An Investigation Into the Social and Environmental Responsibility Behaviours of Regional Small Businesses in Relation to Their Impact on the Local Community and Immediate Environment (original) (raw)
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Corporate social responsibility in regional small and medium-sized enterprises in Australia
The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR 'on the ground at the business frontline'.
Corporate Social Responsibility in Regional Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Australia 1
2012
The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR ‘on the ground at the business frontline’.
e-ORGANISATIONS & PEOPLE, SUMMER 2016, VOL. 23, NO. 2, 2016
For a long time, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been built as a process and a strategic approach for businesses to be socially responsible. CSR is ‘a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis’ (Commission of the European Communities, Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibilities, 2001, p. 6). Decision-making within CSR is concerned with actions that create value for society whilst minimising impact on the environment and fostering relationships between organisations and overlapping stakeholders concerned with morality, legal, environmental, ethical, and economic considerations (Needle, 2015). According to Elkington (1997), measures of business success should consider people, the planet and profits. However, societal expectations require organisations to be more socially responsible, not only in terms of ‘green’ and ‘health and safety agendas but also with regard to their business activities (Sloan, et al., 2013). This responsibility is reflected in expectations from their relationships with a variety of stakeholders who can have a real influence on their operations. While CSR has been practised by large organisations, and a variety of research, orientations, regulations, and codes have been developed to do this, SMEs encounter challenges and barriers in attempting to implement CSR. This article discusses the experiences and perceptions of six small enterprises in Kilsyth, Scotland, in relation to CSR. It will consider their business values, how they perceive CSR, how they take social responsibility decisions, and the entrepreneurial challenges and barriers that arise for them in attempting to practise CSR. The analyses of findings came from data collected from October 2013 to January 2014, and the research motivation was based on the inquiry questions ‘Why do enterprises need to be socially responsible?’ and ‘How far are SMEs currently able to practise CSR?’ (Carroll, A three dimensional conceptual model of corporate performance., 1979; Russo & Perrini, 'Investigating Stakeholder Theory and social capital: CSR in large firms and SMEs, 2010; Bowen, 1953).
This article deals with the sometimes controversial issue of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Decision-making within CSR is concerned with actions that create value for society whilst minimising impact on the environment. It is also concerned with relationships between organisations and stakeholders. Whilst this is a strategic issue, SMEs encounter challenges and barriers in attempting to demonstrate CSR. This article highlights the differing experiences and perceptions of six small enterprises in Kilsyth, Scotland, in relation to CSR.
Small Business Social Responsibility and the Missing Link: The Local Context
A further development in the socially responsible management debate my consider the following question: is SMEs’ orientation towards Corporate Social Responsibility sustained by entrepreneurs’ values and facilitated by environmental factors – that is, of an anthropological and socio-cultural nature – present in the territory where entrepreneurs and SMEs are sited? The chapter aims at proposing thoughts upon the contribution of SMEs in spreading the philosophy and practices of CSR and sustainability focusing on the importance of entrepreneurial values and the relationship with the local context to which the SMEs and entrepreneurs are profoundly rooted. In developing the research question, the analysis may be divided on two levels: one deductive and the other inductive, which correspond to the two main sections of the chapter. The first section (1-2) presents the theoretical framework by way of recalling threads of study on entrepreneurship and on business ethics centred upon behaviou...
Corporate Social Responsibility for the Sustainability of Small Enterprises
G. Brindha, 2019
Corporate Social Responsibility has proved as a significant segment in today's business environment as mounting efforts by the Small and Medium Enterprises are witnessed. Social role has become an area of all the enterprises irrespective of its size. According to Antonio Dias (2019) enterprises provide importance to CSR activities that helps them to maintain their business and to accomplish economic results. This research analyses the practice of CSR in stakeholder perspective who has the capacity to accelerate or decelerate the enterprise performance. Primary stakeholders considered in this study are employees, customers, community and environment. As far as SMEs are concerned, they are closely bonded to the local community where they operate which makes them to contribute more to the community development. Imran Ali (2010) in his research proved that CSR activities targeted towards employees improves organisation performance which in turn improves sustainability. Russo and Fouts (1997) concluded that commitment towards environment enhanced the profitability of the firm. Customers reward organisations that take efforts to produce quality products and stick to safety measures (Graafland and van de Ven, 2006). Structural Equation Modelling is used to identify the impact of CSR engagement of its primary stakeholders to attain sustainability.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been investigated extensively within large corporations over the last twenty years; current societal concerns in relation to this topic have increased the emphasis on CSR research. Within existing literature there is an identified shortfall in the research domain, that being material to address the SME sector. This segment of business may be small in size however is substantial in its representation in terms of business activity, employment and innovation. Presented in this paper are the qualitative findings from a case study that shapes the formative stage of an ongoing research project. The project investigates the effective management of CSR engagement within the SME sector along with the learning and development used to gain staff commitment to sustainability while also improving profit and performance.
Sustainability
As a research hypothesis, it was assumed that micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprise SMEs undertake Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mainly guided by the benefits obtainable from this activity. The aim of the study was to identify the achievable and achieved benefits of undertaking CSR by SME enterprises. SMEs are not obliged to report this activity. The exploration included literature studies and empirical research, according to the expert method, in three stages: (1) selection of experts, (2) collection of information using the CAWI and CATI method, (3) development and interpretation of research results. Research has indicated that CSR is becoming closer to SMEs. The research has shown that experts are implementing CSR and gaining benefits from it. It has also shown that experts’ knowledge of CSR is insufficient, which results in many opportunities resulting from the implementation of this activity being overlooked. The European Commission (EC) guidelines introduced an o...
Small Business Social Responsibility
Business & Society, 2014
This article seeks to expand business and society research in a number of ways. Its primary purpose is to redraw two core corporate social responsibility (CSR) theories (stakeholder theory and Carroll’s CSR pyramid), enhancing their relevance for small business. This redrawing is done by the application of the ethic of care, informed by the value of feminist perspectives and the extant empirical research on small business social responsibility. It is proposed that the expanded versions of core theory have wider relevance, value, and implications beyond the small firm context. The theorization of small business social responsibility enables engagement with the mainstream of CSR research as well as making a contribution to small business studies in scholarly, policy, and practice terms.
Information Management and Business Review
Business social responsibility (BSR) is receiving an increasingly significant issue for economic agents all over the world, due to a new attention to all the aspects of firm’s activities and their relationships with stakeholders. However few studies have considered the influence of BSR and organizational performances. Even if any the finding reveals inconsistencies’. Hence a mediating mechanism is suggested. This paper aims to provide a propose framework that examine the relationship between BSR and SMEs performance with mediating effect of organizational culture. Based on literature review, this paper proposes four constructs which can be used to identify the implementation at firm level. The constructs are commitment, passiveness, organizational culture, and SMEs performance.