Institutionalizing corporate social responsiveness: Lessons learned from the Migros experience

Why do certain firms handle the challenge presented by changes in the social, economic, and political environments better than others? In order to answer this question, a clearer understanding is needed of the process of institutionalizing responsiveness and the factors that influence the ability of companies to perceive and deal with changes. This paper posits that the model proposed by Ackerman to describe the progression of institutional change from issue awareness to program design and then operational integration is useful, but needs to be refined to take into account the influence of characteristics in each company's traditional way of viewing and managing tasks. Drawing on empirical data from the experiences of a major Swiss corporation, the Migros Genossenschaftsbund AG, this paper reports on a preliminary attempt to elaborate on Ackerman ?s model by integrating the concept of corporate social reporting as an instrument of planned cultural change.