Publication Type

Editorial

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

1-2020

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has brought about both progress and controversy. Under the banner of CSR, we have made progress in addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, yet corporations still struggle to figure out where, how, and when to devote their social efforts, and doubts abound as to whether corporate efforts are truly in the public’s best interest. Scholarly interest in CSR research has also flourished. As a pervasive topic in the business literature, CSR is being addressed not only in the management field but also in the domains of economics, finance, marketing, operations, and sociology. Accordingly, various theoretical perspectives, including stakeholder theory, resource-based theory, upper echelons theory, institutional theory, behavioral theory, economic theories of information and incentives, and so on, have been adopted in CSR research, examining both the antecedents and consequences of CSR, as well as some unique firm behaviors associated with it (Wang, Tong, Takeuchi, & George, 2016). Moreover, at a more micro level, studies have utilized psychological theories of motivation, social exchange, justice, and learning to understand the involvement of employees, both current and prospective, in CSR activities (e.g., Caligiuri, Mencin, & Jiang, 2013; Lee, Song, Lee, Lee, & Bernhard, 2013; Lin, Lyau, Tsai, Chen, & Chiu, 2010; Mueller, Hattrup, Spiess, & Lin-Hi, 2012; Rupp, Shao, Thornton, & Skarlicki, 2013; Slack, Corlett, & Morris, 2015). Despite the application of diverse theoretical perspectives, the field has often been criticized for a lack of coherent theory (Friedman & Miles, 2002; Hilliard, 2019; Jones, Harrison, & Felps, 2018) and for theory not sufficiently developed to inform practice (Aguinis & Glavas, 2012). Here we briefly review current criticisms of CSR research and practice and then offer a way forward.

Keywords

Corporate social responsibility

Discipline

Business Law, Public Responsibility, and Ethics

Research Areas

Strategy and Organisation

Publication

Academy of Management Review

Volume

45

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

6

ISSN

0363-7425

Identifier

10.5465/amr.2019.0450

Publisher

Academy of Management

Copyright Owner and License

Publisher

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2019.0450

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