Corporate social responsibility and the marketplace

Most work to date seeking to link CSR level and performance has treated CSR as a strictly firm level variable. It is the argument of this author that any investigation of CSR that fails to incorporate industry level realities, particularly of an economic nature, will be fatally deficient. Hypotheses are proposed, building off the work of James Post, the gravamen of which is that CSR level depends significantly on industrial and economic status. The hypotheses are tested against a currently popular database and receive moderate support.Mr. Cottrill is a graduate student at the University of Connecticut generally doing research in strategic management. He is also an attorney, a member of various state and federal bars.