CSR firm profiles and innovation: An empirical exploration with survey data

Rachel Bocquet (1) , Christian Le Bas (2) , Caroline Mothe (1) , Nicolas Poussing (3)

1 IREGE - Institut de Recherche en Gestion et en Economie
2 GATE Lyon Saint-Étienne - Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon - Saint-Etienne
3 CREM - Centre de recherche en économie et management

This paper explores the relationship between different Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies and innovation. Using a survey carried out on CSR behavior of Luxembourg firms, we found two types of firms as far as CSR practices are concerned. Cluster 1 firms adopted CSR practices to achieve economic goals without resorting to the formalization of these practices. In contrast, cluster 2 firms "learn CSR by doing" and by establishing CSR procedures and tools. Then  we match Community Innovation Survey (CIS) data and specific data collected on CSR clusters. We estimate Logit models to explain the different types of innovation (product, process, organizational). In comparison with the firms which don't adopt CSR, firms in Cluster 1 are more innovative in  terms of product and process once we control for firm characteristics and innovation drivers while firms in cluster 2 tend to reject innovation in process and adopt organizational innovation. These results, which show the link between the various CSR practices and innovation types, have important consequences in terms of managerial recommendations and public policy support for innovation.

Mots clés: Corporate Social Responsibility; Innovation; Organizational; Practices; Product; Process

Domaines: Economies et finances

Rachel Bocquet, Christian Le Bas, Caroline Mothe, Nicolas Poussing. CSR firm profiles and innovation: An empirical exploration with survey data. 2011. ⟨halshs-00590326⟩