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Achieving legitimacy through corporate social responsibility: The case of emerging economy firms

Author

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  • Zheng, Qinqin
  • Luo, Yadong
  • Maksimov, Vladislav

Abstract

To manage stakeholder CSR pressures, firms from emerging economies can employ two legitimation strategies simultaneously – compliance and strategic adaptation. Compliance is useful in responding to explicitly expressed demands for CSR, while strategic adaptation is useful when a specific form of CSR is seen as most instrumental in drawing positive responses from a particular stakeholder group. We analyze the adoption of two extreme CSR forms – philanthropy and sustainability. In a sample of 288 firms from China, we demonstrate that firms adopt both CSR forms, but emphasize philanthropy when seeking legitimacy with outsider stakeholders and sustainability with insider stakeholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Zheng, Qinqin & Luo, Yadong & Maksimov, Vladislav, 2015. "Achieving legitimacy through corporate social responsibility: The case of emerging economy firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(3), pages 389-403.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:worbus:v:50:y:2015:i:3:p:389-403
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jwb.2014.05.001
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