How perceived internal corporate social responsibility improves employee well-being: The roles of person–organization fit and self-view

Purpose This study aims to examine how Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers respond to internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) posts on social media. By exploring the mediating role of perceived altruism and the moderating role of cultural ideology, this research seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how ideological orientations shape CSR communication effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted an online experiment (n = 509) to examine how Gen Z, an emerging powerhouse of consumers, responds to CSR communication. Participants were randomly assigned to view a social media post highlighting either internal CSR, external CSR or a neutral control message. Measures included cultural ideology, perceived altruism, attitude toward the company and purchase intention. Findings The findings revealed that both internal and external CSR posts positively influenced consumer attitudes and purchase intentions through the mediating role of perceived altruism. Moreover, this mediation effect was moderated by cultural ideology. While external CSR efforts were consistently perceived as altruistic across cultural orientations, only cultural liberals evaluated internal CSR efforts as equally altruistic. Originality/value By focusing on cultural ideology rather than relying solely on broad political categories, this study provides a nuanced understanding of the ideological effects on CSR communication. Given the growing liberal leanings among Gen Z, these findings underscore the strategic value of internal CSR communication in the new era and offer both theoretical and practical insights for companies aiming to tailor CSR strategies to better resonate with Gen Z consumers.

Chinese clinicians face significant emotional labor challenges due to an imbalance in the doctor–patient ratio, long working hours, high regional work stress, and cultural expectations. While research on the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and emotional labor has grown, the specific impact of internal versus external CSR remains unclear. This study aims to explore the differential effects of internal and external CSR on emotional labor, organizational identification (OI), and perceived social support (PSS) among Chinese clinicians, providing insights into how these factors interact to affect clinicians’ emotional well-being. We surveyed clinicians in grade 3A public hospitals across China. Using PLS-SEM with Smart-PLS4, we analyzed 350 valid responses to examine the relationships between internal and external CSR, emotional labor, OI, and PSS. Our findings confirmed that internal CSR negatively affects surface acting and positively affects deep acting (DA), indicating that organizational support fosters authentic emotional engagement rather than superficial emotional responses. The mediating role of OI was also validated, with internal CSR enhancing clinicians’ identification with the organization, reducing emotional dissonance. However, external CSR did not significantly affect either surface or DA, suggesting that social responsibility outside the organization may not directly alleviate emotional labor. The moderating role of PSS was only partially supported, with social support buffering some of the negative effects of emotional labor but not all. This study is significant for policymakers and healthcare managers, as it highlights the critical role of internal CSR in reducing emotional labor among clinicians. The findings suggest that organizations should focus on internal social responsibility practices (such as fostering a supportive work environment and enhancing OI ) to reduce surface acting and promote DA. By doing so, hospitals can create a more sustainable work environment for clinicians, improving their well-being and reducing burnout.

This study analyzes the effect that banks’ investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) have on bank performance. I find that banks’ investments in CSR have a positive impact on financial performance, measured in terms of both accounting performance and stock market value. However, not all CSR investments are the same. I distinguish between internal CSR and external CSR. This distinction is based on which constituents are most directly affected by the CSR initiatives. Separating bank CSR activities into internally focused and externally focused ones provides evidence on how different constituents value bank CSR activities. I find that CSR-related value creation is primarily a result of banks’ external investments and not a result of their internal investments. I also consider how internal and external CSR activities influence bank risk. I find that banks with higher CSR scores are less risky. This is driven by their external CSR investments and not by their internal CSR investments. Banks with a larger gap between internal and external CSR investments have worse performance, lower valuations, and greater risk than banks with a more balanced distribution between internal and external CSR investments. Banks which are committed to long-term structural CSR investments that benefit a broad community of stakeholders are rewarded by the financial markets. Moreover, from a regulatory policy perspective, these same banks are less risky and less likely to contribute to systemic macroeconomic risk.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts by established legacy brands are often seen as inauthentic. What can brands do to genuinely engage in CSR efforts? This study investigates internal CSR as a potential solution. CSR type (internal and external) and extrinsic cues (brand size and age) interact to affect congruence, authenticity, and subsequent purchase intention for companies that communicate these efforts on social media. Through a series of three experiments, we compare the effectiveness of internal and external CSR in influencing consumer perceptions. Results confirm that CSR is not a one-size-fits-all solution for brands. We find that Internal CSR is more effective for legacy (older, larger) brands, while external CSR is more effective for novel (newer, smaller) brands. This paper is among the first to conceptualize internal CSR as a potential strategy for legacy brands that often struggle for authentic ways to get involved with social issues. Results indicate that consumers want to see larger, older brands try to "fix" themselves before they attempt to fix the world.

