Does a retailer's performance depend on CSR practices? A stakeholder theory perspective from developing economy

Purpose The study aims to examine the relationship between retailer's performance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Indian context. The article introduces a new conceptual model considering the parameters as per the stakeholder theory perspective. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted empirical research with CSR practices (CSRP) and other parameters to evaluate the retailers' performance using stakeholder theory. The authors present the results from 292 valid responses from the Indian retailers. The study used structured equation modeling (SEM) to present the analysis and the results. Findings Findings indicate that CSRP along with additional constructs loyalty (L), reputation (R), customer satisfaction (CS) and competitive advantage (CA) have positive and significant impact on organizational performance (OP). Practical implications The framework will serve as a guiding tool to the management of the retail outlets to examine carefully the link among CSRP with other variables presented in the study and subsequently to the retail outlet performance. The retailers must be more focused on the expectations and demands of the customers concerning products and services for better growth of the firms. Originality/value The uniqueness of the study lies in "CSR practices enabled integrated model" to examine the performance of the organizations. The proposed theoretical model would add value to the existing literature to help the retailers in process of their performance improvement.