The Case for Multidisciplinary Frameworks for Developing Effective Solutions to Complex Human Problems: An Illustration Based on Development Education, Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Marketing

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study reports on demanding, well-interpreted qualitative research on the given topic, describing a scientific novel from the point of view of multidisciplinarity. The author bases His work on a significant set of literary sources consisting of 122 items. From a scientific point of view, the research reveals exciting integration relationships about the disciplinary characteristics of the conceptual development of DE, SCR, and SM, especially about their growing philosophical and ethical influence in decision-making processes. The analysis method used by the author, critical discourse analysis (CDA), corresponds to the qualitative nature of the research. In addition to CSR and SM, which already have recognized positions among socially focused disciplines, the intention to analyze the interactions supplemented by the concept of DE and the presented tabular relationships can significantly contribute to the development of scientific thinking and the acceptance and joint application of the disciplines. A few structural, partly formal, and technical observations for consideration: The two graphic objects included in the study and their explanation provide an excellent theoretical summary (Table 1) and a summary suitable for a constructive discussion of the conceptual elements of the research (Figure 2?), in line with the concluding thoughts of the third chapter. It is a technical task to clarify their numbering. In many parts of the study, the Arabic numeral lists somewhat confuse the decimal chapter numbering (on pages 5,9,11-and 12,14), which should be replaced with a graphic solution. Presumably, a technical problem to point out is that several words in the text were separated into the printed version without claiming to be complete, e.g., lines 8,21,88,99,134,141.

Author Response

Responses to reviewer 1

We will review below separate sections of the received comments and provide a response for each one.

Comment 1:

“The study reports on demanding, well-interpreted qualitative research on the given topic, describing a scientific novel from the point of view of multidisciplinarity. The author bases His work on a significant set of literary sources consisting of 122 items. From a scientific point of view, the research reveals exciting integration relationships about the disciplinary characteristics of the conceptual development of DE, SCR, and SM, especially about their growing philosophical and ethical influence in decision-making processes. The analysis method used by the author, critical discourse analysis (CDA), corresponds to the qualitative nature of the research. In addition to CSR and SM, which already have recognized positions among socially focused disciplines, the intention to analyze the interactions supplemented by the concept of DE and the presented tabular relationships can significantly contribute to the development of scientific thinking and the acceptance and joint application of the disciplines.”

Response 1:

I was delighted and grateful to see the kind comments from Reviewer one. I take them as a very encouraging vote of confidence in the arguments put forward in the paper. Thank you.

Comment 2:

A few structural, partly formal, and technical observations for consideration: The two graphic objects included in the study and their explanation provide an excellent theoretical summary (Table 1) and a summary suitable for a constructive discussion of the conceptual elements of the research (Figure 2?), in line with the concluding thoughts of the third chapter. It is a technical task to clarify their numbering. In many parts of the study, the Arabic numeral lists somewhat confuse the decimal chapter numbering (on pages 5,9,11-and 12,14), which should be replaced with a graphic solution.

Response 2:

As suggested, a graphic solution has been adopted, in the form of using tables to list the potentially confusing numbering.  Hence tables (1 to 4) were used to accommodate the listing of points to separate them from the broader numbering of sections of the paper.

Comment 3:

Presumably, a technical problem to point out is that several words in the text were separated into the printed version without claiming to be complete, e.g., lines 8,21,88,99,134,141.

Response 3:

All hyphenated words that accidentally occurred throughout the whole paper were fixed.

Many thanks for the very encouraging comments.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

What appeared to be a an interesting article, somehow focused on three randomly selected areas of education and research: Development Education Corporate Social Responsibility  and Social Marketing.

While the idea to link some recent work carried out in different disciplines is an interesting one. The review doesn't look like a complete and finished piece of work. Something is clearly lacking. Could it be the whole curriculum in business education needs to be radically reformed? Why not talk about ESG investment, green and impact investment, philanthropy? Why not explore alternative business models?

For me the selected three areas do not form a complete whole and a larger vision is required to make this article truly interesting.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

What appeared to be a an interesting article, somehow focused on three randomly selected areas of education and research: Development Education Corporate Social Responsibility  and Social Marketing.

While the idea to link some recent work carried out in different disciplines is an interesting one. The review doesn't look like a complete and finished piece of work. Something is clearly lacking. Could it be the whole curriculum in business education needs to be radically reformed? Why not talk about ESG investment, green and impact investment, philanthropy? Why not explore alternative business models?

For me the selected three areas do not form a complete whole and a larger vision is required to make this article truly interesting.

Author Response

Responses to reviewer 2

We will review below separate sections of the received comments and provide a response for each one.

Comment 1:

“What appeared to be an interesting article, somehow focused on three randomly selected areas of education and research: Development Education Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Marketing.”

Response 1:

The purpose of the paper was to illustrate how a number of socially focused disciplines could work together to derive more robust solutions to multifaced problems. The author selected the three disciplines based on his background and the fact that he is very familiar with the three disciplines. Any multi-disciplinary framework can be derived depending on the problem being addressed. We highlighted this idea by adding a point about the possibility of selecting/designing different frameworks by multi-disciplinary teams tasked with addressing multidisciplinary issues (see lines 732-749).

