Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the interactions between business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) within the focus of the marketing and management disciplines. Accordingly, a search conducted in the Web of Science database yielded a dataset of 757 studies published between 1987 and 2025. These publications were analyzed using the bibliometric analysis method. The publications were examined based on distribution by Web of Science categories, annual publication trends, distribution by publication type, distribution by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), country/region distribution, co-word analysis, co-authorship analysis, country-level citation analysis, and author-level citation analysis. The findings were then discussed within the framework of the sub-disciplines of marketing and management. According to the results of the study, publications have gained momentum since 2005. In terms of country/region distribution, the United States ranks first in publication output. Regarding alignment with the SDGs, the most frequently addressed goal was “Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure.” This analysis highlights the growing importance of ethics and CSR in the social sciences, while also revealing developments and gaps in literature.

Keywords

• Business Ethics
• Strategic Management
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Bibliometric Analysis

İşletme Etiği ve Kurumsal Sosyal Sorumluluk: Bibliyometrik Bir Analiz

Öz

Bu çalışma, işletme etiği ve kurumsal sosyal sorumluluk (KSS) konularının etkileşimlerini pazarlama ve yönetim disiplinleri odağında incelemektedir. Bu doğrultuda Web of Science veritabanında yapılan taramada 1987-2025 yılları arasında toplam 757 adet çalışmadan oluşan veri seti elde edilmiştir. Bu yayınlar bibliyometrik analiz yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Yayınlar Web of Science kategorilerine göre dağılım, yıllara göre yayın sayısı, yayın türüne göre yayın dağılımı, Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçlarına göre dağılım, ülke-bölge dağılımı; ortak kelime analizi, ortak yazarlık analizi, ülkelere göre atıf analizi ve yazarlara göre atıf analizi kriterlerine göre incelenmiştir. Ardından elde edilen bulgular işletmenin pazarlama ve yönetim alt disiplinleri ekseninde tartışılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, yayınlar 2005 yılı sonrası hız kazanmıştır. Ülke-bölge dağılımına bakıldığında en çok yayının Amerika'dan çıktığı görülmektedir. Çalışmaların Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçları ile uyumu incelendiğinde ise en çok ele alınan hedefin “Sanayi, Yenilikçilik ve Altyapı” olduğu görülmüştür. Bu analiz, etik ve KSS konularının sosyal bilimlerdeki artan önemini vurgularken, literatürdeki gelişmeleri ve boşlukları da ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İşletme Etiği
• Stratejik Yönetim
• Kurumsal Sosyal Sorumluluk
• Bibliyometrik Analiz

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