Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has evolved into a fundamental component of corporate identity and stakeholder engagement since the 1950s. Research has focused on cross-national and industry comparisons without much attention to potential subnational and intra-industry differences. This thesis examines how CSR evolves over time through the interaction of regional institutional contexts and global societal expectations.
The longitudinal comparative case study design explores CSR narratives of two Canadian energy firms, Hydro-Québec in Québec and Suncor in Alberta between 2010 and 2024. Annual reports and press articles are used for qualitative content analysis to assess firm self-presentation and media framing. This thesis builds on Matten and Moon’s (2008, 2020) frameworks on explicit and implicit CSR including institutional theory and National Business Systems (NBS).
Findings show that firms in the same industry and country, regardless of the nature of CSR will exhibit explicitization over time. However, this process operates through divergence and convergence. Across dispersed territories, institutional proximity outweighs industry affiliation. Institutional proximity will create different CSR foci intra-industry because of ownership and regional influences. However, CSR discourse will show more convergence on global themes like clean energy, emissions reduction, and Indigenous reconciliation. News outlets often reflect these narratives, while exposing differences between self-presentation and perception.
Through the longitudinal, subnational, and intra-industry lens, this thesis presents the ever-changing nature of CSR communication affected by institutional logics, ownership, and regional context. Contributions to the field include emphasis on subnational differences, multi-source analysis, changes in CSR, and the existence of intra-industry variation.