Social Corporate Social Responsibility Research Articles

Employees’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility in a selected manufacturing enterprise in South Africa

Despite small and medium enterprises (SMEs) being the backbone of any economy, their performance is not satisfactory. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is frequently utilised to improve business sustainability and meet stakeholder responsibilities. However, literature focuses on CSR practices in larger corporations, neglecting the practice in SMEs. On the other hand, CSR research usually overlooks internal stakeholders such as employees. In order to bridge this gap, the researcher investigated internal stakeholders’ perceptions of CSR in a South African medium-sized organization located in the eThekwini municipal area, as this perspective is critical in developing a comprehensive CSR strategy. Data for this research was gathered through interviews and focus group discussions with managers and employees of the selected organization. Thematic content analysis was the primary method utilised for analysing the collected data, which was aided by NVivo 12 software for complete data processing and organization. The findings revealed that employees view CSR as a viable practice that encourages dedication and motivation to improve work performance. CSR implementation within the organization is seen as an effective motivational tool, resulting in greater output, increased staff dedication, decreased absenteeism, and increased employee turnover. The researcher argues that CSR can increase employee performance and emphasizes the necessity for SME managers to incorporate social, environmental and employee-related CSR projects into their business strategy to improve overall performance.

Strategy For Utilizing LPD CSR in Empowering Subak Sembung Farmers in Peguyangan Village

LPD continues to grow and becomes a non-bank institution with the largest assets in Bali Province. As a form of responsibility towards the local social environment, LPD profits are also allocated to social funds or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Therefore, this research describes the strategy for utilizing LPD CSR in empowering Subak Sembung farmers by studying the LPD in Peguyangan Village. The aim of this research is to find out: 1). Form of LPD CSR implementation; 2). LPD internal and external factors in utilizing LPD CSR in Peguyangan Village to empower Subak Sembung farmers; 3). Strategy for utilizing LPD CSR to empower Subak Sembung farmers. The population of this research is the Peguyangan traditional village community, and the sample was selected using a purposive random sampling technique. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews, and then analyzed using SWOT analysis. The results of this research show that part of the profits obtained by LPD are allocated to social funds or CSR. So far, the use of LPD CSR funds in Peguyangan Village has mostly been for ritual activities at the temple (Parahyangan elements) and currently the use of CSR funds has been directed to support the development of Subak Sembung ecotourism to support agricultural and economic development at the Subak and village levels. The LPD CSR utilization in the Peguyangan Traditional Village is used to support Subak Sembung ecotourism in the form of a project to repair the jogging track paving and senderan in the Subak Sembung area with 2 meters wide paving road. Several internal factors constitute the strength of the LPD in the Peguyangan Traditional Village, namely: (1) The amount of third party funds; (2) LPD credit distribution policy; and (3) The quality of human resources managing LPD. Meanwhile, several internal factors identified as weaknesses of the LPD in Peguyangan Traditional Village are: (1) Quality of LPD services; (2) LPD promotional support; (3) LPD human resource competency; and (4) Commitment and competence of LPD management. Several external factors constitute LPD opportunities in Peguyangan Traditional Village, namely: (1) Local community culture/customs; (2) The education level of the surrounding community; (3) Community attitudes; and (4) Pakraman village support. Meanwhile, several external factors identified as threats to LPD are: (1) Developments in information technology; and (2) Development of the number of financial institutions. The strategy that is currently suitable for LPD in the Peguyangan Traditional Village is the hold and maintain strategy. The implementation of this strategy is through market penetration and product development.

The dynamics of social media influencer-driven CSR advertising: The role of sponsorship disclosure and perceived similarity

ABSTRACT Drawing upon the Persuasion Knowledge Model, this study investigates the boundary conditions and psychological mechanisms aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) advertising when conveyed by social media influencers (SMI) targeting Generation Z consumers. To this end, two experiments were conducted to examine the interaction impacts of disclosure prominence (implicit vs. explicit), endorsement type (brand vs. CSR), and perceived similarity on online behavioral intentions, mediated by perceptions of manipulativeness. The findings of Study 1 revealed that implicit disclosure played a more significant role in eliciting positive behavioral intentions to SMI-CSR advertising, while the opposite results were found for SMI-brand advertising. The results of Study 2 demonstrated that explicit disclosure was less likely to generate perceived manipulativeness toward SMI-CSR ads endorsed by SMIs with low similarity. However, the level of perceived manipulativeness was similar for SMI-CSR ads by SMIs with high similarity regardless of disclosure prominence. Notably, perceived manipulativeness emerged as a significant mediator underlying these interactions in both studies. The theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.

