Corporate diplomacy and political CSR: Similarities, differences and theoretical implications.

• Systematic review of a total of 74 journal articles in 18 journals as well as three monographs is conducted. • Corporate diplomacy and political CSR are redefined in a distinctive and comprehensive manner. • An integrative theoretical framework to study CD is presented. • Need for further developed theory on corporate diplomacy and increased empirical analyses. The purpose of this study is to systematically review the body of knowledge on corporate diplomacy (CD) and political corporate social responsibility (PCSR) in journals from the fields of public relations, public diplomacy, general management and business ethics. By applying an interdisciplinary approach our study aims to (1) examine what definitions of CD and PCSR exist, (2) explore what theories have been applied to CD and PCSR and, (3) find differences and commonalities between the underlying concepts of CD and PCSR. Building on the results of our review, we redefine each construct and develop a theoretical framework of CD, which integrates PCSR, international public relations and public diplomacy. Our results serve as a foundation for an operationalization of the constructs in order to conduct empirical analyses and contribute to current research on the political role of multinational corporations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]