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Institutional Antecedents of the Corporate Social Responsibility Narrative in the Developing World Context: Implications for Sustainable Development

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  • Frans Melissen
  • Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe
  • Uwafiokun Idemudia
  • Yvonne Novakovic

Abstract

Efforts to understand the background to perceptions and manifestation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the developing world need to focus on establishing their link with the challenges of socio‐economic governance and societal expectations and cultural traditions. This signifies a departure from a western centric understanding of CSR but also an over‐focus on CSR as philanthropy. This study considers the Malawian tourism industry and finds that its colonial legacy, post‐colonialism development thinking and the national education system explain the prevalence of a ‘CSR as philanthropy’ agenda. When these factors interact with challenges of socio‐economic governance and societal expectations, however, the universality thesis that has often been associated with the theory and implementation CSR can be challenged. These findings therefore suggest a shift from the western centric CSR thinking to a CSR perspective that is strongly grounded in local values and norms and which meets the expectations of the global society. This indicates a way forward if CSR is to be adequately institutionalized in the developing world. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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  • Frans Melissen & Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe & Uwafiokun Idemudia & Yvonne Novakovic, 2018. "Institutional Antecedents of the Corporate Social Responsibility Narrative in the Developing World Context: Implications for Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 657-676, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:27:y:2018:i:6:p:657-676
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2023
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    5. Arinze Christian Nwoba & Nathaniel Boso & Matthew J. Robson, 2021. "Corporate sustainability strategies in institutional adversity: Antecedent, outcome, and contingency effects," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 787-807, February.
    6. Arun Madanaguli & Shalini Srivastava & Alberto Ferraris & Amandeep Dhir, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the tourism sector: A systematic literature review and future outlook," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(3), pages 447-461, June.
    7. Deng, Wenyueyang & Zhang, Zenglian & Guo, Borui, 2024. "Firm-level carbon risk awareness and Green transformation: A research on the motivation and consequences from government regulation and regional development perspective," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    8. Morgan X. Yang & Ji Li & Irina Y. Yu & Kevin J. Zeng & Jian‐Min (James) Sun, 2019. "Environmentally sustainable or economically sustainable? The effect of Chinese manufacturing firms' corporate sustainable strategy on their green performances," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 989-997, September.
    9. Uwafiokun Idemudia & Cynthia Kwakyewah & Judy Muthuri, 2020. "Mining, the environment, and human rights in Ghana: An area of limited statehood perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(7), pages 2919-2926, November.
    10. Daniel Etse & Adela McMurray & Nuttawuth Muenjohn, 2022. "The Effect of Regulation on Sustainable Procurement: Organisational Leadership and Culture as Mediators," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(2), pages 305-325, May.
    11. Andrew Ngawenja Mzembe & Yvonne Novakovic & Frans Melissen & Grace Kamanga, 2019. "Institutional bricolage as an antecedent of social value creation in a developing country's tourism and hospitality industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 997-1008, July.
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    13. Mônica Cavalcanti Sá de Abreu & Romulo Alves Soares & Victor Daniel‐Vasconcelos & Vicente Lima Crisóstomo, 2023. "Does board diversity encourage an environmental policy focused on resource use, emission reduction and innovation? The case of companies in Latin America," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1161-1176, May.
    14. Li, Mengxu & Liu, Jianghua & Chen, Yang & Yang, Zhijiu, 2023. "Can sustainable development strategy reduce income inequality in resource-based regions? A natural resource dependence perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).

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