Stakeholder Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Corporate Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Engagement: Impact on Organizational Performance

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly pivotal in shaping organizational strategies, impacting not only societal perceptions but also organizational performance metrics. This paper explores the multifaceted relationship between CSR initiatives, stakeholder engagement practices, and their collective influence on organizational performance. By reviewing theoretical frameworks and empirical studies, it examines how CSR activities contribute to enhancing brand reputation, fostering stakeholder trust, and mitigating risks. Furthermore, the study delves into the strategic alignment of CSR with business objectives, emphasizing its role in driving long-term financial sustainability and competitive advantage. Through a comprehensive analysis of case studies and industry examples, this research elucidates the nuanced impacts of CSR and effective stakeholder engagement on organizational success in contemporary business environments.

Metadiscursive nouns in corporate communication: A cross-cultural study of CEO letters in the US and Chinese corporate social responsibility reports

The study of rhetorical devices and how corporate leaders organise the texts and convey attitudes to stakeholders in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports has become an important research area in recent years. A relatively neglected means of rhetorical expressions, however, is metadiscursive nouns. This study investigates the use of metadiscursive nouns in a 0.5-million-word self-built corpus of the US and Chinese CEO letters in CSR reports to reveal cross-cultural variations. The results show that the interactive metadiscursive nouns are twice as frequent in the US discourse as in the Chinese discourse, demonstrating greater efforts invested in cohesion by the US companies. This difference can be attributed to the writer-responsible rhetoric in the West and the reader-responsible conventions in China. The interactional metadiscursive nouns in the US discourse occur twice as frequently as in the Chinese counterpart, suggesting greater exertion of nominal stance by the US companies. This discrepancy mainly arises from the high- and low-context variations between the US and China. This study sheds new insights on metadiscursive nouns as rhetorical resources in cross-cultural CSR communication and provides implications for ESP practitioners to use them as a means of conceptualising writer–reader interaction in corporate communication.

Does CSR committee presence, stakeholder engagement, gender equality (SDG 5) and firm value influence ESG performance reporting? An EU pre and during Covid-19 analysis

Purpose This paper aims to analyse the corporate social responsibility (CSR) Committee presence and gender equality influence on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance reporting in a pre- and during Covid-19 crisis in European Union (EU) listed entities. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the goal, an empirical analysis was conducted with 1,221 listed companies in EU as support for the economics years 2017–2021. Statistical technique used to analyse the relationship between the variables under study was regression analysis with panel data. Findings Results show that CSR committee presence, stakeholder engagement and gender equality are positively associated with ESG performance reporting, but the Covid-19 crisis and the book value per share do not influence the dependent variable. The model variables determine 99% of the ESG performance reporting. Practical implications The results are useful for managers, governments and organizations in developing sustainability reporting standards. As companies navigate the complex landscape of sustainability challenges, integrating sustainable development goals into their strategies and ESG reports provides a roadmap for creating positive, lasting impacts on a global scale. Originality/value This research covers listed firms from throughout the EU and the pre- and during-Covid era.

Stakeholders, stakeholder theory and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Complacency is almost archaic in the knowledge economy, because firms are overwhelmingly confronted with diverse expectations from better informed stakeholders, who pressure on societal issues amid shareholders’ calls for greater financial security. Similarly, there is a growing call for corporations to redefine their responsibilities to stakeholders, and to integrate socio-economic and environmental concerns into business processes and strategies in order to transparently impact on societies. In a bid to support mutually beneficial relationships, this paper shows how stakeholder theory proactively moderates the strength of CSR in social interactions, environmental protection, and sustainable development. It proposes a four-stage stakeholder dialogue ladder which attempts to synergize CSR, stakeholder and stakeholder theory based on the stages as defined by the firm’s extent of development, and her regularity and intensity of interaction with stakeholders. The paper argues that subject to the problem to solve, the languages of CSR and stakeholder theory are useful and that, the dichotomies of covering wrongdoing and creating falsehoods could be addressed when firms adopt stakeholder dialogue and collaboration that aid friendly CSR programmes. Thus, the relationship turns that of dyadic partnership, because corporations follow issue or purpose-based CSR programmes that create values that trickle to interdependent stakeholders. In sum, corporations need to continually get committed to environmentally-sensitive CSR since there is a strong relationship between CSR activities, stakeholders and actual performance.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Website Reporting: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa’s Top-Ranked Companies

