Emerging Social Representations of CSR: Institutional and Organizational factors in a Multinational Context

This study explores how employees of the same multinational company construct their representations of corporate social responsibility (CSR) across different national contexts. Drawing on social representations theory (Moscovici, 1961; Abric, 1994), this research contributes to the growing field of micro-CSR by examining the cognitive and cultural processes through which employees make sense of CSR within their organizational and societal environments. The research problem addresses a critical gap in the literature: while numerous studies have examined the outcomes of CSR on employees, little is known about how employees in different countries perceive and interpret the same corporate CSR policy. An exploratory, interpretive design was adopted. The empirical study focused on three subsidiaries of Danone's Fresh Dairy Products division, located respectively in France, Mexico, and Poland. Data were collected through 49 semi-structured interviews with managers, mainly in marketing and sales functions, and analyzed through thematic content analysis using NVivo software. Findings reveal a shared central core of CSR representations across the three subsidiaries, comprising four common themes: (1) employees as active CSR actors, (2) a functionalist vision reconciling business and societal goals, (3) the focus on disadvantaged populations as CSR beneficiaries, and (4) questioning the sincerity of CSR initiatives. However, peripheral elements of these representations differ by country, reflecting national contexts, cultural values, and local CSR practices. The study demonstrates that employees' representations of CSR are primarily anchored in corporate culture, national culture, and the nature of local CSR projects. Theoretically, it advances CSR scholarship by integrating social representations theory into the micro-CSR domain, offering a novel lens to analyze how collective meanings of CSR emerge and vary across contexts. Practically, it provides multinational firms with insights into how to adapt and communicate CSR strategies to enhance employees' sensemaking and engagement across diverse cultural settings.