Abstract

Purpose: As more companies embrace the idea of giving back to society, this study aims to explore how scholars have delved into the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (C.S.R.) and firms’ financial performance. Recognizing the growing importance of C.S.R. not only as a tool for strategic management but also as a response to strengthening the stakeholder expectations, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolving research landscape in this area. Specifically, it investigates the trends in scholarly interest, identifies the leading authors and prominent journals, and maps the collaborative networks that have shaped this field. Moreover, the study highlights the emerging themes and shifts in focus within the literature, offering insights into how C.S.R.-related financial performance research has developed over time. Design/Methodology/Approach: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on the basis of secondary data collected through the Scopus database from the year 2015 to February 2025. Analytical software such as VOSviewer and Microsoft Excel were utilized to perform performance analysis and science mapping by concentrating on publication output, citation patterns, high- authorship authors and institutions, and keyword co-occurrence networks. Novelty: Differing from previous reviews that at times lacked methodological scope or rigor, this review presents a systematic visual and statistical account of scholarly progress. Adding further depth to understanding collaboration structures and thematic focuses is the integration of bibliometric coupling and co-authorship networks. Findings: The findings indicate a consistent increase in C.S.R.-related publications with strong contributions from the developed world. Influential authors and high-impact journals have been the propellers, but interregional collaboration is in its infancy. Keyword extraction indicates the shift from broad C.S.R. topics to sustainability, stakeholder, ESG, and financial integration over time. The research indicates increased sophistication and multidimensionality of the C.S.R.– financial performance relationship and identifies areas of future research in underemphasized regions and emerging economies.

Keywords: Sustainable Reporting, Profitability, ESG Reporting, Corporate Governance, Financial Performance