Toward future directions for critical CSR: beyond framing CSR as strategic, political, or utopian

This chapter presents a reading of corporate social responsibility (CSR) research that identifies three key frames in contemporary literature: CSR as strategic, political, or utopian. In each of these approaches, good organizational praxis and positive social improvement may be an outcome but is not necessarily the primary measure of success. For example, strategic CSR emphasizes CSR’s functional value, making a positive contribution to financial performance if successful. Political CSR research positions corporations as political actors, engaging in private governance and acting in a quasi-governmental manner. Success is constituted by effective achievement of public goods. Third, utopian CSR research suggests CSR is inevitably flawed and failing. This way of thinking suggests that CSR can contribute to utopian projects if a much more radical ideology is adopted. While there is some boundary-crossing, researchers tend not to seek dialogue between strategic, political, and utopian interpretations of CSR. The somewhat parallel development of trajectories is hindering the advancement of CSR research, especially in its implications for practice and progressive change. The chapter concludes by outlining ways in which scholarly dialogue might be encouraged to develop a more clearly defined “critical CSR,” to the benefit of the research field, management education, and organizational practice.