The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility
A special issue of Administrative Sciences (ISSN 2076-3387).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 January 2025 | Viewed by 6124
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The forthcoming Special Issue in our journal, dedicated to The Future of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), will serve as a pivotal platform for in-depth exploration and analysis of this ever-evolving field. With a focus on the evolving landscape of CSR, we aim to elucidate the intricate interplay between business, society, and the environment. Our scope encompasses a wide array of topics, including the shifting paradigms of CSR, the role of emerging technologies, the influence of regulatory frameworks, and the ethical dimensions of corporate engagement. By examining these facets, we intend to supplement the existing literature by offering fresh perspectives and innovative insights into the future trajectories of CSR. As CSR continues to undergo transformation, this Special Issue will equip scholars and practitioners with a comprehensive understanding of how corporations can proactively address the most pressing global challenges while achieving sustainable business growth. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to enrich the discourse on CSR, bridging gaps in knowledge and inspiring novel avenues for research and practice.
We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–500 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors Leyuan You at [email protected] or to the Administrative Sciences Editorial Office ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.
Dr. Leyuan You
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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Keywords
- CSR
- future
- innovation
- technology
- regulation
- ethics
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Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: CSR Trajectory: Mining Reputational Capital
Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is broadly perceived as something firms have, i.e., the license to conduct business is conditioned with the responsibility to behave to market expectations. This concept has evolved to include an outcome focus termed corporate social performance (CSP). The reason is the strategic shift where investors expect all investments to be fruitful, forcing executives to shift a potentially philanthropic mindset to a strategic one. The last decade has consequently seen the rise of methodological attempts to calculate CSP. The prevailing method is to assess firms’ CSP by measuring their environmental, social, and governance activities (ESG). These internal and external operative tactics are further commercialized via social and ethical behavioral indexes (SEB). These indexes measure firm-level CSP by their ESG activities assessing potential social and financial benefits. Examples of the many SEBs are the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index; FTSE350; EuroStoxx600; KLD; Bloomberg ESG; PRI; FTSE4Good, and S&P Global 1200. As firms experience positive reputational effects from SEB inclusions, they opt for ESG activities with the potential to increase their corporate financial performance (CFP), all in line with investor expectations. This study argues that CSR will change trajectory based on three facets (touchpoints) and their associated effects. The study also presents an innovative optimization model for strategic CSR and increased CFP. First, we argue a paradigm shift will drive CSR toward CSP and ESG to become ‘business as usual.’ Second, the regulatory framework categories (voluntary, recommended, legislated) will merge to embrace aspects of all categories. Third, the ethical dimensions endorse ‘good management’ to safeguard against wrongdoings (avoiding whistleblowing); to embrace a robust stakeholder mindset (e.g., actions to increase MCAP); and to improve market activity planning (e.g., thwart liability of newness). We therefore expect CSR to become deeply embedded in corporate behaviour. We expect the three touchpoints to yield significant value in the form of (1) competitive advantages, reduced market risks, and improved CFP (the shifting paradigms); (2) insurance-like effects and building resilient crisis management capability (the regulatory frameworks); and (3) esprit de corps, investor liking, and positive HR effects (recruitment and retention) from the ethical dimensions - all supportive to reputational capital. We argue that: absent CSR has no/neutral CSP and CFP effect; inadequate CSR yields negative CSP and CFP; productive CSR positively affects CSP and CFP; strategic CSR maximizes the positive CSP and CFP effects; and that excessive CSR negatively affects both CSP and CFP. When modelling these facets, we detect a ‘sweet spot’ where strategic CSR delivers optimal levels of CSP and CFP. Hence, we predict firms increasing their CSR investments (mining) to a certain level where a ‘sweet spot’ is defined. The conjectured perspectives provide innovative insights and interaction effects to help practitioners understand how firms can address both business growth and proactively manage greater sustainability requirements and the needs of all stakeholders. We thereby contribute to the future state of CSR discussion by introducing a concept of mining reputational capital and, to theory, by introducing the ‘sweet spot’ concept.
