Construct of Corporate Social Responsibility Scepticism: Implications and Insights from the Literature

This study provides a scoping review on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) vis-à-vis scepticism scholarship and appraises how the two concepts have been examined and contextualised in relation to one another. The findings illustrate the intricate process nature of CSR scepticism, given that CSR can yield both buffering and boomerang effects on CSR practitioners. The thematic analysis performed on 58 studies (published from 2007 to 2022) elaborates on CSR scepticism as a multi-dimensional construct with three distinctive typologies identified with regards to how the two topicalities have been cross-examined in the extant literature: “Typology 1: Dispositional scepticism and the buffering effect of CSR”, “Typology 2: Situational scepticism and the boomerang effect of CSR”, and “Typology 3: Centrality of CSR scepticism and its mitigation”. This study offers a conceptual insight into the prevalent issue of CSR scepticism, whilst also informing marketing, communication, and public relations professionals about the necessity of mitigating CSR scepticism, which has emerged as a barrier to effective CSR implementation and communication processes.