Measuring the Immeasurable? A Multidimensional Study of Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions and its Impact on Customers: A Study on Select Industries in North Odisha

Abstract

This paper examines the question of measurability of the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customers and business performance in North Odisha. Presuming that a company's institutional environment matters to its CSR strategy, this article aims to contribute to the establishment of a more comparatively and structurally oriented framework for analysing CSR. ‘If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’, paraphrasing this proverbial philosophy question, we ask ‘If a company has a strong CSR commitment but nobody recognises it, does it produce any benefits?’. Business returns from CSR practices, such as customers’ loyalty and company reputation, depend heavily on how the stakeholders perceive the company's social behaviour, making the measure of stakeholder perception a key issue in the process of CSR assessment. In this paper, the analysis of CSR activities, as perceived by the stakeholders, reveal some lessons on CSR practices in North Odisha, which can provide guidance to corporate entities for better implementation and impact study.