Research Trends in Board Attributes and Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: A Bibliometric Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51137/wrp.ijarbm.314Keywords:
Corporate Social Responsibility Performance, Board Attributes, Bibliometric Analysis, Systematic Literature ReviewAbstract
This article synthesises insights from corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature by conducting a comprehensive review of the influence of board attributes on CSR performance. It draws on peer-reviewed studies published between 1989 and 2024, identifying impactful authors, journals, and articles, as well as exploring the key terms frequently used in this research domain. The study applies a systematic literature review through bibliometric analysis of 348 manuscripts indexed in Scopus, focusing on both accounting and non-accounting academic journals. The methods employed include the analysis of co-authorship networks, citation patterns, keyword co-occurrence, and publication trends, which together reveal the most influential authors, leading journals, and geographical patterns of CSR research. The findings show that interest in the relationship between board attributes and CSR performance has increased significantly since 2007, with research concentrated in countries such as China, the United States, and Australia. Influential contributors include Karaman AS, and Martinez Ferrero, J. The analysis demonstrates that board characteristics play an important role in shaping CSR outcomes and highlights a recent shift in attention towards developing countries. The study identifies research gaps and suggests that future work should broaden database coverage beyond Scopus to improve the generalisability of findings.
References
Abidin, Z., Jalal, J., & Sodiq, A. (2025). The five tiers of corporate social responsibility (CSR): From risk management to social business. Social Responsibility Journal, 21(5), 940–961. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-03-2023-0146 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-03-2023-0146
Al-Faryan, M. A. S. (2024). Agency theory, corporate governance and corruption: An integrative literature review approach. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2337893 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2337893
Al-Maliki, H. S. N., Salehi, M., & Kardan, B. (2023). The relationship between board characteristics and social responsibility with firm innovation. European Journal of Management and Business Economics, 32(1), 113–129. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-04-2020-0094 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMBE-04-2020-0094
Arruda, H., Silva, E. R., Lessa, M., Proença, D. Jr., & Bartholo, R. (2022). VOSviewer and Bibliometrix. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 110(3), 392–395. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2022.1434 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2022.1434
Atanasov, A., Chipriyanova, G., & Krasteva-Hristova, R. (2023). Integration of digital technologies in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 16(8), 373. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm16080373 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm16080373
Bear, S., Rahman, N., & Post, C. (2010). The impact of board diversity and gender composition on corporate social responsibility and firm reputation. Journal of Business Ethics, 97, 207–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0505-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0505-2
Bhaskar, R., Li, P., Bansal, S., & Kumar, S. (2023). A new insight on CEO characteristics and corporate social responsibility (CSR): A meta-analytical review. International Review of Financial Analysis, 89(1), 102815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102815 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2023.102815
Bhatnagar, S., & Sharma, D. (2022). Evolution of green finance and its enablers: A bibliometric analysis. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 162, 112405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112405 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2022.112405
Cao, Y., Wang, X., Yang, Z., Wang, J., Wang, H., & Liu, Z. (2023). Research in marine accidents: A bibliometric analysis, systematic review and future directions. Ocean Engineering, 284, 115048. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115048 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2023.115048
Cardillo, M. A. D. R., & Basso, L. F. C. (2025). Revisiting knowledge on ESG/CSR and financial performance: A bibliometric and systematic review of moderating variables. Journal of Innovation & Knowledge, 10(1), 100648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100648 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jik.2024.100648
Carroll, A. B. (1979). A three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4), 497–505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/257850
Carroll, A. B. (2021). Corporate social responsibility: Perspectives on the CSR construct’s development and future. Business & Society, 60(6), 1258–1278. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503211001765 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503211001765
Chauhan, D. (2022). Paradigm shift from shareholders to stakeholders primacy model. SSRN. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4146726 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4146726
Chouaibi, S., & Chouaibi, J. (2021). Social and ethical practices and firm value: The moderating effect of green innovation: Evidence from international ESG data. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 37(3), 442–465. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-12-2020-0203 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOES-12-2020-0203
