Editorial
Article Type: Editorial From: Social Responsibility Journal, Volume 6, Issue 4
It is interesting to note that changes in the topics which are published in the journal over the years as this seems to be a reflection of the way in which the subject area is changing and developing. Over the years one of the major themes in the area has been an analysis of corporate behavior, as is to be expected. But when the journal started this analysis was focused primarily upon an analysis and exposure of bad corporate practice; now the focus is much more upon an evaluation of good practice. This is good news. In part it shows that corporate behavior with respect to social responsibility is changing and improving. In part though it also shows that the subject itself is developing;no longer are we solely concerned with exposing bad practice. Now we are concerned with an evaluation of practice more generally and with identifying– and theorising about – what constitutes good practice, and with regional comparisons. The benefit of this is that we are no longer merely recording and analysing; now we are beginning to develop a body of expertise which means that we can make positive suggestions to continue that improvement in practice. And this of course is the real work of academics.
Of course the issues themselves change as such matters as different topics rise to prominence and this also is reflected in the subjects which are published in the journal. And this too is a healthy sign. So too is the appearance of papers which consider ethics and which seek to develop theory or to analyze theoretical developments. This is an important function of the journal such as this which seeks to move the discourse forwards in a way which will help our theoretical understandings and also influence practice. These are both functions of the Network.
Social Responsibility Journal is of course the official journal of the Social Responsibility Research Network (SRRNet) – www.socialresponsibility.biz. Producing it is one of the main activities which the Network undertakes. The other main activity of the Network is to organize an annual conference and as this issue is published the 9th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility will have taken place and we will be preparing for the 10th in New Orleans. Plans are also firm for the conferences over the next few years,following our plan to host alternative conferences in Europe and elsewhere– and we hope to see you at one of these future conferences. The conferences are designed to act as a forum for the debate and analysis of contemporary issues in the broad area of CSR.
The international dimension of the journal remains apparent in this issue,not just as far as topics are concerned but also as far as contributors also are concerned, with contributors from eight different countries in this issue. This reflects the importance of the topic of social responsibility to academics throughout the world as well as the general appeal and significance of the Network and hence this journal. So we continue to develop and improve. If you are not already a member of the Network then please consider joining –just visit our website.
The Network is interdisciplinary and so too is the conference. This journal,just as the conference, is also interdisciplinary in its focus and international in its outlook – and this is reflected in the papers in this volume. They cover such things as disclosure practices in Malaysia, Nigeria and the USA;developments in a transitional economy; some theoretical contributions; and some attention to regulation and governance in various countries. All papers have however the commonality that they investigate an aspect of social responsibility– and one feature of social responsibility is that it is a very wide and very interdisciplinary field. With that we leave you to read the papers, hoping that this will inspire you to contribute to a future issue.
Güler Aras, David Crowther
