EXAMINING HOW BUSINESS SCHOOL FACULTY’S PERCEPTION OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AFFECTS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: THE ROLE OF ORGANIZATIONAL TRUST AS A MEDIATOR

The lack of understanding about how Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) influences faculty engagement in business schools presents a challenge for higher education institutions, especially in developing countries like Nepal. While CSR is often studied in corporate settings, there is limited research on its impact within academic environments, where faculty members play a central role. This study examines how faculty perceptions of CSR affect their engagement at work, with organizational trust as a mediating factor. A quantitative survey was conducted using purposive sampling, and responses were collected from 239 faculty members working in business schools across Nepal. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to investigate the relationships between perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), organizational trust, and faculty engagement. The results indicate that faculty members' positive views of corporate social responsibility (CSR) are associated with increased engagement and trust in their institutions. Moreover, organizational trust was found to mediate the relationship between CSR and engagement partially. This confirms that when faculty members perceive their institutions as socially responsible, they are more likely to trust their organization and be engaged in their roles. The findings contribute to existing research by demonstrating that CSR, often regarded as an external-facing strategy, also plays a crucial role internally in fostering trust and engagement among academic staff. The study adds new knowledge to the fields of business ethics, higher education, and organizational behavior by highlighting the importance of CSR perceptions and organizational trust within the academic context of Nepal's business schools.