Effects of internal and external corporate social responsibility on employee job satisfaction during a pandemic: A medical device industry perspective

This study differentiates between internal corporate social responsibility (CSR) and external CSR to investigate the impact of family involvement on different dimensions of CSR. Using a sample of 2,114 Chinese listed firms, we show that family involvement is positively related to the level of firms' participation in external CSR but negatively related to the level of firms' participation in internal CSR. We further explore the roles of internal ownership structure and external institutional environment in influencing the incentives of family firms to invest in internal and external CSR. Results show that high levels of ownership balance and regional institutional development attenuate the negative effect of family involvement on internal CSR while a high level of regional institutional development strengthens the positive effect of family involvement on external CSR. These findings contribute to our understanding on the internal and external CSR strategies in family firms in emerging markets.

This research paper seeks to investigate the association between internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and their influence on emotional labor and job satisfaction. Through the exploration of these factors, the study provides valuable insights into the potential advantages of CSR initiatives for both organizations and their employees. Specifically, this research underscores the significance of a holistic CSR strategy that takes into account both internal and external initiatives and their effects on emotional labor and job satisfaction. Ultimately, the aim of this research is to offer practical and actionable recommendations for organizations seeking to strengthen their CSR programs and promote employee satisfaction and retention. Smart PLS 3.0 was used to analyze data collected from 142 employees of a major bank in Pakistan, by using purposive sampling. The results revealed that both Internal and External CSR initiatives have a significant positive impact on job satisfaction. Emotional labor was found to mediate the relationship between CSR and job satisfaction, highlighting the importance of emotional labor management in organizations that prioritize CSR initiatives. The findings of this study have practical implications for organizations in terms of the potential benefits of CSR initiatives for employee well-being and job satisfaction. Theoretical implications based on Social Expectation Theory suggest that employee expectations and perceptions of socially responsible behavior are important factors in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors. The originality of this study lies in its focus on the banking sector in Pakistan and the exploration of the relationship between internal and external CSR initiatives, emotional labor, and job satisfaction. While previous studies have investigated the impact of CSR on employee well-being and job satisfaction, this study contributes to the literature by examining the mediating role of emotional labor in the relationship between CSR and job satisfaction. Additionally, this study uses Smart PLS 3.0, a relatively new method in the field of CSR research, to analyze the data. Overall, the combination of the unique context of the study, the mediating role of emotional labor, and the use of advanced statistical techniques adds to the originality and contribution of this study to the existing literature on CSR and employee well-being.

We investigate the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the internationalization speed of Chinese multinational enterprises (CMNEs) through the lenses of a resource‐constraint framework and a legitimacy perspective. By considering the tension between legitimacy and efficiency, and utilizing the 2206 firm‐year data from 473 publicly listed CMNEs from 2011 to 2019, we illustrate the distinct effects between two types of CSR (e.g., internal CSR and external CSR) and internationalization speed. While external CSR focuses on commitments to external stakeholders, such as customers, communities, and the environment, internal CSR prioritizes internal practices and rules that fulfill the organization's duties to the employees. Specifically, the costs associated with engaging in internal CSR surpass the legitimacy gains, resulting in a negative impact on internationalization speed; conversely, the efficiency benefits of engaging in external CSR outweigh the legitimacy losses, thereby positively influencing internationalization speed. What is more, institutional distance, which captures the difference in institutional profiles between two countries, weakens the positive impact of external CSR on internationalization speed but intensifies the negative effect of internal CSR on internationalization speed. This research contributes to the international business literature by considering a balanced perspective on the trade‐off between legitimacy and efficiency. Our study further enriches the CSR literature by shedding light on the distinct influences that diverse CSR initiatives exert within the context of internationalization.

Clan culture, a central element of China's traditional heritage, profoundly influences the corporate social responsibility practices of family businesses, shaping their behavior through deeply ingrained values and philosophical principles. We empirically examine the impact of clan culture on the corporate social responsibility of family businesses listed on China's Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2010 to 2020. The findings show that clan culture encourages family businesses to engage in corporate social responsibility. However, family business operational difficulties weaken the positive impact of clan culture on corporate social responsibility, while the negative public image strengthens this impact. Mechanism testing reveals that socioemotional wealth plays a mediating role in the relationship between clan culture and corporate social responsibility. Specifically, clan culture improves family businesses' focus on restricted, maintained and extended socioemotional wealth, thereby promoting their proactive engagement in corporate social responsibility. Further analysis shows that clan culture has a greater impact on internal corporate social responsibility than on external corporate social responsibility. Additionally, different dimensions of socioemotional wealth affect internal and external corporate social responsibility in distinct ways. Specifically, under the influence of clan culture, family businesses' focus on restricted and extended socioemotional wealth promotes a proactive approach to internal corporate social responsibility. In contrast, an emphasis on restricted and maintained socioemotional wealth drives external corporate social responsibility. Our study enhances understanding of the internal mechanisms driving corporate social responsibility in family businesses from the perspective of clan culture and offers empirical evidence and managerial insights on how to leverage and sustain the spiritual value of clan culture.