This study aims to examine how Sub-Saharan Africa’s top ranked companies themselves convey their role as social-economic development partners and/or agents in their corporate communications, and to what extent country- and industry-specific characteristics influence their reporting, i.e., via CSR websites reporting. Using Forbes’ 2,000 world-largest-corporations ranking, based on 2017 ranking list, we select the largest corporations. We then filter our search to select Africa-largest-corporations. A content analysis of the CSR reports and/or Websites of the sample companies was conducted to identify the motives for CSR practices, CSR managerial processes and stakeholder issues addressed in CSR reporting. Several of the “motives underlying CSR practices”, “CSR managerial processes” and “stakeholder issues addressed” in CSR reporting appear to converge around similar themes (or issues), given that all three sample companies operate in the financial services industry within the specificities of South Africa’s context. The findings suggest that the specificities of South Africa’s historical development and/or socio-cultural realities, legislation and industry charters are important factors that influence CSR (or sustainability) practices in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. Although, studies that mainly focus on the contents of corporate website are uncommon, this study has limitations as we solely relied on publicly accessible CSR reporting, rather than, for example, interviewing employees, customers (or clients) and/or regulators to verify the claims by the sample companies. As this study examines CSR website reporting practices by organisations, it provides a useful insight for competitor benchmarking that can be used by organisations to imrpove their CSR website reporting practices. This study contributes to extant CSR research as its provides empirical evidence of the contextuality of CSR in Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as explores how country- and industry-specific characteristics may influence CSR website reporting.

Job-hopping executives and corporate social responsibility

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance of job-hopping executives at their former and subsequent firms.Design/methodology/approachWe conduct regression analyses using a sample of firms listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges from 2010 to 2020 to examine whether CSR performance is similar from one firm to the next as executives switch jobs.FindingsWe find a positive relationship between the CSR performance of former and subsequent firms under job-hopping executives. This relationship is the strongest in the year of the job switch; it weakens in the second year and eventually disappears in the third year. In addition, we show that this relationship benefits different CSR stakeholder groups and is contingent on executive and subsequent firm attributes and job-hopping characteristics. Furthermore, we demonstrate that firms that hire a new chief executive officer from a firm with a strong track record in CSR, the new firm experiences a significant surge in CSR performance compared with firms that do not experience such a shock.Practical implicationsThis study has implications for executive hiring decisions.Originality/valueThis study extends the understanding of CSR determinants through the lens of inter-organisational ties associated with job-hopping executives.

A novel IFN-CSM-CoCoSo approach for multiple-attribute group decision-making with intuitionistic fuzzy sets: An application in assessing corporate social responsibility performance

With the rapid growth of the economy, enterprises have encountered a series of problems while pursuing economic benefits, such as food safety and environmental pollution issues, resource shortages and energy consumption issues, which affect the sustainable development of enterprises. Establishing a corporate performance evaluation system from the perspective of social responsibility, based on stakeholder theory and the importance of overall goals reflected in the weight of social responsibility indicators, is a very effective measure to achieve corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals through CSR motivation and stakeholders. The performance evaluation of CSR from the perspective of environmental accounting is a MAGDM. Recently, the CoCoSo technique and cosine similarity measure (CSM) technique was utilized to conduct the MAGDM. The intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) are utilized as a technique for conducting uncertain information during the performance evaluation of CSR from the perspective of environmental accounting. In this study, the intuitionistic fuzzy CoCoSo based on the CSM (IFN-CSM-CoCoSo) technique is built for MAGDM with IFSs. Finally, a numerical example for performance evaluation of CSR from the perspective of environmental accounting is conducted to verify the IFN-CSM-CoCoSo technique.

Corporate social responsibility, reputation and performance in the Zimbabwe’s mining sector

Orientation: The Zimbabwe’s mining sector regrettably has a poor corporate social responsibility (CSR) record, which has earned the mining corporations a bad reputation and poor business performance.Research purpose: The study investigated the relationship between CSR, corporate reputation (CR), and performance in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.Motivation for the study: The implementation of CSR programmes in the Zimbabwean mining sector has been inconsistent over the years, with some firms virtually uninvolved in such activities. The impact of CSR in that sector remains largely unexplored.Research approach/design and method: The study was quantitative, involving a survey of 330 managers and other professionals working in Zimbabwean mining sector firms. The collected data were analysed using correlation and regression analyses.Main findings: Two CSR dimensions, namely, stakeholder CSR and ethical CSR, contributed to CR. Corporate reputation exerted a positive impact on social performance and negatively towards operational performance.Practical/managerial implications: The study provides practical solutions to mining firms on which CSR practices are essential for strengthening both CR and performance.Contribution/value-add: The study represents a novel effort to model the relationship between CSR, CR and the performance of Zimbabwe’s mining sector. It offers the basis for future research studies on CSR practices and CR in several sectors of the Zimbabwean economy.

Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Financial Performance of New Ventures: The Moderating Role of Government Support

This study enhances our comprehension of the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and financial performance in the context of new ventures. Specifically, it investigates the impact of primary and secondary stakeholder CSR practices on the financial performance of new ventures. It also examines the moderating roles of direct and indirect government support on the effect of secondary stakeholder CSR practices on new ventures’ financial performance. The data collected from manufacturing firms in China demonstrate the following: (1) primary stakeholder CSR practices can promote the financial performance of new ventures; (2) compared with established firms, the negative effect of secondary stakeholder CSR practices on the financial performance of new ventures is stronger; (3) only indirect government support can positively moderate the relationship between secondary stakeholder CSR practices and new ventures’ financial performance, and such a moderating effect is stronger than that in established firms.

Determinants of engagement with and of stakeholders in CSR decision-making: a stakeholder perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore the determinants of engagement with and of stakeholders in corporate social responsibility (CSR) decision-making.Design/methodology/approachUsing stakeholder theory, this study is mainly based on business ethics and CSR literature to develop a model depicting social and organizational contextual factors for engagement in the context of CSR decision-making.FindingsThis study identifies nine antecedents for engagement with and of stakeholders in CSR decision-making. Based on stakeholder perspective, the author explores how engagement constructs are influenced at both social and organizational levels by the determinants stakeholder pressure, stakeholder roles, stakeholder resources, stakeholder relationships, stakeholder management, two-way communication, procedural justice, interactional justice and stakeholder proactive strategy.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights for companies regarding the determinants underlying engagement to reflect its importance in the context of CSR decision-making.Social implicationsA better understanding of the determinants of engagement is critical because engagement contributes to achieving “win-win” solutions that ensure increased stakeholder satisfaction.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is one of the first to explore the determinants of engagement with and of stakeholders in CSR decision-making at both social and organizational levels by referring to stakeholder theory.

A CROSS-CULTURAL EXAMINATION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY FRAMEWORKS: CONTRASTING PARADIGMS IN CHINA AND THE WEST

Purpose: This study explores the unique characteristics of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in China, contrasting them with Western CSR frameworks to provide a comprehensive understanding of China's distinct approach to CSR. Design/methodology/approach: The research utilizes a cross-cultural examination of CSR practices, drawing on empirical data and literature to identify key dimensions unique to Chinese CSR. It incorporates qualitative analysis of CSR reports and stakeholder interviews to highlight the socio-cultural, economic, and regulatory factors influencing CSR in China. Findings: The study identifies several unique dimensions of CSR in China, including good faith, employment, social stability and progress, and patriotism. These dimensions reflect China's cultural values, historical context, and governmental influence. Chinese CSR practices emphasize business ethics, job creation, social harmony, and national development, differing significantly from the profit-driven and shareholder-focused CSR models prevalent in the West. Research limitations/implications: The study's findings are based on data from specific regions and may not be universally applicable across all of China. Further research is needed to explore CSR practices in different types of Chinese firms and regions to validate these dimensions. Practical implications: For multinational corporations operating in China, understanding these unique CSR dimensions can enhance their engagement strategies, aligning their practices with local expectations and regulatory requirements. Social implications: The study highlights the role of CSR in addressing social issues in China, such as employment and social stability, providing insights into how corporations can contribute to societal well-being in a rapidly developing economy. Originality/value: This research contributes to the global discourse on CSR by elucidating the distinctive characteristics of Chinese CSR. It underscores the importance of localized approaches to CSR, enhancing cross-cultural understanding and fostering more effective international business practices.

