Skip to main content
Log in

Indigenous Characteristics of Chinese Corporate Social Responsibility Conceptual Paradigm

  • Published:
Journal of Business Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify China’s indigenous conceptual dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to increase the knowledge and comprehension about CSR in specific context. We conducted an inductive analysis of CSR in China based on an open-ended survey of 630 CEOs and business owners in 12 provinces (municipalities) in China. In the survey, we collected CSR sample responses. After examining the qualitative data, we identified nine dimensions of CSR, among which six dimensions are similar to their western counterparts; however, the other three dimensions were never mentioned in previous literature, which mostly study the cases in the western world. In addition, two of the widely accepted CSR dimensions in the western world have no embodiments in China. A comparative study of CSR between China and western countries also unveiled some unique dimensions of CSR in China. In conclusion, CSR manifested in China is different from that in western countries, and China’s CSR is closely related to its social and cultural background.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bardin L.: 1993, L’analyse de contenu (Universitaires de France Le Psychologue, Paris).

    Google Scholar 

  • Basu, K. and G. Palazzo: 2008, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility: A Process Model of Sensemaking’, Academy of Management Review 33(1), 122-136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beresford, D. R.: 1973, Compilation of Social Measurement Disclosures in Fortune 500 Annual Report-1973 (Ernst and Ernst, Cleveland)

  • Beresford, D. R.: 1974, ‹How Companies Are Reporting Social Performance’, Management Accounting 56(2), 41-44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beresford, D. R.: 1975, Social Responsibility Disclosure in 1974 Fortune 500 Annual Reports (Ernst and Ernst, Cleveland)

  • Beresford, D. R.: 1976, Social Responsibility Disclosure -1976 Survey of Fortune 500 Annual Reports (Ernst and Ernst, Cleveland)

  • Bowen, H. R.: 1953, Social Responsibilities of the Businessman (Harper & Row, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Boxenbaum, E.: 2006, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility as Institutional Hybrids’, Journal of Business Strategies 23(1), 45-63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carroll, A.B.: 1979, ‹A Three-dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance’, The Academy of Management Review 4(4), 497-505.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K. and R. L. Blomstrom: 1975, Business and Society: Environment and Responsibility (McGraw-Hill, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eells, R. and C. Walton: 1961, Conceptual Foundations of Business (Richard D. Irwin, Homewood, Illinois).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenhardt, K (1989) ‹Building Theories from Case Study Research’. The Academy of Management Review 14(4), 532-550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M (1962) Capitalism and Freedom (University of Chicago Press).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallo, M. A.: 1980, Responsabilidades Sociales de la Empresa (Eunsa: Pamplona) (in Spanish)

  • Gallo, M.A.: 2004, ‹The Family Business and Its Social Responsibilities’, Family Business Review 17(2), 135-148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grunig, J. E.: 1979, ‹A New Measure of Public Opinions on Corporate Social Responsibility’, The Academy of Management Journal 22(4), 738-764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, P. and Y. Yu: 2006, ‹The Performance of Social Responsibilities by Means of the Cooperation between Public and Private Enterprises- a Case Study of Programs of Supporting the Poor in China’s Causes of “Helping to Start an Undertaking”‹, Management World 4, 41-47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z.: 2006, ‹A Study on Relation of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Value: Empirical Evidence from Shanghai Securities Exchange’, China industrial Economy 2, 77-83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luna Sotorrío, L. and J. L. Fernández Sánchez: 2008, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility of the Most Highly Reputed European and North American Firms’, Journal of Business Ethics 82(2), 379-390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maignan, I. and O. C. Ferrell: 2000, ‹Measuring Corporate Citizenship in Two Countries: The Case of the United States and France’, Journal of Business Ethics 23(3), 283-297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maignan, I. and D.A. Ralston: 2002, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe and the U.S.: Insights from Businesses’ Self- Presentations’, Journal of International Business Studies 33(3), 497-514.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matten, D. and J. Moon: 2008. ‹“Implicit” and “Explicit” CSR: A Conceptual Framework for A Comparative Understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility’, Academy of Management Review 33(2), 404-424.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire, J. W.: 1963, Business and Society (McGraw-Hill, New York).

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuendorf, K. A.: 2001, The Content Analysis Guidebook (Sage Publications, Inc.).

    Google Scholar 

  • Jin Pei: 2006, ‹The Survey Report of Corporate Social Responsibility’, Economic Management 3, 13-16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y. F., W. E. Luo and W. J. Xiao: 2007, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility Behavior and Consumer Responses: The Moderator Effects of Consumer Personal Characteristic and Price Signal’, China Industrial Economy 3, 62-69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sethi, S.P.: 1975, ‹Dimensions of Corporate Social Responsibility’, California Management Review 17(3), 58-64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, D.L.: 1995, ‹Addressing a Theoretical Problem by Reorienting the Corporate Social Performance Model’, The Academy of Management Review 20(1), 43-64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, A.S.: 2004, ‹Contributing to Global Management Knowledge: A Case for High Quality Indigenous Research’, Asia Pacific Journal of Management 21(4), 491-513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsui, A. S., H. Wang, and K. R. Xin: 2006, ‹Organizational Culture in China: An Analysis of Culture Dimensions and Culture Types’, Management and Organization Review 2(3), 345-376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tuzzolino, F. and B.R. Armandi: 1981, ‹A Need-Hierarchy Framework for Assessing Corporate Social Responsibility’, The Academy of Management Review 6(1), 21-28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wartick, S.L.and P. L. Cochran: 1985, ‹The Evolution of the Corporate Social Performance Model’, The Academy of Management Review 10(4), 758-769.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welford, R.: 2005, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility in Europe, North America and Asia: 2004 Survey Results’, The Journal of Corporate Citizenship 17, 33-52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, D.J.: 1991, ‹Corporate Social Performance Revisited’, The Academy of Management Review 16(4), 697-718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank: 2005, ‹What does Business Think About Corporate Social Responsibility? Part II’, http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/soc-dial/csr/.

  • Xin, K. R., A. S. Tsui, H. Wang, Z. Zhang, and W. Chen: 2002, ‹Corporate Culture in Chinese State-Owned Enterprises: An Inductive Analysis of Dimensions and Influences’, In Tsui, A. S., and Lau, C. M. (eds), The Management of Enterprises in the People’s Republic of China. Boston, MA: Kluwer Academic Press, pp 415–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y. F., W. E. Luo and W. J. Xiao: 2007, ‹Corporate Social Responsibility Behavior and Consumer Responses: The Moderator Effects of Consumer Personal Characteristic and Price Signal’, China Industrial Economy 3, 62-69.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research is supported by a grant from the Science Foundation of Renmin University of China (08XNB078) and a grant from the Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shangkun Xu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Xu, S., Yang, R. Indigenous Characteristics of Chinese Corporate Social Responsibility Conceptual Paradigm. J Bus Ethics 93, 321–333 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0224-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0224-8

Keywords

Navigation