Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility: The Role of Strategic Communication Practices

Umaru Kargbo, Biju Terrence and Timothy B. Palmer ()
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Umaru Kargbo: Department of Commerce, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695034, Kerala, India
Biju Terrence: Department of Commerce, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695034, Kerala, India
Timothy B. Palmer: Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI 49008, USA

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-26

Abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its sustainability-focused communications are now recognized as essential corporate activities. As society increasingly holds firms accountable for their social, environmental, and sustainability impacts, academic interest in CSR communications has similarly grown, with scholars exploring how CSR communication influences stakeholder engagement and corporate strategies. In response to this growing interest, we conducted a systematic literature review utilizing bibliometric analysis to identify and examine publication trends and patterns in CSR and CSR-associated communications, drawing from a robust dataset of 3513 documents extracted from Scopus and Web of Science. The analysis was conducted using the Biblioshiny R package and Excel to ensure methodological precision and analytical depth. We explored the characteristics of publications related to topics such as business, authorship, and journals over a four-decade period spanning from 1984 to 2024. Our results reveal four strategic clusters of CSR disclosure, reflecting a shift from symbolic to strategic and stakeholder-focused communication. Thematic evolution highlights the growing integration of ESG frameworks and digital reporting practices. This study is significant not only in its methodological rigor but also in its timely contribution to the intersection of CSR, sustainability, and strategic communication. Also, this study introduces a new theoretical framework through the CSR strategic disclosure indicator metric, which connects the level of disclosure maturity with the focus on different stakeholder groups. We discuss the implications of our findings not only for future scholarly research in CSR but also for corporate sustainability practitioners who look to academia for insights on emerging trends in CSR and CSR reporting.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; sustainability; sustainability reporting; impact reporting; ESG reporting; corporate social responsibility reporting; systematic literature review; bibliometric analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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