The impact of changes in stakeholder salience on corporate social responsibility activities in Russian energy firms: A contribution to the divergence/convergence debate

This empirical paper examines the drivers underpinning changes to socially responsible behaviours in the Russian energy sector. Responding to recent requests to contextualise corporate social responsibility (CSR) research, we focus on the changing set of stakeholders and developments in their saliency as reflected in corporations' CSR activities. Based on interviews with more than 30 industry professionals, our findings suggest that Russian energy companies' CSR is strongly stakeholder‐driven, and organisations adapt their activities according to their dependence on the resources that these salient stakeholders possess. We challenge the proposition that CSR in Russia arises from purely endogenous, historical, paternalism, or neo‐paternalism. We identify stakeholders that now shape CSR in the Russian energy sector, both endogenous (institutional and contextual forces relevant to the national business system) and exogenous (relating to the organisational field of the energy industry—international by nature). We thereby contribute to the convergence/divergence debate within CSR theory by demonstrating that both national business systems and the organisational field must be taken into account when analysing the forces that shape CSR strategies in any one country.