Corporate Social Responsibility Innovation Research Articles

The impact of corporate social responsibility on green innovation: do industry, data type and region matter? a meta-analysis research

AbstractThis study aims to explore the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green innovation due to the fragmented and inconsistent findings in previous research. To achieve this, a meta-analysis is conducted on 29 peer-reviewed articles. The aim is to unravel the overall relationship between CSR and green innovation and identify potential factors that may influence this relationship, such as industry, data type, and region. The author’s results concluded that the robust relationship between CSR and green innovation remains consistent and strong, whether in manufacturing or other industries. Moreover, the outcomes indicate that research based on primary data demonstrates a more robust relationship between CSR and green innovation than secondary data studies. The findings also bring attention to regional differences in the relationship between CSR and green innovation, with studies conducted in North America displaying the most notable influence. This study represents the first-ever comprehensive meta-analytic investigation into the relationship between CSR and green innovation.

Volume and value of technological innovation: the role of corporate social responsibility and business architectural factors

The understanding of firm‐level drivers of technological innovation has been concentrated on a firm's core business related factors. How a firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives impact a firm's technological innovation is notably understudied in the literature, even though business firms are increasingly recognizing the multifaceted impact of CSR on various corporate outcomes including technological advancements. This study bridges this gap by linking CSR to firm technological innovation as measured by both innovation volume and value. Furthermore, a set of business architectural factors, including market emphasis, related/unrelated diversification, and vertical integration, are incorporated as moderating factors to generate a granular understanding pertaining to CSR's innovation implications. We collected a large sample set, employed a series of robust empirical methods, and found that CSR has a consistently positive impact on both innovation volume and value, and the magnitude of these relationships differs across various business architectural factors. This study contributes to the innovation literature, strategic CSR theory, instrumental stakeholder theory, and provides useful guidelines for business practices.

The Interplay of Corporate Social Responsibility, Innovation Capability, Organizational Learning, and Sustainable Value Creation: Does Stakeholder Engagement Matter?

At the crossroads of innovation and responsibility, our study delves into CSR’s pivotal role in steering organizations toward sustainable value creation. Combining the frameworks of stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines the influence of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in enhancing sustainable value creation (SVC), with a keen focus on how organizational learning (OL) and innovation capability (IC) mediate this relationship and the degree to which stakeholder engagement (SE) moderates the impact of CSR on OL, IC, and SVC. Using a quantitative research approach, 416 managers in the Turkish manufacturing sector (e.g., textiles, building materials, and food processing firms) were surveyed using electronic and physical questionnaires. To test the research model, AMOS 24 was employed. The results confirmed that CSR positively influences SVC, OL, and IC; OL and IC positively influence SVC; OL and IC partially mediate the relationship between CSR and SVC. Likewise, the findings suggest that stakeholder engagement (SE) plays a moderate role in strengthening the relationship between CSR and organizational learning (OL), CSR and innovation capability (IC), and CSR and sustainable value creation (SVC), with increased SE enhancing the positive effect of CSR on OL, IC, and SVC. This study explains the complex ways that CSR enhances SVC, focusing on OL and IC’s mediating roles and SE’s moderating effects. It offers manufacturing sectors in Turkey useful information for promoting sustainability and innovation.

The role of options markets in corporate social responsibility

We explore the relationship between options trading and corporate social responsibility (CSR). We find that options trading can enhance CSR by (i) fostering shareholder activism, as indicated by increased long-term and socially responsible institutional ownership and CSR proposals and (ii) intensifying product market competition, which spurs green innovation and product-related CSR initiatives. The positive effects are more pronounced in well-governed firms but diminished in firms with managerial entrenchment. Moreover, CSR improvements driven by options trading positively influence firm value, with notable enhancements in environmental performance. Our results underscore that options markets play a crucial role in promoting responsible corporate practices.

