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CSR Research by Topic

CSR Research

Browse Environmental, Social & Governance Research 

Here at the BCCCC, our ongoing work with member companies helps us understand the issues today's corporate citizenship professionals are facing. With this audience in mind, we curate and summarize the latest CSR research studies each month. Use the briefs below to better integrate corporate citizenship into your business strategy and/or develop new solutions for pressing social challenges. For your convenience, the briefs are sorted into several prominent categories, all under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility. 

 

Corporate Citizenship

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CSR messaging and social influencers - 1

How consumers respond to CSR messaging from social media influencers

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers explored how consumers would respond to CSR messaging from non-CSR-themed social media influencers.

storytelling engages consumers in csr

Storytelling engages customers in corporate citizenship on a personal level

RESEARCH BRIEF - Communicating CSR commitments and results within the context of stories (vs. bulleted list or other stripped down forms) can improve attitudes toward the company and thereby encourage positive attitudes and intentions with the company.

csr and firm performance

CSR and firm performance: The essential role of risk and strategy alignment

RESEARCH BRIEF - CSR activities that align with the strategic vision and risk preferences of the firm can deliver better performance.

storytelling and consumer trust

Storytelling improves consumer trust and engagement in corporate citizenship

RESEARCH BRIEF - Consumers are more engaged in and believing of corporate citizenship communications that have a narrative style and focus on individuals—and are therefore less skeptical toward the initiatives they convey.

Engaging Employees

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930505228

Representation matters

RESEARCH BRIEF - Companies looking to create and promote gender-egalitarian parental leave policies are more successful in doing so when women’s representation in politics at the national level is greater.

CSR and financial performance

CSR Improving Financial Performance through Employee’s Work Engagement and Strategic Cohesion

RESEARCH BRIEF - Firms implementing CSR practices that align with their market strategies increase employee engagement, which can ultimately enhance financial performance.

SEC rule scope 1 and scope 2 emissions - 1

Do GHG Emissions and/or Green Innovation Affect Financial Results for Corporate Venture Investments?

RESEARCH BRIEF - GHG-emission reduction and green innovation have a significant positive effect on the financial performance of corporations making venture capital investments.

mentoring diverse employees - 1

Create advantage in the war for talent: Promote diversity during job recruitment

RESEARCH BRIEF - Active job seekers were asked to measure the impact of public acknowledgment of diversity practices in recruitment of both LGBTQ jobseekers and non-LGBTQ prospects.

Community Involvement

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CSR strategy and consumer trust

The Effect of Corporate Philanthropy on Consumer Behavior

RESEARCH BRIEF - Engaging in corporate philanthropy increases consumer purchase intention and participation in corporate philanthropic activities.

charitable giving strategy - 1

Want to increase donations? Pick a number...

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined how varying the way in which donations are solicited (e.g., requesting a specific amount vs. requesting an open-ended donation) affects donation amount and total number of donations.

time vs money

Perceived control impacts donors’ likelihood to give money versus time

RESEARCH BRIEF - To explore how a greater number of donors might be induced to give money, researchers conducted a series of seven studies with nearly 2,800 participants...

adjust grantee oversight

Adjust grantee oversight to achieve intended outcomes

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined survey responses from 242 nonprofit organizations that received funding from foundations. They analyzed how non-monetary factors in the grantee-grantor relationship are linked to...

Sustainablity Reporting

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esg disclosure benchmarks for companies

Does more robust ESG disclosure reduce a firm's future earnings risk?

RESEARCH BRIEF - To investigate the relationship between ESG disclosure and future earnings risk, researchers studied disclosure scores and analyst forecast data for 1,004 S&P Global 1200 firms

SDG

How industry-related factors affect SDG-related reporting

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers studied firm ESG reporting across 36 countries with both developed and developing economies to understand what factors might influence whether a firm would report ESG metrics in alignment with SDGs.