Chu, M., Muhamad, H. B., Mustapha, M. B., San, O. T., Zan, F., & Jia, X. (2022). Research trends in corporate social responsibility and innovation: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability, 14(21), 14185. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114185 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114185
Cucari, N., Esposito De Falco, S., & Orlando, B. (2018). Diversity of board of directors and environmental social governance: Evidence from Italian listed companies. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25, 250–266. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1452 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1452
Deegan, C., & Shelly, M. (2014). Corporate social responsibilities: Alternative perspectives about the need to legislate. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(4), 499–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1701-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1730-2
Denis, D. J. (2024). Corporate social responsibility and the shareholder primacy paradigm. Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 36(2), 21–26. https://doi.org/10.1111/jacf.12613 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jacf.12613
Ding, Y., Chowdhury, G. G., & Foo, S. (2001). Bibliometric cartography of information retrieval research by using co-word analysis. Information Processing and Management, 37(6), 817–842. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4573(00)00036-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4573(00)00051-0
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pandey, N., & Gupta, P. (2021). Forty years of the International Journal of Information Management: A bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Information Management, 57, 102307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102307 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102307
Ellegaard, O., & Wallin, J. A. (2015). The bibliometric analysis of scholarly production: How great is the impact? Scientometrics, 105(3), 1809–1831. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1764-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1645-z
Elembilassery, V. (2023). Evolutionary influences on corporate social responsibility literature: A review and prognosis. Society and Business Review, 18(3), 504–522. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-05-2022-0136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-05-2022-0136
Endrikat, J., de Villiers, C., Guenther, T. W., & Guenther, E. M. (2021). Board characteristics and corporate social responsibility: A meta-analytic investigation. Business & Society, 60(8), 2099–2135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650320930638 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650320930638
Evans, W. R., Haden, S. P., Clayton, R. W., & Novicevic, M. M. (2013). History of management thought about social responsibility. Journal of Management History, 19(1), 8–32. https://doi.org/10.1108/17511341311309330 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/17511341311286150
Farooq, M., Noor, A., & Naeem, M. (2023). Does family ownership moderate the relationship between board characteristics and corporate social responsibility? Evidence from an emerging market. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 12, 71–99. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-022-00164-z DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-022-00164-z
García-Rivas, M. I., Gálvez-Sánchez, F. J., Noguera-Vivo, J. M., & Meseguer-Sánchez, V. (2023). Corporate social responsibility reports: A review of the evolution, approaches and prospects. Heliyon, 9(7), e18348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18348 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18348
Gillan, S. L., Koch, A., & Starks, L. T. (2021). Firms and social responsibility: A review of ESG and CSR research in corporate finance. Journal of Corporate Finance, 66, 101889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.101889 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.101889
Godos-Díez, J. L., Cabeza-García, L., Alonso-Martínez, D., & Fernández-Gago, R. (2018). Factors influencing board of directors’ decision-making process as determinants of CSR engagement. Review of Managerial Science, 12(1), 229–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-016-0220-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-016-0220-1
Grosman, A., Aguilera, R. V., & Wright, M. (2019). Lost in translation? Corporate governance, independent boards and blockholder appropriation. Journal of World Business, 54(4), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2018.09.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2018.09.001
Gutiérrez-Salcedo, M., Martínez, M. Á., Moral-Munoz, J. A., Herrera-Viedma, E., & Cobo, M. J. (2018). Some bibliometric procedures for analyzing and evaluating research fields. Applied Intelligence, 48(5), 1275–1287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-017-1105-y DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-017-1105-y
Harjoto, M. A., & Jo, H. (2011). Corporate governance and CSR nexus. Journal of Business Ethics, 100, 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0772-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0772-6
Harjoto, M., Laksmana, I., & Lee, R. (2015). Board diversity and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 132(4), 641–660. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2343-0
Hong, H., & Shore, E. (2023). Corporate social responsibility. Annual Review of Financial Economics, 15, 327–350. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-financial-111021-094347 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-financial-111021-094347
Hopkins, M. (2003). The planetary bargain: Corporate social responsibility matters. Taylor & Francis.
