Drivers, motivations, and barriers to the implementation of corporate social responsibility practices by construction enterprises： A review

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained increasing attention in the construction industry. The implementation of CSR integrates the desires of construction enterprises to achieve competitive advantages and demonstrate their commitments to be socially responsible. Previous studies have mainly explored the factors influencing CSR implementation in a broader field of management, recognizing that there are discrete sets of influencing factors for different industry sectors. Based on a systematic review of 69 relevant CSR research in construction, this study aims to identify and conceptualize the influencing factors - drivers, motivations, and barriers - for CSR implementation by construction enterprises. The descriptive analysis shows an increasing trend in CSR studies in construction with studies focused on both developed and developing countries. The content analysis results show that the drivers can be categorized into three sub-themes: policy pressure, market pressure, and innovation and technology development. The key motivations include: financial benefits, branding, reputation and image, relationship building, organizational culture, and strategic business direction. Next, the barriers were grouped into five perspectives, namely: government policy, construction enterprise, the attributes of CSR, the stakeholder perspective, and the construction industry. To conceptualize these influencing factors, this study proposed a theoretical perspective that combined the stakeholder, institutional and self-determination theories. The findings have implications for government agencies in the development of relevant policies to encourage the adoption of CSR practices in the industry. For construction enterprises, the findings have implications to their new or existing CSR practices in enhancing organizational competitive advantages and in achieving their goals to be socially responsible.