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This large‐scale exploratory research explores the manner in which various organizational types view their social obligations in terms of the tradeoffs (or potential symbioses) between economic and non‐economic (social) goals. Historically, this issue has been researched only in the context of business firms. Given the increased scope and visibility of nonprofit organizations, it becomes particularly relevant to explore a broad range of organizational types. To proceed with this research, this study proposes a 5‐class typology describing the organizational spectrum from the fully for‐profit to the fully nonprofit organizations. This paper also contributes to the emerging empirical research stream in the area by undertaking a systematic assessment of the way in which all organizational types value their economic versus social orientations as gauged by several measures. Across the two top executive levels, a regular progression of statistically significant differences are found between the five organizational types with respect to their social and economic orientations. A by‐product of this research is that we reveal how the economic or social orientation of organizations can be systematically investigated by undertaking large‐scale empirical studies with appropriately designed research instruments.

Increased public scrutiny and stakeholder pressure have given more importance to strategic corporate social responsibility (SCSR) and its three dimensions – orientation, process and value creation. At the same time, they provide banks the inspiration needed to pursue business goals, attain positive performances and communicate their social responsibility efforts. This paper analyses whether and how companies in the banking sector use corporate websites to communicate SCSR dimensions.

A content analysis was performed based on the corporate websites of leading banks included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index to assess the prominence of SCSR communication.

The study shows that banks give less prominence to SCSR on corporate websites differently from companies belonging to other sectors, as they are less likely to expose their orientation to SCSR and pay slightly less attention to value creation than other companies.

The paper provides theoretical insights into SCSR dimensions and how they are communicated on corporate websites. From a practical standpoint, the study provides guidance for managers in the banking sector aimed at improving their communication efforts, avoiding decoupling issues and adopting a consistent value creation perspective.

Few studies have used a value creation perspective to differentiate between the dimensions of a SCSR approach. The paper fills this gap by assessing the communication efforts adopted by banks and insurance companies in this area.

This paper aims to explore how and when a business’ transparency leads to greater willingness to engage in sustainable and responsible consumption by consumers.

Data were collected in two studies. Study 1 collected data from 219 consumers in a large shopping mall. Study 2 followed an experimental approach and used data from 327 participants.

The current research contributes to theory by hypothesizing and demonstrating when transparency is associated with higher willingness for sustainable and responsible consumption. Critically, the positive benefits of transparency vary according to a business’ future orientation, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and levels of customer involvement.

An important societal and practical implication of the current research is that business should not be expected to only focus on transparency in isolation but rather also needs to consider levels of perceived future orientation, CSR and levels of customer involvement to strengthen sustainable and responsible behavior effectively.

This research builds on and extends current knowledge by exploring the key role of business’ transparency in influencing sustainable and responsible customer behavior and examines critical boundary conditions for the observed effects.

Corporate social responsibility orientation (CSRO) is considered a crucial strategy to enhance long-term competitiveness around the world, and it is starting to be a broader issue in Africa. Based on recent works addressing the CSRO–performance relationship in countries outside the African continent, this paper aims to assess CRSO in North-West Africa.

In this study a questionnaire was distributed among 122 managers in two countries in North-West Africa: Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to assess the path or relationships for the North-West African context.

The results show that there is a generally positive perception of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of CSRO, although special emphasis is laid on the economic and social issues, mainly when they are related to human resources. The study also revealed the important role of innovation as mediator between CSRO and firm performance.

The study points out the role of managers in promoting a culture of social innovation by focussing on the CSR philosophy for improving the competitive success of African businesses.

The social, economic and legal contexts of Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast are vulnerable. The findings raise concerns about whether governments and regulatory efforts improve the development of the strategies towards social responsibility of African firms and whether they also increase the role of the firms in producing positive externalities to the market through CSRO.

Very few studies have investigated CSRO in Africa. Aiming to switch from the current CSRO in developed countries to an African perspective of CSRO, this paper contributes to filling the existing gap through the study of managers’ perceptions about CSR in two countries in North-West Africa: Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast.

The aim of this paper is to examine the social responsibility orientation (SRO) gaps between the forest industry executives and societal members in the US Pacific Northwest.

Using mail survey responses to pre‐existing SRO scales, the two samples are grouped into distinct social orientation clusters and compared based on demographic and firm characteristic variables.

The forest industry executives were found to have a significantly lower SRO than societal members, indicating a more individualistic social orientation. Demographic analyses suggested that individualistic beliefs were more prominent in males and rural residents among general society respondents. However, SRO among business executives showed no significant differences based on demographics or firm characteristics.

The research was conducted within a specific region of the USA and as such these findings may not be generalized to other regions. The paper argues that one's SRO may have an impact on one's corporate social responsibility orientation; however, this remains an area that must be empirically investigated, both within and beyond the geographic and industrial context presented here.

