The Influence of Corporate Social Responsibility on Employees: The CSR Employer Brand (CSReb) Model

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become one of the most important strategic decisions for organisations. Already there is substantial evidence that links CSR with improved profitability and enhanced organisation reputation (Freeman & McVea, 2001). From an internal perspective, research indicates that employees’ perceptions of CSR are linked to increased attractiveness as an employer, thus strengthening the bond between employees, organisations and their customers and increasing the likeliness of organisational citizenship behaviours (Greening & Turban, 2000, Hoeffler & Keller, 2002, Orlitzky et al., 2003, Turban & Greening, 1997). Moreover, no longer is a ‘business case’, justifying the link between expenditure and return-on-investment warranted for CSR research. More importantly, what is required is a research agenda that supports the development of CSR-focussed managerial practices that underpin corporate sustainability and competitive advantage (Carroll, 2015). However, a key stumbling block for organisations, seeking strategic benefits linked to CSR, is understanding CSR implementation . In fact, Aguins and Glavas (2012) suggest that there is a dearth of information available to assist managers in understanding the internal mechanisms that effectively support CSR strategy, with only 4% of all published academic articles focussing on CSR and employees. In addressing this fundamental literature gap, this study synthesises a number of complementary theories that assist in understanding the interdependencies of CSR strategy, external and internal marketing and strategic human resources, which support the creation of a sustainable competitive advantage. In doing so, the development and empirical testing of the conceptual model of this study, CSR Employer Brand (CSReb) Model, which uniquely maps out employee perceptions and behaviours associated with CSR, provides the focus for this thesis.