An Assessment of Lebanese Companies’ Motivators to Adopt CSR Strategies (original) (raw)

Exploring the Multiple Benefits of CSR on Organizational Performance: Case of Lebanon

Journal of Social Sciences (COES&RJ-JSS), 2012

Companies around the globe are recognizing the importance of engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) that is crucial to their survival and growth. It is evident that when an organization integrates appropriate CSR practices in its strategy that embed the societal and environmental concerns, these practices undoubtedly bring tangible benefits to the business along with a sustainable competitive advantage. In Lebanon, there is a consistent need for the Lebanese community to live in a safe, clean and healthy environment. Companies can no longer act as isolated entities that can run separately from the society and the environment in which they operate and with which they interact, disregarding the impact of their activities on the economy, the society, and the environment; these companies are assuming and acknowledging their responsibility not only towards shareholders through profit maximization but also towards all stakeholders through enhancing the welfare of the society and adopting environmentally-based behavior. However, there exists a substantial lack of awareness of CSR among Lebanese companies. The current practices in Lebanon have suffered from the lack of responsible behavior towards the employees, the economy, the society, and the environment. Consequently, the current research addresses the urgent managers’ need to understand what CSR is and assess the multiple benefits of its programs, and how they may help and end up in a win-win situation if CSR is implemented adequately. This research is exploratory in nature and uses a survey questionnaire distributed to a convenient sample of Lebanese managers and employees working in Lebanon. The purpose is to assess the knowledge and the implementation of CSR programs at selected number of Lebanese firms. This research attempts to define the gap between the existing socio-economic and environmental problems and the responsiveness levels of Lebanese firms to such problems.

Corporate Executives’ Perceptions of CSR in the Listed Moroccan Companies

Oradea Journal of Business and Economics, 2022

The purpose of the paper is to analyze the perception of corporate social responsibility by corporate executives in the Moroccan context. To do so, we conducted a survey of seventy-four Moroccan corporate executives working in listed companies. Subjects were solicited by e-mail, sending them a questionnaire consisting of 37 items presented in the form of a five-point response scale (Likert scale). Our measurement scale was designed on the basis of Carroll's (1991) theoretical model of social responsibility. The study proposes a scale to measure corporate executives' perceptions of CSR in their company. The results of our study reveal two findings. The first one suggests that Moroccan corporate executives working in listed companies are more concerned about compliance with laws and ethical values than with a true CSR commitment. The second one highlights the fact that CSR commitment is a three-dimensional construct marked by a predominance of ethical-legal and philanthropic practices. The paper states the main conclusions of the study and provides some practical implications.

The Exploratory Study of The Company’s CSR Motives: The Case of Two Companies In Indonesia

Journal of Southeast Asian Research, 2020

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a subject of research interest and has drawn awareness for researchers and business practitioners from various fields. When doing their CSR activities, companies might have several motives that could be beneficial not only for the company itself, but also for their stakeholders. This paper focuses on a specific CSR initiative (i.e. scholarship program) provided by two companies in Indonesia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the representatives of the companies to explore the company's motives. A cross-case analysis was also presented to describe the findings. The findings revealed that both firm-serving and public-serving motives were prevalent as the motives for doing CSR activities. The interviews also suggested that belief, value and religious thoughts would also be relevant factors for an organization to initiate its CSR activity.

Practice of Social Responsibility in Moroccan Companies « An Exploratory Study

This paper discusses the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Moroccan context. The main purpose of this study is to draw up an inventory current situation of the CSR in Moroccan small business companies, as such to help understand the commitment of this type of business in sustainable economic development. It has been proven, by the survey among forty small Casablanca business leaders representing different sectors of activity, that the managers integrate unknowingly in their management the concept of SR, and that when it comes to social practices a link certainly exist between the company and its stakeholders (costumers, providers…). The survey shows that more than half of the interviewed executives stipulate that either they heard or know about SR; this awareness towards the concept is an increasing function which depend on the size of company. As also Moroccan leaders are aware of the advantages in engaging social responsibility approach in their business; this finding suggests as well that social responsibility can be of direct economic value for the firm.

Corporate Social Responsibility Among Saudi Arabian Firms: An Empirical Investigation

Journal of Applied Business Research (JABR), 2012

There is an increasing recognition within the developed economies across the world that today, CSR is not an optional extra; i.e., firms can no longer look at CSR as a luxury or an indicator of their goodwill toward society. Firms, in todays context, are seeking to integrate CSR in their corporate policies and strategies. Developing countries firms, however, are still in the early stage of their awareness and integration of CSR activities within their corporate policies and strategies. The present exploratory study utilizes a sample of Saudi Arabian firms managers to assess the extent of their awareness of CSR, its role within their organizations, the extent of CSR integration in their corporate policies, and the nature and scope of these firms CSR activities. Results indicate that there is a reasonable level of CSR awareness as well as a moderately positive attitude toward the concept. However, most CSR activities in Saudi Arabia seem to focus on the local communities in which thes...

Corporate Social Responsibility in Iran from the Perspective of Employees

"Purpose – This paper aims to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices in Iran from the perspective of employees. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the objectives of this research, the perceptions of 142 Iranian employees were examined regarding the CSR practices of their respective organizations. The required data were collected using a questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to refine scale items and confirm the factorial structure of the scale applied. Descriptive statistics and a t-test were used to analyze the data. Findings – The paper unveils information about the current status of CSR in Iran from the perspective of employees, and shows that on average Iranian employees perceive their organizations to be committed to CSR, although the mean CSR scores were relatively low in all dimensions. Also, this research shows that while the four-factorial structure of Truker's CSR scale was confirmed in the Iranian context, some of the items had to be removed from the original scale when measuring CSR. Research limitations/implications – The relatively low mean on the categories of CSR among Iranian organizations from the perspective of employees indicates the infancy level of CSR among Iranian organizations and calls for further awareness among Iranian organizations and managers about the issue of CSR. This research also shows that researchers need to be cautious when using CSR scales that have been developed in Western or European contexts to measure social responsibility activities of organizations in culturally different contexts such as the Middle East. A major limitation of this research pertains to sample size, which limits the generalizability of the findings to the whole country. Practical implications – This research indicates the infancy level of CSR among Iranian organizations and calls for further engagement of Iranian organizations in social initiatives and community outreach endeavors. Originality/value – Being among the first research studies of its kind to examine the CSR status in Iran, this study provides invaluable understanding and insights about the status of CSR in Iran, an important country in the Middle East. Furthermore, it validates and supports a recently proposed CSR scale by providing empirical findings from a culturally different context."

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Theory and Practice in a Developing Country Context

Journal of Business Ethics, 2007

After providing an overview of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research in different contexts, and noting the varied methodologies adopted, two robust CSR conceptualizations -one by Carroll (1979, 'A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Performance', The Academy of Management Review 4(4), 497-505) and the other by Wood (1991, 'Corporate Social Perfor-mance Revisited', The Academy of Management Review 16 , 691-717) -have been adopted for this research and their integration explored. Using this newly synthesized framework, the research critically examines the CSR approach and philosophy of eight companies that are considered active in CSR in the Lebanese context. The findings suggest the lack of a systematic, focused, and institutionalized approach to CSR and that the understanding and practice of CSR in Lebanon are still grounded in the context of philanthropic action. The findings are qualified within the framework of existing contextual realities and relevant implications drawn accordingly.