Global research patterns in corporate social responsibility within electronic commerce: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

This study examines the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in e-commerce literature by locating and collecting data from academic publications. By doing a search using specific terms such as “e-commerce”, “electronic commerce”, and “corporate social responsibility” in a prominent online publisher’s database from 2001 to 2023, our analysis reveals the increasing importance of the CSR matter in the field of e-commerce. Multiple levels of observation have identified this growing trend (conceptual, geographical, and technological). This article primarily focuses on providing a conceptual framework that provides the economic reason for the increasing interest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues in the field of electronic commerce. While there are several ethical and social aspects that can account for this interest, this research specifically explores the complementing justification.