Implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy to Enhance Firm Reputation and Competitive Advantage

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an important strategy for firms to gain a positive reputation. This study aims to identify the mediating role of firm reputation on the relationships of CSR dimensions (economic, legal, ethical, philanthropic and environmental) and competitive advantage, and how a firm directly gains competitive advantage through CSR implementation. Data were collected by surveying 869 managers, as representatives of small and medium enterprises, and large enterprises, in the trade and service, real estate and manufacturing sectors in Vietnam. Then, SmartPLS 3.0 software and the partial least squares structural equation modelling method were used to process the data and test the hypotheses. The empirical results are impactful and enhance the existing literature on strategic management. The results show that implementing environmental, ethical, philanthropic and legal CSR activities contribute positively to increase the firm reputation and thus generating competitive advantage. The findings indicate that the implementation of economic CSR activities does not enable firms to gain a reputation. In contrast, active involvement in environmental CSR activities results in building firm reputation, thereby creating a source of competitive advantage for firms. The study provides guidelines for top-level management to adjust their CSR strategies more effectively to improve reputation and competitive advantage.