Chapter 1: Preserving the Past, Enriching the Future: Exploring the Prospects and Challenges of Heritage Conservation as a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy

Purpose: This chapter addresses four primary objectives: evaluating current multinational heritage conservation initiatives, analyzing motivations behind corporate involvement, assessing the challenges, and introducing a Framework for Heritage Conservation as CSR Strategy (FHCCS).

Design/methodology/approach: This research can be categorized as conceptual research. Thematic content analysis has been performed on the data retrieved from 47 papers which were screened and acquired from various academic search engines.

Findings: This chapter revealed that multinational companies engage in heritage conservation initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, yielding benefits for both heritage sites and surrounding communities. Key motivations include enhancing corporate reputation, stakeholder relations, and long-term sustainability, with the FHCCS offering guidance for policymakers and practitioners.

Research limitations/implications: This chapter aims to provide insights for policymakers, academics, and practitioners, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing the integration of heritage conservation into CSR strategies on a global scale.

Originality/value: The work tries to fill the research gap in understanding the integration of heritage conservation within CSR frameworks.