What really drives corporate social responsibility?

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be motivated either by instrumental, moral or obligatory factors. The paper aims to explore how these motives influence the level of CSR. Specific attention is paid to the CSR in state-owned and private companies, since their motives are significantly different. In order to examine these relationships, we applied a set of statistical techniques. The findings indicate that internal CSR is more developed if philanthropic motives are dominant. Also, CSR in general, internal CSR and responsibility to customers, are higher in state-owned companies, compared to the private ones. The contribution of the paper is reflected in the discovery of new insights, which are the basis for future research, but also useful for directing the activities of management in the field of CSR which is one of the key preconditions for sustainable business.