Complacency is almost archaic in the knowledge economy, because firms are overwhelmingly confronted with diverse expectations from better informed stakeholders, who pressure on societal issues amid shareholders’ calls for greater financial security. Similarly, there is a growing call for corporations to redefine their responsibilities to stakeholders, and to integrate socio-economic and environmental concerns into business processes and strategies in order to transparently impact on societies. In a bid to support mutually beneficial relationships, this paper shows how stakeholder theory proactively moderates the strength of CSR in social interactions, environmental protection, and sustainable development. It proposes a four-stage stakeholder dialogue ladder which attempts to synergize CSR, stakeholder and stakeholder theory based on the stages as defined by the firm’s extent of development, and her regularity and intensity of interaction with stakeholders. The paper argues that subject to the problem to solve, the languages of CSR and stakeholder theory are useful and that, the dichotomies of covering wrongdoing and creating falsehoods could be addressed when firms adopt stakeholder dialogue and collaboration that aid friendly CSR programmes. Thus, the relationship turns that of dyadic partnership, because corporations follow issue or purpose-based CSR programmes that create values that trickle to interdependent stakeholders. In sum, corporations need to continually get committed to environmentally-sensitive CSR since there is a strong relationship between CSR activities, stakeholders and actual performance.
Abstract It is important to understand the relative importance of business ethics and social responsibility in determining brand attitudes. However, there has been a failure in prior research to differentiate between attitudes toward business ethics and CSR. This research reviews customer-brand research related to business ethics and social responsibility and conducts a study to evaluate customer attitudes. Four scenarios offer variations in company behaviors related to positive and negative conduct of customer social responsibility and business ethics. Study findings from a panel of 351 respondents provide new insights related to a customer's expectations and perceptions of company CSR and business ethics behavior. We conclude that although CSR attitudes remain important, customers value business ethics as a critical behavior in their perceptions of brand attitudes.
The global health, economic, and social impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic are growing day by day. Over the past few months, first China, and now the whole world has been grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in businesses, employees, customers, communities, and each other. The people worldwide are strongly committed to working together and supporting each other in every way possible during this critical period filled with fear and uncertainty. Grounded on stakeholder theory and corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature, the study attempts to explore business responses to the COVID-19 pandemic to support its vital stakeholders such as employees, customers, communities, and society as a whole through CSR initiatives. The study based on the contemporary phenomenon considered multi-items as data sources such as press releases, newsletters, and letters to shareholders, which were retrieved from the top 25 (the sample) corporations of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens-2019 (the population) in the United States’ respective websites on the internet. The outcomes of this research report that sampled companies show respect to their employees and focus on stewardship relations between corporations and customers and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will have a significant theoretical application and practical implication on business duty to society and future research on CSR as a strong arm to deal with a critical disaster like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Employees' behavior and corporate social responsibility (CSR) can affect firms’ profitability and increase the corporate economic burden. This current research endeavors to explore how business firms navigate employees' technology-driven behavior and CSR sustainable practices for tax avoidance to affect firms’ performance. This study examines how CSR sustainable practices moderate the relationship between employees' behavior and tax avoidance to achieve sustainable business performance. The study incorporated the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) for the purpose of data analysis using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique that is suitable for this sample size. The study’s target population is employees of small and medium enterprises located in Pakistan. The study has drawn a sample of employees and applied a convenience sampling technique. The findings show that tax avoidance, employee behavior, and corporate social responsibility positively affect business firms’ performance. The results further indicate that sustainable CSR practices significantly moderate tax avoidance’s effect on business firms’ performance. However, there is no condition to identify the relationship between employee behavior and firm performance. In theory, this research contributes to the corporate strategy literature by answering how corporate social responsibility sustainable practices mediate the relationship between tax avoidance, employees' behavior, and sustainable business performance. It shows that socially responsible organizations will engage less in tax avoidance behaviors. The results exhibit that the study provides a systematic, holistic framework to attain sustainable firms’ performance. The findings' generalizability offers future direction with helpful insights for business managers and policymakers.
Abstract This study investigates how business strategy moderates the effect of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on over-investment. We provide new evidence on the moderating effect of business strategy between CSR and over-investment. Using a sample of over 3000 US firms with 14,375 observations for the period 1996–2016, we show that high CSR involvement firms tend to over-invest. We demonstrate that both Defend and Prospect strategies can mitigate over-investment by interacting with high CSR firms. The Defend strategy effect on over-investment CSR firms is more pronounced for non-immorality stressed and non-high tech industry firms. We find that the strategy's moderating effect is channeled through agency problems and information asymmetry. The results show that business strategy plays an important role in shaping firms' investment behavior and efficiency.
