SCORE is dedicated to research on the roles and responsibilities of corporations in and beyond regions and societies. The aim of the project is to advance theories and research on corporate responsibility and sustainable development in a cross-national and cross-cultural global context. Examples of important research questions are: What are the understandings, expectations, and constraints of different actors with regard to the responsibilities of corporations? Why and how should corporations be responsible? Why are some corporations more committed to sustainable development than others? What are the main hurdles toward a robust transfer of commitments (e.g. the UN Global Compact) into business practices?
The initial foci of this research group include: An analysis of the theoretical and empirical links between representations of corporate responsibility and the various understandings of corporate responsibility and sustainable development among policy makers and senior managers in different corporate and national cultures. Corporate cultures within and across pluralistic societies and national contexts are as much part of our work as are expectations, fears, hopes, and constraints of corporate employees and the public at large. The group aims to contribute to these debates in ways that are relevant to academia, policy making, and the formulation of business practices.