Creating value through CSR across company functions and NGO collaborations: A Scandinavian cross-industry case study

- We examine how CSR and value creation can be enhanced across company functions through Business-NGO collaborations.
- We examine how value creation through CSR and Business-NGO-collaborations can be evaluated.
- We model the increase in value creation through different company functions and types/levels of value creation.
- We identify that HRM plays a key role in increasing value creation of Business-NGO-collaborations.
- We identify the highest level of value creation through Business-NGO-collaborations emphasizing sustainable innovation.

A growing number of researchers and practitioners stress the potentials of creating value through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). However, little attention has been paid as to how value and value creation is defined in the context of CSR and NGO collaborations and integrated across key functional areas within the company. This research gap is explored empirically through a cross-industry case study of five companies' application and approaches to CSR and NGO collaborations to facilitate value creation. The findings reveal different scenarios of how companies approach CSR and NGO collaborations in their value propositions and in value creation through collaborative activities across core business functions. The findings reveal that the type of value creation originate from the way the business-NGO collaborations are applied across the companies' collaborative activities in communication, HRM and sustainable innovation/R&D.