Corporate social responsibility and innovation: a comparative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (5) ◽  
pp. 863-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haidi Zhou ◽  
Qiang Wang ◽  
Xiande Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Employee Involvement ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Manufacturing Industries ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Supplier Collaboration

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to examine how firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies affect their innovation performance via two mediating variables, employee involvement and supplier collaboration, and compare how this mechanism works in the service and manufacturing industries.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual model was built on stakeholder theory, the resource-based view (RBV) and service-dominant logic (SDL). Based on survey data from 686 service firms and 1,646 manufacturing firms, the hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM).FindingsThe empirical results showed that CSR positively affected service innovation and product innovation in service firms and manufacturing firms, respectively, and that these effects were positively mediated by employee involvement and supplier collaboration. However, compared with manufacturing firms, the effect of CSR on innovation performance was greater for service firms. Supplier collaboration and employee involvement also played a stronger role in service firms when mediating the relationship between CSR and innovation performance.Originality/valueBy analyzing and validating the direct and indirect effects of CSR on innovation performance in both the service and manufacturing industries, this study addressed the strategic benefit of CSR and extended research focused on the financial benefits of CSR. Therefore, its findings contribute to our understanding of sustainability and innovation issues. From a theoretical perspective, this study extended the RBV, SDL and stakeholder theory to the context of the CSR-innovation relationship, and showed that firms could align CSR and innovation initiatives to achieve strategic synergy. It also revealed the similarities and differences between service and manufacturing firms regarding the mechanism through which CSR affects innovation.

From corporate social responsibility activities to financial performance: role of innovation and competitive advantage

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoor Zahid ◽  
Hina Naeem ◽  
Iqra Aftab ◽  
Sajawal Ali Mughal
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the effect of corporate social responsibility activities (CSRA) of the firm on its financial performance (FP) and analyze the mediating role of innovation and competitive advantage (CA) in the relationship between CSRA and FP in the manufacturing sector of an emerging country, i.e. Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach Data has been collected through an electronic structured questionnaire from 300 middle-level and top-level managers by surveying different manufacturing firms of Gujranwala, Pakistan. The study’s hypotheses have been checked by analyzing the reliability and validity of data and applying confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling through statistical package for the social sciences and analysis of moment structures. Findings Outcomes of this study supported the hypothesized model. It has been found that the CSRA plays a significant positive role in determining the FP of the firm. Furthermore, the CA and innovation have been proved as significant mediators between CSRA and FP. Originality/value The first time examining the intermediation of innovation and CA in the relationship between CSRA and FP is the primary input of this study to the literature. Practically, this study’s findings will help strategy makers of manufacturing firms in emerging countries develop better strategies for implementing CSRA, enhancing innovation, seeking CA and improving FP.

Corporate social responsibility and service innovation on customer loyalty

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying-Pin Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Service Innovation ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wealth Management ◽  
Relationship Value ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – Customer loyalty is crucial for firms to generate positive returns. Creation of customer loyalty is a challenge for service firms because switching service firms can represent a risk. The purpose of this paper is to examine how wealth managers select and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) and service innovation strategies to influence customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the related literature indicated that scant studies have determined the meanings and outcomes of CSR and service innovation. Therefore, the roles of CSR and innovation were examined in this study to evaluate how these factors affect customer loyalty in a wealth management context. The authors evaluated customer advocacy, relationship quality, and relationship value as mediating variables, and formulated six hypotheses. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey distributed to wealth management customers in Taiwan. All the hypotheses were verified using a structural equation model and data collected from the respondents. Findings – The results indicated that relationship quality and value are positively related to customer loyalty, and customer advocacy is positively related to both relationship quality and value. In addition, CSR and service innovation are positively related to customer advocacy. Research limitations/implications – This research was limited to collecting data related to specific service providers, and therefore consumers in other countries should be examined to test the robustness of the theoretical model. The results of analyses conducted on other industries and in other countries might differ. Practical implications – In the wealth management service context, CSR and service innovation capabilities contribute to customer advocacy, which can achieve superior relationship quality, relationship value, and customer loyalty. Originality/value – This paper contributes to investigations on the effect of CSR and service innovation on customer loyalty by adopting customer advocacy, relationship quality, and relationship value as mediators.

