Majid Khan

Citation

Thesis Title
An Examination of CSR Decoupling in Pakistan: A Research Journey Through Tight and Loosely Coupled Environments

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the idea that businesses have responsibilities to the environment, society, and its broader stakeholders. This Western term is spreading to developing countries. Yet the ways that CSR is perceived and practiced vary considerably across national contexts. Mr Khan addressed this theoretical gap. He demonstrated that CSR policies and practices are shaped by their institutional environment. Mr Khan found that in developing countries, a mismatch between what businesses say about CSR and how they actually behave may be deliberate. This discrepancy may be caused by low stakeholder and regulatory pressures and lack of understanding of CSR. His findings differ from those about Western businesses. He has made important theoretical and methodological contributions to our understanding of how business and society intersect in developing countries, especially those with weak institutional environments. His major methodological contribution is the introduction of originality tests in CSR reporting.

Supervisors
Dr James Lockhart
Associate Professor Ralph Bathurst