Micro-level Research Research Articles

Prioritization of sub-watersheds based on quantitative morphometric analysis of the Narmada River, India, using SRTM-DEM and GIS techniques

Investigating the contribution of basin to the cycle of hydrological and the area's size, shape, and creation through quantitative analysis of these characteristics of the local scenery. Additionally, estimates of the denudation rate and hypsometric analysis were made in order to comprehend the sub-basin's quantitative geomorphological properties. The link between the morphometric parameters shows that the local geological and geomorphological features significantly influence the drainage system. On a less elevated surface with a moderate slope, stream geometry displays a pattern as semi-dendritic in greater stream order flow. On mountainous terrain surfaces, main-order streams display a dendritic drainage pattern combined with a coarse texture of drainage. The center zone of the Narmada River basin's sub-watersheds area (9461 km2) underwent morphometric investigation utilizing geographical information systems (GIS) with remote sensing methods. It highlights the usefulness of using Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission – Digital Elevation Model (SRTM-DEM) and satellite images to enhance basin management to evaluate and comprehend many geo-hydrological aspects, like topographic & drainage analyses. ArcGIS hydrological modeling has been used to identify and study basins utilizing SRTM-DEM having 10 m resolution. For the micro-level research of its physiographic characteristics and flow structural control along with runoff, using morphometric parameters like relief, aerial, and linear is also beneficial. This may assist in predicting floods, their extent, and their severity.

Clean energy business expansion and financing availability: The role of government and market

Due to positive externalities, government-led solutions to clean energy financing challenges have become a consensus. However, there is still a lack of micro-level research on the role of government and market in corporate financing anchored in clean energy business. In light of this, we use business data from Chinese listed companies spanning 2007 to 2021 to investigate the causal relationship between their clean energy business expansion and financing. Furthermore, we uncover the heterogeneous impact of government and market in different chain links. Building upon these findings, we propose targeted policy recommendations: (1) While China's unique financing environment has a potential identification effect for driving clean energy business, it is not conducive to non-scale corporate financing. Tailored regional support can enhance access to finance for diverse enterprise types and drive industry innovation. (2) The government has a limited financing effect in the upstream segment, which could be enhanced through optimization of existing green credit policies and consideration of industrial chain relationships during the approval process. (3) Market yields a stronger financing effect than government, offering policy insights for other emerging economies seeking to develop clean energy.

An investigation into risk governance processes to encourage behaviour change to reduce disaster risk: A case study of Barbados

Organizations involved in the reduction of risk, emanating from hazardous events, play an important role in influencing the responses of households to reduce disaster risk either by the enforcement of regulations or by encouraging the adoption of best practices. One way this can be done is by examining ways to enhance knowledge exchange, better understanding of household safety behaviours and improved perceptions of risk. Further, micro-level research approaches are needed to examine how organizations involved in risk reduction and households interact in order to understand the contributing factors that hamper effective decision making and actions to reduce disaster risk in small island developing states (SIDS) of the Caribbean.This study investigates how organization's disaster risk reduction (DRR) approaches have incorporated risk perception, safety behaviours, and knowledge into their internal DRR plans. This case study took place in Barbados, a SIDS in the Caribbean. Qualitative data were collected from semi-structured informant interviews (n = 33). Findings of the key stakeholder interviews revealed that most organizations lacked systematic approaches to engage households and lacked clear impact pathways in the theory of change and did not strategically target identified vulnerable population subgroups for the desired behavioural change. There was a noted gap in understanding how risk perception influences and shapes risk and safety behaviours at the household level. Based on the results of this research strategies employed to reduce risk and build resilience can include key ways to integrate how the use of safety culture, and risk perception can enhance knowledge exchange for the development and improvement of place-specific DRR strategies.

EXPLORING URBAN STREETSCAPE DESIGN: COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

The purpose: to analyse and synthesize research on urban street space and the evolution of urban streetscape design concepts, tracing their origins, development, classifications, and design practices.
 Methodology. The study conducts a historical and theoretical review of scientific and literary sources, employing methods of analysis, systematization, classification, and summarization of the obtained results.
 Results. Classical theories of designing public spaces, as well as the development of concepts related to spatial perception and a human-centric approach in design, have been examined and analysed. The interaction of these theories with big data and artificial intelligence in the research and design of urban public spaces has been identified, revealing that such collaboration accelerates the emergence of cutting-edge theoretical and practical innovations.
 Scientific novelty. Based on the analysis conducted, three main research directions in street space are identified and systematized: macro-level research, micro-level research, and research in urban design practices.
 Practical significance: The results of this research establish theoretical foundations and outline directions for the future development of studies in the field of street space design. They can be utilized by architects and urban designers in the process of planning and design.

