Prof. Dr. David Risi

Balancing at the Top: How CEOs Manage Conflicting Demands (Collaboration with the University of Oxford)
CEOs often face conflicting demands – from external sources such as politics or investors, and from within their own organizations. These demands often do not align, creating tensions and contradictions. We closely examine the CEOs of large international companies to understand how they successfully navigate these challenges.

Unpacking the Internal Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility Implementation (Collaboration with the University of Oxford and the Free University of Amsterdam; funded by Swiss National Science Foundation)
How do Swiss financial institutions actually turn their sustainability goals into action? That’s the question at the heart of our research project. We examine the individuals and organizational structures that underpin CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) strategies.

From Morals to Market Power: How Moral Values Drive Digital Plattform Success (Collaboration with the Free University of Berlin and the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society)
Digital platforms such as Google and Amazon have inspired both excitement and criticism, but the role of moral values in their rise has received little attention. Based on over 500 reports from 76 U.S. platform companies (1995–2021), we demonstrate that values such as freedom, inclusiveness, and sustainability have played a significant role in shaping the platform field. Over time, these values became closely tied to business strategies and global expansion.

When Responsibility Meets Control: Market Governance in a New Era (Collaboration with the Munich University of Applied Sciences and the Pennsylvania State University; funded by Swiss National Science Foundation)
The project examines how European companies in China navigate two distinct systems of values. On one side are their own Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) standards; on the other is China’s Social Credit System (SCS). Focusing on firms from Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, we examine how companies navigate the tensions between CSR expectations and local SCS regulations.

Smart Corporate Sustainability Powered by People and Artificial Intelligence (Collaboration with Lucerne University of Applied Sciences, Intep Ltd, and Equintel; funded by Innosuisse)
Sustainability is a key success factor for SMEs — but implementing it can be complex. Hybrid intelligence, the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and human expertise, helps make sustainability data clearer, more efficient, and more manageable, and we show how this approach supports SMEs in practice.

Risi, D. (2024). The Value of Values for Corporate Social Responsibility - Descriptive and Normative Approaches and Their Reconciliation. Cumulative Habilitation: Unpublished.

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3

Wickert, C. W., & Risi, D. (2019). Corporate social responsibility (Elements in Business Strategy). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: 10.1017/9781108775298

Risi, D. (2017). An institutional theory perspective on the implementation of corporate social responsibility within large firms: Empirical and conceptual considerations. Dissertation no. 4620: Difo-Druck GmbH, Bamberg.

Dey, P., Gurtner, S., Risi, D., & Tokarski, K. (im Erscheinen). Intensifying research on the dark side of entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Venturing.

Heroth, T., Risi, D., et al. (2025). Hybride Intelligenz in der Beratung: Eine Fallstudie wie man Nachhaltigkeitsherausforderungen in KMU erfolgreich meistert. Zeitschrift für Organisation & Führung 15.

Athanasopoulou, A., Marti, E., Risi, D., & Schlindwein, E. (2025). How Companies Restrain Means-Ends Decoupling: A Comparative Case Study of CSR Implementation. Journal of Management Studies, 62, 214–245. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1111/joms.13043.

Risi, D., & Schindwein, E. (2024). CSR und ESG kombinieren für ein sinnvolles Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit mit Realitätscheck. Zeitschrift Führung + Organisation, 6, 357–362.

Marti, E., Risi, D., Schlindwein, E., & Andromachi Athanasopoulou (2024). Creating a Corporate Social Responsibility Program with Real Impact. Harvard Business Review, March 27, 2024, p. 1-9.

Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Tommaso, R. (2023). Coordinated enactment: How organizational departments work together to implement CSR. Business & Society, 62(4), 745-786. DOI: 10.1177/00076503221110213

Risi, D., et al. (2023). Institutional theory-based research on corporate social responsibility: Bringing values back in. International Journal of Management Reviews, DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12299

Wickert, C. W., Risi, D. & Tommaso, R. (2022). What a mature CSR team looks like. Harvard Business Review, November 16, p. 1-9. https://hbr.org/2022/11/what-a-mature-csr-team-looks-like

Risi, D., & Marti, E. (2022). Illuminating the dark side of values: A framework for institutional research. Journal of Management Inquiry, 31(3), 253-263. DOI: 10.1177/10564926221091521

