Corporate social responsibility: investigating theory and research in the marketing context

Abstract

Purpose: This review article aims to develop an integrating overview of the present status of the theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR) applied in the marketing context and asks whether, to what extent and how the discipline of marketing has addressed CSR. Design/methodology/approach: After clarifying core concepts and proposing a new definition of CSR, 54 articles in leading marketing journals between 1995 and 2005 are analyzed in terms of publication characteristics, research design, variables, sampling, level of analysis, issues raised, and key findings. Findings: Recommendations include a broadened perspective in empirical research to address CSR in its entirety, expand the focus beyond consumers, include a broader range of samples and conduct more inductive, exploratory empirical studies. These steps will contribute to a multidimensional view of the future customer. Research limitations/implications: The number and specific choice of journals was subject to a compromise between comprehensiveness and the availability of space for a review. Practical implications: The way the scholarly marketing literature treats CSR impacts what our students and other constituencies learn. Originality/value: Given the veritable explosion in CSR research in the recent years, there is a genuine need for the field to take stock of what has been learned so far and what that implies in terms of where researchers should be headed.