What We Know and Don’t Know About Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

The authors review the corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature based on 588 journal articles and 102 books and book chapters. They offer a multilevel and multidisciplinary theoretical framework that synthesizes and integrates the literature at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels of analysis. The framework includes reactive and proactive predictors of CSR actions and policies and the outcomes of such actions and policies, which they classify as primarily affecting internal (i.e., internal outcomes) or external (i.e., external outcomes) stakeholders. The framework includes variables that explain underlying mechanisms (i.e., relationship-and value-based mediator variables) of CSR-outcomes relationships and contingency effects (i.e., people-, place-, price-, and profile-based moderator variables) that explain conditions under which the relationship between CSR and its outcomes change. The authors' review reveals important knowledge gaps related to the adoption of different theoretical orientations by researchers studying CSR at different levels of analysis, the need to understand underlying mechanisms linking CSR with outcomes, the need for research at micro levels of analysis (i.e., individuals and teams), and the need for methodological approaches that will help address these substantive knowledge gaps. Accordingly, they offer a detailed research agenda for the future, based on a multilevel perspective that aims to integrate diverse theoretical frameworks as well as develop an understanding of underlying mechanisms and microfoundations of CSR (i.e., foundations based on individual action and interactions). The authors also provide specific suggestions regarding research design, measurement, and data-analytic approaches that will be instrumental in carrying out their proposed research agenda.

Internal Corporate Social Responsibility and Performance: A Study of Publicly Traded Companies

“…Because of the socioeconomic transformations that many firms have undergone in recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has attracted increasing interest in the business and academic spheres (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012;Waddock, 2004). Several broad-ranging conceptualizations of CSR BAR, Rio de Janeiro, v. 13, n. 4, art.…”

“…Besides discussing how and when companies are socially responsible, scholars have also explored the impacts that social responsibility initiatives have on businesses themselves (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012;Campbell, 2007). Some have suggested that CSR can positively affect firms financially, by promoting improved relations with their stakeholders, thereby reducing transaction costs, production costs and certain associated risks (Barnett, 2007).…”

“…After reviewing research on the subject, Aguinis and Glavas (2012) concluded that yet very little is known about the processes through which such investments can lead to improved performance at the organizational level of analysis. Quite clearly, outlays on different areas of social responsibility (e.g., internal, environmental or philanthropic initiatives) can produce distinct outcomes in terms of costs and returns (Van der Laan, Ees, & Witteloostuijn, 2008).…”

“…: Chen & Huang, 2009), we still lack consistent research on the outcomes from outlays on specific dimensions of internal social responsibility on company performance (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012;Weber, 2008). The objective of this research is to analyze if company expenditures on internal dimensions of social responsibility can affect present and future revenue.…”

Cognitive Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study on Serum Vitamin D and Its Interplay With Glucose Homeostasis in Dutch Older Adults

“…Although it is clear that the individual level is crucial to the achievement of sustainability goals, current research in business and management literature mainly concentrates on factors affecting or enhancing sustainability performance emanating from the institutional and organisational level (see Aguinis and Glavas, 2012 for a review; Veldhuizen et al, 2013). There is a call for studies on the contribution of individuals that may affect organisational CSR-performance (Aguinis and Glavas, 2012). …”