Corporate social responsibility influencing sustainability within the retail industry: a bibliometric analysis using R

This study delves into the evolving landscape of corporate social responsibility and sustainability in the retail sector with the aim to explore the extent of research progress in this domain and anticipate future research directions. Employing the systematic literature review coupled with comprehensive bibliometric analysis, conducted with the help of the RStudio, allows the researchers to examine the existing body of literature and map the scholarly environment surrounding the field of CSR and sustainability in the retail industry. The findings indicate that the research has grown significantly in the last decade, driven by global policies and consumer pressure. The key themes emanating from this study are the supply chain sustainability, ethics, consumer trust, and integration of the concepts of environmental, social, and governance framework. The four research clusters identified in the study are supply chain and corporate sustainability, responsibility and human rights, retail dynamics and consumer trust. They are indicative of a multidisciplinary approach to sustainable consumption, transparency, and circular economy business models. The study identifies the need of retailers to adhere to global sustainability practices i.e. UN sustainable development goals and EU corporate sustainability reporting directive. The research also points out the opportunities that exist with technology and creation of synergies among the stakeholders in a bid of enhancing improved sustainability outcomes. This research has provided the basis of additional scholarly work in this developing field by synthesizing existing research and identification of knowledge gaps.