Towards a critical study of standardization: corporate social responsibility, discourse and management practices

Purpose – This paper aims to highlight the links among standardization, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and critical management. It also aims at understanding the implication of the normalization process for CSR but also questions the nature of this concept. Design/methodology/approach – To determine the interest in standardization, we forecasted the trend in issuing ISO certificates based on autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and Holt statistical models. Then a critical approach is used to understand the nature of CSR. Findings – The paper focuses on a critical approach and challenge the definition of CSR through the lenses of standardization. It shows that the notion of CSR is polysemic and highlights the limits of standardization process. Research limitations/implications – The research is only based on ISO standards, not other kind of standardization process. Social implications – The paper questions the notion of CSR and shows the different elements that this notion covers. Originality/value – The paper questions the role of standardization and its impact on CSR adopting a critical view.