Competing Claims to Professionalism in South Korea's CSR Field

Seminar abstract

CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has become a global concept, but it is a perceived, understood and experienced differently across countries, however CSR studies have so far predominately focused on the North American and European contexts.  

This study contributes to redressing this imbalance and increases our understanding of the discursive strategies employed by aspiring professionals to fain recognition, power and social status in an East Asian context.

We analyse the self-presentation discourses of fifty six individuals professionally involved in the South Korea CSR field. 

We identify four distinct frames as to why interviewees consider that they are - and should be viewed as - professionals.

We name these frames;

• strategic corporate giving
• social innovation
• risk management
• sustainability transition 

This study contributes additional insights into the role that moral arguments still play today in how emerging professionals make sense of their responsibilities in a general context of ethical decline where the classic, more established professions are concerned.

Booking

This is a free event. Please bring along your colleagues, friends and classmates.

Speaker bio

Professor Charles Cho is Professor of Accounting, the Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business and Sustainability and Director of the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business at the Schulich Business School, York University.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, a Master of Science in Accounting and a PhD in Business Administration (Accounting Track) from the University of Central Florida.

Professor Cho worked for KPMG LLP and other public accounting firms for several years in auditing and taxation.

His research interests include;

• social and environmental accounting
• corporate social responsibility (CSR)
• accounting and the public interest

He has published papers in;

• Journal of Accounting
• Auditing and Accountability Journal
• Organisations and Society
• Critical Perspectives on Accounting
• European Accounting Review
• Journal of Business Ethics

He has also been invited to author chapters in several books.

Professor Cho has presented his work at various national and international conferences such as

• American Accounting Association (AAA) Annual Meeting
• Canadian Academic Accounting Association (CAAA)
• European Accounting Association (EAA) Annual Congress
• International Congresses on Social and Environmental Accounting Research

He currently serves as an Editor of Accounting Forum, the Accounting and Business Ethics Section, Co-Editor of the Journal of Business Ethics as well as an Associate Editor of Accounting and the Public Interest. In addition, he is an Editorial Board member if fourteen other academic journals.

 Finally, He has taught financial and managerial accounting courses and designed some CSR/ sustainability and business ethic courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level as well as in executive programmes for corporate managers.