Strategic Role of Mandated Corporate Social Responsibility: The India Story

Abstract The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is changing from charity and philanthropy to structures and mandates; from voluntary to statutory! Moreover, with the introduction of this mandated CSR in India, there is a sudden surge in CSR research and the differences in the concept of CSR between developed and developing countries have become evident. It is in this perspective that this research aims to study the macro structure of CSR in India; understand its CSR mandate and document the different tenets of this CSR mandate as found in literature. In the micro context, it also analyzes the mediating role of the (variable) corporate social responsibility (VCSR) between strategic management and firm performance.