Corporate social responsibility (CSR)-a conceptual framework for a conduit approach between internal and external implementations of CSR in Asia

Abstract

It is undeniable that companies in any country have an impact on society and its environs through their operations, offerings and interactions with its key stakeholders. Conceivably, businesses benefits from being socially responsible since CSR programs can generate benefits such as enhancing recruitment of quality employees, increased retention of labor and aid in risk management through preempting costly legal and regulatory actions. Additionally, CSR contributes to brand management and corporate-cause related marking CRM)which in turn would create the emotional as well as the rational engagement of the consumer with the brand. As such, CSR can be used as a means and tool to determine a tangible demonstration of the company’s corporate social responsibilities together with its values and ethics. However, the heterogeneity of CSR initiatives makes it difficult to reach general conclusions about its impact and its effectiveness since there is no single or commonly agreed-upon set of criteria against which the quality of all CSR initiatives can be measured. In that respect, this study attempts to map a strategic framework on CSR to examine factors that contribute to the effectiveness of CSR by adopting a multistakeholder perspective and to tangibly diagnose the relevance and impacts of CSR related issues and initiatives typical to companies in ASEAN.