Jain, T., & Jamali, D. (2016). Looking inside the black box: The effect of corporate governance on corporate social responsibility. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 24, 253–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12154 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12154
Jensen, M. C., & Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs, and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X
Ji, Y. G., Tao, W., & Rim, H. (2020). Mapping corporate social responsibility research in communication: A network and bibliometric analysis. Public Relations Review, 46(5), 101963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101963 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2020.101963
Jouber, H. (2021). Is the effect of board diversity on CSR diverse? New insights from one-tier vs. two-tier corporate board models. Corporate Governance, 21(1), 23–61. https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-07-2020-0277 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/CG-07-2020-0277
Kabir, R., & Thai, H. M. (2017). Does corporate governance shape the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance? Pacific Accounting Review, 29(2), 227–258. https://doi.org/10.1108/PAR-10-2016-0091 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PAR-10-2016-0091
Khushi, N., & Khurana, D. (2023). Corporate social responsibility. Vidyayana - An International Multidisciplinary Peer-Reviewed E-Journal, 8(6), 724–732. http://vidhyayanaejournal.org/journal/article/view/779
Konkiel, S. R. (2017). What can altmetrics tell us about interest in dental clinical trials? Dental Hypotheses, 8(2), 31–33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/denthyp.denthyp_12_17
Kumar, A., & Dube, I. (2024). The paradox of corporate purpose in India: Shareholder primacy versus stakeholder model. Australian Journal of Asian Law, 25(1), 69–87. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.T2024100100001000172016234
LaGore, W., Mahoney, L., & Thorne, L. (2020). An implicit-explicit examination of differences in CSR practices between the USA and Europe. Society and Business Review, 15(3), 165–187. https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-10-2019-0129 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/SBR-10-2019-0129
Lau, C., Lu, Y., & Liang, Q. (2016). Corporate social responsibility in China: A corporate governance approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 136(1), 73–87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24736115 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2513-0
Lei, J., Lin, S., Khan, M. R., Xie, S., Sadiq, M., Ali, R., Bashir, M. F., Shahzad, L., Eldin, S. M., & Amin, A. H. (2022). Research trends of board characteristics and firms’ environmental performance: Research directions and agenda. Sustainability, 14(21), 14296. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114296 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114296
Lemana, P., Matemane, R., & Mokabane, M. (2025). Corporate Social Responsibility as a Driver of Financial Performance: An Exploration of South African Companies. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 18(5), 278. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18050278 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm18050278
Lemana, P., Matemane, R., & Mokabane, M. (2025). The evolution of research on corporate social responsibility and financial performance: a bibliometric analysis. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2507230. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2507230 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2507230
Martínez-Ferrero, J., Lozano, M. B., & Vivas, M. (2021). The impact of board cultural diversity on a firm’s commitment toward the sustainability issues of emerging countries: The mediating effect of a CSR committee. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 28, 675–685. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2080 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2080
Matemane, R., Msomi, T., & Ngundu, M. (2024). Environmental, social and governance and financial performance nexus in South African listed firms. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 27(1), Article a5387. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v27i1.5387 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v27i1.5387
Nabavi, M. (2022). An analysis of journalism articles achieving high Altmetric attention scores. Learned Publishing, 35, 617–624. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1492 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1492
Naciti, V. (2019). Corporate governance and board of directors: The effect of board composition on firm sustainability performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 237, 117727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117727 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117727
Naeem, M. A., Karim, S., Rabbani, M. R., Bashar, A., & Kumar, S. (2023). Current state and future directions of green and sustainable finance: A bibliometric analysis. Qualitative Research in Financial Markets, 15(4), 608–629. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-10-2021-0174 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/QRFM-10-2021-0174
Newman, M. E. J. (2001). The structure of scientific collaboration networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 98(2), 404–409. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.98.2.404 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.021544898
Nguyen, M. H., Nguyen, K. Q. T., Le, H. M. D., Le, V. T., & Nguyen, T. K. C. (2023). Corporate social responsibility, board of directors’ affect financial performance: Evidence in Vietnam. International Journal of Professional Business Review, 8(8), Article e02388. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i8.2388 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i8.2388
Nusair, K. (2020). Developing a comprehensive life cycle framework for social media research in hospitality and tourism: A bibliometric method 2002–2018. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(3), 1041–1066. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-01-2020-0030 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-09-2019-0777
