Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Co-evolutionary dynamics and heterogeneity in corporate social responsibility: A case study on multinational corporation subsidiaries

This study aims to understand the heterogeneity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) approaches across subsidiaries of the same multinational corporations (MNCs) and determine the co-evolutionary dynamics that enhance the global cohesiveness of MNCs' CSR strategies and performance. The study draws on co-evolutionary theory and adopts an explanatory research design based on embedded multiple case study methodology. Semi-structured interviews with top management and employees responsible for CSR or related areas were conducted, and secondary data collection was done for triangulation and validation. The findings suggest that MNCs experience heterogeneity in their CSR, particularly in the implementation approaches, philanthropic and environmental CSR dimensions, and that MNCs with significant heterogeneity at the strategic level have less cohesive strategic CSR practices. The study also found that MNCs that encourage and facilitate active collaboration between subsidiaries have more cohesive and strategic CSR, and each MNC's CSR is driven by different co-evolutionary dynamics. The study contributes to the expansion of co-evolutionary theory to the study of CSR and offers a dynamic CSR co-evolution model explaining MNC CSR heterogeneity in real-world situations, along with potential levers to achieve more globally cohesive strategic CSR.

The Interactive Effects of Abusive CEOs and Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Innovation and Performance

The Interactive Effects of Abusive CEOs and Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility on Organizational Innovation and Performance

The Effect of Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility on Local CSR Awareness: Examining the Role of Corporate Transparency in Ghana

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) refers to a broad spectrum of an organization's societal responsibilities. Philanthropic CSR initiatives, which go beyond legal and ethical duties, are increasingly seen as critical to improving CSR outcomes. However, the extent to which such initiatives influence local CSR awareness, particularly in emerging economies such as Ghana, and the role of corporate transparency in mediating this relationship leaves a gap in literature. This study used a quantitative research approach to estimate the effect of philanthropic CSR on local CSR awareness among Chinese companies operating in Ghana, with a particular emphasis on the mediating role of corporate transparency. Data was collected using a standardized questionnaire. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modelling (CB-SEM) were used to investigate the hypothesized relationships and assess the proposed model's fit. There is a significant positive relationship (β = 0.202, p < 0.001) between philanthropic CSR and local CSR awareness. The relationship between philanthropic CSR and CSR awareness was also found to be mediated by corporate transparency, with a substantial indirect effect (= 0.268, p 0.001). The study concludes that philanthropic corporate social responsibility has a partial mediation effect on local CSR awareness via corporate transparency. The findings provide practical insights for corporations working in emerging economies, emphasizing the significance of improving their stance on corporate transparency in regards to undertaking philanthropic CSR initiatives with an expected outcome of raising local CSR awareness.

Identifying the dimensions of philanthropic CSR in the FMCG sector: agenda for the sustainability of business

Purpose This study aims to use a multi-stage scale development process to identify the dimensions of philanthropic corporate social responsibility (PCSR) in India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a study to develop a comprehensive, reliable and valid scale for measuring PCSR based on the customer perception of FMCG product manufacturers. This research adopted a comprehensive and detailed scale development process using multi-stage sampling for scale development. This final study was conducted on a sample of 402 respondents from the city of Jaipur, India. Findings The results have underlined the multi-dimensional aspect of PCSR; these dimensions are: altruism towards society, volunteering for local community development, generosity towards ecology, benevolent spirit and problem-solving charity. Practical implications This study gives valuable insights into philanthropic scale development in the FMCG sector that can immensely help domestic and international marketers to formulate CSR as a strategy. This research provides insights into a wide range of scales which can be base for future research studies that aim to explore different organizational settings. Originality/value PCSR and CSR are important for developing strategies for sustainable businesses across the globe. Dimensions of PCSR will be useful for practitioners and researchers in developing second-order constructs for future studies.

Greenwashing in Corporate Social Responsibility: A Dual-Faceted Analysis of Its Impact on Employee Trust and Identification

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has emerged as a pivotal area of focus, with an increasing number of companies prioritizing its integration into their operational strategies. Nonetheless, because of the dual factors of corporate legitimacy and the pressure exerted by stakeholders, some companies use their CSR disclosures to screen positive impressions and good images, known as greenwashing. Existing literature delves deeply into the consequences of greenwashing from both consumers’ and companies’ perspectives; however, the consequences on employees remain largely unexplored. Another consideration is that greenwashing in CSR research has almost exclusively relied on a catchall CSR construct despite CSR being manifested in philanthropic CSR, business-process CSR, social alliance CSR, and value-chain CSR facets. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the consequences of greenwashing in CSR on employees and to examine whether and how greenwashing across various CSR facets results in different employee responses. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the structural relationships posited in our conceptual framework. By analyzing 304 employees whose companies had experience implementing CSR in China, this study found that greenwashing in primary-stakeholder-oriented CSR was negatively related to trust, and greenwashing in secondary-stakeholder-oriented CSR had a negative and significant impact on employee–company identification. Interestingly, each type of CSR greenwashing had no bearing on the other’s trust and identification. Furthermore, greenwashing in both CSR types indirectly decreases employee loyalty through the respective mediators of trust and identification. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided.