Impact of CSR disclosure on profitability and firm performance of Malaysian halal food companies

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on the profitability and firm performance of Halal food companies in Malaysia. Applying a quintitative method, the study utilised a dynamic GMM-based statistical technique for analysing the data from 75 public-listed Halal food companies in Malaysia from 2012 to 2021.The findings highlight a substantial relationship between CSR disclosure and profitability (ROA) as well as firm performance (TBQ) of Halal food companies in Malaysia. The result showed economic, environmental, and social CSR disclosures have a significant effects on ROA and TBQ in dynamic models. The outcome of the study implies that actively engaging in economic, environmental, and social CSR practices provides with a competitive advantage, contributes to long-term viability, and attracts socially conscious investors. It also emphasises the strategic importance of comprehensive CSR strategies for encouraging positive stakeholder relationships, managing diverse aspects of sustainability, and enhancing overall business success, including employee engagement and motivation.

The good bank: preference of banking institutions based on perceptions of corporate environmental and social causes

IntroductionThis study aims to contribute to understanding factors that explain consumers' preferences for banking institutions. We specifically explored the roles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)—targeted primarily at Environmental causes and secondarily at Social causes—on corporate image (CI), consumer satisfaction (CS) and consumer loyalty (CL). We tested whether integrating a CSR description with an emphasis on environmental causes into the bank marketing strategy would positively affect CI, CS and CL. We also inspected the effect of online banking vs. direct human contact, and perception of price fairness, as well as that of the consumers' demographic variables.MethodsA survey was carried out online, with 322 international respondents recruited through social networks. Participants were randomly directed to one of eight different bank conditions, each combining descriptions where Environmental and social CSR, Price fairness, and direct human contact with the clients varied. After reading the bank description participants filled out a questionnaire that addressed their perception of the bank's CI and their projections of CS and CL.Results and discussionResults indicated that participants favored the banks that included CSR as part of their description, with the perception of price fairness being the second critical factor in the respondents' CI, CS, and CL. Direct human contact vs. remote banking did not play a role in the participant's ratings of the bank, which is in line with more current studies. We concluded that businesses in the banking sector enhance their global reputation when investing in environmental and social CSR.

The Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility among Consumers in a Developing Nation

Corporate social responsibility is getting more and more attention from academia and managers, particularly in terms of how consumers perceive and react to corporate social responsibility or CSR. Nonetheless, the majority of this research was carried out from the perspective of advanced nations. It demonstrates the need for more research on how consumers in emerging nations perceive corporate social responsibility. This study will look at the perception of consumers of Pakistan being a developing country. The study's contradictory findings imply that CSR is still an idea that has to be implemented in underdeveloped nations. Consumers often have little knowledge of and are unsupportive of CSR. This finding is contrary to consumers’ perception in developed nations, who are willing to support corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives launched by organizations.

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

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

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN RETAIL SECTOR: ARE EMPLOYEES AWARE OF WHAT THEIR EMPLOYERS ARE DOING?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR), which is the adoption of responsible business practices concerning economic, environmental, and social CSR, is an important topic among marketers aiming to develop market value with various stakeholder groups, including employees. Previous research is limited to developed market economies and has focused mainly on external stakeholder groups. This study explored South African retail employees’ awareness of their organizations’ CSR initiatives. The sample size was 229 South African retail employees, from lower-level employees up to middle and senior management. The study made use of a computer-aided self-administered survey, distributed via LinkedIn. The results indicated that lower-level employees are less aware of economic, environmental, and social CSR initiatives implemented by their organizations than those in middle and senior management, but that there was no significant difference between middle and senior managements’ levels of awareness of their organizations’ CSR initiatives. The results also indicated that employees have higher levels of awareness when it comes to internal economic CSR, external economic CSR, and external social CSR, as opposed to internal environmental CSR, external environmental CSR, and internal social CSR initiatives. The findings of the study can assist organizations to customize internal CSR communication strategies.

