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Being good while being bad: social responsibility and the international diversification of US firms

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Abstract

This paper contributes to the discussion on international diversification and corporate social responsibility (CSR) by suggesting that firms can be simultaneously socially responsible and socially irresponsible. To test our assertions, we analyze data from 222 publicly traded US firms from 1993 to 2003. The findings support our hypotheses, and have significant implications for the way in which we conceptualize CSR.

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Acknowledgements

We thank and acknowledge the contributions of Glenn Rowe, Nien-hê Hsieh and Kersi Antia, as well as the valuable insights of the anonymous reviewers, participants of the JIBS Focused Issue Workshop, and the JIBS Guest Editors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

    Vanessa M Strike, Jijun Gao & Pratima Bansal

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  1. Vanessa M Strike
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  2. Jijun Gao
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  3. Pratima Bansal
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Correspondence to Pratima Bansal.

Additional information

Accepted by Lorraine Eden, Amy Hillman, Peter Rodrignez and Donald Siegel, Guest Editors, 4 October 2006. This paper has been with the author for two revisions.

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Strike, V., Gao, J. & Bansal, P. Being good while being bad: social responsibility and the international diversification of US firms. J Int Bus Stud 37, 850–862 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400226

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400226

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