Previous research has shown that executives with more egalitarian orientations can be more successful and inclusive problem‐solvers and negotiators. As businesses continue to face the challenge of balancing multiple stakeholders' demands, an understanding of gaps in SRO between business executives and general society provides a preliminary basis for companies to understand their misalignment with societal values and to find appropriate ways to narrow these gaps, wherever feasible.

The study represents the first region‐specific assessment of SRO. Additionally, the originality of the study lies in examining the SRO gap between industry executives and general society. Results prompt discussion surrounding the influence of social responsibility orientation gaps on an executive's ability to balance the demands of the firm and stakeholders.

This paper aims to examine the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on customer orientation and competitive advantage.

Data were collected from 368 retail banking customers in Pakistan and analysed using partial least squares-based structural equation modelling.

Firstly, the research findings indicate that CSR has a positive and significant effect on customer orientation. Secondly, CSR and customer orientation were found to be the antecedents of competitive advantage.

Managers can use CSR activities strategically to enhance the perceptions of a firm’s customer orientation in their minds. This can then lead towards achieving a competitive advantage over rivals. The trend of being socially responsible, as well as customer-orientated, can lead to a healthy ecosystem within the industry, which in turn will benefit its stakeholders.

Firstly, this is one of the pioneering studies that investigate the relationship between CSR and customer orientation. Secondly, it examines the under-explored roles of CSR and customer orientation as antecedents of competitive advantage.

The objective of this research is to examine the perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) held by consumers in India and America in order to draw out similarities and differences in conceptualization and response.

This paper uses a web‐based questionnaire in English, given that it is most commonly used for professional communication in India. A qualitative analysis of participant responses to open‐ended questions was conducted to generate results.

There is a substantial portion of US consumers who are unaware of socially responsible companies compared with their Indian counterparts who failed to recognize the CSR initiatives of multinational companies. Qualitative analysis showed that, though there was some overlap in CSR domains between the two countries, each sample also identified domains that were unique. Finally, both country samples also showed a positive level of CSR responsiveness.

The paper used a web‐based questionnaire that allowed the sample to comprise only consumers with internet access.

This research informs multinational (MNC) managers about the parity in consumers' conceptualization of CSR and subsequent response. The study recommends that managers customize CSR programs in emerging markets to overlap with the target market's perception rather than assume a universal definition of the construct as defined in the literature.

This exploratory research expands knowledge in the area of CSR where most of the investigation of consumer stakeholder response has been limited to the North American and European markets.

The purpose of this paper is to consolidate the state of the empirical research to date on the relationship between leadership and corporate responsibility.

The authors conduct a comprehensive, systematic and narrative review of all published quantitative studies that have examined the link between leadership and corporate responsibility broadly defined, and the authors put forward an integrative model encapsulating current knowledge in this domain.

The authors not only identify validated direct, indirect and moderating effects of leadership on corporate responsibility but also point to gaps in the literature that imply important directions for further research.

The authors aim to make the following contributions to both the leadership and the corporate responsibility literatures. First, the systematic and narrative review in and of itself provides an important consolidation of existing knowledge in both domains. Second, the authors confirm that the preponderance of empirical evidence supports that leadership matters to corporate responsibility efforts in organizations. Lastly, the review provides a comprehensive model of the relationship between leadership and corporate responsibility that has important implications for future research and theory building in this field.

This chapter seeks to examine the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Kenya and evaluate whether the practices of CSR evidenced in Kenya resonates with the needs and aspirations of the people or has been caricatured from the West. The chapter epistemologically examines CSR and tilts this approach to Kenya and how Kenyan indigenous organisations are practising it. There is no denying that the West has been significant in shaping the frameworks of the contemporary CSR agenda thus making its definition not African. It is important to realise that there is no homogeneity in terms of the needs and realities between developed and developing countries. In this regard, any attempts to homogenise the conceptualisation of CSR cannot hold water due to disparities in the cultural underpinnings. A common understanding in the scholarship on CSR is that it is culturally determined. Most multinational organisations operating in Africa have always practised the kind of CSR that mostly resonates with the West rather than Africa. The organisation’s mandate is not only to make profits but also to increase and strike a balance of the needs and interests of the stakeholders. Through desktop research, published scholarly articles were analysed and it was established that there is no African CSR. The one practised in Kenya and the other parts of the African continent is a caricature of the Global North which does not conform to the needs, realities, and expectations of Africans.

An efficient corporate social responsibility (CSR) framework in many economies has been linked with human capital development, social and financial inclusion, environmental protection and better stakeholder management. This article examines the level of efficiency of the CSR framework in Nigeria; it underscores the developmental potentials of CSR practices within the Nigerian business community. However, a prevailing trend of haphazard and sometimes dodgy CSR practices by free riding rogue companies mars such potentials. Underpinning these dodgy practices has been a CSR ‘business case’ argument coupled with dysfunctional business (corporate) law assumptions among other causative factors. The article appraises the implications of these causative factors and towards minimising the haphazard practices, proposes corporate law reforms through which the Nigerian CSR framework may become more effective.