Corporate Social Responsibility, Stakeholder Theory, and Marketing Strategy Integration in Nigerian Extractive Industry Firms

This study investigates how corporate social responsibility (CSR), stakeholder theory, and marketing strategy interact in the context of Nigerian extractive industry firms, developing an original theoretical framework for understanding the strategic marketing implications of CSR in resource-extractive contexts. The Nigerian extractive industry, dominated by oil and gas operations in the South South and mining activities in the North Central geopolitical zones, operates under intense scrutiny from host communities, civil society, regulators, and international investors regarding its social and environmental obligations. Existing CSR-marketing integration theory has been developed primarily in manufacturing and consumer goods contexts, leaving the extractive industry's unique stakeholder complexity and community-marketing dynamics under-theorised. Drawing on Freeman's stakeholder theory, Porter and Kramer's strategic CSR framework, and the resource-based view of marketing capability, the study constructs a three-tier model proposing that stakeholder salience mapping determines CSR programme prioritisation, which in turn shapes community marketing strategy and ultimately drives firm reputation outcomes. A critical realist multi-case design examines eight extractive firms operating in Rivers State and Benue State through 70 executive and community stakeholder interviews, CSR documentation review, and reputation measurement surveys. Cross-case synthesis and process tracing are employed. The study contributes an original stakeholder-integrated CSR marketing framework applicable to extractive industry contexts in resource-rich African nations. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory, marketing strategy, extractive industry, Nigeria