Sustainable development through five senses of effective corporate social responsibility strategy

Purpose - This study aims to introduce a five senses concept (sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell) that enhances corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. It sheds light on the effective CSR senses, which are required by firms for better performance and sustainable development. Design/methodology/approach - The main approach for collecting information for discussion is the literature review focusing on topics such as CSR strategy, CSR activities, sustainability and sensemaking. Findings - While searching the literature, little was found on sensemaking and very little was found on CSR five senses, a gap which needs to be looked at. A gap was also found between what firms do and what are expected from them to deliver to society in terms of CSR activities which puts sustainability at risk. Practical implications - Firms are expected to improve performance when these five CSR senses are incorporated in their strategy and activities. This approach makes firms work effectively to meet different stakeholders’ needs and wants internally and externally; hence, a better satisfaction level can be achieved and sustainable development is likely to be better secured. Originality/value - The idea of CSR senses has been neither thoroughly discussed nor sufficiently developed as a five CSR senses concept in the previous studies. This study contributes to the CSR knowledge and practice in many venues by offering a conceptual model that suggests important senses of effective CSR strategy, hence, bridging the CSR gap that might exist in strategy and practice. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are expected to benefit from this study that can result in better CSR control and sustainable development.