A review of empirical research on corporate social responsibility in emerging economies

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of empirical research studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in emerging economies.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employed a systematic literature review using research papers published on CSR in emerging economies from 2010 to 2019.FindingsThe findings of this paper show that the principal themes of published research articles on CSR in emerging economies are (1) effects of CSR, (2) drivers of CSR and (3) challenges of CSR. Additionally, publications on CSR in emerging economies have been dominated by studies that used quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. A significant number of studies also employed secondary data sources with most of these studies not being sensitive to sectoral influencesResearch limitations/implicationsThe research is non-empirical.Practical implicationsCSR is an area that can mitigate some of the developmental challenges of emerging economies and also stimulate the economic growth of firms. Thus, governments and organisations must partner to provide suitable conditions that would influence organisations to incorporate CSR in their business plans.Originality/valueThis review is the first of its kind that identifies the principal thematic domains of research on CSR in emerging economies. This review also provides proof of the areas of research that need attention and also provides recommendation on future areas of study on CSR in emerging economies.

Multinational Enterprises’ Dual Agency Role: Formal Institutions and Corporate Social Responsibility in Emerging Markets

“…Recent research on firms' CSR involvement has been increasingly set emerging markets as the research context, and such research has been multiplicative [51][52][53]. Some of the antecedents driving CSR involvement in emerging markets are investigated [25,54,55]. The factor of formal institutions such as regulatory institutions is significant in influencing firms' CSR involvement [26,55].…”

How export-oriented SMEs from emerging markets respond to the CSR-related code of conduct: a content analysis of auditing reports

“…Many review studies have been conducted on CSR drivers within global markets (Pisani et al. , 2017), emerging markets (Dartey-Baah and Amoako, 2021) and both in developed and developing markets (Ali et al. , 2017).…”

“…Owing to the aforementioned characteristics, export-oriented SMEs are more likely to encounter managerial dilemmas due to conflicts between the cost of CSR projects and their implication on the profit maximization objectives of organizations (Dartey-Baah and Amoako, 2021). On the one hand, SMEs, in view of their nondominant position in the supply chain, are compelled to meet the CSR-related COC)formulated in developed economies.…”

Guest editorial

“…Dartey-Baah and Amoako (2021), through a research paper analysis from 2010 to 2019, analyze a cross-field topic, providing a systematic review of empirical research studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in EEs. They show that the principal topics under investigation can be summarized in three main groups: (1) the effects of CSR, (2) the drivers of CSR and (3) the challenges of CSR.…”