The practice-scholarship divide in corporate sustainability: Examining the corporate experience of leading authors in corporate sustainability and social responsibility research

This study examines the corporate experience of authors behind the 200 most-cited corporate sustainability (CS) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) articles (2019–2024). Authors were categorized by professional experience: No Corporate Experience, Some Experience (<5 years), and Significant Experience (≥5 years). Findings reveal a predominance of scholars without corporate backgrounds, raising concerns about the practical applicability of their research. The study highlights the potential for practice-informed insights from scholars with corporate experience and advocates for greater academia-industry collaboration. Recommendations include embedding knowledge translation frameworks to align research with organizational realities and accelerate sustainability integration.