Affect trajectories surrounding binge eating episodes and heavy drinking episodes in adults with binge-spectrum eating disorders.

The comorbidity of binge eating and heavy drinking (BE+HD) is concerning due to high prevalence and associated consequences. Affective pathways may maintain BE+HD, yet more micro-level research is needed. This study used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine between-person and day-level relationships between positive and negative affect and binge eating or heavy drinking episodes in BE+HD. Participants (N=53) were adults with binge-spectrum eating disorders who completed between 7 and 14days of EMA prior to a treatment for binge eating. Anxiety was highest on days with both binge eating and heavy drinking, while excitement and confidence were highest on days with only heavy drinking episodes for BE+HD. Global negative affect was relatively stable surrounding binge eating episodes. Guilt significantly increased prior to binge eating, and sadness significantly decreased following binge eating. Global positive affect significantly decreased prior to and stopped decreasing following heavy drinking episodes. Results support binge eating being negatively reinforced by specific aspects of negative affect, while heavy drinking may be positively reinforced by global positive affect for individuals with BE+HD. Clinicians should incorporate interventions that focus on specific negative affect dimensions and that promote alternative rewarding activities besides heavy drinking.

Research Status and Trends of Household Energy in China under the Background of Sustainable Development

Objective: This article primarily discusses the current status and trends of research on household energy in China within the context of sustainable development. The academic community in China considers addressing the consumption structure of household energy as one of the essential means to drive domestic sustainable development. Methods: Utilizing the literature visualization analysis software, Citespace, we conducted a quantitative visual map of the research field of household energy in China and analyzed the evolutionary path of research in this domain. Results: The study reveals a scarcity of literature and insufficient research outcomes in the field of Chinese household energy. Clusters of keywords such as rural households, rural energy, energy poverty, and household consumption indicate a research bias towards rural and impoverished areas. Keyword emergence analysis over a one-year time slice identified 10 keywords, suggesting a lack of diversity in the research field of Chinese household energy. Conclusion: The continuous improvement of research related to household energy has driven the transformation and upgrading of China's household energy consumption structure. The use of research findings enriches theoretical aspects and innovative practical methods related to Chinese household energy consumption, promoting the continuous development of research related to household energy. Throughout different stages of household energy research, it is observed that the intermediary effects of smart grids and low-carbon awareness drive the reform of China's household energy consumption system and practical applications, such as promoting reductions in carbon emissions. However, there is currently a lack of micro-level research on household energy within the Chinese academic community.

Assessing the impact of China's river chief system on enterprise pollution discharge.

The River Chief System (RCS), a pivotal environmental governance policy promoted by the Chinese government, has far-reaching implications for public health. This study aims to comprehensively assess the impact of RCS on corporate pollution emissions, emphasizing its role in improving environmental quality and safeguarding public health. Utilizing a database of industrial enterprises and data from heavily polluting enterprises spanning 2003 to 2013. Manual collation of RCS policy implementation across prefecture-level cities during the same period. Application of the DID method to verify the impact of RCS on the extent of corporate pollution emissions. RCS significantly reduces pollution emissions from enterprises. Heterogeneity analysis reveals RCS to be more effective in addressing visible pollutants in rivers, non-provincial capitals, and heavily polluting industries, resulting in a notable reduction in pollution emissions. Mechanism testing underscores the importance of increasing government attention to environmental protection and strengthening environmental regulation as key factors contributing to RCS's success in reducing pollution emissions from enterprises. Additionally, the study finds that improving the business environment of enterprises, measured through the marketization index, enhances the effectiveness of RCS in improving river pollution by enterprises. This study introduces a new perspective on examining the pollution reduction and abatement effects of RCS, addressing a gap in micro-level research. The findings not only contribute to the understanding of RCS's impact on pollution but also offer valuable insights for governments and policymakers in promoting the further development and implementation of RCS policies. The results of this research are of significant importance in strengthening environmental governance and safeguarding public health. By effectively controlling corporate pollution emissions, RCS contributes positively to improving environmental quality and, consequently, enhancing public health outcomes.