scholarly journals An empirical exploration of the link between reporting to stakeholders and corporate social responsibility reputation in the Spanish context

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 668-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pérez ◽  
Carlos López ◽  
María del Mar García-De los Salmones
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Complete Information ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Corporate Reporting ◽  
The Media ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Based on the principles of stakeholder theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the information reported to stakeholders in corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports and companies’ CSR reputation (CSRR). Design/methodology/approach The paper implements two regression models to test how reporting to stakeholders influences the CSRR of 84 companies included in the Spanish “MercoEmpresas Responsables” reputation index. Findings The results demonstrate that greater global reporting intensity to stakeholders does not necessarily mean a better CSRR. Contrarily, the reporting-reputation link depends on the intensity of reporting to specific stakeholders such as investors, regulators and the media. The findings are explained largely by the institutional, political and business characteristics of Spain after the Great Recession of 2007-2008. Research limitations/implications The evidence reported in this paper confirms stakeholder theory as an adequate framework to understand corporate reporting to stakeholders and its relationship with CSRR. The findings suggest that stakeholder salience (i.e. power, legitimacy and urgency) is a key concept for understanding the reporting-reputation link better in future research. Practical implications In the light of the findings, companies willing to use reporting to stakeholders as a tool to improve CSRR should establish regular mechanisms for monitoring stakeholder power, legitimacy and urgency, provide complete information to investors in their CSR reports and minimize the amount of detail provided to regulators and the media in their CSR reports. Originality/value There is still little empirical evidence concerning how the information to stakeholders contained in CSR reports influences the processes by which CSRR is built or destroyed. This paper contributes to the previous literature by describing how the global intensity of reporting to stakeholders and the intensity of reporting to different stakeholder groups relate to CSRR.

Why Chinese entrepreneurial firms selectively perform corporate social responsibility issues?

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihong Song ◽  
Qiang Liang ◽  
Yuan Lu ◽  
Xinchun Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contingency Model ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Based on the stakeholder theory, this study aims to investigate Chinese entrepreneurial firms’ selective satisfaction of Stakeholder demands on corporate social performance (CSP). Design/methodology/approach This study uses the survey data from privately owned companies in China, which is collected by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce in three years of 2006, 2008 and 2010. Findings This paper suggests a contingency model of CSP: entrepreneurial firms selectively perform corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues rather than all CSP dimensions. Furthermore, this study illustrates that international operations, such as overseas exports, would strengthen the above positive relationships between foreign ownership and selected CSR issues. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of CSR activities in Chinese entrepreneurial firms, which are more selective when performing social issues. In addition to the theoretical contribution, this work suggests a contingency model to the stakeholder theory, indicating the moderating factors to the entrepreneurial firms’ motivation to perform specific social responsibilities.

Development of international corporate social responsibility framework and typology

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Som Sekhar Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Resource Based View ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework on international corporate social responsibility (ICSR). This ICSR framework would help portray the nature and process of internationalization of CSR activities of a firm. Further, this review paper presents a typology on the internationalization of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities of a firm. Design/methodology/approach In this conceptual review paper, the author based upon inputs from a diverse set of the extant literature on international business strategy, resource-based view, stakeholder theory, strategic planning and implementation applied logical argumentation incrementally and sequentially to develop the ICSR framework and subsequently ICSR typology (consisting of archetypes). Findings This conceptual review paper offers a novel and rich theoretical perspective on an integrated framework on ICSR. This expands the extant theoretical knowledge boundaries on internationalization of CSR. Further, the proposed ICSR framework not only provides insight into the process of internationalization of CSR but also on typology regarding the nature of internationalization of CSR activities of a firm. Research limitations/implications There are two major theoretical contributions. First, this is one of the first integrated frameworks on ICSR that encompasses perspectives from diverse literature domains such as business environment, stakeholder theory, resource-based view, bounded rationality, bounded reliability, strategy planning and strategy execution. The second major theoretical contribution is towards categorization of firm international CSR activities based on CSR characteristics and mechanisms of deployment. The author prescribed four typologies for ICSR based upon variances in CSR perspective and CSR management. This ICSR categorization or archetypes is also a theoretical contribution. Practical implications The International Corporate Social Responsibility (ICSR framework developed would help both strategy and CSR managers to design ICSR programs and CSR activities of a firm based on a firms’ transferable resources and capabilities, replicable organizational process and activities, strategic focus and expected organizational benefits. Originality/value This is the first scholarly work on developing an integrated ICSR framework and ICSR typology (read archetypes). In this review paper, a holistic but comprehensive theoretical perspective on strategy and typology of ICSR has been provided. CSR and strategy managers for the first time would have a tool to design and manage firm international CSR initiatives in an effective and efficient manner.