Philanthropic CSR Participation Intention among Sport Spectators and Fans within the Psychological Continuum Model

The present study utilized a scenario-based cross-sectional survey to assess whether the participation intention toward a sport team’s philanthropic corporate social responsibility (P-CSR) initiative varies among sport spectators and fans based on their strength of psychological connection to the team. Among the four groups (i.e. awareness, attraction, attachment, and allegiance) introduced by the psychological continuum model (PCM), the study found a statistical difference in P-CSR participation intention across most groups within the high P-CSR condition. In the low P-CSR condition, the attachment and the allegiance groups were the only categories with no difference in P-CSR participation intention. The study provides theoretical contributions to the PCM literature, as it is the first to use a self-classification method to segment fans into their respective PCM stages. The study also has meaningful implications for sport practitioners who thrive on interacting with their consumers by developing a community through P-CSR initiatives.

The effect of corporate social responsibility on open innovation: the moderating role of firm proactiveness

PurposeOpen innovation (OI) is an effective way to achieve firms' sustainable development in emerging markets. This study aims to investigate the effects of business and philanthropic corporate social responsibility (CSR) on OI and the moderating role of firm proactiveness in such relationships. This study also examines the effects of OI on firms' financial and innovation performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses multisource data from 688 firms in China, including data from surveys of top managers and objective data. The Tobit model, Poisson model, and ordinary least squares regression are adopted to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results suggest that business CSR and philanthropic CSR both have positive effects on OI. Proactiveness weakens the positive effect of business CSR on OI, while strengthening the effect of philanthropic CSR on OI. The results also show that OI increases firm innovation and financial performance.Originality/valueCSR enables firms to build wild, deep and trust-based relationships with external actors, which may benefit firms in open search of knowledge. However, it has not received adequate attention in the literature on OI. The findings contribute to the research on OI drivers from the perspective of social activities and enhance the understanding of how different types of CSR and firm proactiveness work together to influence OI.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A FUNCTION OF BRAND LOYALTY: INPUT TO AN ENHANCED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY THROUGH SOCIO-CIVIC ENGAGEMENTS

The study determined the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Brand Loyalty among 318 CSR beneficiaries of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) who were randomly selected through stratified random sampling. Results of the descriptive analysis revealed that the DBP CSR beneficiaries had very high observation of Philanthropic CSR and Ethical CSR, as well as very high devotion to the Bank, in terms of Cognitive, Affective, Conative, and Action Loyalty. Fundamentally, the correlation analysis established that CSR had a significant and positive relationship with Brand Loyalty. Meanwhile, findings for the one-way analysis of variance in Brand Loyalty in terms program of engagement revealed that the DBP RISE beneficiaries had statistically higher Brand Loyalty. Lastly, the same analysis applied in terms of geographical location revealed that the all DBP CSR beneficiaries, regardless if they were from Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao, had statistically equal Brand Loyalty. In line with the foregoing findings, the current study put forward the reconstitution of the DBP CSR program for education as the primary recommendation. Parenthetically, the development of new marketing plan and materials, improvement of personal banking products and services, and continuation of the CSR program network were also among the propositions presented. KEYWORDS – Brand Loyalty, Corporate Social Responsibility, Development Banking

Impact of Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility on Firm Value of Deposit Money Banks in Nigeria

This study examines the impact of Philanthropic Social Responsibility on firm value of listed Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria. The study was motivated by conflicting findings by researchers on the relationship between Philanthropic Social Responsibility and firm value. The study used the correlational and ex-post facto research designs. The secondary data were extracted from the annual report and accounts of the 11 listed Deposit Money Banks by the Security and Exchange Commission of Nigeria as at 31st December 2021. Data collected was analysed using Regression analysis statistical tool with the aid of STATA analytical package. Findings from the analysis revealed that philanthropic Social Responsibility has significant positive relationship with the firm value of deposit money banks (DMB’s) in Nigeria. In view of the finding the study recommended that Management of deposit money banks (DMBs) listed in Nigeria should give more emphasis on philanthropic Responsibility. The is because of the positive role it’s play in improving the value of the firm.

