Incorporating Role of Stakeholders into Corporate CSR Strategy For Sustainable Growth: An Exploratory Study

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Melaka

^* Corresponding author’s email: vani@melaka.uitm.edu.my

Abstract

In today’s modern day context, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) become the mantra for businesses as it can be seen as a strategic approach for firms to be succeed in their business endeavours. Hence, it remains the most widely used concept to refer to organizational- stakeholder relationships. An understanding about a stakeholder approach to CSR is an important means for a firm to enhance their commitment to operate in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner. In support with above arguments, this article presents a theoretical proposition based on stakeholder theory for better CSR and firm performance. By drawing upon classic work in the field, the paper offers conceptual discussion and then systematically develops a means of stakeholder approach into corporate CSR strategy. The aim of this paper is to demonstrates the need for a firm to enhance further understanding about the role of stakeholders in the context of corporate CSR strategy, which is increasingly necessary in view of the fact that business entities are absolutely essential for economic development, but at the same time, their business activities pose a huge impact to society and the environment. Thus, firm's CSR disclosure is a pivotal tool to establish a relationship of working together with the stakeholders that ensures mutual benefit and continue to be a firm that is needed by society. This article contributes to the literature by providing a fundamental explanation of how a business should embrace responsibility for the impact of its activities on the stakeholders across various levels of the value chain. By doing so, firms are offered a means to take a much more proactive approach to CSR through the stakeholder approach which is precisely helpful in measuring the effectiveness of any CSR initiative on the society to foster business sustainability.