When does a corporate social responsibility initiative provide a first-mover advantage?

Carol Ann Tetrault Sirsly, Kai Lamertz

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    69 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Theory and research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) have been concerned primarily with identifying stakeholders, categorizing types of CSR initiatives, and linking corporate social performance to firm performance. In this conceptual article, the authors assess strategic CSR initiatives, inquiring into the conditions that might give rise to a sustainable competitive advantage in social performance. In what circumstances does a firm's CSR initiative create a first-mover advantage, and when should a firm prefer an early- or late-adopter position? Using the resource-based view and the asymmetries approach of first-mover advantages, the authors propose that for a CSR initiative to lead to a sustainable first-mover advantage, it must be central to the firm's mission, provide firm-specific benefits, and be made visible to external audiences. These strategic attributes generate internal sustainability and must be complemented to ensure external defensibility by a firm's ability to assess its environment, manage its stakeholders, and deal with social issues.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)343-369
    Number of pages27
    JournalBusiness and Society
    Volume47
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sep. 2008

    Keywords

    • Corporate social performance
    • Corporate social responsibility
    • First-mover advantage
    • Resource-based view
    • Stakeholder management
    • Sustainable strategic advantage

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