Comment 2:

“While the idea to link some recent work carried out in different disciplines is an interesting one. The review doesn't look like a complete and finished piece of work. Something is clearly lacking. Could it be the whole curriculum in business education needs to be radically reformed? Why not talk about ESG investment, green and impact investment, philanthropy? Why not explore alternative business models?”

Response 2:

Thank you for these suggestions. The aim is to develop a multi-level understanding and solutions for complex/wicked problems through combining the forces (wisdom) of several disciplines. Indeed, each of the selected disciplines may contribute to the solution/s through reviewing the most relevant aspects. An educational dimension may suggest a radical reform of the curriculum; whilst CSR workers may advocate for more investment on ESG, green and impact approaches, philanthropy and/or alternative ‘business models’, as suggested by the reviewer. The purpose of the paper is about harnessing the combined solutions emanating from the various disciplines.

Comment 3:

“For me the selected three areas do not form a complete whole and a larger vision is required to make this article truly interesting.”

Response 3:

Thanks for the point. As argued above, the paper was to illustrate how a number of disciplines can be combined to help address some complex problems through their respective/tools and solutions. The vision is that as a result of such a broader, more inclusive perspective, a number of multi-disciplinary frameworks can be developed to ensure a better understanding and more robust approaches are derived to address more effectively current complex problems. Additionally, selecting more disciplines for a more comprehensive illustration would increase significantly the size of the paper, which is already quite long. Nevertheless, we are very grateful for the advice given as it suggests the need for more work on supra-frameworks to develop the approach further. We hope that this work will prompt many researchers to develop it further. 

Many thanks for the suggestions.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The study is interesting but requires clarification on certain issues. The manuscript compares three disciplines (DE, CSR, and SM) in the context of their contribution to unsustainable development. Interdisciplinary perspectives are necessary in addressing the multifaceted and complex social problems of the contemporary world. It seems that the analyzed disciplines and the tools and actions used in this area can impact society and socio-economic aspects.

1. The title of the study should be more specific.
2. More attention should be devoted to the aspects and levels at which DE, CSR, and SM influence or can influence social-economic development of countries and regions worldwide.
3. It is worth providing examples of action forms/tools that integrate these disciplines on various levels.
4. The author rightly emphasizes that the abundance of available information pertaining to each discipline does not exhaust the research topic. However, it would be valuable to mention the levels at which certain actions can take place and provide examples of tools.
5. Paragraphs 721-729 address migration and wars, which are difficult topics. This section should be modified. Please focus on how DE can change mindset, what tools and methods to use, and how to change perception of certain issues. How to initiate changes?... DE/CSR/SM should be utilized in the long term (including locally), primarily to prevent violence, build peace, and foster economic growth in all countries across the globe, so that people do not have to leave their homes. How to achieve this?... (The ongoing war in Europe destabilizes the economies of the region and amplifies alertness/caution… There are numerous factors deeply rooted in history, as well as economic, cultural, identity, and even religious factors that influence individuals/nations' attitudes/behaviors, leading to wars or intolerance).

Author Response

Responses to Reviewer 3

We will review below separate sections of the received comments and provide a response for each one.

Comment 1:

1. The title of the study should be more specific.

Response 1:  

We derived a new title to make it more specific. The new title is now:

The case for multidisciplinary frameworks for developing effective solutions to complex human problems: An illustration based on Development Education, Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Marketing.

Comment 2:

2. More attention should be devoted to the aspects and levels at which DE, CSR, and SM influence or can influence social-economic development of countries and regions worldwide.

Response 2:

This is a helpful point, due to the broader impact of each discipline. Thank you. To address it, I have added two small sections (See lines 147 to 156 and lines 768-774).

Comment 3:

3. It is worth providing examples of action forms/tools that integrate these disciplines at various levels.

Response 3:

I have expanded the illustrated examples to clarify how the steps may be undertaken based on the contribution of each discipline’s perspective (see Lines 698-749).

Comment 4:

4. The author rightly emphasizes that the abundance of available information pertaining to each discipline does not exhaust the research topic. However, it would be valuable to mention the levels at which certain actions can take place and provide examples of tools.

Response 4:

This was also illustrated and commented on in the previous text.

Comment 5:

5. Paragraphs 721-729 address migration and wars, which are difficult topics. This section should be modified. Please focus on how DE can change mindset, what tools and methods to use, and how to change perception of certain issues. How to initiate changes?... DE/CSR/SM should be utilized in the long term (including locally), primarily to prevent violence, build peace, and foster economic growth in all countries across the globe, so that people do not have to leave their homes. How to achieve this?... (The ongoing war in Europe destabilizes the economies of the region and amplifies alertness/caution... There are numerous factors deeply rooted in history, as well as economic, cultural, identity, and even religious factors that influence individuals/nations' attitudes/behaviors, leading to wars or intolerance).

Response:

Points taken. The paragraph on migration has been removed and some elaboration about the complexity of problems has been added in the final paragraph (Lines 776-789).

Many thanks for the very helpful advice.