CSR firm profiles and innovation: An empirical exploration with survey data

Rachel Boquet (), Christian Le Bas, Caroline Mothe and Nicolas Poussing
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Rachel Boquet: IREGE, University of Savoie, France
Christian Le Bas: University of Liège, CREPP, 7 boulevard du rectorat (B31), Liège 4000, Belgium ; CORE, University of Louvain, CEPR and PSE
Caroline Mothe: IREGE, University of Savoie, France
Nicolas Poussing: CEPS/INSTEAD, Luxembourg

No 1117, Working Papers from Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Etienne (GATE Lyon St-Etienne), Université de Lyon

Abstract: This paper explores the relationship between different Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies and innovation. Using a survey carried out on CSR behavior of Luxembourg firms, we found two types of firms as far as CSR practices are concerned. Cluster 1 firms adopted CSR practices to achieve economic goals without resorting to the formalization of these practices. In contrast, cluster 2 firms “learn CSR by doing” and by establishing CSR procedures and tools. Then we match Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data and specific data collected on CSR clusters. We estimate Logit models to explain the different types of innovation (product, process, organizational). In comparison with the firms which don’t adopt CSR, firms in Cluster 1 are more innovative in terms of product and process once we control for firm characteristics and innovation drivers while firms in cluster 2 tend to reject innovation in process and adopt organizational innovation. These results, which show the link between the various CSR practices and innovation types, have important consequences in terms of managerial recommendations and public policy support for innovation.

Keywords: corporate social responsability; innovation; organizational; practices; product; process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gat:wpaper:1117

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