THE IMPACT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON GREEN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION: A STUDY ON THE MODERATING ROLE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL CAPITAL

This study examines the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on green technological innovation (GTI) and the moderating role of corporate social capital. It finds that CSR activities significantly foster GTI by creating a favorable internal environment through enhanced corporate culture and employee engagement. Moreover, different dimensions of corporate social capital, like vertical relational capital with suppliers and customers and horizontal relational capital with other companies, play complex moderating roles in the CSR-GTI relationship. The research underscores the importance of CSR in promoting sustainable corporate development and reveals the critical role of social capital in enhancing CSR and technological innovation.

PENGARUH PELAKSANAAN CSR DAN INOVASI PRODUK TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN KONSUMEN PT. GARUDAFOOD PUTRA PUTRI JAYA TBK. DI KECAMATAN DRIYOREJO KABUPATEN GRESIK

In the era of digitalization, companies are expected to be able to analyze market changes by taking a consumer approach and the most popular is by carrying out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities which aim to strengthen relationships between the company, local communities and company consumers so that companies know consumer needs and implement them through product innovation. Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya Tbk. is a food company that has succeeded in implementing a good consumer approach from year to year. Currently, consumers, especially late teenage consumers, tend to be more careful in purchasing food products. The problem in this research is that many Garudafood in their late teens consumers feel dissatisfied with product innovation especially with unattractive packaging variations, this can influence the company in introducing its products to young consumers. The aim of this research is to determine the positive and significant influence between CSR and Product Innovation on Purchasing Decisions for Garudafood Putra Putri Jaya’s Products in Driyorejo Gresik District. This research uses a quantitative approach by collecting data using questionnaires, research techniques using Random Sampling (Probability Sampling), and the population is the community in Driyorejo Gresik District. The results obtained in this research are that there is a positive and significant influence between the independent variables (CSR and Product Innovation) and the dependent variable (Purchasing Decisions).

The Impacts of Technology Innovation on Customer Satisfaction, Employee and Leadership Commitment in CSR Practice

Abstract: In today’s digital economy, the Airline industries face ever-increasing innovation and social demands. This paper aims to explore the mediating impacts of technology innovation on customer satisfaction, employee commitment, and leadership commitment for the reputations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice evidence from Ethiopian Airlines. This study used mixed research design methods through primary data sources using structural equations and path modeling analysis. The results show that technology innovation is the most significant factor that mediates customer satisfaction and employee and leadership commitment with CSR practice. Employee commitment and customer satisfaction have also substantially impacted CSR, followed by technology innovation. Comparatively, leadership commitment is inversely and significantly associated with the mediator technology innovation. Although Ethiopia Airlines is trying to improve its CSR reputation, it must adopt more well-planned CSR, digitalization, and innovation capability. The existing airlines’ CSR efforts are reactive in nature, responding to customer, employee, and economic, legal, and philanthropic aspects rather than being proactive in transformative leadership commitment and environmental and ethical concerns. Therefore, the airline should prioritize digital technology innovation, transformative leadership, and moral and ecological CSR concerns. This will boost the airlines to treat CSR and technology innovation as the two sides of one coin.

A Mediating Effect of Job Attitudes on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Service Innovation among Hotel Industry in Beijing

This paper investigates the mediating role of job attitudes in the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and service innovation within the hotel industry in Beijing, China. Drawing upon Social Exchange Theory and previous research on CSR, job attitudes, and innovation, the study aims to explore how CSR initiatives influence employees' job attitudes, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and perceived organizational support, and subsequently impact service innovation outcomes. The research employs a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with hotel employees and managers to gather comprehensive insights into the underlying mechanisms driving the relationship between CSR, job attitudes, and service innovation. Quantitative data analysis will involve structural equation modeling to examine the direct and indirect effects of CSR on service innovation through job attitudes. Qualitative analysis will provide deeper contextual understanding and identify specific mechanisms and factors influencing the mediation process. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to both theoretical understanding and practical implications for hotel managers and policymakers seeking to leverage CSR initiatives to foster a culture of innovation and enhance competitiveness in the dynamic hospitality industry in Beijing, China.

