Corporate social responsibility in international marketing: review, assessment, and future research

Abstract

Purpose:Although Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been an issue of major concern for marketers for more than half a century, only recently has it attracted the attention of international marketing researchers. During the last two decades, this body of research has experienced an increasing trend, which, however, is very fragmented and diverse. In response, this article aims to review, assess, and synthesize extant research on the role of CSR activities in international marketing.Design/methodology/approach: Our review and assessment covered the period from 1993 to 2013 and all relevant articles were traced, using both electronic and manual search methods. Altogether, we identified 132 studies published in 106 articles that appeared in 63 journals. Each article was content analyzed by two coders who worked independently from each other, using a structured coding protocol. Due to the nominal nature of the finalized codes, these were statistically analyzed taking the form of percentage frequencies. Findings:The results were organized in terms of theoretical, methodological, and empirical considerations. Theoretically, a third of the articles were not anchored on any theory, while the remainder employed various theoretical platforms, with stakeholder theory having a predominant role. Methodologically, this specific body of research is characterized by growing sophistication and rigor, with some room for improvement, especially as regards the use of longitudinal research, better sampling methods, wider geographic scope, and advanced statistical analysis. Empirically, a broad range of issues was covered, with the most widely studied being those focusing on the elements of international marketing strategy, external environmental influences, and CSR practices. Originality/Value:We review and assess 21 years of research conducted on a crucial and contemporary dimension of international marketing, namely CSR. Our findings provide useful insights for public policymakers, business managers, academic scholars, and marketing educators. We also provide detailed directions for future research, extracted from the articles reviewed.Paper type: Literature review 1

Fast‐food addiction and anti‐consumption behaviour: The moderating role of consumer social responsibility

“…CSR refers to an individual's conscious choice to make consumption decisions based on his/her individual moral beliefs. It is also defined as “the application of instrumental, relational, and moral logic by an individual, group, and corporate and institutional agents seeking to influence a broad range of consumer‐oriented responsibilities” (Eteokleous, Leonidou && Katsikeas, 2). CSR not only focuses on avoiding harm to society, but also on acting proactively for the collective social benefit in all stages and aspects of consumption (Baron, ; Nicola Sneddon, Soutar, & Ann Lee, ).…”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Issues in Supply Chain Competition: Should Greenwashing Be Regulated?

“…Corporate Social Responsibility has been studied extensively in the literature of management (McWilliams & Siegel, ; Marquis, Toffel, & Zhou, ; Dowell & Muthulingam, ), operations (Kleindorfer, Singhal, & Wassenhove, ; Liu, Woolley, & Cruz, ; Lee, Nunez, & Cruz, ) and marketing (Sen & Bhattacharya, ; Bhattacharya, ; Eteokleous, Leonidou, & Katsikeas, ). The studies on CSR can be traced back to Altruism and Warm‐glow effect (Andreoni, ; Andreoni, ).…”

Corporate social responsibility and international business: examining the nexus and gaps from a developing economy perspective

“…This is in sharp contrast to what pertains in CSR scholarship globally. In a review of CSR and international marketing, only a third of articles reviewed was not anchored on a theory (Eteokleous, et al, 2016). However just as Eteokleous et al (2016) found out, Stakeholder theory was the dominant theory applied.…”

“…In a review of CSR and international marketing, only a third of articles reviewed was not anchored on a theory (Eteokleous, et al, 2016). However just as Eteokleous et al (2016) found out, Stakeholder theory was the dominant theory applied. In their review, 21.7% of the articles used the Stakeholder theory but as much as 55.5% applied it in the case of CSR in Ghana.…”