Risi, D. (2022). Institutional research on business and society: Integrating normative and descriptive research on values. Business & Society, 61(2), 305-339. DOI: 10.1177/0007650320928959

Risi, D., Paetzold, F., & Kellers, A. (2021). Wealthy private investors and socially responsible investing: The influence of reference groups. Sustainability, 13(22), 1-24. DOI: 10.3390/su132212931

Risi, D. (2020). Time and business sustainability: Socially responsible investing in Swiss banks and insurance companies. Business & Society, 59(7), 1410-1440. DOI: 10.1177/0007650318777721

Risi, D., et al. (2017). Reconsidering the "symmetry" between institutionalization and professionalization: The case of CSR managers. Journal of Manag Studies, 54(5), 613-646. DOI: 10.1111/joms.12244

Risi, D. (2016). Longitudinal comparison between CSR implementation and CSR function's resource access. Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, 2016(1), 25-28. DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2016.69

Risi, D. (2014). Strategische Überlegungen für eine gute Unternehmensführung: Ein Plädoyer für die Verbindung von Compliance und Integrity. Zeitschrift Führung + Organization, 83(4), 221-226.

Risi, D. (2014). CSR professionals and institutional work: An institutional perspective on [...]. ZFWU, 15(2), 279-286. DOI: 10.5771/1439-880x-2014-2-279

Bohn, S., Kontareva, A., & Risi, D. (2025). How morality translates into growth and dominance: The role of normative values in the emergence and establishment of the digital platform field. Academy of Management Proceedings.

Schlindwein, E., Risi, D., & Wickert, C. W. (2024). Making sense of causal ambiguity: The case of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2024. DOI: forthcoming

Stucki, T. & Risi, D. (2023). More flexibility, less sustainability: How workforce flexibility has a dual effect on corporate environmental sustainability. DRUID Conference 2023. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4581828

Athanasopoulou, A., Smets, M., Risi, D., & Morris, T. (2020). Lonely at the Top? CEO sensemaking in the boardroom. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2020 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2020.20409abstract

Risi, D., & Wickert, C. W. (2019). Exploring the internal dynamics of corporate social responsibility implementation. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10561abstract

Risi, D., Vigneau, L., & Bohn, S. (2019). The role values play for agency in institutions. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2019 (1). DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2019.10558abstract

Risi, D. (2017). Toward a morally reflective institutional analysis. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2017 (1), 10512. DOI: 10.5465/AMBPP.2017.10512abstract

Risi, D. (2017). Understanding financial intermediaries' hesitation about socially responsible investing. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2017 (1), 10331 DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2017.10331abstract

Risi, D. (2016). Longitudinal comparison between CSR implementation and CSR function's resource access. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2016 (1), 10138. DOI: 10.5465/ambpp.2016.69

Risi, D., Schlindwein, E., & Wickert, C. W., & Schmidpeter, R. (forthcoming). Combining Management Concepts for Sustainable Organizational Transformation: When Corporate Purpose Gets a Reality Check. In: Schmidpeter, R., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Management: Springer.

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Why Sustainability?. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 17-27. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_1

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). The Concept of Sustainable Development. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 17-27. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_2

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Challenges of Managing Common Resources. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 29-34. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_3

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Corporate Sustainability. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 35-76. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_4

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Social Innovation (or Why We Need the Civil Society). In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 77-89. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_5

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Policy Instruments and Financial System. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 91-104. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_6

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainable Consumption. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 77-89. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_7

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). Sustainability in a Digital Context. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 117-128. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_8

Fischer, M., Foord, D., Frecè, J., Hillebrand, K., Kissling-Näf, I., Meili, R, Peskova, M., Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R., Stucki, T. (2023). The Future of Sustainable Business: The Circular Economy. In: Fischer, M., et al. (Eds.). Sustainable Business: Managing the Challenges of the 21st. Springer, 129-140. Equal contribution of the authors. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25397-3_9

Wickert, C. W., & Risi, D. (2019). Implementing corporate social responsibility as institutional work: Exploring the day-to-day activities of CSR managers in multinational corporations. In: Sales, A. (Ed.). Corporate social responsibility and corporate change. Institutional and organizational perspectives: Springer, 101-122. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-15407-3_12

Risi, D. (2013). Compliance and its effectiveness in preventing unethical behavior: Analysis of the Siemens Business Conduct Guidelines. In: Brändli, S., Schister, R., & Tamò, A. (Eds.). Multinational Companies and Institutions in Transition - Challenges for Business, Law and Society: Stämpfli Verlag, 289-307.

