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What drives CSR specialization? The roles of relative marketing capability and market conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Fangyuan Teng

    (Rennes SB - Rennes School of Business, University of Ljubljana)

  • Mahabubur Rahman

    (Rennes SB - Rennes School of Business)

  • Seongsoo Jang

    (Cardiff Business School - Cardiff University)

Abstract

Firms engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR) through either a generalist approach, addressing many CSR areas, or a specialist approach, focusing on a few. Most firms adopt the latter, yet little is known about what drives CSR specialization, especially the role of organizational capabilities. Drawing on resource advantage theory and dynamic capabilities theory, this study examines whether and how a firm's relative marketing capability (RMC) affects CSR specialization, and how market conditions—munificence, concentration, and dynamism—moderate this relationship. Using panel data from 855 firms across six countries (2012–2021) and a dynamic estimation method addressing endogeneity, we find that RMC positively influences CSR specialization. Furthermore, market conditions moderate the relationship between RMC and CSR specialization; firms with greater RMC specialize in CSR when they face less munificent, more concentrated, or more dynamic markets. The findings remain consistent across a battery of robustness analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Fangyuan Teng & Mahabubur Rahman & Seongsoo Jang, 2026. "What drives CSR specialization? The roles of relative marketing capability and market conditions," Post-Print hal-05488763, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05488763
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2026.115984
    as

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