Skip to main content

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

view CSR research on this topic
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

view CSR research on this topic
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.

new laws in us salary requirements

Increasing minimum wage benefits employees, productivity

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers observed the effect of the minimum wage on worker productivity and well-being among more than 40,000 salespeople whose pay is partly based on performance.

employee engagement team impact - 1

Communication of talent management strategies should account for self-perception

RESEARCH BRIEF - When it comes to inclusive vs. exclusive talent management strategies, how do employees feel about what's fair? How do their own self-perceptions play a role?

sustainability training - 1

Sustainability training improves eco-friendly behaviors outside of work

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers examined the direct and indirect relationships between employee participation in an environmentally focused training at work and employees' eco-friendly behaviors outside of work...

Community Involvement

view csr research on this topic
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...

how consumers assess csr communication

CSR communication: Consumers assess companies based on what they say and do

RESEARCH BRIEF - Communication strategies surrounding corporate citizenship efforts should be commensurate with actual corporate citizenship activities.

Sustainablity Reporting

view CSR research on this topic
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

view csr research on this topic
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.

women clearer communicators

Women CFOs are clearer communicators with shareholders—and it pays off

RESEARCH BRIEF - CFOs who are women tend to speak more realistically, concisely, and quantitatively than their male counterparts in less scripted portions of earnings calls. Read how investors respond...

Environmental Sustainability

view CSR research on this topic
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.

climate risk disclosure - 1

Climate risk disclosure and institutional investors

RESEARCH BRIEF - In this study, researchers focused on three groups of institutional investors with higher disclosure demand, which they deemed “climate-conscious investors.”

board structure and carbon emissions - 1

Influence of board structure on firm carbon emissions

RESEARCH BRIEF - To understand the relationship between board structure and emissions performance, researchers analyzed 7,284 firm-year observations...

upside of managing climate risk

It pays to manage climate risk

RESEARCH BRIEF - In a study of nearly 12,000 bank loan terms at nearly 3,000 U.S. companies, researchers analyzed how climate risk affects firm performance and risk, including operational performance, default risk, and bank loan terms.

The Value of Corporate Citizenship

view csr research on this topic
esg scores - 1

Do ESG scores play a role in a firm's market value?

RESEARCH BRIEF - This study observed market value of ~200 firms from 2002 to 2021. Researchers looked at the firms’ overall ESG scores and scores for each of ESG’s three pillars: environmental, social, and governance...

esg reporting frameworks regulation

How ESG affects equity valuation, risk, and performance

RESEARCH BRIEF - Can positive changes in a company's ESG characteristics serve as a useful indicator for predicting investment quality?

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.

csr corporate apology statement

When to mention CSR in corporate apology statements—congruence and commitment

RESEARCH BRIEF - Researchers surveyed 252 U.S. consumers, who were asked to read a negative news article about a fictitious pharmaceutical company, along with an apology statement admitting fault for failing to report adverse side effects of its pain reliever.

Supply Chain Management

view csr research on this topic
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.

Receive the Corporate Citizen Regularly

Subscribe here to receive Center content via email. Subscribe