Building a corporate identity using corporate social responsibility: a website based study of Indian banks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the formation of corporate identity. This paper examines the role of CSR activities performed by the banks through the analysis of information displayed on the websites and annual reports of the bank. Design/methodology/approach – A content analysis approach has been applied and supported by the quantitative measures to identify the weightage of every dimension. Findings – The findings show that in India most of the banks are using CSR practices in their operations and communicating all this information with the help of their websites. The dimensions and sub-dimensions are classified on the basis of stakeholder’s actions. Results reveal that banks are more concerned about their stakeholders and consider them in their corporate statements which help them to build their distinctive identity. Research limitations/implications – The results are limited to only Indian banks, which cannot be applied in other financial sectors. Social implications – This study has implications for those organizations that are planning to have policies and practices on CSR. Originality/value – This kind of study is not available in the Indian context, so it will be helpful in generating the awareness and importance of CSR practices in building corporate identity.