CRAFTING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR): A CASE STUDY OF CSR STRATEGIZING AND INSTITUTIONALIZATION

This dissertation aims to fill a gap in CSR research by adopting a constructivist perspective to investigate how CSR practitioners craft strategies and how this contributes to the institutionalization of CSR in general, and of the ‘business case for CSR’ in particular. It does so by relying on the strategy-as-practice approach and the notions of institutional entrepreneurship and institutional work. This dissertation is based on a single-case study of two CSR practitioners who implemented a CSR strategy in a UK energy firm. The findings highlight the factors underpinning the legitimacy of CSR strategists. Moreover, they reveal how CSR practitioners frame the business case for CSR and mobilize people behind their vision of CSR. The study also outlines the bundle of knowledge, skills and practices supporting the work of CSR practitioners, as well as the factors influencing this bundle throughout the strategy process. Finally, the research identifies three types of strategic and institutional outcomes related to practitioners’ work. Given the limited number of empirical studies on this topic, this dissertation can be considered as a first attempt to explore the construction of a CSR strategy and its impact on the institutionalization of CSR within firms