Corporate social responsibility and employee engagement: can CSR help in redressing the engagement gap?

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richa Chaudhary
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of employees’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions on their engagement level at work. In addition, the study looks into the contingencies of the relationship by proposing and examining gender as moderator of the proposed relationship. Design/methodology/approach The study sample consisted of 187 business professionals from both public and private sector manufacturing and service firms operating in India. The study uses a non-experimental correlational field study design. The data were collected with the help of self-administered questionnaires via both personal visits to the organizations and internet-based questionnaire using snowball sampling. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings The study results clearly underscore the potential of firm’s involvement in CSR activities in influencing the employee attitude and behaviour at work. However, the study findings failed to show any significant effect of interaction between CSR and gender on employee engagement. Practical implications Given the positive association of CSR with employee engagement irrespective of gender differences as reflected in the study results, CSR can actually be used across the organizations as tool for talent management. Originality/value The study bridges the macro-micro divide and addresses to the need for micro level research in CSR stream by examining the influence of CSR perceptions on work engagement level of employees. The study advances existing body of knowledge beyond developed Western economies by exploring the strategic value of CSR in India, which presents a unique cultural context to look at.

The key to carving out a high corporate reputation based on innovation: corporate social responsibility

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Mattera ◽  
Veronica Baena
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Supply Chain ◽  
Supply Chain Management ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Intangible Assets ◽  
Chain Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to analyze how corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects a firm’s value added. Specifically, through a combination of Stakeholder Theory and specific concept within the Innovation Theory framework (called Social Innovation Capital), this work explores the relation between effective stakeholder management and how marketable innovation production affects a company’s possibility of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. By doing so, new insights on CSR management to gain competitive advantage are provided. Design/methodology/approach – The present study analyzes the role of a firm’s international presence, and the company’s social commitment initiatives as drivers of the enterprise’s corporate intangible assets. A company’s reputation has also been considered as a control variable. To achieve this goal, the Spanish market was analyzed. Specifically, those Spanish companies who had the highest reputation in the global reputation pulse and showed the highest level of brand awareness, according to the latest report published by the Forum of Leading Spanish Brands, were considered. Findings – Findings show that companies including their stakeholders’ interests in the knowledge-creation and innovation process are able to enhance their intangible assets and thus the capitalization of such knowledge. Similarly, firms with international presence have a large number of global stakeholders, which also evidences a positive relation with its intangible assets. By honoring the social contract, firms benefit from stakeholders while contributing to social welfare, creating a win–win situation. Originality/value – This study categorizes how intangible assets can be increased through stakeholder’s involvement and firm’s international presence. Consequently, researchers studying business strategy can incorporate these variables as key elements in strategic planning. Scholars in fields of information systems, operations management, knowledge or supply chain management can also evaluate the inclusion of corporate social responsibility into their studies to evaluate how it reflects on tangible assets, production process, supply chain management or the knowledge production life cycle. Moreover, this work illustrates the convenience of using Innovation Theory in conjunction with the Stakeholder Theory to analyze a firm’s intangible assets enhancement.

scholarly journals Breadth of external knowledge search in service sectors

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragana Radicic
Keyword(s):  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Single Type ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Knowledge Sources ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Knowledge ◽  
Process Innovations ◽  
Knowledge Search ◽  
Product And Process

