Managerial Conceptualisation of Corporate Social Responsibility : An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown to play a significant and important role in directing and defining the way organisations do business. While a number of studies have explored the dimensions of corporate social responsibility and the role of management in allocating resources, given the recognised importance to business, few studies have empirically explored management conceptualisations of CSR in practice. Using structured interviews and thematic analysis, this study explores managerial conceptualisations of CSR from 37 organisations. The results indicate that while supporting selective components of Carroll’s (1979) dimensions, organisations were generally not able to clearly articulate a clear definition of CSR. These findings have implications for marketers given the social influences on the marketing exchange relationship and the established benefits for improved organisational performance.