Profit-CSR Goal Conflict and Sustainable Innovation: Evidence from Firms

Pham Quang Long
Additional contact information
Pham Quang Long: Faculty of Education, Thu Dau Mot University, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: This study examines how profit-CSR goal conflict influences sustainable innovation, with strategic CSR integration as a mediating mechanism and organizational ambidexterity as a moderating condition. Drawing on Stakeholder Theory, Paradox Theory, and Organizational Ambidexterity Theory, the study develops and tests a model explaining how perceived tension between financial objectives and corporate social responsibility affects firms' sustainability-oriented innovation outcomes. Data was collected from 400 respondents in firms operating across manufacturing, services, trade, logistics, tourism, food processing, agriculture, technology, and related sectors. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that profit-CSR goal conflict negatively affects both sustainable innovation and strategic CSR integration. Strategic CSR integration positively influences sustainable innovation and partially mediates the relationship between profit-CSR goal conflict and sustainable innovation. In addition, organizational ambidexterity significantly moderates the relationship between profit-CSR goal conflict and strategic CSR integration. These findings indicate that perceived conflict between profitability and CSR can constrain sustainable innovation, but firms can reduce this negative effect by embedding CSR into strategy, operations, stakeholder engagement, and innovation processes. The study contributes to CSR and sustainable innovation literature by identifying strategic CSR integration and organizational ambidexterity as key mechanisms for managing profit-responsibility tensions.

Keywords: Corporate social responsibility; Sustainable innovation; Organizational ambidexterity; Strategic CSR integration; Profit-CSR goal conflict (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-21
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in European Journal of Science and Modern Technologies, 2026, 2 (3), pp.190-203. ⟨10.59324/ejsmt.2026.2(3).17⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05702902

DOI: 10.59324/ejsmt.2026.2(3).17

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().