Corporate social responsibility reporting and investment: Evidence from mergers and acquisitions

AbstractWhile corporate social responsibility (CSR) has played an increasingly important role in corporate decision‐making, the role of CSR disclosure in a firm's investment activities remains poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of CSR disclosure on mergers and acquisitions (M&As), which are pivotal investment activities. We find that firms disclosing voluntary CSR reports experience significantly stronger market reactions to M&A announcements than those that do not disclose such reports. Specifically, acquisitions by voluntary CSR disclosers achieve 1.2% higher returns upon acquisition announcements, leading to a substantial increase in shareholder value. Our findings are consistent across a series of robustness tests. Additional analyses suggest that the positive market reactions are especially tied to voluntary disclosures concerning the protection of employees and customers, and that the quality and financial materiality of voluntary CSR disclosures amplify positive market responses. We also find that voluntary CSR disclosers exhibit better long‐term post‐acquisition market and operational performance. Collectively, our findings suggest that voluntary CSR disclosures bolster acquisition returns by mitigating stakeholder resistance. Additionally, by leveraging the unique conditional CSR disclosure regulation in China and using a staggered DID design, we observe a diminished market reaction for acquirers following mandatory CSR disclosures. Overall, this research provides new insights into the contrasting effects of voluntary and mandatory CSR disclosures, emphasizing the vital role of effective stakeholder CSR communication in the success of M&As.

Global Automobile Manufacturers Mission Statements and CSR Letters

This study takes the triple bottom-line perspective to compare the communications of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in some of world’s top automakers’ mission statements and the CEO’s introductory letters to annual CSR reports before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Content analysis based on Text Network Analysis (TNA) approach was deployed to examine the central messages and sub-themes of these documents based on CSR goals, time-orientation, and stakeholder groups, and then statistically compared within and among companies. Results reveal that Automakers’ mission statements collectively emphasized profit and customers, whereas CSR letters prioritized planet, people, and general society. As the pandemic progressed, the emphasis on people increased, indicating that organizations shifted their CSR focus towards supporting employees and local communities. However, the attention to profit and planet goals remained constant during the studied period.

CSR initiatives and stakeholder engagement amidst COVID-19 pandemic: insights using content analysis and literature review

PurposeThe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has impacted all economies, businesses and societies. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and present a case for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in terms of its relevance amidst the turmoil caused by the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a directed content analysis approach to retrieve relevant information from news articles using Thomson Reuters’ Eikon® and Bloomberg® databases. Based on stakeholder theory, the authors evaluate some of the CSR initiatives undertaken by organizations around the world. The authors then undertake a systematic literature review using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses standard to provide possible implications for organizations.FindingsThe findings suggest that in response to the pandemic, corporations from both developed and developing countries have been pursuing CSR measures for stakeholder engagement. The systematic literature review signals positive outcomes that companies might expect at the organizational level. The paper concludes by suggesting research propositions that indicate effective CSR at a time of crisis like COVID-19 encourages stakeholder partnerships and helps to gain a competitive advantage.Originality/valueThe authors present an overview of the CSR responses taken by firms globally in response to the pandemic by way of stakeholder engagement. The authors analyze the stakeholders targeted through such initiatives and report possible implications based on the extant literature. The findings of the study can be used to understand the various transitions that happen in an unprecedented situation like COVID-19 at all levels of business and society.

Quadruple Helix Model Philosophy to Enhance Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Creativity

This study explains and analyzes how the Quadruple Helix model improves Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) creativity. Government, industry, academia, and society collaborate on innovation and development under the Quadruple Helix paradigm. This strategy lets stakeholders collaborate to boost CSR's beneficial impact. The Quadruple Helix model in CSR is examined using ontological, epistemological, and axiological methods. This study analyzes CSR, the Quadruple Helix model, and scientific philosophy literature. This study found that the ontological approach examines CSR stakeholders' reality and interactions. The epistemological method examines how entities collaborate to learn about CSR. The axiological method evaluates CSR initiatives for fairness, sustainability, and social relevance. The Quadruple Helix CSR methodology can boost innovation and effect. Government, industry, academia, and society may collaborate and innovate to create more holistic and sustainable CSR solutions. Understanding the Quadruple Helix model's CSR philosophy. This study shows that collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches improve CSR creativity and effectiveness. More research is needed to confirm these findings.