Employment protection and environmental corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China

The paper examines the influence of employment protection on environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR). Our findings demonstrate that employment protection has a negative effect on environmental CSR and green innovation, particularly for financially constrained firms and those with higher agency costs, providing support for the crowding-out hypothesis. Mechanism tests reveal that employment protection reduces operational flexibility and increases the risk of default for firms. Lastly, employment protection promotes the disclosure of CSR information. These findings indicate that CSR may be influenced by agency issues, and increased employment protection leads firms to reduce unnecessary CSR efforts while focusing on cost-effective CSR information disclosure.

Are Firms Adopting a Going Vertical or a Going Lateral CSR Approach Equally Innovative? An Empirical Analysis on Medium-Sized Enterprises

This article explores the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and innovation, focusing on medium-sized enterprises and adopting a stakeholder-based view. Using a platform launched by the Italian government, which provides information about CSR efforts and innovation performances at the firm level, the authors distinguish, by means of a hierarchical cluster analysis, two types of CSR approaches (going lateral and going vertical) that differ in terms of breadth and depth of the stakeholder-oriented actions implemented. A bivariate probit model, estimated to explain the different types of innovations (product and/or process), shows that firms adopting a going lateral approach are more likely to innovate in both products and processes. Results provide a theoretical contribution regarding the CSR-innovation relationship, by adopting a stakeholder theory lens. Most studies delve into the relationship between specific stakeholder-oriented CSR actions and innovation, while we consider them in aggregation. Our research also increases knowledge on CSR in medium-sized companies, which are scarcely investigated.

Mediating Role Of Human Capital Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Technological Innovation: The Case Of High-Tech Firms In China

This study aims to empirically test the relationship between multi-dimensional corporate social responsibility (CSR), human capital, and technological innovation of high-tech enterprises and analyze the mediating role of human capital. This study focuses on high-tech firms located in China. An online questionnaire was distributed among employees of high-tech enterprises. Analysis was performed using a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that shareholder, employee, customer, environment, and social CSR significantly affect human capital, and human capital plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between CSR and technological innovation. This study differs from previous CSR research, which evaluates the link between the five dimensions of CSR and technological innovation to examine new opportunities for the development of technological innovation in high-tech enterprises.

Does corporate social responsibility drive financial performance? Exploring the significance of green innovation, green dynamic capabilities, and perceived environmental volatility

AbstractEnvironmental success can only become a reality when the financial goals of firms are not compromised. Based on this proposition, the study aimed to investigate four relationships, including the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on financial performance, mediation of green dynamic capabilities (GDCs) between CSR and green innovation (GI), mediation of GI between CSR and financial performance, and moderation of perceived environmental volatility in GI and financial performance nexus. A sample of 655 manufacturing firms was collected from Pakistan to test the proposed hypotheses, and structural equation modeling was conducted. The results demonstrate a positive significant influence of CSR on financial performance. In addition, the mediation of GDCs and GI has also been confirmed. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that high environmental volatility weakens the GI and financial performance nexus. The study results offer unique contributions to the literature and interesting suggestions for practicing emerging economy managers.

How servitization affects firm performance: the moderating roles of corporate social responsibility and green innovation

PurposeThis study aims to examine how degree of servitization and breadth of servitization affect the firm performance, and the moderating roles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green innovation.Design/methodology/approachThe hypotheses are tested using panel data regression models from 2010 to 2020 based on 10,539 firm-year observations from 2,362 Chinese listed manufacturers.FindingsConsidering the classification of servitization, the results show that both degree and breadth of servitization have positive impacts on firm performance. In addition, CSR strengthens these impacts, while green innovation only strengthens the impact of degree of servitization on firm performance.Practical implicationsThis study suggests that manufacturers should obtain greater profits by actively implementing the servitization strategy, and effectively take their social responsibility by achieving value co-creation with stakeholders. Also, they should carry out green innovation, develop green products and provide eco-friendly services.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the servitization literature by deepening the understanding of the value creation effect of services based on the service-oriented logic. Also, this study contributes to the sustainability literature stream by revealing the moderating roles of CSR and green innovation based on the stakeholder theory.

