Building a competitive advantage based on transparency: When and why does transparency matter for corporate social responsibility?

Yeyi Liu, Martin Heinberg, Xuan Huang and Andreas B. Eisingerich

Business Horizons, 2023, vol. 66, issue 4, 517-527

Abstract: Customers today are increasingly demanding transparency from firms. This article discusses the concept of performance transparency and explores when and why transparency plays a key role for a firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) effectiveness. In doing so, it addresses consumer skepticism as the logic of the transparency-CSR interaction and presents empirical evidence of the effect. It also discusses key principles for managing performance transparency effectively. Companies should monitor and track performance transparency regularly, initiate consistent transparency practices along with CSR activities, pay attention to the types of information made available, and adapt the transparency practices to the involvement level.

Keywords: Corporate transparency; Corporate social responsibility; Consumer skepticism; Customer involvement; Brand signaling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:bushor:v:66:y:2023:i:4:p:517-527

DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2022.10.004

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