Developing a Ranking Model for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Drivers in Iran
Keywords:
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), drivers, ranking, meta-synthesis, IranAbstract
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), as one of the key pillars of sustainable development, has attracted increasing attention in management literature and policymaking worldwide in recent years. Despite the high significance of this approach, a comprehensive model for identifying and ranking its driving factors has not yet been proposed in Iran. The purpose of this study is to develop and rank a model of CSR drivers in the Iranian context. This research adopts a mixed-methods design (qualitative and quantitative). In the qualitative phase, using the meta-synthesis approach, the most important drivers and dimensions of CSR were extracted from previous studies. In the quantitative phase, a researcher-designed questionnaire based on qualitative findings was distributed among experts and senior managers of organizations operating in various industries. The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques and an analytical ranking method. The results indicate that CSR drivers can be classified into five main dimensions: economic, social, environmental, ethical, and governance. Moreover, the ranking analysis revealed that the economic and governance dimensions exert the greatest influence under Iran’s current conditions, while the environmental and ethical dimensions hold subsequent priority levels. The findings of this study can assist managers and policymakers in fostering sustainable development by focusing on key drivers and strengthening the CSR framework among companies in the country.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mahbobe Fahimi, Mohammadreza Shoorvarzi, Reza Ziyari (Author)
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