Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a concept suggests that organizations should play an impactful role in the societies they operate in, vis-a-vis the social and environmental impact of their business-level decisions. Prior research demonstrates that CSR is flattering because of stakeholder pressure, coupled with the lack of agreement on what ought to constitute CSR policies and practices. Although the relationship between society and organizations has been broadly researched for years, there are significant unresolved contradictions/ paradoxes about the nature of the relationship, resulting in variable perspectives in the narrative about the strategic role/responsibility of organizations in their societies/communities, regarding differences in shareholders’ and stakeholders’ values/interests. Proponents of CSR suggest that organizations have a duty to other stakeholders and not only their shareholders. However, critics argue that the primary role of any business organization is to maximize profits for shareholders within the confines of societal rules and regulations.
This PhD Thesis’s overarching aim is to explore and enable both for-profit organizations (FPOs) and not-for-profit organizations (NFPOs) in the North-East of England to maximize the benefits of integrating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into their Business-level strategies. To achieve this aim, a mixed research methodology underpinned by a pragmatist philosophy was adopted; comprising of 458 Qualtrics Online Questionnaire Survey (representing 85.3% response rate), involving NFPOs and FPOs from different economic sectors (services, manufacturing, and commence), in addition, data was collected using eight (8) Semi-structured interviews of top-level managers (CEOs, Directors, Senior managers). The Questionnaire data are subjected to SPSS statistical analysis which reveals a positive and significant correlation between CSR (dependent variable) and Critical factors (independent variables) factors. In addition, NVivo thematic content analysis of the Semi-structured interview transcripts reveals an association between current CSR policies and practices and the Critical factors driving or inhibiting FPOs and NFPOs from maximizing the benefits of integrating CSR and Business-level strategies.
The combined/mixed statistical and thematic results reveal three (3) key findings. First, FPOs and NFPOs that implement CSR policies and practices achieve/sustain their competitive advantage, by enhancing their public corporate image, and brand recognition. Second, that some organizations are not fully disclosing/reporting their CSR policies and practices to the satisfaction of both shareholders and stakeholders. Third, CSR policies and practices have a significant positive correlation with the corporate profitability of FPOs in the Northeast of England. The thesis’s holistic framework contributes significantly to knowledge by identifying key sources of competitive advantage based on the thematic findings. The major limitations relate to time and resource constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, areas for further research would seek to increase the sample size to include other regions in England and the UK and use a more rigorous statistical analysis.