Agric. Econ. - Czech, 2022, 68(3):79-86 | DOI: 10.17221/398/2021-AGRICECON

Examining drivers and outcomes of corporate social responsibility in agri-food firmsOriginal Paper

Antonio Martos-Pedrero ORCID...*,1, David Jiménez-Castillo ORCID...2, Francisco Joaquín Cortés-García ORCID...3
1 Human and Social Sciences School, University of Almeria, Almeria, Spain
2 Department of Economics and Business, Research Center CIMEDES, University of Almeria, Almeria, Spain
3 Faculty of Business and Management, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, Santiago, Chile

This study attempts to contribute to the debate on the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the financial performance (FP), image and reputation (IR) of agri-food firms, examining whether the legal form of organization (LFO) (cooperatives vs. capital firms) moderates these relationships. To this aim, we also consider the potential effects of two scarcely investigated factors that can determine firms' CSR orientation, that is, the capacity to absorb CSR-related knowledge and the perception that managers have of ethics and social responsibility. Using data from a sample of 107 trading firms in the agri-food sector in Almeria (Spain), we show that both factors play a decisive role in the firms' CSR orientation, which has been measured as a multidimensional construct. Also, the orientation towards socially and environmentally responsible practices positively affect IR of agri-food firms and their FP. The relationship with the FP is stronger in the case of cooperatives compared to capital firms. Key implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Keywords: absorptive capacity; legal form of organization; perception of ethics and social responsibility; reputation; sustainability

Published: March 17, 2022  Show citation

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Martos-Pedrero A, Jiménez-Castillo D, Cortés-García FJ. Examining drivers and outcomes of corporate social responsibility in agri-food firms. Agric. Econ. - Czech. 2022;68(3):79-86. doi: 10.17221/398/2021-AGRICECON.
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