An Analytical Review of Recent CSR Practices and their Role in Social Upliftment in India

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a key tool for companies to contributeto the social and economic development of the communities they operate in. This paperprovides an analytical review of recent CSR practices in India and their role in socialupliftment. The study examines the CSR activities of a range of Indian companies, includingboth private and public sector enterprises, across various sectors such as healthcare,education, environment, and skill development. The paper critically evaluates the impact ofCSR initiatives on various stakeholders, including employees, communities, and theenvironment. The study finds that while there is a growing trend of companies engaging inCSR activities in India, the impact of these initiatives on social upliftment is often limited dueto various challenges such as inadequate implementation, lack of monitoring and evaluation,and insufficient stakeholder engagement. The study also identifies some successful CSRmodels that have led to significant social impact and recommends that companies adopt suchbest practices to ensure that their CSR initiatives lead to social upliftment. Overall, this paperhighlights the need for companies to adopt a strategic and sustainable approach to CSR and toprioritize stakeholder engagement, impact assessment, and transparency to ensure that theirCSR initiatives contribute effectively to social upliftment in India.

Need of CSR in SMEs and Their Structure

In developed countries, a significant amount of research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) has taken. Since the concept of CSR has evolved in developed countries, the organisations in these countries were the earliest to be aware of the CSR relevance to sustainable development. Nowadays CSR has gained significance for organization globally. On the other hand, there needs to be more research on CSR in small and medium enterprises (SMEs), especially in India. Literature lags behind the social reality and diversity, specifically in the case of CSR in SMEs. The author has tried to understand the need for CSR within SMEs and engagement in CSR by taking in-depth interviews with SMEs. It includes the structure of CSR conducted by SMEs, the formal and informal structure of CSR by SMEs, whether they assess the need of the community, causes they support, identifying beneficiaries, funding of CSR initiatives and stakeholders.

Bandhan Bank’s Strategic CSR: Building Knowledge and Experience of Rural Microfinance

The current study looks at the case of Bandhan Bank as a case of strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR). Bandhan Bank Ltd.’s five flagship CSR programmes (THP, BHP, BEP, EUP and BFLP) target the diverse needs of communities in the poorest of poor and underprivileged segments and give them a valuable experience of an improved lifestyle are discussed in detail. The three significant strategic forces, viz., embedded culture of risk-taking, more robust connection with stakeholders and regular honing of internal capabilities, further shape the experiences of CSR stakeholders. These eventually became responsible and loyal customers of the bank.

사회적 책임(CSR)이 기업 성과에 미치는 영향

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm performance in China, plus the moderating effects of advertising intensity and environmental pollution.
 Design/methodology/approach - We analyzed our dataset that consists of 188 public Chinese firms drawn from the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges during 2010-2020.
 Findings - Based on the stakeholder theory and signaling theory, we proposed the positive relationship between the CSR level and the firm performance. Further, we configured consumers and the government as major stakeholders in China, suggesting positive moderating effects of advertising intensity and environmental pollution, respectively.
 Research implications or originality - The results show that the CSR level increases the firm performance. The advertising intensity positively moderates the relationship between the CSR level and the firm performance, but there was no significant moderating effects of environmental pollution. The findings confirm the importance of consumers for the CSR stakeholders. While the Chinese government strongly reinforces environmental regulation, CSR itself does not seem to be the fine-aligned action prioritized for mitigating environmental pollution.

Exploring how organizational performance feedback influences corporate social responsibility (CSR): the moderating role of LGBT inclusion

PurposeCorporate social responsibility (CSR) captures organizational actions that account for economic, social and environmental performance. CSR is becoming increasingly relevant for organizations because of changing societal norms and attitudes. Prior research on CSR shows that socially responsible actions are beneficial for the firm and the society. However, much less is known about the antecedents of CSR. The authors suggest that CSR is a strategic organizational decision and use organizational performance feedback theory to explain how organizations decide on CSR activities.Design/methodology/approachUsing a longitudinal sample of 189 US public firms with 1,050 observations, the authors test how performance decreases below aspirations and performance increases above aspirations influence CSR. The authors also test for the moderation effect of LGBT inclusion on these relationships as a proxy for CSR consistency and stakeholder support.FindingsThe authors find that as organizational performance decreases further below aspirations, CSR increases and LGBT inclusion strengthens this increase. The authors also find that as performance increases above aspirations, organizations become more engaged in CSR, but LGBT inclusion does not moderate this relationship.Originality/valuePrior research recently started extending the performance feedback theory to CSR, but empirical findings on the relationships between performance feedback and CSR are seemingly inconclusive. Moreover, studies had primarily focused on performance below aspirations and to a much lesser extent on performance above aspirations. This study aims to better integrate organizational performance feedback theory to the CSR discourse.