Organizational Values, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Citizenship: The case of Nevada State College

Grace S. Thomson, Nevada State College

Abstract

Organizational Values, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Citizenship Organizations contribute more than products and services to the society. The generation of jobs, creation of wealth and satisfaction of needs are only a portion of the influence that organizations have in a community. Likewise, organizations are increasingly engaging in social responsible initiatives to respond to the concerns of their various stakeholders (Aguilera, Rupp, Williams, & Ganapathi, 2007). Organizations with a genuine interest for social responsibility and citizenship possess value systems that articulate and integrate these social motives into their corporate strategy (Graber & Kilpatrick, 2008). Higher education institutions in the United States face the challenge of aligning their value systems -deemed altruistic and oriented to the social-good- with those of their student body, faculty members, administrators, board members, and community. In an era of declining state and federal support (Weerts & Ronca, 2006) integrating values of accessibility and teaching excellence could be overwhelming (Rich, 2006). This document contains an analysis of the organizational values, social responsibility and corporate citizenship of Nevada State College, a state-funded public college located in Southern Nevada. The document is divided in six sections, starting with a brief background of the college. The second and third sections include the conceptual framework of value systems in general and in public higher education, respectively. The fourth section contains an analysis of the organizational value systems at NSC and their effect on performance, stakeholders’ relationships and competitive advantage. The document ends with an analysis of the agency problem and recommendations to articulate organizational values to enhance performance.