The Use of Management Control System in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Strategy Implementation and CSR Activities on Sustainability Reporting

Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of the relationship between CSR activities and the strategies employed to ensure their proper management in line with company objectives. Global surveys consistently rank the mining, gas and other sectors at the bottom of all sectors in terms of social and environmental performance. Therefore, companies in these sectors have no choice but to change their approach through a comprehensive understanding of their business impacts.
 
 Methodology: The method used in this study is purposive sampling, where the sample criteria include companies featured in sustainability reports, as well as companies that have incurred environmental costs in the form of environmental development program costs.
 
 Result and Conclusion: The study found that the strength of a company's management control system (MCS) plays a significant role in moderating the relationship between CSR activities and sustainable reporting. When the t-value is greater than 2.055 and the significance level (sig) is less than 0.05, the MCS variable acts as a moderator, indicating that a strong control system reinforces the relationship between CSR activities and sustainable reporting. Conversely, when the MCS is weak, the relationship between CSR strategy and sustainability reporting is also weakened.

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.

Corporate Social Responsibility Investment by Public Sector Organisations: A Systematic Literature Review

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained prominence in business studies due to the increasing awareness of its importance to firms and stakeholders. Unlike previous CSR studies, which mostly focused on private sector organizations, this study systematically reviews CSR investment by public sector organizations. The objectives include identifying empirically tested CSR dimensions, theories mostly applied in public sector organization CSR studies, theories mostly applied, the industries in which CSR-public sector studies were conducted, and areas suggested for further studies. Findings reveal that social and legal CSR dimensions were the most single-focused dimensions in CSR-public sector studies, with limited attention to economic or environmental CSR as a single dimension. However, social and environmental dimensions rank highly in terms of combined dimensions. The findings also indicate that 78% of the reviewed empirical studies adopted stakeholder theory to explain CSR investment by public sector organizations. On industrial focuses, 54% of the reviewed studies focused on more than one industry. It was also revealed that the manufacturing industry was the most investigated, while water and construction were among the least investigated sectors. Further research was suggested in understanding the impact of CSR investment on firm performance, factors influence CSR investment, use of large sample size, use of different industries and geographical areas, and the trend on CSR investment by organizations. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by establishing research gaps for future CSR investment studies in public sector organisations.

CSR Restatements: Mischief or Mistake?

ABSTRACT Using a sample of Australian Securities Exchange Ltd. (ASX) 500 firms over the 2004–2020 period, we find that contracting on corporate social responsibility (CSR) increases the likelihood of CSR restatements and that these restatements are biased toward showing improvements in CSR performance for the current period. This is especially the case when firms contract on social CSR performance measures. We also find that CEOs’ short-term incentive compensation is significantly greater when restatements result in improved comparative performance, but only for firms that contract on CSR. Overall, our results suggest that contracting on CSR is another explanation for the increasing prevalence of CSR restatements and that standard setters should address metrics and measures when formulating policies with respect to CSR reporting. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: M12; M14; M52.

Corporate social responsibility and Islamic social finance impact on banking sustainability post-COVID-19 pandemic

This study aims to explore Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Islamic Social Finance activities in Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad (BPMB) as one of the Development of Financial Institutions (DFIs) in Malaysia and their impact on sustainability post-coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (2021–2023). A semi-structured interview was conducted among the top management and employees of BPMB. Resultantly, the bank has aligned its Islamic Social Finance and CSR activities with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). Nevertheless, the impact on banking sustainability post-pandemic remains uncertain as efforts towards SDG remain at the preliminary stage. Conclusively, Islamic Social Finance and CSR are critical to enhance banking sustainability. This study provide insight to other DFIs in understanding the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Islamic Social Finance activities in achieving sustainability post pandemic.

Consumers’ response to CSR statement type in social crowding

PurposeBased on the construal level theory, this research study examines the interactive effect between social crowding and corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement type on consumers' purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted two empirical experiments on a total of 508 subjects.FindingsThere is an interactive effect between social crowding and CSR statement type on consumers' purchase intention. Specifically, in high social crowding situations, concrete CSR statements lead to consumers' higher purchase intention, while in low social crowding situations, abstract CSR statements lead to consumers' higher purchase intention. Self-construal and processing fluency play a moderating and mediating role in the mechanism.Originality/valueThis research study contributes to the theoretical understanding of the interaction between social crowding and CSR statements, enriching the field of consumer behavior research on social crowding. Additionally, it offers practical insights for enterprises on how to present CSR information in crowded situations.

