Exploring Diffusion and Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the evolution of the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in academia. The process of evolution is conceptualised to consist of diffusion and dynamics. Bibliometrics were applied for data collection and visualisation of the evolution of CSR. The findings show increasing complexity and progression in the research on the concept of CSR fuelled not only by the efforts for intellectual refinement in the field but also reflecting the changing priorities of society and businesses. The growth of this field of research both in number of publications (i.e. diffusion) and in terms of different fields in academic usage (i.e. dynamics), is an indicator for growing complexity and widening acceptance of the CSR concept across various academic disciplines in the future.

Testing the Social Innovation Construct: An Empirical Approach to Align Socially Oriented Objectives, Stakeholder Engagement, and Environmental Sustainability

“…As Danilovic et al (2015) said, since the last decade, the CSR field has been widely diffused and its use and application are very dynamic, showing the need to address the issue of a company's awareness regarding its environment and its stakeholders but so far, how to consider CSR and stakeholders in the innovation process that benefits all, i.e., social innovation, has not been addressed.…”

“…Table 1 shows the definitions of social innovation by the main organizations working on this concept. In order to establish the background and current state of knowledge of the specific subject, we carried out a bibliometric examination (Norton, 2000) using VantagePoint 3 (Search Technology, Inc., Norcross, Georgia, USA) software in a similar way as Danilovic et al (2015), to show the diffusion and dynamism of the term. Figure 1 shows that, although we found references since 1966when it was first referenced with the paper by Garvey and Griffith (1966) its use is more recent, concretely since 2003.…”

I give at the office: A review of workplace giving research, theory, and practice

“…A significant body of scholarship examines corporate philanthropy—through which companies support causes with their resources—and corporate social responsibility, which is inclusive of corporate philanthropy as well as accountability regarding the general well‐being of employees, customers, and society (Choi & Wang, ; Werther & Chandler, ). Researchers have explored employee understanding and responses to these espoused values and enacted behaviors (e.g., Block, Glavas, Mannor, & Erskine, ; Danilovic, Hensbergen, Hoveskog, & Zadayannaya, ; Onkila, ). Smith () found that a workplace “culture of giving” led to a self‐reported increase in a spectrum of philanthropic activities by employees, including greater interest in participating in workplace campaigns.…”

Exploring the relationships between corporate social responsibility, leadership, and sustainable entrepreneurship theories: A conceptual framework

“…In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important topic of research (Dahlsrud, ). The growing number of publications related to this field of research and the use of this concept in diverse academic fields highlights the widening acceptance of the CSR concept and its complexity (Danilovic, Hensbergen, Hoveskog, & Zadayannaya, ). Recent reviews on a huge amounts of CSR studies (Aguinis & Glavas, ; Christensen, Mackey, & Whetten, ; Mazutis & Zintel, ; Morgeson, Aguinis, Waldman, & Siegel, ) underlined important research gaps.…”