Oh, W. Y., Chang, Y. K., & Kim, T. Y. (2018). Complementary or substitutive effects? Corporate governance mechanisms and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management, 44(7), 2716–2739. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206317739050 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316653804
Öztürk, O., Kocaman, R., & Kanbach, D. K. (2024). How to design bibliometric research: An overview and a framework proposal. Review of Managerial Science, 18(2), 3333–3361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-024-00738-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-024-00738-0
Pahuja, S., & Agrawal, A. (2023). Board attributes and corporate social responsibility: A systematic literature review and future research perspectives. Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, 16(1), 108–138. https://doi.org/10.1177/09746862231170429 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09746862231170429
Palladino, L. (2021). Financialization at work: Shareholder primacy and stagnant wages in the United States. Competition & Change, 5(3-4), 382–400. https://doi.org/10.1177/1024529420934641 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1024529420934641
Pandey, N., Andres, C., & Kumar, S. (2022). Mapping the corporate governance scholarship: Current state and future directions. Corporate Governance: An International Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12444 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12444
Passas, I. (2024). Bibliometric analysis: The main steps. Encyclopedia, 4(2), 1014–1025. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4020065x DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia4020065
Rao, K., & Tilt, C. (2016). Board composition and corporate social responsibility: The role of diversity, gender, strategy and decision making. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(1), 327–347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2613-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2613-5
Rashid, M. F. A. (2023). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis using R packages: A comprehensive guidelines. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary Arts, 15(1), 24–39.
Schoenmaker, D., & Schramade, W. (2024). Shareholder primacy or stakeholder governance? Finance Research Letters, 69, 106244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.106244 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2024.106244
Shaukat, A., Qiu, Y., & Trojanowski, G. (2016). Board attributes, corporate social responsibility strategy, and corporate environmental and social performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 135(1), 569–585. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2460-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2460-9
Syafriadi, E., Sitepu, H. B., Andini, Y. P., Muda, I., & Kesuma, S. A. (2023). The impact of agency theory on organizational behavior: A systematic literature review of the latest research findings. Brazilian Journal of Development, 9(12), 31895–31911. https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv9n12-090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv9n12-090
Ülker, P., Ülker, M., & Karamustafa, K. (2023). Bibliometric analysis of bibliometric studies in the field of tourism and hospitality. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), 797–818. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-10-2021-0291 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-10-2021-0291
Uyar, A., Kilic, M., Koseoglu, M. A., Kuzey, C., & Karaman, A. S. (2020). The link among board characteristics, corporate social responsibility performance, and financial performance: Evidence from the hospitality and tourism industry. Tourism Management Perspectives, 35, 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100714 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100714
Wu, L., Shao, Z., Yang, C., Ding, T., & Zhang, W. (2020). The impact of CSR and financial distress on financial performance: Evidence from Chinese listed companies in the manufacturing industry. Sustainability, 12(17), 6799. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176799 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176799
Yadav, K., Shukla, R. K., & Shrivastava, D. (2021). A study on evolution of corporate social responsibility in India. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 5(2), 186–195.
Yuan, Y., Lu, L. Y., Tian, G., & Yu, Y. (2020). Business strategy and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 162(2), 359–377. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3952-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3952-9
Zainuldin, M. H., & Lui, T. K. (2022). A bibliometric analysis of CSR in the banking industry: A decade study based on Scopus scientific mapping. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 40(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-04-2020-0178 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-04-2020-0178
Zeng, J. (2024). Corporate social responsibility in China: A tool of policy implementation. Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium. https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2022-0085 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/ael-2022-0085
Zhang, J. Q., Zhu, H., & Ding, H. B. (2013). Board composition and corporate social responsibility: An empirical investigation in the post-Sarbanes-Oxley era. Journal of Business Ethics, 114, 381–392. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1352-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1352-0
Zheng, E., Liao, W., Xing, Y., & Zheng, J. (2023). Institutionalizing corporate social responsibility disclosure: Historical webpages of the Fortune global 500 companies, 1997–2009. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(2), 661–676. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2380 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2380
Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(4), 429–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Phathutshedzo Lemana, Reon Matemane, Maatabudi Mokabane (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.