Corporate social responsibility tested against the facts: a contribution to the study and understanding of a system of contagion: from the epiphenomenon to the reference.

Summary The purpose of this research is to contribute to the study and understanding of the widespread adoption of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies, and the diffusion of the concept within transnational corporations. We have followed the work of Miles (1987) on the degree of global exposure, completed and tested by Weber and Wasieleski (2003). The degree of global exposure (DEG) according to Miles (1987) makes it possible to explain the social response made by the company, because it establishes the level of awareness of the link between the company and its environment. It would influence the response and the nature of the manager's response. Miles (1987) proposes a mapping tool that we have developed and deepened in order to establish a tool for evaluating and predicting the variability of the DEG. From a qualimetric approach (Boje 1988), we sought to explain and demonstrate a pathway that completes the understanding of the modalities of adherence to CSR policies, and its generalized diffusion. To this end, our work is divided into three parts. The first part studies the conditions of existence and the modalities of emergence of CSR by mobilizing the necessary conceptual contributions centered on Management Sciences. The second part develops the fracture lines and contradictions that remain in the understanding of the generalized interest of transnational corporations. Then, after having studied the processes of choice of large companies based on the influence of the environment and competition, we present the model of Miles (1987), and the works that have tested it. This will allow us to justify and present our mapping tool. The third part was devoted to the empirical study. At the end of the different steps and the statistical tests carried out, we propose a new mapping of the DEG, as well as a decision support tool for transnational corporations. The proposed tool and the results obtained allowed us to consider the possibility of a break in the voluntary membership mode.