61: Corporate Social (Ir) Responsibility: Communicating and Mitigating the Darker Side of CSR (12233)

In the wake of the ongoing climate and other crises globally, the debate around the proposition that the only social responsibility of a firm is to earn profits does not appear to hold. A firm's financial decisions often contradict the choice of corporate social responsibility (CSR) actional, and they might face tough choices between CSR and performance. Nations attempt to implement CSR voluntarily or mandatorily. CSR is mandatory in India through section 135 of the Companies Act. It creates incentives and opportunities to do some clever management of CSR initiatives. However, management scholarship has long ignored this counterpart of CSR, or corporate social irresponsibility (CSiR). Literature has shown that CSR and CSiR can co-exist simultaneously (Kölbel et al., 2017; Lange & Washburn, 2012). Even bonafide social entrepreneurship organizations may opportunistically engage in CSiR (Pandey & Maheshwari, 2023). CSiR is often communicated to stakeholders through media and third-party reporting. This workshop brings together a panel of management researchers with rich perspectives on the interplay of CSR and CSiR. Through dialog and exercise, this PDW seeks to engage participants controversial questions such as i. Should businesses be involved in CSR in the first place iii. If so, need this be made mandatory by law? iii. Have CSR activities turned into more brand-building exercises? iv. How can one call out CSiR practices?