The Impact of Corporate Sustainability Development Guidelines and Managerial Motivations on Corporate-NGO Strategic Partnership in Bangkok

Abstract

The researcher determines the factors that motivate corporate decision makers in Bangkok to pursue partnership with NGOs, by using the Triple Bottom Line Theory which main construct is about sustainability development and provides a framework for measuring the performance of the business and the success of organization using three dimensions—economic, social and environmental. Specifically, it identified that: (1) economic factors of DJSI and GRI does not directly influence strategic partner of companies in Bangkok with NGOs; (2) social factors of DJSI and GRI does not directly influence strategic partner of companies in Bangkok with NGOs; (3) environment factors of DJSI and GRI directly influence strategic partner of companies in Bangkok with NGOs. A preliminary survey was conducted to 30 corporate managers from December 2013 to February 2014, they were asked to select the most important and relevant factors from DJSI and GRI that would motivate them to collaborate with NGO for their corporate sustainability development. The result of this preliminary survey was collated and compared to the ten factors that were of high-relevance in previous studies regarding managers’ perspective on the cross-sector collaboration. Mixed Methodology was used in this research a survey questionnaire was distributed to 356 mid-level corporate managers to identify the DJSI/GRI factors that motivate them to consider strategic partnership with NGOs. Then, a thirty-minute in-depth interview was conducted to selected CEO and top management of five Thai companies to ask their perception of strategic partnership with NGOs and how a decision is done to formalize this partnership. Findings of the study: (1) Both survey and interview results showed that respondents have Neutral perception on economic factors that will drive them to partner with NGOs; (2) A big difference from the perception of Corporate Mangers on social factors as a driving factor for partnership with NGO, and that of the Top Executives who approves major policies in the company believe that social factors does not directly influence corporate-NGO partnership; (3) Both Corporate Managers and Top Executives agreed that environmental factors directly influence corporate-NGO partnership