Party branches, policy perception and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from Chinese private enterprises.

Party branches embedded in private enterprises are a unique phenomenon in the Chinese economy, but few studies have focused on the economic consequences. We hope to explore the impact of party branches on small and medium-sized private enterprises' corporate social responsibility (CSR) in China in order to fill the gaps in current research. Data were used from the 11th Chinese Private Enterprise Survey (CPES) in 2014. The study uses the methodology of fixed effect model, mediation analysis and moderation analysis. Moreover, propensity score matching and Heckman two-step method deal with the endogeneity problem and check the robustness of the results. We find that, first, the embedding of party branches will improve the CSR performance of private enterprises in various dimensions by enhancing the perception of private enterprises in policy; second, in various influence pathways, the party branches will enhance the perceptions of policy related to economic interests, which has a more significant impact on enhancing the performance of philanthropic CSR. Further research reveals that business owners' first-given and later-generated political connections support the party branches' perception of policies related to economic and social interests, respectively. The findings suggest that political intervention by China's ruling party in private firms promotes CSR performance, but this is influenced by the political connections of the firm owners. In addition to providing empirical support for the study of corporate behavior in the Chinese context, this paper identifies the impact and development trajectory of the party branches of China's ruling party on CSR. However, this paper does not discuss the implicit costs required for party branches to promote CSR, and we hope that future research will make further explorations.

Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Comparing the Determinants of Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Social Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy

Sustainable entrepreneurship creates value beyond profit. Its role is increasingly important in addressing issues related to environmental challenges. Sustainable entrepreneurs represent a tool to attain the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations that address climate change, social inequality, human rights, and economic development. To solve these challenges, there is a need for high-performing sustainable entrepreneurs. The roles of innovativeness, organizational capabilities, and philanthropic corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the performance of sustainable entrepreneurs are still underexplored. Hence, this study proposes an analysis of the indirect and direct effects of innovativeness on entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and social entrepreneurial self-efficacy (SESE) and of the mediating role of organizational capabilities and philanthropic CSR. Based on structural equation modeling and importance-performance matrix analysis, the findings from a survey of 116 sustainable entrepreneurs identified a positive relationship between innovativeness and ESE, organizational capabilities, and philanthropic CSR. The indirect relationship mediated by organizational capabilities was found to be positive, while for philanthropic CSR, it was positive for SESE but negative for ESE. Interestingly, it was found that SESE is only positively influenced in indirect relations. This study contributes to the literature on how innovativeness can promote ESE and SESE and the role of organizational capabilities and philanthropic CSR in enhancing performance among sustainable entrepreneurs.

The mediating role of organizational identification between corporate social responsibility dimensions and employee opportunistic behavior: Evidence from symmetric and asymmetric approach triangulation

ABSTRACT Hospitality studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) have largely examined its role in stimulating positive behaviors but overlooked its role in preventing negative behaviors among employees. Drawing from social identity theory, the present study addresses this gap by investigating four CSR dimensions’ impact on employee opportunistic behavior. The joint use of covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) supported examining the research model. Using two-wave data from 281 U.S. hospitality employees, SEM findings reveal that legal and philanthropic dimensions of CSR serve as a valuable shield against opportunistic behavior. Moreover, organizational identification (OI) fully mediates the effects of economic, legal, and ethical CSR on opportunistic behavior, whereas philanthropic CSR exerts no effect through OI. This study advances CSR studies by examining the CSR–opportunistic behavior nexus using combined symmetric and asymmetric approaches. FsQCA findings make a methodological contribution to the net effects of CSR, by determining two configurations that explain opportunistic behavior.

Corporate social responsibility and green behaviour: Towards sustainable food‐business development

AbstractLiterature in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has mainly focused on customers, particularly on their loyalty, behavioural intent and satisfaction. That is, the effectiveness of CSR dimensions has been less considered by scholars. Hence, this research strives to explore the effect of CSR dimensions on the green behaviour among employees of food businesses in Iran. In this vein, the mediating role of green trust and the moderating role of gender in the relationship between the CSR dimensions and the green behaviour of employees have been investigated. The samples of this research included 415 employees of food businesses and companies in Iran. The findings reveal that the CSR dimensions (economic CSR, ethical CSR and philanthropic CSR) directly and indirectly—through the mediating variable of green trust—played an important role in shaping the green behaviour of employees. In this study, the direct and indirect effects of legal CSR on green behaviour among employees were not confirmed. Furthermore, the results represent that the gender variable moderates the effect of the CSR dimensions on the green behaviour of employees, highlighting that economic CSR and ethical CSR played a prominent role in shaping the green behaviour of respectively males and females. In addition, the theoretical and practical implications of the research discussed the impact of green behaviour on producing environmentally friendly products in order to sustainable development in the food business.

