Responsabilité sociale et gouvernance d’entreprise : études de cas de firmes en situation de crise

The case of companies affected by scandals related to financial, environmental, or exploitative labour conditions aspects have marked the last twenty years. The increasingly form of behaviour behind these scandals can be explained by the less restrictive environment offered by the privatization, deregulation and liberalization policies initiated in the 1980s. In order to prevent these derivatives and promote sustainable management, stakeholders and investors encourage the taking into consideration of three non-economic factors, known as the ESG Factors (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance related). The development of the concept of Corporate Social Responsability since the 1980s, following these excesses, embodies the idea that if a company should certainly make profit and sustain it, it should achieve it by promoting responsible, ethical and transparent behavior with all its' stakeholders. We analyze, in this thesis, the process by which, in the face of malfunctions and abuse affecting labour working conditions or their governance, companies can be brought to, or not, question and change their practices. We have focused our case study on two companies with diametrically opposed trajectories. The first company, from the textile sector and whose crisis concerned the infringement of workers' rights, overcame the crisis by reforming its production model. The second company, from the information technology and communication sector and whose crisis was related to its corporate governance, multiplied the malfunctions for ten years until declaring bankruptcy on January 2009. Recent developments in the new institutionalism theory shed light on the process by which new standards emerge and spread, while emphasizing the role occupied by various actors in this process. Networks of actors are formed, in order to increase their efficiency in a global scale, where they define new ethical standards and mobilize in order to spread them. The first case study allowed us to address the field associated with the labour conditions of workers operating within the supply chain relocated in countries with ineffective or non-existent social laws. We analyzed the path through which this company was led to consider, with greater rigor, the ethical dimension in its supply chain. The company, going through various steps in the form of an organizational learning process, was able to overcome the crisis by reforming its practices. It became apparent that this process was not spontaneous and that it was settled following the roles played by two types of actors. Firstly, by the constant mobilization of Global Justice Movements, in order for the company to reform its practices, and secondly, by the normative framework and place for dialogue between the different stakeholders, offered by a private organization source of standards. Basically, the risk of losing its accreditation was what led the company to undertake reforms. The company was able to overcome the crisis by adopting, and respecting, the standards defined by this private authority. The company managed to overcome the crisis, albeit by adopting and complying with these norms, but fundamentally by changing its corporate culture. The leadership of the CEO and the CFO has allowed the creation of a corporate culture that encourages questioning, dialogue and a greater consideration of the stakeholders, even if local management may sometimes pose a number of issues or difficulties. Concerning the dimension related to corporate governance, we highlight, through the study of factors leading to the decline and bankruptcy of the second case study, the limits of the standards as a tool for good governance. The lawfulness of accounting and the company's compliance to the governance standards did not prevent the emergence and proliferation of shortcomings and of strategic and ethical issues. Unable to take advantage of the multiple crises it faced in order to challenge and engage a deep organizational learning, the company obsessively focused on the short-term profitability and the search for a higher share. Management and the Board of Directors have failed to show some leadership in creating a corporate culture that would combine technological innovation and an honest and transparent communication with stakeholders. Thus, it appears that there are two types of behaviours raised by companies: the first type, which can be induced, controlled and which is favourable to the regulatory process; and the second type, which is more strategic, more difficult to control and less amenable to be regulated. While the first case study illustrates the case of a company that, through a strategic change, has been able to address the challenges imposed by its’ environment, the second one reflects the opposite situation. Based on these two cases, it appears that if a governance, promoting ethics and transparency towards stakeholders, requires the creation of a corporate culture valuing these elements, it must support and be associated with the right strategy so that the company can sustain its activities.

Keyphrases: Corporate social responsibility, Corporate governance, New institutionalism, Organizational learning, ESG factors