Promoting Cooperation Between Corporate Social Responsibility And Inter-Organizational Relationships

Although the fields of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Relationship Exchange have both significantly developed over the last quarter century, their content and concepts have largely remained independent. This study seeks to integrate the two streams of research by proposing an antecedent role for CSR with respect to stimulating collaborative agreements between firms and suppliers. Here we investigate the relationship between CSR and relationship exchange through a mediated model, which includes three specific factors: trust, reputation and network resources. We propose that it is through these factors that CSR influences the willingness of both partners to initiate collaborative, long-term exchanges.