ABSTRACT Small businesses differ from larger corporations in their approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) due to their unique reliance on the personal values of owner/managers. This study employs an abductive research methodology to explore the depth and relative influence of these personal values, in contrast to business motivations, on their social responsibility, through 38 semi‐structured interviews with owner‐managers of small businesses. Our key finding lies in demonstrating that transcending the purely economic‐focused responsibilities toward broader social change requires self‐transcendent values embedded in business orientation; otherwise, such values informing small business social responsibility (SBSR) might be traded off against other business motivations. This work expands SBSR theory, highlighting policy strategies and practical implications for small businesses, which can inform proactive SBSR that goes beyond compliance and economic responsibility.
Nur Zeina Maya Sari, Tanty Sondari, R. Nana Hadiana
This study examines the influence of entrepreneurial attitude on tax compliance among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia, with financial reporting compliance as a mediating variable and religiosity and patriotism as moderators. A survey of 500 MSME owners in West Java, Central Java, and East Java was conducted. The results show that a strong entrepreneurial attitude, which is marked by proactiveness and responsibility, positively affects tax compliance. Financial reporting compliance significantly mediates this relationship, as orderly financial reporting leads to better tax compliance. Additionally, religiosity and patriotism strengthen the link between entrepreneurial attitude and tax compliance, as business owners who uphold moral and national values are more likely to fulfill their tax obligations. These findings offer practical implications for policymakers, highlighting the need to enhance financial literacy, promote ethical entrepreneurship, and provide tax education grounded in social and national values.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reporting has evolved from voluntary disclosure to a strategic component of business practice, shaped by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda. This study systematically reviews literature published between 2017 and 2025, applying the PRISMA methodology to identify the determinants of CSR reporting across developed and developing economies. Results highlight that in developed countries, disclosure is driven by regulatory enforcement, strong governance, and stakeholder activism, whereas in developing countries it is shaped by institutional fragility and external pressures from NGOs and multinational partners. Common determinants, including firm size, stakeholder expectations, and financial performance, influence CSR across contexts. However, challenges such as symbolic compliance and greenwashing remain prevalent, particularly in less regulated environments. The paper contributes to academic and policy debates by clarifying cross-contextual differences, emphasizing the need for robust governance and verification tools, and offering practical implications for firms, regulators, and investors seeking to enhance reporting quality and sustainability outcomes.
Abstract This paper offers a comprehensive social network and thematic map clustering analysis on the intersection of sustainability and startups, with a focus on evolving trends and key contributors in this interdisciplinary field. As sustainability becomes integral to business strategy, startups are positioned as drivers of innovation in addressing environmental and social challenges. This research explores over 9000 publications from 2000 to July 2024, identifying emerging themes, growth patterns, and notable research clusters. Key findings highlight the role of sustainability-focused business models and the impact of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in advancing circular economy practices. The study emphasizes future research opportunities that enhance our understanding of sustainable entrepreneurship, particularly in areas like social innovation and corporate social responsibility.
Purpose: The main purpose of this article was to identify and evaluate selected aspects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) of ICT companies in Poland, such as CSR-related standards and norms, socially responsible activities in the area of employees, and mechanisms to prevent violations of the law and unethical behaviour.
Methodology: the CAWI-type survey was conducted in July-August 2022. The subject of the survey were software houses (Polish and international) operating in Poland.
Results: The survey showed that issues such as human capital development, business ethics and compliance, and risk and crisis management are of key importance to the operation of the surveyed companies now and in the future.
Conclusions and recommendations: Most of the surveyed entities equated CSR with philanthropic responsibility, and few ICT companies linked CSR with economic responsibility. The analysis of engagement in the employee area showed the high importance given to diversity, equality and inclusion. A limitation of the study was its focus on a few selected aspects of CSR, which did not provide a complete picture of ICT companies’ socially responsible activities. It is worth investigating pro-environmental activities in the future.
Originality/value: The rationale for the study was that ICT companies operating in Poland are poorly diagnosed in terms of their CSR. The results of the study may be of value to ICT companies in the context of diagnosing their CSR maturity.
This study explores the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in enhancing customer relationships within the food industry. It examines how CSR strategies and practices influence consumer trust, satisfaction, and loyalty, while addressing the growing expectations for ethical and sustainable business operations. The research identifies key consumer expectations regarding social and environmental responsibility and analyzes successful CSR initiatives implemented by leading companies in the sector. Furthermore, the study evaluates the impact of these initiatives on customer engagement and long-term relationships. Challenges faced by enterprises in adopting and maintaining effective CSR practices are also discussed, including resource constraints, regulatory compliance, and communication barriers. Based on the findings, practical recommendations are proposed to improve CSR implementation and align it with evolving consumer values. The paper concludes by outlining future trends and opportunities for leveraging CSR as a strategic tool to strengthen customer relationships and drive sustainable growth in the food industry.