Stucki, T., Risi, D. (2025). Umweltverantwortungsinitiative: Eine Einordnung aus wissenschaftlicher Sicht. (06.01.2025) https://www.bfh.ch/de/aktuell/storys/2025/umweltverantwortungsinitiative-wissenschaftliche-einordnung

Risi, D., Marti, E., Schlindwein, E., Athanasopoulou, A. (2024). Wirkungsvolle Unternehmensverantwortung erfordert Experimentieren. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Risi, D., Stucki, T. (2024). CO₂-Gesetz: Ein Perspektivenwechsel. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. (01.07.2024) https://sustainableswitzerland.ch/artikel/co-2-gesetz-ein-perspektivenwechsel-id.2226

Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R. (2023). Die soziale Dimension der Circular Economy. Warum auch die Gesellschaft mit eingebunden werden sollte. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 04.2023, 63. (23.10.2023) https://www.faz-institut.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/23-LOW-WEB-RISI-SCHMIDPETER-GESCHUETZT-V-04-2023.pdf

Risi, D., Schmidpeter, R. (2023). Zwei Seiten einer Medaille. Im Zusammenspiel entfalten die Managementkonzepte CSR und ESG ihre Wirksamkeit. Verantwortung – Das Magazin für Nachhaltigkeit, CSR und nachhaltiges Wachstum. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 03.2023, 6-7. (25.07.2023) https://www.faz-institut.de/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/19-LOW-WEB-RISI-SCHMIDPETER-GESCHUETZT-V-03-2023.pdf

Risi, D., Schlindwein, E. (2023). Wie Schweizer Banken und Versicherungen nachhaltige Massnahmen umsetzen. SocietyByte: Wissenschaftsmagazin der Berner Fachhochschule. https://www.societybyte.swiss/2023/03/14/wie-schweizer-banken-und-versicherungen-nachhaltige-massnahmen-umsetzen/ (14.03.2023)

Risi, D. (2022). Was moralische Werte für Corporate Social Responsibility bedeuten. SocietyByte: Wissenschaftsmagazin der Berner Fachhochschule. https://www.societybyte.swiss/2022/07/12/was-moralische-werte-fuer-corporate-social-responsiblity-bedeuten/ (12.07.2022)

Risi, D. (2021). Auch in der Schweiz ist das Bildungssystem nicht perfekt. Bildungsmagazin, https://eduwo.ch/bildungsmagazin/interview-david-risi/ (16.02.2021)

Risi, D. (2020). Implementing socially responsible investing in Swiss banks and insurance companies. Business & Society Blog, https://businessandsociety.org/swiss-banks/ (16.12.2020)

Risi, D. (2019). Corporate Social Responsibility Managers und ihre informellen Strategien. Organizational Viability@ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/organizationalviability/2019/04/25/corporate-social-responsibility-managers-und-ihre-informellen-strategien/ (25.04.2019)

Bendell, A., Busch, T., Carroux, S., Mudaliar, A., Pomares, R., Risi, D., Utz, S. (2018). The value of the Toniic member network. T100 Powered Ascent Report, 2018(1), 17. https://toniic.com/download/t100-powered-ascent-report/?wpdmdl=1002&_wpdmkey=65f46e785d185 (24.05.2018)

Risi, D. (2018). Zeit und Nachhaltigkeit: Socially Responsible Investing in Schweizer Finanzinstituten. Organizational Viability@ZHAW. https://blog.zhaw.ch/organizationalviability/2018/11/15/zeit-und-nachhaltigkeit-socially-responsible-investing-in-schweizer-finanzinstituten/ (15.11.2018)

Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Sayah, S. (2014). Corporate social responsibility managers as internal activists for ethics and sustainability. Amsterdam in Science, Business and Society, 2(1), 8-11 [Review by the editor].

Risi, D., Wickert, C. W., & Sayah, S. (2014). CSR managers as agents for corporate sustainability. [German title: CSR Manager als Agenten unternehmerischer Nachhaltigkeit] CSR MAGAZIN, 13, 44-45.