Corporate Social Responsibility Research: An Ongoing and Worthwhile Journey

Abstract

We “tell the story” of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research by presenting a curated Collection of 19 articles published from 1973 through 2022 in all Academy of Management journals: Academy of Management Annals, Academy of Management Discoveries, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Academy of Management Perspectives, and Academy of Management Review. We describe our curation process and our criteria for evaluating CSR research. Next, we use the Collection to trace the history of CSR research decade by decade and synthesize the field’s current state. With the benefit of hindsight, we then offer a critical analysis of CSR research in terms of the following criteria: (a) construct definition (i.e., content domain) and operationalization (i.e., dimensionality, measurement, methodological rigor), (b) integration (i.e., levels of analysis, disciplinary perspectives, cross-national and comparative approaches and disciplines), and (c) impact (i.e., stakeholders considered; evaluation of initiatives in terms of intended beneficiaries; translation of results for practice, education, policy, and sustainable development). We conclude by providing recommendations for enhancing the impact of CSR research that is more transdisciplinary, participative, inclusive regarding stakeholders, methodologically rigorous, translational, and attentive to specific CSR initiative characteristics and intended beneficiaries.