The impact of corporate social responsibility on organizational performance

Résumé

We analyze the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on organisational performance through four main aspects. We carry out a solid theoretical appraisal and employed a rigorous panel data technique on a significant sample of US corporations from 2001 to 2007. First, we provide scholars and management with an alternative measure of corporate financial performance (CFP), which can be impacted by CSR. Our results indicate that brand value is a valid measure of CFP and it is positively impacted by CSR. Second, we contend that corporate reputation is the conceptual link between CSR and financial performance. We build a model accordingly, highlighting the multidimensional nature of CSR and the moderating effect performed by the industry of the firm. We breakdown CSR in five qualitative areas: community relations, environmental issues, employee relations, product issues, diversity of the workforce. Our results suggest that all five qualitative areas impact positively on corporate reputation, as well as market-based indicators of risk and performance. In the final two sections, we investigate what variables influence CSR. We find that organizational culture, management tenure and prior-financial performance (slack resources) impact positively on CSR. We contend that firms that incorporate a humanistic approach to culture perform well in CSP because their internal cultural values and beliefs drive them to establish good relationship with stakeholders. This is maximized by top management permanence in the firm, as the longer they stay the more absorbed the humanistic culture will be. Availability of slack resources combined with the pro-active organizational culture and the integration of top management in this culture further contributes to improving CSP