Unraveling the Antecedents of CSR Authenticity in Pakistan's Textile Sector, with a Focus on the Moderating Effects of CSR Commitment

The Authenticity of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a major concern of organization and particularly the textile sector of Pakistan. This study aimed to develop a conceptual framework that shows the influential factors affecting CSR Authenticity. The theoretical foundation of this framework stems out of Triple Bottom Line Theory and Stakeholder Theory. The reliable databases and repositories of research articles were searched to find the literature for this framework that included JSOTR, SAGE, Science Direct, Emerald, Wiley and Taylor & Francis. The search of literature has furnished a conceptual framework that suggests CSR FIT, CSR Impact and CSR Competencies as CSR Attributes are predictors of CSR Authenticity. Additionally, CSR Dimensions namely Environmental CSR, Economic CSR and Social CSR also predict CSR Authenticity. Moreover, it has been identified by literature that these all predictors cast their influence by the moderating effect of CSR Commitments. Finally, the study concludes by describing limitations and significance of study with directions to academicians and policy makers.

Psychology in action: Social media communication, CSR, and consumer behavior management in banking.

In today's digitally interconnected world, social media emerges as a powerful tool, offering different opportunities for modern businesses. Not only do organizations use social media for marketing purposes, but they also endeavor to influence consumer psychology and behavior. Although prior studies indicate social media's efficacy in disseminating corporate social responsibility (CSR) communications, there remains a dearth of research addressing the impact of CSR-related messaging from banks on consumers' brand advocacy behavior (CBAB). Our study seeks to bridge this gap, exploring the CSR-CBAB relationship within the banking sector of an emerging economy. Additionally, we investigate the roles of consumers' emotions and values in mediating and moderating their CBAB, introducing two mediating factors, consumer happiness (HP) and admiration (BRAD), and moderating variable altruistic values (ATVL). Data collection involved an adapted questionnaire targeting banking consumers. The structural analysis revealed a positive correlation between a bank's CSR-related social media communications and CBAB. HP and BRAD were identified as mediators in this relationship, while ATVL emerged as a moderator. These findings hold significant theoretical and practical implications. For instance, our research highlights the indispensable role of social media in effectively conveying CSR-related information to banking consumers, subsequently enhancing their advocacy intentions.

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Willingness to Eco-Innovate among Chilean Firms

Adopting social responsibility can be a key strategy for firms to mitigate the impact of production on the environment, contributing to a more sustainable business model. Based on the triple bottom line perspective, we analyze the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on the willingness to allocate resources to eco-innovation among companies in a developing country. Firm-level data from the Fifth Longitudinal Survey of Chilean Firms are used to estimate a binary probit model for the willingness to eco-innovate and a Heckman sample-selection model for total expenditures and investment in eco-innovation. Results confirm that legal regulations and R&D efforts are drivers of eco-innovation among Chilean firms. Larger-sized and export-oriented firms also exhibit a higher willingness to eco-innovate. The main findings show a positive influence of CSR policy on the willingness to eco-innovate and on the resulting resource allocation decision. Interestingly, the evidence reveals that while financial and environmental CSR dimensions only affect the probability of adopting eco-innovation, the social CSR dimension also increases the amount firms spend on eco-innovation. This result suggests that social CSR may act as a complement to other CSR dimensions. These results are robust when controlling for firm-level specific effects under sample-selection models.

