Connecting market orientation, learning orientation and corporate social responsibility implementation: is innovativeness a mediator?

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been a topic of interest to both practitioners and researchers in the forest products sector. However, the existing literature falls short of examining the connections between CSR implementation and firm cultures, a key link to further our understanding for CSR implementation. This current study investigates the relationship between firm cultures and CSR implementation in the global forest, paper & packaging industry companies. Specifically, the authors propose firm cultures, including market orientation, learning orientation and innovativeness potentially support CSR implementation. Also, innovativeness is proposed to mediate the market orientation-CSR and learning orientation-CSR relationships. Data are collected through a mail survey with responses from 58 companies (87 individuals) of the Top 100 global forest, paper & packaging industry companies, identified by PricewaterhouseCoopers in its 2008 Global Forest, Paper & Packaging Industry Survey. Results confirm the hypothesized relationships between market orientation and CSR and learning orientation and CSR. However, the proposed mediating effect of innovativeness is not significant.