The paper proposes an approach to the integrated assessment of the social responsibility of EU countries with a combination of data from three international indices most relevant to the monitoring of social responsibility at the macroeconomic level: the Global Sustainable Competitiveness Index, the Sustainable Development Goals Index and the Social Progress Index. Applying the method of taxonomic analysis on the example of index values for EU countries, we assessed the differences and leaders in ensuring social responsibility. The authors do not consider country-level social responsibility only as a consequence of the development of responsible practices at all levels. Taking into account that social responsibility should be a prerequisite for expanding opportunities in all spheres, in particular, in business, the authors conducted a correlational analysis of the relationship between the taxonomic indicator of social responsibility and the development of innovative business. As a result, we confirmed significant connections with “Business sophistication” indicators (as part of the Global Innovation Index) and the share of innovative firms of total SMEs (according to OESD statistics). The obtained results strengthen the grounds for considering social responsibility not only as an important socially oriented concept, but also as a reliable basis for the development of innovative business due to the created comfortable institutional environment of business development.
Investment to reduce flood risk for social and economic wellbeing requires quantitative evidence to guide decisions. Direct and indirect flood damages at individual household and business building levels were assessed in this study using multivariate analysis with three groups of flood damage attributes, i.e., flood characteristics, socioeconomic conditions, and building types. A total of 172 and 45 respondents from residential and commercial buildings were gathered through door-to-door interviews at areas in Peninsular Malaysia that were pre-identified to have frequently flooded. Two main findings can be drawn from this study. First, flood damage is greatly contributed by high-income households and businesses, despite them being less exposed to floods than low-income earners. This supports the current use of mean economic damage in engineering-based flood intervention analysis. Second, indirect damages increase with the increase in family size, indicating the importance of strengthening preparedness and social support to those with great social responsibility. Overall, the study highlights the importance of holistic flood management accounting for both direct and indirect losses.
HIGHLIGHTS
National flood damage is greatly contributed by high-income households and businesses, despite them being less exposed to floods than low-income earners, suggesting that the least mean economic damage is used in engineering-based flood intervention analysis.;
Indirect damages increase with the increase in family size, thus requiring a greater investment for the socially vulnerable group.;
This introduction to the Thematic Collection on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tracks the evolution of CSR research published in the Journal of Management Studies from 2006 until 2021. Alongside the mainstreaming of CSR within management studies, CSR research in JMS has progressed from a business-centric to a society-centric focus. The business-centric focus centres on the financial implications of CSR on business firms, and advocates CSR to the extent that it leads to improved financial performance or some other competitive advantage for the firm. The society-centric focus asks broader questions about the appropriate role and location of business in society and its political and institutional contexts, and it reflects a wider set of variables of interest beyond firm financial performance. Understanding this evolution is crucial because it helps to elucidate where CSR research is headed and how the role of business in society is conceptualised. Based on these developments, I outline three emergent avenues for future research: the reintegration of governments as important actors shaping CSR, the need to reorient the dependent variables used in CSR research toward tangible social and ecological outcomes, and the importance of CSR research tackling interrelated societal crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
Tohid Ghanbarpour, Lawrence Crosby, Michael D. Johnson
et al.