Moderating Environmental Leadership on Corporate Social Responsibility and Green Innovation of SMEs Performance

Abstract The contribution and knowledge of environmental leadership has been questioned on how they aid institutions in their CSR and innovative thinking. The purpose of the investigation was to explore the role of Small and Medium Scale enterprises in emerging nation on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green process innovation (GRNI) can help enterprises to achieve environmental (ENVP) and financial performance (FINP). For the analysis of the indicators data was collected from SMEs in the manufacturing sectors of Ghana through questionnaire of 215 participants. The “SmartPLS 3” model was employed to analyze the affiliation between the investigated indicators. The findings demonstrated that CSR had a material impact on ENVP but not on FINP and GRNI. However, GRNI had a favorable and material affiliation with ENVP and FINP of SME’s. On exploring the moderating effect of environmental leadership (ENVL) had a favorable affiliation between CSR and green process innovation. The research made a significant contribution to the green theory and practically to researchers and practitioners in manufacturing and other industries who are serious about implementing environmental sustainability and are seeking for a suitable method are anticipated to benefit from this study. It provides a generic approach to implementing CSR that links SME owners and managers, green technologies, green practices, and process management.

How Tripartite Stakeholders Promote Green Technology Innovation of China’s Heavily Polluting Enterprises?

Green technology innovation of heavily polluting enterprises is a critical way to alleviate environmental pressure and promote sustainable development. However, the ways in which the interaction of influencing factors affects heavily polluting enterprises in green technology innovation in China have not been fully addressed and need to be investigated in this field. This paper explored the impact of government environmental regulation, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and public attention on promoting green technology innovation of heavily polluting enterprises based on S-O-R (stimulus–organism–response) and stakeholder theories. The panel data of A-share listed companies in China’s heavily polluting industries from 2008 to 2020 was used to investigate their interactions by adopting POLS (Pooled Ordinary Least Square) method. The main results show that (1) environmental regulation has a significant positive effect on green technology innovation; it especially has a great impact on state-owned heavily polluting enterprises; (2) CSR plays a mediating role between environmental regulation and green technology innovation; (3) public attention has a moderating effect between CSR and green technology innovation and also moderates the indirect effect of environmental regulation on green technology innovation through CSR. The results illustrate that green technology innovation should be not only guided by governmental regulation, but also supplemented by enterprises’ internal driven force and public supervision, which can give implications for promoting the development of green technology innovation and optimizing environmental policy tools.

Effect of equity checks and balances on corporate social responsibility: A moderated mediating effect

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the interaction between internal factors of corporate governance, especially the relationship between equity checks and balances and corporate social responsibility (CSR), and further analyze the mediating of green innovation performance and the moderating role of environmental uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a sample of Chinese A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2012 to 2020 constructed a regulated mediation effect model, empirically tests the impact of equity checks and balances on CSR and the mediation and mediator roles of green innovation performance and environmental uncertainty.Findings(1) Equity checks and balances among shareholders have a significant positive impact on CSR. (2) Equity checks and balances have a positive impact on green innovation performance, green innovation performance has a positive impact on CSR and green innovation performance plays a partial mediation effect between equity checks and balances and CSR. (3) Additionally, environmental uncertainty not only moderates the relationship between Green Innovation Performance and CSR but also moderates the direct effect between equity balance and CSR, which verifies the existence of a moderated mediation effect.Research limitations/implicationsThe study only considers listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets as the research sample and does not include unlisted and gem enterprises.Practical implicationsThe present research can offer some managerial implications about implementing equity checks and balances among shareholders, actively fulfilling CSR and developing new products.Social implicationsThis study complements previous studies on the role of green innovation in corporate governance by exploring the impact of green innovation on equity checks and balances and CSR. And this study explores the dynamic moderating of environmental uncertainty within enterprises and provides another explanation for the mixed results of equity checks and balances, green innovation performance and CSR.Originality/valueBy demonstrating the influence of the ownership structure of A-shares listed companies on CSR, this paper provides a new and comprehensive theoretical framework to examine the interaction between equity checks and balances, green innovation performance, environmental uncertainty and CSR. The results can be used as a reference for corporate governance, improving innovation performance and fulfilling CSR.

