Corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a factor of entrepreneurship sustainable development: Research in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility is a voluntary approach based on ethical principles and structured management controls. These principals and controls are based on a variety of activities that an enterprise can choose from according to its orientation and on the requirements of the surroundings. The primary motivation for this approach is to remain sustainable, build a strong company culture and maintain the good name of the enterprise to attain a competitive advantage. These principals are usually fruitful, lead to better stability, attract new employees and open up new business opportunities. This is also proven in the research presented in this paper where CSR managers declare the most common reasons why CSR methodology implemented by a company are to build and maintain corporate values and gain a competitive advantage on the market. The first research phase was conducted using a questionnaire survey from June to September 2019 to map the current level of CSR implementation in large companies in the Czech Republic. A research panel of forty CSR managers completed fifteen open, matrix and scale questions. The purpose of the survey was to verify the research process methodology and identify trends in the area. The conclusions from the first research phase show interesting trends in the field of corporate social responsibility of enterprises in the Czech Republic and the mapping of the current level of CSR implementation in companies in the region. Interesting findings were made based on the research presented in the paper and these will serve as a base for further studies. One of the findings shows that very few companies have a clear methodology or a strategy for deciding the direction of CSR. Companies often act randomly or based on individual preferences so that CSR management in enterprises is not centralised with a clear focus but instead divided across different departments (HR, CEÓs office, marketing or sales department). © 2020 Academic Conferences and Publishing International Limited. All rights reserved.