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Reconnecting Business and Society: Perceptions of Authenticity in Corporate Social Responsibility

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Abstract

This article explores the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and authenticity by developing a framework that explains the characteristics of CSR activities that lead to a perception by stakeholders that a firm’s CSR efforts are genuine. Drawing on the authenticity literature, we identify two core dimensions of authenticity that impact stakeholder perceptions of CSR: distinctiveness and social connectedness. Distinctiveness captures the extent to which a firm’s CSR activities are aligned with their core mission, vision and values while social connectedness refers to the degree to which an organization’s CSR efforts are embedded in a larger social context. We use this framework to explore the question ‘when are a firm’s CSR efforts most likely to be perceived as authentic by stakeholders?’ and find that both of these dimensions are necessary; social connectedness or distinctiveness alone are necessary but insufficient conditions for perceptions of authenticity to occur. A detailed exploration of authenticity, therefore, advances research in the CSR domain that may help mend the growing divide between business and society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IMD International Institute for Management Development, Chemin de Bellerive 23, PO Box 915, 1001, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Daina D. Mazutis

  2. Faculty of Business Administration, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3X5, Canada

    Natalie Slawinski

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  1. Daina D. Mazutis
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Correspondence to Natalie Slawinski.

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Daina D. Mazutis and Natalie Slawinski contributed equally to this article.

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Mazutis, D.D., Slawinski, N. Reconnecting Business and Society: Perceptions of Authenticity in Corporate Social Responsibility. J Bus Ethics 131, 137–150 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2253-1

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