Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: van Oosterhout, J.
Author-Name-Last: van Oosterhout
Author-Name-First: Hans
Author-Name: Heugens, P.P.M.A.R.
Author-Name-Last: Heugens
Author-Name-First: Pursey
Title: Much Ado About Nothing: A conceptual critique of CSR
Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a nominal term clearly resonates with scholars and practitioners alike. As a scientific concept, however, it has often been criticized for its lack of definitional precision and poor measurement. In this paper we review and assess intensional and extensional definitions of the concept, as they have figured in the prior CSR literature. But we also go beyond these traditional review exercises by assessing the role (if any) of the concept in positive theorizing. The upshot of this analysis is that since the CSR concept adds nothing of value to existing frameworks in the field of management and organization, such as the economizing and legitimizing perspectives, it is best to discard it altogether.
Creation-Date: 2006-08-14
File-URL: https://repub.eur.nl/pub/7894/ERS-2006-040-ORG.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
Series: RePEc:ems:eureri
Number: ERS-2006-040-ORG
Classification-JEL: F23, M, M14
Keywords: Corporate Social Performance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Economizing, Extensional Definitions, Intensional Definitions, Legitimizing, Positive Theorizing
Handle: RePEc:ems:eureri:7894