PurposeThere is a dearth of empirical research on the impact of external knowledge search on innovation performance in different categories of service firms. This study explores the effectiveness of the breadth of external search on product and process innovations in German firms. In particular, the author modelled a non-linear relationship between the breadth of knowledge and product and process innovations.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the Mannheim Innovation Panel (MIP) data for the German service firms in the period 2014–2016, the author reported findings from a bivariate probit model which took into account mutual interdependence between product and process innovations. Moreover, the model was separately estimated for knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) and other services. For comparative purposes, the author also estimated the model for manufacturing firms.FindingsEmpirical findings uniformly indicated an inverted U-shaped effect of the breadth of knowledge on both product and process innovations. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that using up to three knowledge sources increases the probability of a joint implementation of product and process innovations. These findings hold for both KIBS firms and other services. However, those service firms that focussed on a single type of innovation experienced diminishing returns to external knowledge when exploiting more than one source of knowledge. These results indicated that a simultaneous introduction of different types of innovation required diverse knowledge sources. In contrast, when focussing on a single type of innovation, service firms experienced diminishing returns when multiple sources were used. However, this finding was only partially found for manufacturing firms. Accordingly, this study’s findings provided support for the demarcation approach, insofar as the breadth of knowledge had a heterogenous impact on innovation in manufacturing relative to service firms.Originality/valuePrevious studies on the breadth of knowledge search mostly examined its influence on innovation performance without separately analysing manufacturing and service firms. The present study focussed on service firms that were further divided into KIBS and other service firms. By investigating potentially non-linear relationships between knowledge breadth and product and process innovations, it illustrated how different innovation strategies were affected by a diverse pool of external knowledge sources.

Proactive and reactive corporate social responsibility: antecedent and consequence

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 451-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ching-Hsun Chang
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Product Innovation ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Green Product ◽  
Manufacturing Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Green Product Innovation ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an original framework to explore corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays a mediation role between green organizational culture and green product innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach – This study divides CSR into proactive CSR and reactive CSR. This research employs an empirical study by means of the questionnaire survey method to verify the hypotheses and to explore its managerial implications in Taiwanese manufacturing companies. Structural equation modeling is applied to verify the research framework. Findings – The empirical results verify that green organizational culture positively affects proactive CSR and green product innovation performance. This study shows that proactive CSR mediates the positive relationship between green organizational culture and green product innovation performance, but reactive CSR does not. Green organizational culture is a driving force for proactive CSR and green product innovation performance. Organizational members in Taiwanese companies are exposed to green organizational culture which influences CSR activities. Moreover, this study verifies that proactive CSR of large companies are significantly higher than those of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Research limitations/implications – There are three limitations of this study. First, this study verifies the hypotheses by means of questionnaire survey which only includes cross-sectional data. Second, this study utilize self-reported data may suffer the problems of common method variance. Third, this study applies a “five-point Likert scale” ranging from 1 to 5 to measure the constructs. Future research can apply a “seven-point Likert scale” to measure the constructs and compare with this study to test the significance of the variability of the data. There are two implications emerging from the study. First, proactive CSR has a positive effect on green product innovation performance, but reactive CSR does not. Second, green organizational culture is a driving force for proactive CSR and green product innovation performance. Originality/value – This study summarizes the literature of CSR into a new managerial framework and highlights the importance of proactive CSR. Therefore, green organizational culture cannot only affect green product innovation performance directly, but also influence it indirectly via proactive CSR in the Taiwanese manufacturing industry. Taiwanese manufacturing companies can increase their green organizational culture and proactive CSR to enhance their green product innovation performance. This study also explores that proactive CSR of large companies are significantly higher than those of SME.

How does organizational learning contribute to corporate social responsibility and innovation performance? The dynamic capability view

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peivand Ghasemzadeh ◽  
Seyed Mahdi Rezayat Sorkhabadi ◽  
Abbas Kebriaeezadeh ◽  
Jamal Aldin Nazari ◽  
Mandana Farzaneh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Innovative organizations are increasingly facing challenges in a dynamic market to address corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues; however, research on how organizational learning (OL) contributes to organizations’ social responsibility and innovation remains sparse. This study aims to bridge the gap in previous research and examines how OL and dynamic capabilities (DCs) act as drivers of CSR performance (CSRP) and innovation performance. Design/methodology/approach This study is survey-based and uses time-lagged, multisource data from 151 pharmaceutical industry-related companies in Iran. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the validity of the measurement model and hierarchical regression was used to test the key hypotheses. Findings DCs mediate the relationship between OL and CSRP. Moreover, CSRP significantly mediates the relationship between OL and innovation. Originality/value Drawing on the perspective of DCs, this research is among the first to offer new insights in a new context on what antecedent conditions lead to the successful implementation of organizational CSRP and how CSRP would, in turn, lead to subsequent innovation performance improvement.

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