The Motivation of Companies to Implement Corporate Digital Responsibility Activities Voluntarily: An Empirical Assessment

Authors

K. Valerie Carl, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, GermanyFollow
Michael Kubach, Fraunhofer IAO, Stuttgart, GermanyFollow
Cristina Mihale-Wilson, Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, GermanyFollow

Abstract

Technological advancements such as Artificial Intelligence afford new opportunities and pose new challenges. In this context, Corporate Digital Responsibility (CDR) has gained increasing attention. CDR presents a comprehensive and well-structured approach to companies’ responsibilities in the digital setting. While the threats of digitalization start to materialize, research on CDR is still in its infancy, with little empirical understanding of whether and why companies engage in CDR practices. This qualitative study addresses the motivation of companies to pursue CDR by conducting 29 expert interviews. In practice, firms implement CDR activities to follow their inner motivation or to satisfy external expectations. Our results indicate that motivation differs primarily according to the company size and the addressees of efforts. Motivational sources for conducting CDR activities are rather company-specific while allowing for some generalization based on company types. In this way, this study enables several future research avenues worth pursuing.

Paper Number

263

Comments

Track 1: Digital Responsibility: Social, Ethical & Ecological Implication of IS

Recommended Citation

Carl, K. Valerie; Kubach, Michael; and Mihale-Wilson, Cristina, "The Motivation of Companies to Implement Corporate Digital Responsibility Activities Voluntarily: An Empirical Assessment" (2023). Wirtschaftsinformatik 2023 Proceedings. 50.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/wi2023/50