Responsible Innovation as a Factor of Corporate Social Responsibility: Analyzing Conceptual Framework

For citation: Shilina M.G. (2017) Responsible Innovation, otvetstvennye innovatsii kak faktor sotsial'noy otvetstvennosti korporatsii: formiruya kontseptual'nuyu ramku issledovaniya [Responsible Innovation as a Factor of Corporate Social Responsibility: Analyzing Conceptual Framework]. Mediaskop 2. (in Russian). Available at: http://www.mediascope.ru/2313

© Marina G. Shilina

Doctor of Philology, Professor at the Chair of Advertising, Public Relations and Design, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics (Moscow, Russia), marina.shilina@gmail.com

Abstract

This decade corporate strategic communications are influenced by responsible innovation as one of corporate strategic communication trends. Our theoretical objective is to conceptualize responsible innovation as the relevant inclusion of corporate strategic communications, especially of CSR. The practical objective is to explain how this approach can be operationalized in Russian companies. In order to achieve these goals a comparative analysis, survey and interviews with the EU and Russian experts (researchers and practitioners) are used.

The EU innovation programme Horizon 2020 considers the development of responsible innovation one of the fundamental items. All of the mostly cited definitions in the academic literature in different national scientific schools and various countries (Hellström 2003; Guston 2004; Owen and Goldberg 2010; Owen, Macnaghten, and Stilgoe 2012; Van den Hoven 2013; von Schomberg 2013) are linked to European policy processes and values. Researchers include innovation as one of key components of corporate strategies and leadership in corporate communication instead of other elements of corporate social responsibility (Little, 2006; Montiel, 2008; Mulgan, 2006; Padgett, 2010; Porter, 2011; Zerfass, 2007).

Responsible innovation is considering innovation to be a new driver of corporate strategic communications, which adds values to the corporation reputation in public sphere. In other words, innovation but determines innovation model shift to "state-business-science-society" paradigm. This concept involves many stakeholders but the main one in society. The framing components can be summarized as follows: the aim of RRI is to render innovation more ethically acceptable, sustainable, and socially desirable and RI is an interactive process that actively solicits society's opinion about innovation processes.

In Russia not just theory but the practices of corporate strategic communications, CSR, PR are in the making. Our review of academic discussion on CSR in Russia (Peregudov 2006; Petrunin 2010; Brook 2010; Tulchinsky 2012; Bagautdinova, et al. 2012) shows that by definition this initiative viewed as a contributor to managing social issues, that still include a wide range of problems. Practitioners describe innovations as a part of governmental strategies and a promising field for public relations (Kuznetsov, Lapshov, 2011). In Russia corporate communications were described as non-marketing but strategic ones just recently (Ignatiev, at al., 2015; Shilina 2016). Despite importance of RI initiatives is getting a worldwide recognition there are no studies devoted to this theme. According to the first Russian research of global responsible innovation (Kazantseva, 2014), characteristics for innovative company from communication and reputation point of view, with the exception of bravery, are transparency, connectivity and consistency; effective communication programmes are realizing due to leading spokesperson and effective storytelling.

According to the results of our research due to lack of relevant data of the companies selected for the analysis (N=100, the top companies leading in national strategic communications rankings, 2014-2016, Top Comm by ACMR), we focuses on the 10 practices of Russian companies and Russian branches of global companies in RF from and to analyze their annual (nonfinancial) reports, CSR reports and open information in the Internet, on their web-sites about CSR and innovation. All companies create a very wide range of CSR activities, involve employees and audiences into corporate communication in different projects. The tasks set by companies are stated more specific every year. But even leading companies which participate in innovation communications as a part of corporate social responsibility activities, still have no relevant practice to responsible innovation and do not promote innovation using corporate social responsibility frame. Thus, the results of the analysis indicate that the trends of implementing RI in CSR framework in Russia are specific, first of all because of the lack of the term. The majority of companies even being social responsible, has not given to compiling of actual CSR trends enough attention. In other words, they communicate CSR and responsibility, and innovations, and the next step is to implement responsible innovation in Russian corporate strategies and daily practice.

Key words: responsible innovation, data science, corporate social responsibility, Russian corporation, PR.

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