Do Actions Speak Louder than Words? An Exploratory Study on CSR

Abstract

This research investigates various firm motives for practicing corporate social responsibility (CSR). More precisely, it examines whether a firm's primary motive for undertaking CSR is related to the type of actions performed. Such exploratory research is overdue following more than 40 years of scholarly contention on the financial rewards of doing (and looking) good. By uncovering and measuring specific aspects of CSR, I offer an initial understanding of interactions within firm CSR operations. Theory on types of CSR have surfaced, yet empirical studies are few. In this research, I address this disparity by using original quantitative measures of both motive and type. The outcomes of this investigation challenge certain extant notions of CSR, while introducing a measure of objectivity in some long-standing debates among scholars and corporate stakeholders. Julia Dare, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor, Management, Eberhardt School of Business,

Managing Sustainability: The Role of Multinational Corporations in the Global South

“…Third, CSR practices and big investment projects are far from answering the current challenges and often do not sit easily with the question of rights and the rule of law (Bussotti, 2014, Dare, 2018Uduji & Okolo-Obasi, 2017). On the one hand, very often, CSR projects are very limited contributions to problems such as health, education and poverty, which are state obligations and people's rights.…”