JONIK Jean-Alain 

thesis subject :

Functional Services and Corporate Social Responsibility: The construction of sense and ownership of CSR by the operational base.A study at the intersection of Strategy-as-Practice, Neo-Institutionalist Theory and the Economies of Worth.

Thesis start date :

Octobre 2020

Name of thesis supervisor(s) :

Julien CUSIN

Thesis abstract :

Micro studies dealing with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) remain marginal (5% of publications in 2019, Aguinis & Glavas 2020 ) and mostly framed by the theoretical field Strategy-As-Practice (SAP). This research remains, for the most part, circumscribed to a vertical approach that follows the hierarchical line from the General Management to the Operational Base (Valiorgue, 2016; Daudigeos, 2019). However, to make CSR tangible, it is necessary to consider the normative, regulatory, legal, labelled and ideological frameworks (Mintzberg, 1989) that surround the company. Consequently, dealing with the micro aspect of CSR also means considering it in an institutional embedded vision. The SAP approach should therefore be complemented by the Neo-Institutional theoretical field (NIT). Finally, studying CSR through the actions of a functional service requires a nuance in the NIT ”Dominant/Dominated” vision (Bourdieu, 1980). Consequently, the Economies of Worth (Boltanski & Thevenot, 1991) will support our theoretical framework in a complementary manner. This preamble leads to the following research question: How do functional departments work with the operational base to promote the appropriation of CSR? Answering this question means identifying the construction of meaning that functional departments use to make CSR tangible and operational In this context, we will strengthen the convergence links between SAP and NIT; we will make a complementary contribution to the NIT in its micro aspect; through the Economies of Worth, we will enrich the research work related to CSR. In conclusion, we will demonstrate that the study of a horizontal link enriches the vertical vision alone. This research will look at functional services as a tool for appropriation made available to operational staff. These services, through their ”sense” (Balgun 2003), constitute a transmission organ. They guide CSR actions by reconciling the interests of the company, the employee and the stakeholders.