Understanding the dynamic relationships between CSR and CSIR
Journal of Strategy and Management
ISSN: 1755-425X
Article publication date: 12 February 2021
Issue publication date: 20 October 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social irresponsibility (CSIR) co-exist within many firms. Yet, without understanding how CSR and CSIR are related, our knowledge of these concepts is incomplete. This study initiatively explores four relationships between prior CSR/CSIR and subsequent CSR/CSIR.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses the KLD database as the source of measures on CSR and CSIR. The final sample contains 1,820 firms and 14,420 firm-year observations from 1991 to 2013. The Arellano—Bond GMM estimator is used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The empirical analyses yield the following results: (1) a positive relationship between prior CSR and subsequent CSR, (2) a negative relationship between prior CSR and subsequent CSIR, (3) a positive relationship between prior CSIR and subsequent CSR and (4) a positive relationship between prior CSIR and subsequent CSIR.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides comprehensive evidence of the dynamic relationships between CSR and CSIR by incorporating multiple relationships between these variables into a single study. It also identifies key contexts that shape these relationships and identifies several promising areas of further inquiry.
Originality/value
This study is the first to examine the dynamic CSR – CSIR relationships in a single study. Most previous studies investigate either CSR or CSIR; few studies have incorporated them into one study.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership at the University of Pittsburgh, Katz/CBA School of Business. This research was also supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 71632007).
Citation
Shao, F., Murrell, A.J., Zhao, X., Zhang, K. and Hart, T.A. (2021), "Understanding the dynamic relationships between CSR and CSIR", Journal of Strategy and Management, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 545-561. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSMA-03-2020-0050
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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