Lights and Shadows of Business-Nonprofit Partnerships: The Role of Nonprofit Learning and Empowerment in this Ethical Puzzle

María José Sanzo, Luis Ignacio Álvarez and Marta Rey
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María José Sanzo: Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Oviedo, Avda. del Cristo, s/n 33071 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Luis Ignacio Álvarez: Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidad de Oviedo, Avda. del Cristo, s/n 33071 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
Marta Rey: Facultad de Economía y Empresa, Universidade da Coruña, Campus de Elviña, 15071 A Coruña, Spain

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 8, 1-21

Abstract: Business-nonprofit partnerships have gained increased relevance in the context of the evolution of corporate social responsibility strategies and the existence of extremely complex societal and environmental challenges. However, these collaborations are also associated with important ethical concerns. Under such a scenario, this study attempts to shed light on the effects of high value-added partnerships—i.e., those characterized by a process of nonprofit empowerment—on two potential risks of business-nonprofit partnerships: co-optation and loss of personnel’s identification with the nonprofit’s social mission. Based on a two-step survey to a representative sample of Spanish nonprofits involved in social partnerships with firms, results reveal the existence of a mixed influence in both cases, positive and negative. Several implications for practitioners are drawn, specifically about how firms and nonprofits can reduce the negative ethical consequences of partnering.

Keywords: business-nonprofit partnerships; corporate social responsibility; nonprofit empowerment; co-optation; personnel’s identification with the nonprofit mission (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:8:p:1410-:d:107800

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