International Corporate Responsibility Series

Volume 3, 2007

Controversies in International Corporate Responsibility

National Styles of Corporate Social Responsibility
Exploring Macro Influences on Responsible Business Behavior

While the literature on corporate social responsibility (CSR) suggests that its form and content differ at least somewhat from country to country, it has not begun to address whether CSR practices converge or diverge over time as countries benefit from higher levels of economic development, or whether these practices relate to specific cultural values and institutional structures. This paper proposes an initial conceptual model and propositions to begin to assess whether and how the different levels of economic development, cultural values, and institutional structures influence CSR behaviors. Mediating variables related to industry sector and executive moral development are also included in the model. The paper begins to lay the groundwork for empirical country and regional studies that can contribute to a greater understanding of the factors that influence CSR behaviors.