Corporate social responsibility and green exploratory innovation - the moderating role of three environmental regulations

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility(CSR) is becoming increasingly important in the field of corporate sustainability. However, despite the growing literature on CSR, there is a paucity of empirical evidence examining external environmental pressures. This paper aims to fill this gap by exploring the relationship between CSR and green exploratory innovation from the perspective of three types of environmental regulations: mandatory, market-driven, and voluntary regulations. Using Chinese-listed companies from 2010 to 2019 as original data, we examined the impacts of CSR on green exploratory innovation of firms and the moderating effects of the three regulations using a moderating effect model. The results concluded that CSR could significantly stimulate firms to engage in green exploratory innovation. Mandatory and market-driven regulations exhibited positive moderating effects, and market-driven regulations have a greater impact on CSR strategies. In contrast, voluntary regulations showed a negative moderating effect. Our study will be of great value to companies under external environmental pressure and will provide a new path to achieve sustainable development.

The effect of corporate social responsibility on environmental performance: the mediating role of green innovation and green human resource management

PurposeThis research looks at the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental performance, considering the immediate mutual interaction and the potential mediation of specific variables like green innovation and green human resource management (GHRM).Design/methodology/approachPartial least squares path modeling was used to investigate a sample of 460 respondents in multinational textile manufacturing companies in Ethiopia.FindingsThe findings of this study reveal a direct and positive relationship between CSR and environmental performance. In addition, the researchers observed an indirect effect on the relationship by using GHRM and green innovation as mediators.Research limitations/implicationsThe study applied a cross-sectional methodology, and experts are not sure that CSR, GHRM, and green innovation in Textile manufacturing companies provide the same results over time. Consequently, future researchers can utilize the same method of investigation to see if outcomes change or stay the same over time. Second the study was conducted in Ethiopia. As a resut, it is possible that our study results will not be generalizable to other emerging nations. We propose expanding research to include more nations with developing markets.Practical implicationsExecutives of textile manufacturing companies can adopt the present study framework of performance in developing economies to reduce waste, pollution and air emissions, and conserve water, energy and nonrenewable resources that enhance environmental performance.Originality/valueThe discovery of the present research makes significant contributions to the literature on the impact of CSR on environmental performance as a pioneering study by incorporating CSR, GHRM, green innovation and environmental performance under one research model in an emerging economy context.

The Impact of Value Cocreation on CSR Innovation and Economic Performance

Based on the resource-based view (RBV) and value cocreation theories, this study investigated how supplier value cocreation, intracompany value cocreation, and customer value cocreation influence corporate social responsibility (CSR) innovation and economic performance. We collected data from 200 manufacturers to test the proposed relationships. The results showed that value cocreation had different positive impacts on CSR; intracompany value cocreation had the greatest impact, followed by customer and supplier value cocreation. CSR did not have a significant positive effect on economic performance. Companies’ innovation capacities completely mediated the relationship between CSR and economic performance. The findings of the analysis have theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study broadens the research scope on CSR innovation and value cocreation. Practically, it helps companies realize that by sharing information, establishing cooperative relations, and conducting interactions with stakeholders, which can promote the implementation of CSR innovation practices, economic performance can be improved.

A multi-Factor Analysis for Corporation’s CSR and Creativity: Evidence From Chinese Listed Companies

This study applies the data of 2018-2022 Chinese listed companies in the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock market to examine the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR), female executives and directors, institutional environment, ownership, and company innovation. The results show that companies prioritizing CSR also emphasize innovation. Additionally, a higher proportion of female executives leads to increased focus on innovation investment, while the findings for female directors are opposite. A strong institutional environment promotes corporate innovation but weakens CSR contribution. The ownership also has a certain influence on both CSR contribution and innovation. However, it is important to note that the pathways of impact are not singular and multiple factors affect both CSR fulfillment and innovative behavior. Overall, this study arises attention that organizations need a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between CSR and innovative pursuits to foster sustainable progress and societal well-being.