Identifying the social values driving corporate social responsibility

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a key mechanism through which businesses can contribute towards sustainable development. CSR is essentially value driven, yet currently, there is minimal understanding of how social values are introduced and impact upon CSR. The study examines the underlying social values driving CSR practice across a hierarchy of influence involving individuals, groups, communities, and broader society. The research follows an interpretive research paradigm, whereby social values are identified through in-depth interviews with employees and external stakeholders of 25 Australian resource companies. The interviews focus on exploring the values being expressed through CSR and how these impact upon approaches to CSR. The research identifies a diversity of social values found within CSR including both transcendental and contextual values. Each level of value generation (individual, group, and community, societal) is found to play an important role in linking CSR to sustainability. For example, individuals embed ethical values into CSR and introduce new practices and approaches that challenge institutional behaviour. The transfer of values between levels is also vital for establishing new CSR approaches and linkages to sustainability. The study also examines factors influencing the degree to which social values are translated into behaviours, including not only the importance of procedural justice principles but also the formation of collective responsibility by groups or through external stakeholders who confer ‘responsibility’ onto corporations and government. The implications of the study for CSR and social values of sustainability are considered.