Theory Building Through Corporate Social Responsibility 4.0 for Achieving SDGs: A Practical Step Toward Integration of Digitalization With Practice-Based View and Social Good Theory

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a hot topic in recent years, especially following the introduction of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Among various strategies for achieving SDGs, CSR has become a dominant practice by which managers eliminate corporate social impact and develop social responsibility and commitment. To improve the integration of CSR into organizational practices, companies began to explore various available options. Academic studies began to analyze drivers, barriers, and best practices in CSR. More recent organizational structures are being transformed with the advent of new industry 4.0 technologies. There is good evidence that these technological integrations can improve the organization's overall performance. This article attempts to consider such technologies in CSR management. Industry 4.0 technologies, integrated with CSR and their practices, have been analyzed as CSR 4.0 practices. A theoretical framework has been proposed that links the practice-based view with the theory of social good. Further, the theory has been validated through a case study in which 23 CSR 4.0 practices that enhance better integration of digitization with the company's conventional CSR were collected from the literature and validated with experts for social good. These practices were further analyzed with DEMATEL, a multicriterion decision-making tool using case decision-makers' responses. Case study methods have been adapted to this article, where the textile sector from one of the developing contexts, India, has been considered. Among 23 CSR 4.0 practices, data ownership policy and rights (P22) has been identified as the most influential CSR 4.0 practice, while digital technology recycling (P19) ranks as the least influential. The resulting influential practices have been correlated with CSR 4.0 performances and, further, those performances are connected with their respective SDGs. This article warrants several scientific and societal contributions to CSR; this article is groundbreaking and contributes to theory building in CSR through the identification and analysis of CSR 4.0 practices. Further expansion of this article may be more fruitful due to the digitized changes in organizational culture.

Automated summary

This article discusses the application of industry 4.0 technologies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) management. A theoretical framework is proposed and validated through a case study, analyzing CSR 4.0 practices. The research findings indicate that data ownership policy and rights are the most influential CSR 4.0 practice.