Revisiting divergence and convergence in CSR representations: Empirical evidence

This paper develops four global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) dimensions and investigates their patterns of convergence and divergence among the ISO 26000’s categories of stakeholders. In a relational content design, we analyzed data from 164 national stakeholders groups drawn from 48 countries, during the WD3 negotiation in 2007. Principal Components Analysis (PCA) techniques show any “pure” divergence or convergence on the extracted dimensions. The study also demonstrates that full national stakeholders consensus leads to a clearer CSR representation. Contrary to our initial research propositions, analysis of the variance reveals that neither the level of development nor the stakeholder memberships are related to divergence on CSR representation.  However, national membership exhibited significant relation to the divergence on the principles and the implementation of CSR worldwide. Managerial implications and further research extensions are discussed.