Application of a new DEMATEL to explore key factors of China’s corporate social responsibility: evidence from accounting experts

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting focuses on the disclosure of information, however, the information reported is all too often determined by what the company deems important. To improve the reliability of CSR information and to enhance stakeholders’ confidence, CSR reports are now often reviewed by certified public accountants. This study attempts to explore the key factors in Chinese CSR from the perspective of accounting experts. The data obtained from interviews with experts were analyzed using the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) to construct the dimensions and sub-factors of China’s CSR, to determine the impact of each dimension, and to ascertain the mutual impact among the sub-factors, from which to construct an influential network relation map. Among the CSR dimensions, four were found to be mutually influential with “Safety Production” being the most influential dimension. Based on the analysis of expert interviews, it is suggested that CSR improvement should be made in the following order: Safety Production (A) _Environmental Protection (C) _Product Quality (B) _ Employment Promotion (D). Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015