The impact of corporate social responsibility strategy on firm performance: The mediating role of employee motivation and creativity

This study aims to explore the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation on corporate performance and the mediating role of employee motivation and creativity in this relationship. A mixed methods approach was used, combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys for 207 enterprises in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. To analyze the data and test the hypotheses derived from stakeholder theory, resource-based view (RBV) theory, and social identity theory (SIT), structural equation modeling (SEM) was used for analysis. According to the results of this study, CSR implementation has a positive impact on employee motivation, creativity, and corporate performance, which once again confirms that CSR implementation plays an important role in firm performance, unlike the study of Buallay et al. (2020). Work motivation plays a mediating role in the relationship between CSR and firm performance. Enterprises should actively implement CSR to promote employee motivation and creativity, improve firm performance, and enhance brand value.