Effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in implementation of social sustainability in warehousing of developing countries: A hybrid approach

Abstract The field of sustainable supply chain management has been abundantly explored from environmental perspective, however the growing focus on holistic sustainable development demands critical perspective on social dimensions also. Consequently, organizations under national and global pressures tend to implement social sustainability measures in their supply chains. While existing research suggests that social sustainability measures are prevalent in developed countries, the developing nations nonetheless require elaborate efforts. This study aims to explore the initiatives and practices adopted by logistics, specifically warehousing operations organizations. Social sustainability practices identified and finalized using Best Worst Method (BWM) are ranked for their impact on improving social sustainability footprint of organizations. The effectiveness of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is evaluated based on the implementation of the social sustainability practices in the warehousing organizations of the developing countries. Taking a survey-based approach data collected from 217 organizations is statistically analysed using binary logistic regression. The hybrid approach results indicate the importance of ‘responsible work environment’ as strong contender for reflecting effectiveness of corporate social responsibility. Contrary to theoretical predictions and expectations, ‘training education and development’ is found lacking for improving social footprints of organizations indicating deeper and rigorous approaches. Additionally, social sustainability practices ‘corporate ethical responsibility commitment’ towards social reforms and ‘Philanthropy’ are considerably lacking the seriousness of corporates and require further exploring.