Cost Management and Supply Chain Management: Experiences of Vulnerable SMEs during COVID-19

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) constitute the vital economic fabric of Thailand, catalyzing growth and employment opportunities. However, the advent of disruptive events, exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, poses formidable challenges to their sustainable development. Adequate cost management and supply chain management are crucial for these SMEs to sustain themselves through disruptive scenarios. This study aims at exploring, understanding, and analyzing various factors that would impact the reduced vulnerability of SMEs and enhance the sustainability of the Thai economy. The methodology adopted for this research is the qualitative method. The data has been collected through semi-structured interviews and in-depth interviews, and secondary data has been collected through online and printed sources. The data analysis involves content analysis of the themes that are deduced from the extensive literature review. Furthermore, the data has been analyzed with Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threats (SWOT) to analyze the impacts of internal and external factors on the sustainability of the SMEs. The study's findings divulge a spectrum of challenges spanning cost management intricacies, socio-cultural influences, and economic nuances that collectively impede SME progress. The absence of effective governmental policies, regulations, and actual need assessments of society and the economy results in enhanced vulnerabilities for SMEs. Similarly, the risk perceptions of the SMEs were found to be inaccurate, which led to ineffective cost management strategies and supply chain management during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings cover the existing literature gap. The research paves the way for further micro-level research into the amalgamated impact of cost management and adequate supply chain management, especially during disruptive events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Doi: 10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-06-018 Full Text: PDF

Examining the exposure-reception-retention link in realistic communication environments via VR and eye-tracking: The VR billboard paradigm.

Exposure is key to message effects. No effects can ensue if a health, political, or commercial message is not noticed. Yet, existing research in communication, advertising, and related disciplines often measures 'opportunities for exposure' at an aggregate level, whereas knowing whether recipients were 'actually exposed' to a message requires a micro-level approach. Micro-level research, on the other hand, focuses on message processing and retention, takes place under highly controlled laboratory conditions with forced message exposure, and largely ignores how recipients attend selectively to messages under more natural conditions. Eye-tracking enables us to assess actual exposure, but its previous applications were restricted to screen-based reading paradigms lacking ecological validity or field studies that suffer from limited experimental control. Our solution is to measure eye-tracking within an immersive VR environment that creates the message delivery and reception context. Specifically, we simulate a car ride down a highway alongside which billboards are placed. The VR headset (HP Omnicept Pro) provides an interactive 3D view of the environment and holds a seamlessly integrated binocular eye tracker that records the drivers' gaze and detects all fixations on the billboards. This allows us to quantify the nexus between exposure and reception rigorously, and to link our measures to subsequent memory, i.e., whether messages were remembered, forgotten, or not even encoded. An empirical study shows that incidental memory for messages differs based on participants' gaze behavior while passing the billboards. The study further shows how an experimental manipulation of attentional demands directly impacts drivers' gaze behavior and memory. We discuss the large potential of this paradigm to quantify exposure and message reception in realistic communication environments and the equally promising applications in new media contexts (e.g., the Metaverse).

Examining the Intersection of Cultural Identities

This essay aims to present the intersections that constitute the cultural identity of Malaysian Chinese and suggest how their migration and settlement experiences have shaped their sense of who they are and who they are becoming through personal and family histories. I utilise a methodology analogous to the microhistory framework, where the individual assumes an active role in the process of memory formation and exercises agency in the selection, alteration and transmission of memories. This perspective encourages “understanding people in light of their own experience and their reactions to that experience.”1
 Most scholarly publications on Malaysian Chinese identity use a macro-level approach, emphasising the study of social and political institutions while giving less attention to personal introspection and micro-level research. A September 17, 2022, New Straits Times article quoted Danny Wong, a Malaysian historian from Sabah, as saying that family history, tales and memoirs help people comprehend both their past and their future trajectory. Wong believes that scrutinising one’s personal history through the medium of family narratives can lead to a critical evaluation of the interconnectedness of familial, communal and national dynamics.
 My artworks, reproduced in this article, aim to visually portray these submerged and accumulated layers of intersecting identity through a microhistorical perspective. Through my art, I present the intersecting and multi-layered inner reality that has accumulated traces of lived experiences. This inner reality is distinguished by its multicultural, multi-religious, multi-lingual character and multiracial experiences that combine to influence identity formation, under the impact of constantly changing social environments. The evolution of these inner realities is conveyed using visual assemblages combining printmaking, photography and digital manipulation in order to visually represent the socio-cultural formation of a Malaysian Chinese individual. The artworks reproducedconvey the mutable nature of ethnic identity in conjunction with variables such as geographic location, degree of interaction, era, and age group.

Genocide: Theories of Participation and Opportunities for Intervention

This essay evaluates the current United Nations approach to preventing and punishing genocide by considering micro-level research on behavioral variation in genocide and proposing two ideas for intervention. The first idea extends the theory that economic inequality explains people’s decisions to kill or not kill in genocide and suggests specific economic remedies to intervene in ongoing violence. The second idea extends the theory that local authorities shape civilians’ decision making about violence and suggests specific ways to bolster moderate meso-level authorities to mitigate violence. The essay concludes by considering how social science research and theory can practically impact international law concerning genocide.

Designing inclusive organizational identities

Organizational identity can be a key instrument in designers’ pursuit to build organizations that employ individuals from diverse social groups and create inclusive workplace cultures that support all members’ belonging, regardless of their status in society. We define an inclusive organizational identity as the belief (held by internal or external stakeholders) that inclusivity is one of the defining characteristics of an organization; that the organization intentionally incorporates diverse individuals—including those with historically marginalized social identities—into its governance, operations, and outputs. Building on studies in different literatures—ranging from micro-level research in psychology of belonging, meso-level research on sensegiving, and macro-level research on how organizations are perceived by their audiences—we develop a design-based approach to organizational identity. In order to create inclusive identities, designers will need to address trade-offs around whether to make identity claims, claim inclusivity as an identity feature, and affiliate with ideologies of inclusion (assimilation versus multiculturalism). If they choose to make identity claims, designers can bolster those claims by developing managers as stewards of the organization’s identity, facilitating employee participation to define inclusivity, and being transparent about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts.

Vulnerability to COVID-19: Cluster analysis of census tracts in Malaga, Spain

ABSTRACT The United Nations 2030 Agenda recognized the importance of focusing on cities to achieve sustainable development goals. The COVID-19 pandemic reaffirmed the need to consider spatial variables when analyzing the impact of a risk or epidemic. Many studies have assessed the impact of this pandemic on countries and its connection with numerous population-related factors, such as vulnerability and resilience. However, there have been less spatial analyses at an urban and neighborhood scale, also considering time as a variable. In spite that, some researchers have recently shown how the patterns of the pandemic evolution is changing in time. We performed a case study in Malaga (Spain) using a tempo-spatial analysis with the purpose of going as deep as possible into the micro-scale of the pandemic impacts, without leaving anyone behind. The micro-level research using composite indexes and cluster analysis clarify the living conditions of people. The results show some patterns of the spatial segregation in the neighborhoods that could better oriented integrated policies and good governance in the recovery process.

The Impact of Chinese Enterprises' Environmental Investment on the Development of Green Finance

Green finance is an important economic means to promote sustainable development. It is also an important way for enterprises to fulfill their social responsibility and design ESG strategies. Green finance is of great significance to China's 14th Five-Year Plan and social and economic development. As governments and social organizations around the world pay more attention to environmental protection, the political design of green finance in China is constantly improving and the number of market players is increasing. At the same time, the research on green finance has gradually shifted from macro-level policy research to micro-level research on green financial products and trading behavior. However, there are still some issues with how green finance is done, and there is a lack of research on the performance of enterprises in green finance and the quantitative evaluation of green finance. Based on the development status of green finance in China, this paper reviews the existing problems and previous studies of green finance and puts forward relevant conclusions on the future development of green finance, such as attaching importance to ESG participation of enterprises and quantitative evaluation and research development.

Don't talk the talk, but walk the walk: the role of authentic CSR in fostering beneficial employee outcomes

PurposeOrganizations implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) to act, or present themselves as, sustainable. Yet, CSR efforts by organizations can be negatively received by stakeholders. The increased skepticism by stakeholders toward organizations' CSR programs has led to a growing interest in the influence of CSR authenticity. The purpose of this study is to provide valuable insights into the complex role CSR authenticity plays in stimulating desirable employee attitudes and behaviors.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 482 employees working in the Belgian banking sector allows the authors to test this study’s theoretical model using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsEmpirical findings demonstrate that CSR authenticity positively relates to organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Extending this notion, we find evidence for organizational identification to mediate the relationship between CSR authenticity and OCB. Further, this study highlights that organizational justice mediates the relationship between CSR authenticity and organizational identification. Finally, the importance of ethical leadership is underlined as a boundary condition to the relationship between CSR authenticity and OCB.Practical implicationsFor managers, this study provides insights into the importance of CSR authenticity in fostering positive employee outcomes. It offers guidance on how to incorporate CSR authentically, addressing the importance of the organization's core values and supervisors' alignment with these values.Originality/valueThis study distinguishes itself from existing micro-level research, which mainly focuses on employees' evaluation of the organization's attention to CSR, by investigating the outcomes of employees' perceptions of CSR authenticity. Previous research shows that perceptions of CSR authenticity produce positive outcomes among consumers, but that, so far, we know very little about which specific perceptions or behaviors it might elicit among employees. Furthermore, this study provides evidence for interlinkage between leadership, CSR and beneficial outcomes such as OCB, through the integration of ethical leadership behaviors.

A systematic literature review of carbon emissions in the Chinese construction industry

In order to clarify the current situation of research on carbon emissions of China's construction industry and point out the research direction for the related research of carbon emissions in China and similar economies in the world, this study uses the systematic literature review method to screen the articles related to carbon emissions of China's construction industry from 2014 to 2021, and 134 papers were kept. These articles were analyzed from three aspects: carbon emission stages, research scope and research method. This study finds that: 1) in terms carbon emission stages, the amounts of articles on the whole life cycle of Chinese construction industry is the largest, accounting for 47.01%; The second is the articles on the materialization stage, accounting for 17.91%. 2) In terms of research scope, the research on individual projects and the research from the industry level accounted for 61.94% and 38.06% of the total amount of articles respectively. Among the articles on individual projects, the articles on buildings were the most, accounting for 67.47% of such articles. Among the articles on the industry level, the articles on carbon emissions of national construction industry were the most, accounting for 60.78% of such articles. 3) In terms of research method, the quantitative method used in micro-level research is mainly the carbon emission coefficient method, and the analysis method is mainly the life cycle assessment method; the quantitative method used in macro-level research is mainly the input-output method, and the analysis method is mainly decomposition analysis methods.

Micro-Foundations: The Effects of CSR on Employees, Beneficiaries, and Society

Micro-level research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) is slowly, but surely, infiltrating organizational behavior (OB) and human resources (HR) research. However, there is still much to uncover about the micro-foundations of CSR. In this symposium, we seek to advance this line of research by addressing a few neglected perspectives on CSR. The first two papers in this session address antecedents to CSR perceptions and CSR engagement. Illuminating such antecedents is arguably the first step to advancing the micro-foundations of CSR to understand how, and why, employees perceive and engage in CSR initiatives. Next, a humanitarian perspective to CSR (i.e., one that considers the beneficiaries of CSR initiatives), is adopted to investigate whether the intended beneficiaries are truly benefiting from such practices. Without knowing the effectiveness of their CSR initiatives, organizations may be wasting valuable resources while beneficiaries feel cheated. The last two papers in this session examine the “dark side” of CSR. Although CSR is traditionally thought to benefit organizations and employees, increasing cynicism and skepticism about such practices may cause even the most well-intentioned organization to experience backfire effects. Taken altogether, each of the presentations in this symposium adds a unique perspective to extend our understanding of the micro-foundations of CSR. Who’s Socially Responsible? The Double Bind of Materiality Presenter: Sheen S. Levine; U. of Texas at Dallas Presenter: Razvan Lungeanu; Northeastern U. Global Citizenship: Exploring the Micro-Foundation for Multinational Firms’ Exercise of CSR Presenter: Alfred Presbitero; Deakin U. Evaluating the Authenticity of CSR Initiatives: A Beneficiary Perspective Presenter: Kelsey N. Murphy; U. of Saskatchewan Presenter: Chelsea Willness; U. of Saskatchewan Presenter: John Boakye-Danquah; U. of Saskatchewan Effect of Employees’ Sustainability-Related Moral Conflict on Sustainability Actions Presenter: S.M. Ramya; Indian Institute of Technology, Madras Presenter: Rupashree Baral; IIT Madras Presenter: Fong T. Keng; Nanyang Technological U. Good Behaviors, Bad Motives: CSR Attributions and Employee Vicarious Moral Licensing Presenter: Julia Stevenson-Street; Purdue U., West Lafayette Presenter: Brian R. Dineen; Purdue U. Presenter: David A. Jones; U. of Vermont

