Öko-Institut e.V.
Schicklerstr. 5-7
10179 Berlin

Email: k.schmitt[at]oeko.de
Contact [2]

Short CV

Katharina Schmitt, born in 1979, started her PhD studies at TU Berlin in September 2008. Besides her PhD, Katharina is a research fellow at Öko-Institut e.V. where she works in a number of national and international research projects. Her main area of interest is in role of business in working towards sustainable development – often referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The link between responsible business conduct on the one side and its enabling political framework and consumer influence on the other side are at the centre of her research.
Katharina studied business management in Mannheim, Worms, and Lyon and received her Diploma in 2004. Her dissertation focuses on the role of consumer-driven CSR-initiatives (e.g. CSR-Tests of Stiftung Warentest) for businesses’ CSR activities. Strategic und ethical motives will serve as explanatory factors in her analysis.

Research areas

•    Corporate Social Responsibility,
•    Sustainable Consumption,
•    Strategic Management

Publications

•    Academic articles
•    Working Papers
•    Other academic publications

Academic Articles

Schmitt, K.; Wolff, F. (2009): CSR in the European fish processing industry: not just fishing for compliments, in: Barth, R. and Wolff, F. (eds.): Analysing Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe, Edward Elgar, London, pp 124-143.

Wolff, F.; Schmitt, K. (2009): In hunt for sustainable seafood: sustainability effects of CSR in three fish processing companies, in: Barth, R. and Wolff, F. (eds.): Analysing Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe, Edward Elgar, London, pp 224-267.

Wolff, F.; Barth, R.; Hochfeld, C.; Schmitt, K. (2009): Rhetoric and realities in CSR: main findings and implications for public policy and Research, in: Barth, R. and Wolff, F. (eds.): Analysing Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe, Edward Elgar, London, pp 407-440.

Schmitt, K. (2007): Ethics Officer, contribution to Visser, W.; Matten D.; Pohl M. and Tolhurst, N. (2007): The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, Wiley publication, 2007.

Barth, R.; Wolff, F.; Schmitt, K. (2007): CSR between Rhetoric and Reality, in: Ökologisches Wirtschaften 4/2007, pp 30-34, 2007.

Wolff, F.; Schmitt, K. (2006): Sand im Getriebe? Mitnichten! Nachhaltigkeit und Wettbewerbsfähigkeit. In: politische ökologie 102/103: Grünbuch Europa. Von nachhaltigen Visionen und umweltpolitischen Realitäten. oekom verlag, München, pp 38 ff., 2006.

Working papers

Hardi, P.; Radacsi, G.; Schmitt, K. (2012): Evaluations of CSR performance and impact as seen by key actors other than business. IMPACT Working Paper No. 3.

Schmitt, K. (2008): Societal effects of supermarket expansion in emerging countries – the cases of Brazil and India. In: Manhart, A.; Schmitt, K.; Stahl, H.; Grießhammer, R.: Emerging Economies – New challenges for international co-operation and development, Freiburg/ Darmstadt/Berlin, 2008

Wolff, F.; Schmitt, K.; Hochfeld C. (2007): Competitiveness, innovation and sustainability – clarifying the concepts and their interrelations, Berlin, 2007

Hochfeld, C.; Schmitt, K.; Wolff, F. (2006): Wettbewerb für Nachhaltigkeit – Positionen und Perspektiven. Background paper to Öko-Institut’s annual conference 2006, Berlin, September 2006.

Other academic publications

Co-editor: Öko-Institut et al. (eds) (2007): Rhetoric and Reality: Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe – Research on the impact of CSR on sustainability, Brochure, Berlin, 2007.

Mohaupt, F.; Hochfeld, C.; Schmitt, K. (2005): Global Compact - Global Impact?, Berlin, 2005.

Schmitt, K. (2005): Corporate Social Responsibility in der strategischen Unternehmensführung. Eine Fallstudienanalyse deutscher und britischer Unternehmen der Ernährungsindustrie; Berlin, April 2005