ESG ranking and corporate debt - 1

Increased ESG ranking lowers the cost of corporate debt

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined more than 1,500 bonds from S&P 500 companies and the firms’ ESG scores to determine if there is a relationship between a company’s score and their cost of debt.

esg news affect stock prices

Does ESG news affect stock price? Only if it’s financially material

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers studied ESG information from a wide variety of sources—including reports by analysts, media, advocacy groups, and government regulators— for 3,000 companies...

Responsible Corporate Leadership

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global companies are more environmentally sustainable

Lost and Found in Translation: Globalization and the Emergence of CSR Narratives

RESEARCH BRIEF - Globalization of firm activities raises the bar for ESG disclosure.

CA board diversity law

Will a higher ratio of women board members improve ESG performance?

RESEARCH BRIEF - To examine the relationship between women board directors and corporate social performance including how national culture may affect this relationship—researchers looked at nearly 3,200 public firms across 38 countries over 7 years.

age diversity top management teams - 1

Age demographics of top management teams impact environmental management strategies

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand what effect the age of top management team members has on a firm’s environmental management strategies, researchers analyzed data from over 500 U.S. firms over eight years.

women board directors and ESG

Women directors positively affect ESG performance, especially in certain countries

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers looked at the ratio of women directors on the boards of 3,175 global firms alongside the firms’ corporate social performance scores.

Environmental Sustainability

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SEC rule scope 1 and scope 2 emissions - 1

Do GHG Emissions and/or Green Innovation Affect Financial Results for Corporate Venture Investments?

RESEARCH BRIEF - GHG-emission reduction and green innovation have a significant positive effect on the financial performance of corporations making venture capital investments.

storytelling or facts consumer

Does environmental CSR influence consumers’ purchase intentions more than other CSR types?

RESEARCH BRIEF - Sharing information about a company’s environmental efforts at the point of purchase can increase a consumer’s reported willingness to buy a given product.

climate risk disclosure - 1

Institutional Investors, Climate Disclosure, and Carbon Emissions

RESEARCH BRIEF - Investor demand for climate-related information leads to greater corporate climate disclosure and lower carbon emissions from firms.

higher csr score less likely to default

Implications of Legal, Cultural & Governance Factors on Corporate Climate Commitment

RESEARCH BRIEF - The purpose of this study was to understand how a country's culture and legal system, as well as internal governance mechanisms, influence a company's commitment to addressing climate change.

The Value of Corporate Citizenship

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ESG report how to - 1

Active shareholders and foreign investors help drive sustainability strategies

RESEARCH BRIEF - Strategic shareholders positively influence a firms’ environmental proactivity, while the impact of financial shareholders in dependent on the firm’s level of foreign market exposure.

esg disclosure benchmarks for companies

Strong ESG disclosure associated with better ESG and financial performance

RESEARCH BRIEF - Comprehensive ESG disclosure significantly increases the likelihood of an EU listed company’s strong ESG and stock performance.

csr linked to financial performance

Higher ESG scores can result in better financial performance

RESEARCH BRIEF - Working to adopt sustainability practices that improve ESG ratings can also significantly boost your company’s financial performance.

CSR aligned with business helps financial performance

The Case for a Long-Term Perspective on the Financial Value of Sustainability Initiatives

RESEARCH BRIEF - Investing in sustainability initiatives has the potential to have a more favorable return on investment in the long term.

Supply Chain Management

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CSR messaging - 1

Using vague language diminishes CSR message credibility

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand the relationship between different types of corporate social responsibility (CSR) messages and consumer trust, researchers surveyed participants about the CSR reputation of a specific unnamed company.

integrating corporate citizenship supply chain

CSR performance affects supply-chain contracting decisions

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand whether an increase in available CSR information affects supplier contracting decisions, researchers gathered over 3,500 supplier-year observations.

salary disclosure and transparency law

Wage-related interventions for workers who earn low wages

RESEARCH BRIEF - Can companies increase worker compensation for employees earning low wages without a negative impact to the bottom line?

nonfinancial disclosure and supply chain - 1

Mandatory nonfinancial disclosure increases supply chain transparency

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand how mandatory ESG disclosures might affect firms’ supply chain due diligence, researchers analyzed 1,500 firms from 2005-2016, reviewing nearly 10,000 firm year observations.

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