This study aimed to assess the degree of compliance of selected companies in Cebu, Philippines with the internal and external corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. The study was grounded in stakeholder theory, which argues that businesses must create value for a variety of stakeholders including customers, suppliers, employees, communities, and shareholders. The research design involved surveying both rank-and-file employees and managers at four companies using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed internal CSR practices related to ethical responsibilities, employee development programs, and benefits and privileges. It also evaluated external CSR practices in the areas of philanthropic responsibilities, environmental responsibilities, and social and community responsibilities. The results showed notable differences in how rank-and-file employees and managers perceived the companies' CSR efforts. For internal CSR, rank-and-file employees generally rated the companies as practicing these responsibilities to a "lesser extent", while managers rated them as practicing them to a "great extent". The largest gaps were in areas like performance evaluations, promotion from within, and providing competitive compensation and benefits. For external CSR, rank-and-file employees again rated the companies lower, perceiving them as practicing philanthropic, environmental, and community responsibilities to a "lesser extent". Managers rated these external practices much higher, to a "great extent". In conclusion, this study highlights the need for companies to better align their CSR practices, especially related to employee development and benefits, with the perceptions and needs of rank-and-file workers. It also suggests that managers may overestimate the degree to which their companies are fulfilling their social responsibilities, both internally and externally. Improving transparency and communication around CSR efforts could help bridge this gap.

Internal and external corporate social responsibility activities and firm value: Evidence from the shared growth in the supply chain

In the current study we distinguish between CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities targeted at internal stakeholders and CSR activities targeted at external stakeholders, reexamining the relationship between CSR and firm market performance with data on 1289 firms from 2005-2013. We examine whether a gap between the firm’s internal and external CSR moderates the CSR-firm market performance relationship. We found that both internal CSR and external CSR were positively related to firm market performance, but that the relationship was stronger for firms with equal emphasis on external and internal CSR activities. Further, the negative moderating effect of the CSR gap was mediated by the firm visibility.

A plethora of studies demonstrate that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is beneficial for organizations. While these studies typically adopt a Western perspective on CSR and are centered on white-collar employees, very little is known about Chinese blue-collar workers’ reactions to CSR. In two studies, we investigated the outcomes of internal CSR (i.e. activities that serve the well-being of employees) for blue-collar workers in the manufacturing industry in China and show that internal CSR affects work-related attitudes and behaviors. In a cross-sectional study, we found that perceived internal CSR is positively related to job satisfaction, trust in management, and perceived supervisory support. To further disentangle cause-and-effect relationships, we conducted a field experiment. The results show that internal CSR information increases performance quantity and lowers complaints, but also lowers performance quality and does not affect workers’ voice behavior. Our results further reveal that workers’ attitudes toward ethics and social responsibility are an important moderator which strengthens some of the hypothesized effects.

ABSTRACTThe reasons underlying the inconsistency in corporate social responsibility (CSR) behaviors have been a topic of ongoing controversy, especially in emerging markets characterized by substantial government intervention, where the issue is further complicated. An empirical examination of private listed companies in China from 2010 to 2019 investigates the factors contributing to the inconsistency in CSR behaviors under political intervention, assessing the impact of political connections on different types of CSR and the moderating role of institutional environments. Additionally, it analyzes the economic consequences of various CSR types under political connections. The findings indicate that: (1) political connections facilitate external CSR while inhibiting internal CSR practices; (2) economic and legal environments play a moderating role in the relationship between political connections and CSR behaviors. Specifically, the financial environment can mitigate both the negative impact of political connections on internal CSR and the positive impact on external CSR. However, the legal environment only reduces the negative effect on internal CSR without influencing the suppression of external CSR; (3) for firms with political connections, external CSR has a negative impact on corporate value, whereas internal CSR contributes to the long‐term growth of corporate value. These insights enrich the understanding of CSR behaviors in emerging markets and offer practical guidance for managers and policymakers in crafting CSR strategies that align with institutional contexts.

To date, hospitality literature has mainly used an aggregated measure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to assess hotels' green trust (GT) and green customer behaviour (GCB). The differential impact of internal and external CSR on GT and GCB is crucial as this may lead to different levels of impacts on hotels' environmental performance. This study investigates how internal and external CSR impact customers' GT and GCB. It also investigates how GT mediates the relationship between internal and external CSR and GCB. Using survey data from 304 customers from eight green hotels in Manila and employing the PLS‐SEM technique for analysis, the results show that internal and external CSR positively impact GT and GCB. Moreover, GT mediates the relationship between internal CSR and GCB, but not between external CSR and GCB. This study extends stakeholder theory and the theory of planned behaviour by providing novel insights into how customers' GT and GCB may differ in relation to internal and external dimensions of CSR.