Marketing perspectives on CSR initiatives: Conceptual foundations and an agenda for future research

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are value-creating initiatives designed to enhance the social welfare of those whose lives are affected by a firm’s operations and to produce positive social outcomes. The ultimate goal of CSR initiatives is to satisfy unmet needs of people and society and provide vital benefits to those in need. While prior research has yielded many useful insights advancing our understanding of CSR initiatives, it has not always been holistic in its approach. We offer a comprehensive analysis of CSR initiatives that can be distinguished in two important ways. First, we expand the breadth of prior research by applying findings across a diverse set of literatures (economics, psychology, organizational behavior, and marketing) to four key constituents for a CSR initiative: 1) beneficiary organizations; 2) firms responsible for the CSR initiative; 3) customers of the responsible firms; and 4) employees of the responsible firms. Second, we expand the depth of prior research by examining the potential motivations and outcomes for each constituent type, as well as addressing interactions, tradeoffs, and synergies across all four constituent groups. Our analysis reviews published research, provides an organizing conceptual framework, identifies gaps in the literature, and provides specific future research propositions. The insights gained from our analysis can guide policy decision-making and inform research programs studying CSR initiatives.