Using this DEMATEL Corporate social responsibility CSR

When discussing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in developing nations, academics and policymakers frequently ignore the perspectives of local producers. This paper fills a void in the literature by explicitly adopting a phenomenological approach and mapping the justifications offered by regional manufacturers to CSR programs in the West. To investigate this topic, data from two qualitative studies on CSR programs in Sialkot, Pakistan’s soccer ball industry were used. Previous research has presented technologies related to managing a green aircraft fleet, including retrofits, fleet renewal, and alternative biofuels, as well as opportunities to carry out retrofits and value emissions. An alternative integer program model has also been developed to optimize fleet replacement strategies within budgets. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has noted the ineffectiveness of airplane operations. Since 2005, IATA’s Green Teams have been working with airlines to reduce this inefficiency. Improved operational practices are expected to reduce emissions by 2020. Thus, more efficient operations can reduce CO2 emissions and conserve fuel. Any financial benefits from an international plan to cut airplane emissions should be set aside for environmental causes, and these profits must be partially reinvested. Only a few of the additional measures being taken to lower the emissions profile of the global aviation industry include supporting the development and use of more fuel-efficient aircraft and low-carbon, sustainable jet fuels. The Program in Science and Human Affairs at the Battelle Memorial Institute in Geneva was established between 1972 and 1976 to conduct research and address complex and interrelated problem groups using the DEMATEL (Decision-making Testing and Evaluation Laboratory) system. DEMATEL is one of the decision-making tools that employs several criteria to extract the complex structure of a problem. The DEMATEL method is widely used to identify the cause-and-effect relationships among different elements of a complex problem. The objective of DEMATEL is to scale from a complex system and the relationship between causal dimensions it is to model the understandable structure of that system. When measuring complexity, the cause-and-effect relationship of the criteria can be clearly seen. From the result it is seen that Technology (TE) the first rank where as is the infrastructure (IN) is having the lowest rank. Resulting in Technology (TE) ranked first, There Infrastructure (IN) has low rank.

The interplay between corporate social responsibility and knowledge management strategies for innovation capability development in dynamic environments

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze unexplored connections between economic, environmental and social dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and knowledge management (KM) strategies (exploration, exploitation), also considering environmental dynamism as an influencing variable on these connections. The predicted CSR-KM interplay suggests, from stakeholder and knowledge-based views of the firm, the existence of ideal configurations between CSR and KM strategies that generate differentiated impacts on companies’ innovation capabilities, especially in dynamic environments.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling by means of the partial least squares technique was used to test the study’s hypotheses after collecting survey data from Spanish companies of the renewable energy sector.FindingsThe study findings show that in highly dynamic environments, companies will tend to commit prominently in CSR, although their orientation (economic, environmental, social) and effects on innovation capabilities will depend mainly on the selected KM strategies. Social and environmental CSR are found to be highly related to KM exploration, whereas economic CSR is highly related to KM exploitation. Nevertheless, while a significant indirect effect of economic CSR by means of the KM exploitation strategy on innovation capabilities is found, the proposed indirect effect of both environmental and social CSR through the KM exploration strategy on innovation capabilities is not significant.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that company managers should be aware of the advantages of following specific paths of investment in KM and CSR initiatives in highly dynamic environments, as there is a potential payoff in terms of innovation capability improvement. The results also suggest that “good” relationships with stakeholders, built from specific CSR investments, make firms able to get valuable knowledge that it is useful to develop KM strategies for innovation capability development.Originality/valuePrevious studies do not consider the interplay between KM strategies and CSR as a catalyzer for developing a firm’s innovation capabilities. This paper contributes to the KM and innovation literatures by introducing CSR into the conversation about how to improve innovation capabilities in dynamic and sustainable industries by using configurations of KM strategies and specific CSR investments in economic, social and environmental areas.

Transparency in corporate social responsibility communication on social media

PurposeRetailers recently have started communicating their corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments to their consumers directly on social media. That is to say, CSR communication has expanded to social media that allow two-way communication, distinct from traditional CSR communication channels. As transparency has been recognised as a crucial factor influencing the effectiveness of traditional CSR communication, this study investigated its role in the social media context.Design/methodology/approachA two-level, single-factor (i.e. transparency of a mock retail company's CSR communication) between-subjects experimental design was employed, and 237 responses from an online survey were used for PROCESS macroanalysis.FindingsTransparent CSR communication was found to increase the consumers' perceived CSR credibility and attitude toward the company, which influenced consumers' subsequent purchase intention (functionalistic outcome) and intention to respond to the CSR communication (constitutive outcome). The results of the study also corroborated that consumers' level of elaboration when processing CSR communication on social media depends upon their level of concern over the social issue.Originality/valueThe study extends the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to CSR communication in the social media context by validating that consumers' level of information elaboration is determined by their level of concern over the social issue. In addition, it provides the first empirical support for the significance of transparent CSR communication on social media and explains the mechanism of transparency's influence. Transparency indirectly affects consumers' behavioural intentions by forming a favourable attitude toward a retailer. The findings can help retail practitioners communicate CSR commitments persuasively on social media. The study also integrates functionalistic and constitutive perspectives of social media CSR communication, which is notable and discussed in depth.