Keywords

corporate social responsibility, globalization, research methodologies, research questions

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a tortured concept. We review the current state of the art across a number of academic disciplines, from accounting to management to theology. In a world that is increasingly global and pluralistic, progress in our understanding of CSR must include theorizing around the micro-level processes practicing managers engage in when allocating resources toward social initiatives, as well as refined measurement of the outcomes of those initiatives on stakeholder and shareholder interests. Scholarship must also account for the influence of diverse, and even maladaptive, stakeholders as well as more fully incorporate non-Western philosophical and economic perspectives. Based on this review, we pose five questions that scholars from each of these disciplines should address as the CSR field moves forward. We hope our questions provoke deeper thinking and greater rigor and attention to detail in this important area of business research.

Original Publication Citation

Godfrey, Paul C. and Nile W. Hatch, “Researching Corporate Social Responsibility: An Agenda for the 21st Century,” Journal of Business Ethics, 70(1), January 2007.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2007

Publisher

Journal of Business Ethics

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Marketing

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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