Abstract: Using 884 Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2020 as research samples, this paper takes the perspective of business group culture to answer the core question of whether there is a “peer effect” in corporate social responsibility performance, and systematically analyzes the differences in cultural traits of business groups and the “learning mechanism” of peer effect. The study finds that there is a “peer effect” in corporate social responsibility performance under different business group cultural backgrounds. From the perspective of cultural traits differences of business groups, there is a peer effect in corporate social responsibility performance of inland, coastal, business-respecting and conservative business groups, while there is no such effect in light-business and innovative business groups. The learning path of the peer effect follows the learning patterns including “from inside to outside”, “excellent student model” and “pressure from chasers”. The research of this paper provides a reference at the level of enterprise strategy and government policy for inheriting and innovating Chinese traditional business culture, guiding the cultivation of entrepreneurs and talents through collaborative innovation of “social responsibility”, and promoting the high-quality development of Chinese economy.

Key words: business group culture, corporate social responsibility, peer effect, cultural differences, learning mechanism