Application of theories in CSR research focusing study context and corporate attributes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the background of the theories, how they motivate corporations to engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities and their application, focusing on the study context and corporate attributes. Design/methodology/approach The study used Google Scholar as an online database and collected 170 published academic papers via a systematic search procedure; of these, 112 papers were selected as suitable for the study purpose. The selection followed the analysis of the abstract, the paper contents including the proposition of the theories, the literature review, the theoretical framework and the hypothesis development. Findings The study findings indicate that the cores of the proposed theories to explore CSR are not identical. The components of theories build a social value system, which intensely motivates corporations to engage in CSR activities and voluntary disclosure practices. A thorough analysis of the characteristics of the theories demonstrates that the choice of theories to explore both an endogenous variable like CSR and exogenous variables depends on the study context and the characteristics of the corporate attributes. Research limitations/implications The study considers only the most prominent theories in CSR research, but many other theories are also explored in CSR research. In addition, the study takes only academic papers in the English language into consideration, and the generalization of study findings is only for CSR research. Practical implications The study aims to provide guidance about the selection of theories based on the contexts and corporate attributes to explore both endogenous and exogenous variables. It draws policymakers’ attention toward the renovation and addition of motivational instruments in the context. The study also helps industry practitioners in realizing the principles and consequences of the theories and in taking strategic social and environmental obligations into consideration in their decision-making process. Originality/value This is the first attempt to conduct a literature review on the development of theories and corporate CSR engagement from 1975 to 2019, covering 112 published academic papers. A deeper understanding using theoretical conceptualization as guidance is beneficial, as it provides a strong basis for the enhancement of future CSR corporate activities.