Enhancing the perceived organizational support, perceived ethical-philanthropic CSR and subjective well-being: the role of ethical leadership

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of ethical leadership style on the subjective well-being of health-care workers by examining the sequential mediating effects of perceived organizational support and perceived ethical-philanthropic corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachData were collected from frontline health-care workers (i.e. doctors and nurses). Further, to cope with the response burden during the acute wave of the coronavirus pandemic, this study used split-questionnaire design for data collection.FindingsThis study’s findings fully support the hypothesized framework of the study, illustrating that ethical leadership positively influenced the subjective well-being of health-care workers. Moreover, this study found that the ethical leadership and well-being relationship is sequentially mediated by perceived organizational support and perceived ethical-philanthropic CSR.Practical implicationsThis study possesses practical implications for health-care institutions to encompass the agenda of developing ethically appropriate conduct in their administration and become genuinely concerned about health-care workers and society as well.Social implicationsBy highlighting the role of ethical leadership in participating in ethical and philanthropic CSR activities, this study possesses social implications for the well-being of health-care workers and society at large.Originality/valueA positive and strong chain of perceptions about organizational support accorded to employees specifically and society at large emerges as an important sequential mediating mechanism that helps ethical leaders in hospital administration in building subjective well-being in their followers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Corporate social responsibility of pharmaceutical industry in Korea.

Background: Global pharmaceutical companies in Korea argue that the development of innovative drugs should be recognized as a social contribution, yet it has been countered by various stakeholders. The need to distinguish between philanthropic activities and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of pharmaceutical companies and reaching consensus in the Korean context has been raised. We sought to evaluate the CSR status of Korean pharmaceutical companies and collect the stakeholders’ opinions to define philanthropic activities and CSR related to pharmaceutical companies in Korea. Methods: We conducted a literature review on the definition of CSR of pharmaceutical companies, and the CSR activities of the domestic pharmaceutical companies were compared with those of global pharmaceutical companies operating in Korea. The opinions of stakeholder groups (patient advocate groups, consumer organizations, and domestic/global pharmaceutical companies) were collected using focus group interviews (FGI) and written surveys. Results: Literature review suggested that CSR is categorized as “must do” (economic and legal responsibilities), “ought to do” (ethical responsibilities), and “can do” (philanthropic responsibilities), whereas contributions beyond the economic, legal, or ethical responsibilities can be defined as “can do” (philanthropic responsibilities). Domestic pharmaceutical companies simply adopted systems for ethical and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, which are at the “ought to do” level (ethical responsibility), whereas the headquarters of these global pharmaceutical companies established the CSR team and systematically reported on the CSR activity, including ESG management reports, which is at the “ought to do” level and further moving to the “can do” level, but the Korean branch rarely has CSR teams, and the CSR activities in Korea were also insufficient. At the FGI, the global pharmaceutical companies argued that CSR activities, such as innovative drug development, should be recognized as similar to philanthropic activities, yet stakeholders besides them suggested that those activities are “can do” rather than being philanthropic. Discussion: We found that the pharmaceutical companies in Korea are attempting to achieve the “ought to do” level (ethical responsibilities) while complying with the “must do” level (legal and economic responsibilities) yet not philanthropic activities. A social consensus regarding the philanthropic responsibilities of pharmaceutical companies in Korea was not reached.

Strategy and Function of Perfect Health's Public Relations Activities in Enhancing a Positive Image through Philanthropic Corporate Social Responsibility

Efforts to reduce poverty rate are still a highlighted issue almost in every country. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is increasing attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR) around the world, to find out the magnitude of its influence on corporate image as can be seen from its sustainable, accountable and transparent implementation. Perfect Health carries out several strategies to realize the function of Public Relations activities through CSR Philanthropy in the program "compensation for orphans, disaster donations, social action”, with the aim of influencing other people through cognitive, affective and conative aspects. The researchers use a qualitative research method approach to collect data from some relevant sources for analysis through public relations theoretical approach. Informants in this study comprise community members, philanthropic institutions, and perfect health public relations officers. Data are collected through observation, interviews, questionnaires and literature study techniques. The results show that the implementation of CSR has a positive impact on company image. Furthermore, this study proposes that CSR philanthropy helps promote positive attitudes which in turn increase people’s behavioral interests.