Exploring green areas in Polish cities in context of anthropogenic land use changes

Recent decades saw a global degradation of ecosystems and climate change caused by rapid anthropogenic socio-economic growth. The paper investigates spatio-temporal changes in green areas in Polish cities. The study involved two levels: macro (all 936 towns and cities in Poland) and micro (zooming in on Kraków and Toruń) from 2006 to 2018. The authors analysed 64,312 records of statistical data and 32,317 polygons representing areas of specific land use categories in the Urban Atlas with GIS tools and algorithms. Results for the entire country (a macro level) indicate that the area of forests in cities is in decline, but the total share of green urban areas is increasing slightly. Polish towns and cities also exhibit a positive balance of shrub count and a negative balance of tree count. At a micro level, land use analysis indicates a slight decrease in green urban areas, but an increase in the forest area. Moreover, an analysis of the spatial distributions of changes in green areas in Kraków and Toruń demonstrated specific trends. Sites exhibiting a significant decrease in green urban areas were found mainly along main transport routes. Moreover, incomplete green belts around highly urbanised zones turned out to be a characteristic component. The slight differences in results at a micro and macro level are due to a more significant generalisation at a macro level. Micro-level research focuses on an individual case. Hence, it should be used mainly to juxtapose cities, while the macro-level perspective is adequate for cross-country analyses, for example. The results are relevant to urban policies deployed by local and regional authorities, the European Green Deal and climate neutrality.

Food price volatility and household welfare: A case study of major cities of Pakistan

The purpose of this paper is to find the impact of food price volatility on the welfare of urban households of Pakistan. Food price volatility in monthly prices of major food commodities for main cities of Pakistan is calculated through standard deviation method. Moreover, the study adopts the methodology provided by Alkire and Foster 2007, and Alkire and Santos 2010 to develop Household Deprived Welfare Index (DWI) for major cities of Pakistan. Following Deaton 1985, the study uses pseudo panel approach. Fixed Effect technique is applied to estimate the impact of volatility on household welfare. The results generated from pseudo panel fixed effect technique depicts that food price volatility has significant and negative impact on household welfare. This study lengthens the literature by identifying the impact of food price volatility on household welfare at city level in Pakistan, using four waves of PSLM/HIES data 2007-08, 2011-12, 2013-14 and 2014-15.This type of micro-level research has not been conducted (nationally or internationally) so far; therefore, it would help the policy makers to implement policies to combat the effect of volatile prices and develop programs for the welfare of severely affected areas.

Building political capital through corporate social responsibility: a microlevel focus on the role of business leaders

PurposeThere are no management decisions deprived of ethical or political consequences. Political corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been highlighting this assertion but research at the microlevel on this topic is scarce. This study aims to contribute to the microlevel research by proposing a behavioral framework where leaders’ political skills are determinants of engagement in strategic CSR and perceived CSR leverages their ascribed legitimacy to perform a political role outside the boundaries of the organizations.Design/methodology/approachBuilding upon political CSR and critical realism theories, this study offers a general review on key political CSR microlevel concepts and examines multiple dimensions of CSR to explain the indirect effect between boards' political skills and political legitimacy.FindingsThis research suggests that high politically skilled leaders are associated to more CSR adoption which fosters higher legitimacy to act as political influencers. Among these, CSR activities directed toward community members and employees are seemingly the most successful from a political standpoint.Originality/valueThis study proposes a contemporary form of political influence to business leaders that, in contrast with other strategies such as lobbying or financing political campaigns, does not end up damaging corporate image and reputation. Also, this study proposes that not all CSR activities leverage corporate political legitimacy per se, therefore they do need to be differentiated. This study then offers a comprehensive future research agenda, including detailed suggestions for research designs and measurements.