Theoretical basis | Influential factors and representative scholars | Research contribution | Research limitations |
Resource-based theory | Enterprise scale (Rehbein & Cramer, 2002; Hillam, 2003; Meznar & Night, 1995); Diversification of enterprises (Hillman & Wan, 2005; Hillman & Hitt, 1999); Department of public affairs (Lenways & Rehbein, 1991); Political preferences of executives (Blumentritt, 2003); Enterprise growth (Ye Guangyu, 2011); Bargaining power (GOMES-CASSERES, 1990) | Extend asset attributes to intangible resources and capabilities | Too much emphasis on internal resources, while ignoring the external resources |
Institutional-based theory | Institutional environment at the national level (Hillman, 2003); Industry management system (Sohuler, 2002); Enterprise level (Tian Zhilong, 2005) | From the perspective of the internal resources and capabilities of the enterprise | A comparative study on the lack of developed economy, new economy and transitional economy |
Stakeholder Theory | Employees, government, shareholders, community, public (Agle, Mitchell & Wood, 2000) | Taking into account the interests of all stakeholders, rather than just pay attention to the interests of enterprises | In the case of resource constraints, how to balance the contradictions and conflicts between stakeholders |
Corporate social responsibility theory | Responsibility for employees and shareholders (Baron & Diermeie, 2007); Public welfare activities and charitable acts, the protection of the rights and interests of consumers, the protection of employees’ rights and interests, the protection of ecological environment (Xie Peihong, 2010) | From the perspective of economic research to the study of enterprise ethics | The lack of research on the motivational factors of corporate social responsibility |
Transaction cost theory | Collective action or act alone (Hillman, 1999); Asset specificity or public goods attributes (Grier, 1994) | Using economic indicators to measure the cost of non-market strategy | Concerned about the short-term interests of enterprises, ignoring the long-term interests of enterprises |
Social capital theory | Executive social network (Blumentritt, 2003; Shao Jianbing, 2010) | Research on the mechanism of influencing factors | Ignore the nature of ownership (Private enterprises, and state-owned enterprises) |
Resource dependence theory | Reduce dependence on external (Frooman, 2001; Pandi, 2011) | The effect of resource dependence on the choice of non-market strategy | Selection, control and manipulation of the external environment |