Analysing corporate social responsibility reports using document clustering and topic modeling techniques

Corporate social responsibility <span>(CSR) has become an imperative tool to address challenges and achieve sustainable growth. Realizing its impact to the society, companies are demanded to participate in sustainable development of which poverty eradication is one of it. The CSR practice, to date, is not strategically planned and executed especially when it comes into philanthropic corporate social responsibility (PCSR). This could be due to failure to identify categories of PCSR activities, limiting its effectiveness to achieve the intended outcomes. Thus, document clustering is proposed to be used to automate the pattern identification process. This study has extended document clustering by integrating the traditional document clustering application with topic modeling approach. This integrated approach enables the identification of the PCSR pattern. The analysis involved a three-year data from the annual report of the 25 CSR-award winning companies in Malaysia which involved several steps. Findings from this study revealed seven clusters that represented seven types of PCSR activities performed by the CSR-award winning companies in Malaysia. The findings offer an insight to be considered by companies in strategizing the CSR activities, particularly philanthropic responsibility in ensuring optimum impact to innovatively support the society and contribute towards poverty mitigation.</span>

CSR and shared value in multi-stakeholder relationships in South African mining context

PurposeMining is surrounded by controversy, in spite of corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects. This study aims to explore the theory on CSR and shared value (SV) and identified a gap in an approach to implementing CSR and SV. Perceptions of multi-stakeholder relationships in the South African mining context were elicited.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research design included 17 semi-structured interviews with 3 stakeholder groups, including members of the community, government representatives and mining management and secondary data of company documents on CSR.FindingsThe qualitative research revealed important gaps between CSR and SV theoretical frameworks, normative ethical approaches and operationalizing of these at the mine to the detriment of effective multi-stakeholder relationships.Practical implicationsMines have to engage with the community and government stakeholders proactively and build relationships.Social implicationsEthical normative approaches have to be considered. Government has to take note of this study’s findings with regards to negative consequences of institutionalized CSR for trust between mines and communities.Originality/valueThe literature review differentiates theoretically between normative and instrumental stakeholder theory, philanthropic and business case CSR, SV and their implicit normative ethical approaches. The semi-structured interviews revealed legacy issues and lack of engagement between mine and community as main barriers to multi-stakeholder relationships and raised important questions on normative ethical approaches to CSR and SV. The direct and indirect barriers by government, community and mine management are identified and differentiated.

The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance on Competitive Advantage and Business Success

This study investigates how types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices (economic, legal, ethical, philanthropic, and environmental) affect competitive advantage and business success in an emerging country. Data were collected by surveying 869 respondents from manufacturing, real estate, trade, and service sectors. The data analysis applied partial least square structural equation modeling. The results showed that ethical, legal, and philanthropic CSR initiatives have a positive effect on competitive advantage. Economic CSR practice is the only factor that affected both competitive advantage and business success. The competitive advantage also directly affected business success. Environmental CSR practice did not show a significant relationship with competitive advantage or business success. The findings of this study may be beneficial in informing managers’ decisions on CSR investment to gain competitive advantage, and in turn, business success in a developing context.

Lord, please save me from my sins! Can CSR mitigate the negative impacts of sharing economy on consumer trust and corporate reputation?

The explosive growth of Airbnb not only provides travelers with novel accommodation experiences at prices that suit their budget, but also challenges the existing regulatory and market structures. While Airbnb with its distinct peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation business model is considered a disruptive innovation in the hospitality industry, little is known about its negative side. This gap in extant literature has motivated the present study, aiming to establish whether the negative aspects of Airbnb undermine consumers' overall trust in the company and its corporate reputation, and whether this link is moderated by corporate social responsibility (CSR). Data required to answer these questions was collected via a survey in which 348 potential Airbnb users in Taiwan, selected using a nonprobability purposive sampling technique, took part. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the data. The results indicate that consumers' overall trust in Airbnb is negatively affected by various factors, ranging from legal, regulatory, and taxation issues to fake reviews/listings. The moderation analysis findings further reveal that, while the overall trust−corporate reputation link is strengthened by the environmental and philanthropic CSR, it is weakened by economic CSR, which can lead to unfavorable consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions.