WHU Doctoral Student Wins Best Student Paper Award

CSR, or “corporate social responsibility,” refers to a company’s efforts to positively contribute to the community and to society at large. And it’s a hot topic on today’s labor market, with many hiring managers hoping to find quality candidates through their company’s CSR-related activities. But while CSR certainly helps companies net a wide pool of applicants, quantity does not always mean quality—and these managers could be in for a rude awakening if they aren’t careful.

This phenomenon is at the center of a new study from Dana Horvath, doctoral student at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and co-authored by Professor Christina Günther (IHK Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises) and Professor Rainer Rilke (Chair of Behavioral Economics). Now, the study has been honored with the Best Student Paper Award at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL (USA). “I am sincerely grateful for this honor,” said Horvath. “I want to extend my heartful thanks to Professor Günther and Professor Rilke for their constant support and valuable feedback throughout the development of this paper and my PhD journey.”

“Does CSR Attract the Righteous? Experimental Evidence from an Online Labor Market” explores the connection between job applicants and companies that openly engage in CSR-related activities. The research team collected data from approximately 500 participants based in the United States through an online labor market platform. Within the setting of the experiment, each participant was given a task designed to determine a worker’s tendency to lie. At a later stage, the participants received a job offer from either an employer that does engage in CSR or one that does not.  

The final results of the study reveal that CSR is just as likely to attract applicants who may not be as ethical as hiring managers would expect as it is to attract the company’s ideal candidate. In turn, managers should temper their expectations and be aware that their company’s reputation as an ethical organization will not automatically guarantee the honesty of its workforce.