The illusion of CSR: drawing the line between core and supplementary CSR

What is it about?

The illusion of CSR is a paradox which may result in invalid conclusions on the study of social performance. This risk mainly affects those researchers whose measures are based on charity or philanthropic activities, as most of the time they are disconnected from core business. These activities enjoy great visibility and, in some cases, such as Spanish savings banks, they become a thick veil that can be used to hide serious deficiencies in key aspects of social performance.

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Why is it important?

The paper provides a novel conceptual framework for CSR, which connects the conceptual debate around “Strategic CSR” with the theoretical framework designed by Carroll’s (1991) Pyramid of CSR and emphasizes the importance of a meticulous examination of the social performance construct before studying its relationship with financial performance.