Save the World but Ignore the Fellows? Selective Engagement in CSR of Celebrity CEOs

Abstract

We attempt to provide a novel view of the antecedent of selective engagement between external and internal CSR of firms. Specially, we investigate the influence of becoming a celebrity (e.g., winning a CEO award) on the CEO’s intention to conduct corporate philanthropy (i.e., external CSR) or employee-related CSR (i.e., internal CSR). We find that, after becoming a celebrity, CEOs will conduct more corporate philanthropy because they attempt to maintain their social status among the social audience; and CEOs will do less employee-related CSR after becoming a celebrity because winning an award has already established their legitimacy inside the firm so that they feel unnecessary to do employee-related CSR. Furthermore, the media coverage strengthens the effects of CEO celebrity on corporate philanthropy and employee-related CSR. Findings from this study contribute to CEO social acclaim research and CSR literature by proposing the role of CEO celebrity in triggering firms’ selective engagement in CSR.