| This qualitative, single, intrinsic case study explores the forces that influence the decision making behaviors of one Major League Baseball team regarding its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts between 2007 and 2015 and the outcomes of those efforts. Three sources of data were utilized: annual community reports, newspaper articles, and five personal interviews with purposefully selected members of the organization whose work is related to CSR performance. The problem is that it was not known what forces influence CSR decisions within professional sports even though these efforts represent a large investment of the organization's time and money. The outcomes of these efforts were also unknown. Three theories were used to provide a foundation for the study: Identity Theory, Stakeholder Theory, and Institutional Theory. Six resultant themes were realized. 1.) The influence of leadership plays a significant role in the formulation, direction, and implementation of CSR efforts. 2.) CSR is performed for both strategic and altruistic motives; the organization believes it is the right thing to do and it is good for business. 3.) Knowing the community, understanding its needs, and being connected to the people are imperative for performing charitable work that makes an impact. 4.) Both internal and external influences impact the direction of charitable initiatives. 5.) Measurement of CSR efforts is difficult to perform but is essential to successful and sustainable initiatives. 6.) On-the-field performance does not dictate the amount of CSR efforts, but it can influence the impact of charitable efforts. |
