Elucidating the Digital Transformation Model in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)of Corporate-Sponsored Sports Clubs in Kerman Province

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) constitutes a foundational mechanism through which organizations contribute to community well-being, public health, and social cohesion — priorities that lie at the heart of sport science and social health scholarship. Within this framework, digital transformation has emerged as one of the most consequential strategic forces reshaping organizational structures, managerial functions, and social responsibilities in contemporary institutions. This study aims to elucidate a grounded model of digital transformation within the CSR framework of industrial sports clubs in Kerman Province, Iran — an institutional setting that has, to date, received insufficient scholarly attention.

Employing a qualitative design grounded in Grounded Theory methodology (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), the study conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 purposively selected experts comprising senior club managers, academic scholars in sport management, and information technology specialists. Data analysis proceeded through open, axial, and selective coding, yielding over 120 initial codes consolidated into 18 sub-categories and 6 main categories organized within a paradigmatic model encompassing causal conditions, contextual factors, intervening variables, strategies, and consequences.

The findings indicate that digital capabilities, technological infrastructure, and data-driven governance constitute the primary antecedents of enhanced CSR performance. Clubs exhibiting higher levels of digital maturity demonstrated significantly superior outcomes in social program delivery, informational transparency, and stakeholder engagement. The resulting model confirms that digital transformation functions not merely as a technological instrument but as a strategic organizational process capable of substantively elevating CSR effectiveness — and, by extension, social health outcomes — in industrial sports organizations.