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CSR: UNDERTHEORIZED OR ESSENTIALLY CONTESTED?

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Csr: undertheorized or essentially contested.

Barry Mitnick , University of Pittsburgh Follow Duane Windsor , Rice University Follow Donna J. Wood , University of Northern Iowa Follow

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Academy of Management Review

In the January 2020 Academy of Management Review, associate editors Wang, Gibson, and Zander (hereafter WGZ) posed this question: "Is research on corporate social responsibility undertheorized?" They answered affirmatively, pointing to the field's initial practice orientation and arguing a subsequent lack of "theoretical foundation and coherence" sufficient "to inform practice." We disagree with WGZ on key points concerning the corporate social responsibility (CSR) field. We argue that the field is "essentially contested," not undertheorized. We suggest that the case of CSR raises the larger question of how contesting conceptual interpretations of the literature are created, sustained, and, potentially, reconciled. We characterize and discuss the essentially contesting views of CSR as "instrumental=economic CSR" and "injunctive=social CSR." We believe this characterization and discussion clarifies what exactly is contesting between these views. We note how these contesting views of CSR are generated from differing assumptions and worldviews. We discuss the factors operating in academic fields that tend to support the persistence and defense of such differences in conceptual interpretation. Finally, we offer our approach as a model for scholars to think about other concepts in management science that are also "essentially contested.".

Department of Management

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10.5465/amr.2020.0239

UNI ScholarWorks, Rod Library, University of Northern Iowa

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Mitnick, Barry; Windsor, Duane; and Wood, Donna J., "CSR: Undertheorized Or Essentially Contested?" (2021). Faculty Publications . 50. https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facpub/50

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CSR: Undertheorized or Essentially Contested?

Barry m. mitnick , duane windsor , donna j. wood.

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Editors’ Comments: Is Research on Corporate Social Responsibility Undertheorized?

2020, Academy of Management Review

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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important topic for both academics and practitioners because it potentially influences all aspects of an organization—from relationships with stakeholders to strategy to daily routines and practices. Thus, scholars have explored CSR for close to one hundred years. Prior research has been primarily conducted at the organizational and institutional levels, but has largely overlooked the individual-level of analysis, which is a major gap considering that CSR is enacted by and influences people. Recently, this gap has been addressed by an increased focus on the individual level of analysis—also known as “micro-CSR.” However, CSR is a multilevel construct, so even when focusing on the individual level, all levels need to be taken into consideration at the same time. Moreover, CSR is cross-disciplinary. Prior research has often focused on disciplines such as strategy, but fields such as psychology have much to offer—especially because CSR is con...

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This paper amis to give an overview on the topic and impact of the corporate social responsibility on employee's attitudes and behaviours (CSR), it can be noticed that different scholars still continue to look at the concept of CSR from different perspectives. In 1970, Milton Friedman was the first scholar who wrote an article regarding the responsibilities of corporations. After that academicians started to look at the concept of CSR in more details, and made a move from the general debates discussing about the legitimacy of CSR to other perspectives to get deeper understanding about the concept of CSR. But, most of the researches that have been conducted with regard to CSR were mainly focused on macro perspective with their great emphasis on the relationship between CSR initiatives and financial performance.

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A New Research Horizon for Mass Entrepreneurship Policy and Chinese Firms’ CSR: Introduction to the Thematic Symposium

• Editorial Essay
• Published: 02 July 2020
• Volume 169 , pages 603–607, ( 2021 )

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• Zhenzhong Ma 1 , 2 &
• Maoliang Bu 3 , 4 , 5  

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While China has experienced an unprecedented growth over the past decades, sustainability has become a major concern for policymakers and management practitioners. Consideration has been given to the convergence of mass entrepreneurship and innovation as a new economic driver and sustainability as a long-term economic objective. The focus of China’s economic development has moved from a resource-based expansion to a more entrepreneurial and socially responsible one. This is a timely and critical topic that captures the increasing concerns over sustainability and Chinese firms’ increased responsibility under the new governmental initiatives in fulfilling their social mandates from stakeholders at different levels. It is also a rich area for academic research but still under studied in the Chinese context. More indigenous management research on corporate social responsibility is required to adopt Chinese perspectives in conceptualizing CSR-related problems and further formulating more contextualized CSR theories, the emergence of a new research horizon.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the great support from JBE editors and staff, in particular Prof. Arno Kourula for his kind and thoughtful guidance. We thank all the authors who have submitted their papers for consideration and all the reviewers whose services are an essential part of this issue. In addition, the guest editors are thankful for the joint support of research grants awarded through DFG and NSFC (#M-0018), the Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (#19YJA630002), and the Research Innovation Fund from the Odette School of Business (#37022), and a grant from the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies (#816058), University of Windsor, Canada.

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School of Business, Nanjing Audit University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Zhenzhong Ma

Odette School of Business, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

School of Business, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Maoliang Bu

Hopkins-Nanjing Center, Nanjing, China

Ivey Business School, Western University, London, ON, Canada

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Correspondence to Zhenzhong Ma .

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Ma, Z., Bu, M. A New Research Horizon for Mass Entrepreneurship Policy and Chinese Firms’ CSR: Introduction to the Thematic Symposium. J Bus Ethics 169 , 603–607 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04549-7

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Published : 02 July 2020

Issue Date : April 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04549-7

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Creating a Corporate Social Responsibility Program with Real Impact

• Emilio Marti,
• David Risi,
• Eva Schlindwein,
• Andromachi Athanasopoulou

Lessons from multinational companies that adapted their CSR practices based on local feedback and knowledge.

Exploring the critical role of experimentation in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), research on four multinational companies reveals a stark difference in CSR effectiveness. Successful companies integrate an experimental approach, constantly adapting their CSR practices based on local feedback and knowledge. This strategy fosters genuine community engagement and responsive initiatives, as seen in a mining company’s impactful HIV/AIDS program. Conversely, companies that rely on standardized, inflexible CSR methods often fail to achieve their goals, demonstrated by a failed partnership due to local corruption in another mining company. The study recommends encouraging broad employee participation in CSR and fostering a culture that values CSR’s long-term business benefits. It also suggests that sustainable investors and ESG rating agencies should focus on assessing companies’ experimental approaches to CSR, going beyond current practices to examine the involvement of diverse employees in both developing and adapting CSR initiatives. Overall, embracing a dynamic, data-driven approach to CSR is essential for meaningful social and environmental impact.

By now, almost all large companies are engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR): they have CSR policies, employ CSR staff, engage in activities that aim to have a positive impact on the environment and society, and write CSR reports. However, the evolution of CSR has brought forth new challenges. A stark contrast to two decades ago, when the primary concern was the sheer neglect of CSR, the current issue lies in the ineffective execution of these practices. Why do some companies implement CSR in ways that create a positive impact on the environment and society, while others fail to do so? Our research reveals that experimentation is critical for impactful CSR, which has implications for both companies that implement CSR and companies that externally monitor these CSR activities, such as sustainable investors and ESG rating agencies.

• EM Emilio Marti is an assistant professor at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
• DR David Risi is a professor at the Bern University of Applied Sciences and a habilitated lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. His research focuses on how companies organize CSR and sustainability.
• ES Eva Schlindwein is a professor at the Bern University of Applied Sciences and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on how organizations navigate tensions between business and society.
• AA Andromachi Athanasopoulou is an associate professor at Queen Mary University of London and an associate fellow at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on how individuals manage their leadership careers and make ethically charged decisions.

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