show also that external services can make firms more innovative. French and German firms do not use the same type of external services and do not obtain the same impact on innovativeness and performance.

The Entrepreneurship Franchise Network, singularities managerial and coordination
The franchise networks are a form of collective entrepreneurship and whick asks for its practical of coordination. These organizations are similar to SMEs but rather unusual ones because none of its members are engaged in employment relationships. Their particularities in form of coordination, alternative market and hierarchy, illustrate new problems induced by the dynamics of a group of entrepreneurs for whom the economic perimeter does not overlap with the legal boundary. Indeed, a new group of managers never identified by the economic literature before had merged : networks managers. These employees coordinate and control the franchise and however they remain legally independent contractors.

Groups and SME's : absolute contradiction in terms or new necessity ?
In a globalisation context, to built a consortium between SMEs seams an efficient strategy. To cooperate is a way to access to a variety of resources, which are lacking generally to SMEs. Such a cooperation allows new organisations which are often more productive. However to create a consortium is not easy. SMEs are not confident in network organisations. To enlighten the complexity of the management of a consortium, and to give some keys to SMEs, we have chosen to illustrate our analysis with a real case : a consortium of wine co-operatives.

The SDL Theory (Service-Dominant Logic) Applied to the Retail Sector : Validations, Limits and New Insights Because of the tangible component of its offer and a service posture today turned out, the distinctive skills and the main reason of the exchange in the retail sector is settled. Would this sector is only delivering services ? To answer it, the theory of the SDL (Service-Dominant Logic) of S.L. Vargo and R.F. Lusch (2004a, 2004b, 2006a, 2006b) is mobilized. On the basis of an exploratory research based on a review of literature and interviews with experts, this contribution shows that the place of the product in the exchange remains central and that the intangible offer is articulated around 3 poles : the information, the facilitation and the experience of consumption.