The authors explore two important topics related to this special issue. One is how corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities impacts stakeholders, more specifically customers and shareholders/investors. Second is understanding customer recognition and demand for CSR activities. Insight into these topics is gained through the study of contextual differences in this value creation. Previous studies suggest that two important contextual differences have the potential to impact CSR-based value creation, the product versus service nature of the firm and whether the firm operates primarily in a business-to-business (B2B) versus business-to-consumer (B2C) channel. The lower innovative capabilities of service firms and the relative intangibility of services should hamper the impact of CSR activities in service versus product contexts. The impact should be higher, however, in a B2B versus B2C context based on the need for greater organizational alignment, adaptation, and relationship-specific investments. Results from a large-scale secondary dataset reinforce prior findings that CSR activities influence firm value through customer satisfaction. Moreover, the results reveal that this effect is weaker for service (vs. product) firms and stronger for B2B (vs. B2C) firms. The findings offer important implications for marketing theory and practice. Graphical Abstract
Objective: In India, incorporating structural transformation in corporate social responsibility for achieving sustainable development goals in the Covid-19 Pandemic has become a priority. Therefore, the present article aims to review the corporate social responsibility activities conducted by Nine Indian companies (two public sector organizations and seven private sector organizations) towards attaining Sustainable Development Goals in times of global pandemic. To explore CSR activities performed by the Indian companies (both public and private) in recent times of crisis of covid-19. To assess the impact of Covid-19 on the economic, social, and technological environment of Indian Companies in recent times. Method: For our research, we chose India since it was one of the earliest and worst-hit countries during the recent pandemic. Even though huge Asian corporations are a minority, It is a good fit for our study goal for various reasons. Less and medium-sized businesses, on the other hand, have a far smaller influence on society, Due to their prominence in the press, clients or consumers are more likely to provide feedback if they are proactive. As a second point, major companies have greater resources (e.g., human and financial) to spend on reporting and distributing social and environmental information. The existing study applied bibliometric analysis in the exploratory research. The data collection done through secondary sources in which articles extracted with the use of PRISMA flowchart. Result: The study's findings state that most selected Indian Companies spend Rupees 50-1000 crores as corporate social responsibility activities and contribute to the Pradhan Mantri Relief Fund as a business response to face challenges in times of pandemic. Moreover, private companies spend more on CSR activities than public companies in India. The study provides suggestions to the government to make the corporate social responsibility activities compulsory for all the profitable companies so that country can maintain a corporate pool of contingent funds that can utilize to meet such times of critical circumstances. Conclusion: Companies are taking steps to ensure the safety and protection of their personnel. This has been reflected in corporate social responsibility initiatives as well. Corporate social responsibility efforts must include pushing for and facilitating access to health insurance programmes and other equity indicators as a result.
Abstract Using a representative sample of more than 5,000 Vietnamese enterprises, we explore the firm-level productivity effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The data enables us to create 12 quantitative CSR measures, which can be grouped into two broader categories related to management and community-based CSR initiatives. We find a positive relationship between adoption of CSR initiatives and firm efficiency, and reveal that the impact is stronger for firms in non-competitive industries. Moreover, we show that local community focused CSR initiatives drive the aggregate effect. This suggests that socially responsible actions by firms are likely to pay-off when stakeholder engagement has a localised focus. We provide evidence of reciprocity by showing that employees accept a lower share of additionally generated value-added (controlling for productivity differences) in exchange for working in a company that signals ‘good’ corporate values.
The article aims to substantiate the relationship between the components of corporate social responsibility in business (CSR) during the economic integration of the GUAM member countries on the principles of sustainable development. We used the questioning to determine the structural elements of CSR of the GUAM member countries and econometrically analyzed the level of development of CSR for each country. The GUAM countries' hierarchical structure of CSR business was established using the Granger causality test and the graph method. This study proves that in times of crisis, along with economic responsibility, a fundamental role is played by national responsibility in ensuring justice, equality, and peace (for Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova). And in the conditions of a full-scale war (in the example of Ukraine), national responsibility, responsibility in ensuring justice and equality, and peace are more significant than economic responsibility. The conclusions obtained are practical and may help develop strategies for effective economic cooperation between countries within the framework of GUAM.
Bakri Hasanuddin, Hera Sucia Ramadhani, Rizki Perdana
et al.
"Sustainable Business Practices: Integrating Environmental and Social Responsibility into Management Strategies" delves into the imperative shift toward sustainable practices within contemporary business management. The article explores the integration of environmental and social responsibility into organizational strategies, highlighting the evolving role of businesses in addressing environmental challenges and contributing positively to society. The background of the research underscores the growing recognition of the impact of business activities on the environment and society. This awareness has led to an increased emphasis on sustainable business practices as a means to balance economic goals with environmental and social concerns. The research gap lies in the need for a comprehensive understanding of how organizations effectively integrate sustainability into their management strategies. The urgency of this research is grounded in the critical need for businesses to adopt responsible practices that go beyond profit maximization. The article reviews previous studies to identify successful cases of sustainable business models, examining the challenges faced by organizations and the innovative approaches they adopt to embed sustainability into their core operations. The novelty of the article lies in its in-depth analysis of sustainable business practices, exploring the strategies employed by organizations to address environmental concerns, ensure social responsibility, and maintain economic viability. It discusses the role of leadership, stakeholder engagement, and the implementation of green technologies in achieving sustainable business outcomes. The objective of the research is to provide valuable insights for businesses, policymakers, and academics interested in promoting sustainable practices. The study aims to contribute to the development of practical frameworks for integrating environmental and social responsibility into business strategies, fostering a sustainable and ethical business landscape. Overall, the article seeks to inspire positive change within the business sector and contribute to a more sustainable and responsible global economy.