Interplay between Internal and External Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an intensively researched area. This study attempts to investigate the association between different types of CSR which is a largely overlooked area in the CSR agenda. Based on the target stakeholder group, we distinguish firms’ CSR activities into internal and external CSR. We provide arguments favoring both a positive and negative association between the two types. The sample is consisted of 50 companies listed in the Colombo stock exchange, Sri Lanka. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the research hypothesis. The findings suggest that external CSR is negatively associated with internal CSR. Therefore, resource constraint dominates the stakeholder demands when making investments in different CSR types.