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The purpose of this paper is to focus on the influence of socio-economic and cultural factors and their influence on corporate social performance (CSP) (Clarkson, 1995) within developing and mature economies. It aims at identifying the characteristics of socially responsible actions within two contexts: France and Brazil.

Based on a case study methodology and a press database, this paper analyzes two oil companies, the French group Total SA, and the Brazilian company Petrobras.

By focusing on corporate social responsibility (CSR) actions in different socio-economic and cultural contexts, it was possible to identify a predominant CSP “proactivity” in both companies; observe a difference in CSR discourse and practice; note a heterogenic and composite CSR; and notice that companies do not choose their CSP posture, but are subjected to external classifications.

The analysis of only one company per socio-economic and cultural context belonging to the same field could be considered as a limitation, although it allows a deeper analysis of events within both organizations.

Apprehending CSP within different contexts may help decision makers to better understand companies’ socially responsible postures and to observe the socio-economic and cultural factors that can influence them.

This paper highlights CSR practices and their CSP under different socio-economic and cultural perspectives for a more comprehensive understanding of factors that motivate and direct the actions of big corporate organizations.

This paper aims to identify the characteristics that a crisis unit should have to achieve effective learning after crisis. Literature has identified many relations between learning organizations and crisis; yet, there is a dearth of research on specific studies about crisis units and their post-crisis learning features. Thus, this paper aims to fill such a gap by giving some practical answers to this question: How can the crisis unit reduce defensiveness phase and extend openness and forgetfulness while learning after the crisis?

This research mobilizes a framework composed by three theoretical grids: the post-crisis learning cycle (Kovoor-Misra and Nathan, 2000); the characteristics of a learning organization (Senge, 1990); and the mechanisms of crisis learning (Mitki and Herstein, 2011). A qualitative investigation is conducted to study a crisis within an oil company (PON).

This paper shows that the duration of the learning cycle depends not only on the organization context but also on the characteristics of the crisis unit. Along with the cognitive, structural and procedural mechanisms, which contributed differently in each phase, the mixed framework allowed operationalizing Senge’s dimensions.

The elaboration of a single case study could be considered as a limitation, although it allows a deeper analysis of events within the organization.

This paper pinpoints the characteristics that organizations should have as well as the learning mechanisms they should use during each phase of the post-crisis learning cycle.

This paper analyzes crisis units as learning structures, which has not been seen yet in known literature.