Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption and evolution of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Thailand and to scrutinize the mechanisms that drove the direction of CSR activities to their current forms. Design/methodology/approach - Qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with executives of 14 companies, and open-ended questionnaires filled out by three organizations, all of which the public perceives as highly socially responsible. Additional data were collected from two CSR seminars, official company web sites, and a database provided by the Stock Exchange of Thailand's library. Findings - The study reveals two key findings. One is the pattern of CSR development in Thailand that emphasizes social and environmental issues, which are less relevant to the business' core activities. The other is that Thai social and religious values are important antecedents of CSR strategy and implementation. Corporations communicate CSR implicitly and execute a two-stage public relations strategy indirectly. Originality/value - This paper reveals a unique interpretation of CSR in developing economies where agrarian social values and informal networks still dominate. Most extant literature assumes that CSR in developing countries mimics western patterns. This paper asserts that it is instead an adaptation of western concepts to local culture in the case of Thailand, which affected the whole CSR process - idea generation, implementation, and communication. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.