A study of institutional pressures' influence on corporate social responsibility: an organizational legitimacy perspective

Abstract

Abstract: Concerning the divergent views on the relationship between the corporate social performance (CSP) and the corporate financial performance (CFP), this study discusses the question of the driving mechanism of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) based on the perspective of organizational legitimacy, and constructs the theoretical model of "institutional pressures-social strategic response-corporate social performance". Through theoretical and empirical analysis, the authors find that the regulative, normative and cognitive pressures have significant positive influences on social strategic response, but the significant positive influence on the CSP could only be found on the regulative pressure. However, social strategic response has significant positive influence on the CSP, which plays as an important role between the external institutional pressures and the CSP. Finally, the authors discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of this study.

Key words: regulative pressure, normative pressure, cognitive pressure, social strategic response, corporate social performance

CLC Number:

F270

Shen Qi Taisong, Ge Xiaochun, Song Chengcheng. A study of institutional pressures' influence on corporate social responsibility: an organizational legitimacy perspective[J]. Science Research Management, 2014, 35(1): 122-129.

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