Convergence or Divergence? China Invested Firms’ E&E Evaluation of CSR in Southeast Asia

Abstract

Using the 2019 China Invested Firms and Employees Survey (CIFES), this study explores the convergence of Chinese enterprise and employee (E&E) evaluation in Southeast Asian countries. The results show that convergence varies greatly across the nine Southeast Asian countries. Union organisations and economic factors play a key role in convergence. Firms with labour unions report a more effective corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance than others, while employees in the construction sector report their firms’ CSR and those in the manufacturing and service sectors. Interestingly, the number of years worked by an employee correlates positively with their perception of firms’ CSR performance.