CSR SMEs

Little is known about SMEs’ perception of Enterprise Social Responsibility (ESR), and to date no research has been dedicated to investigating this issue. Generally, SMEs are associated with businesses that are conducted informally, and that therefore avoid paying taxes, exploit their own labour and provide intolerable working conditions, pollute the environment and apply production methods that jeopardize workers’ health. However such preconceptions can make us blind to the SMEs’ responsible behaviour and to their contributions to labour, community and the environment. Concentrating on UNIDO supported clusters of enterprises within one industrial sector; we investigated the behaviour of SMEs with respect to their social responsibility. Our findings derive from surveys conducted in India, Ecuador and Senegal, and are summarised in this consolidated report.

Little is known about SMEs’ perception of Enterprise Social Responsibility (ESR), and to date no research has been dedicated to investigating this issue. Generally, SMEs are associated with businesses that are conducted informally, and that therefore avoid paying taxes, exploit their own labour and provide intolerable working conditions, pollute the environment and apply production methods that jeopardize workers’ health. However such preconceptions can make us blind to the SMEs’ responsible behaviour and to their contributions to labour, community and the environment. Concentrating on UNIDO supported clusters of enterprises within one industrial sector; we investigated the behaviour of SMEs with respect to their social responsibility. Our findings derive from surveys conducted in India, Ecuador and Senegal, and are summarised in this consolidated report.

Little is known about SMEs’ perception of Enterprise Social Responsibility (ESR), and to date no research has been dedicated to investigating this issue. Generally, SMEs are associated with businesses that are conducted informally, and that therefore avoid paying taxes, exploit their own labour and provide intolerable working conditions, pollute the environment and apply production methods that jeopardize workers’ health. However such preconceptions can make us blind to the SMEs’ responsible behaviour and to their contributions to labour, community and the environment. Concentrating on UNIDO supported clusters of enterprises within one industrial sector; we investigated the behaviour of SMEs with respect to their social responsibility. Our findings derive from surveys conducted in India, Ecuador and Senegal, and are summarised in this consolidated report.

Little is known about SMEs’ perception of Enterprise Social Responsibility (ESR), and to date no research has been dedicated to investigating this issue. Generally, SMEs are associated with businesses that are conducted informally, and that therefore avoid paying taxes, exploit their own labour and provide intolerable working conditions, pollute the environment and apply production methods that jeopardize workers’ health. However such preconceptions can make us blind to the SMEs’ responsible behaviour and to their contributions to labour, community and the environment. Concentrating on UNIDO supported clusters of enterprises within one industrial sector; we investigated the behaviour of SMEs with respect to their social responsibility. Our findings derive from surveys conducted in India, Ecuador and Senegal, and are summarised in this consolidated report.

CSR Perceptions and Activities of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in seven geographical clusters . The entrepreneur, regardless of firm size, is driven mainly by personal values, which determine the scope and scale of any intervention. From internal ESR, the entrepreneur expects mainly economic returns; therefore, actions focus on improving business performance or securing orders with international buyers. External charity driven ESR activities are dominated by the ‘feel-good’ factor, offering emotional returns. At the same time, entrepreneurs do not seek publicity for their benevolence; therefore, many of their actions remain unknown. The position of SMEs in the value chain shapes their activities and their financial size. In some instances, markets and more so buyers put pressure on suppliers, which impacts internal ESR activities such as worker education or improvement of health and safety conditions. External pressure raises awareness and forces the implementation of improve...

This paper presents the experience of the UNIDO Cluster Development Program in India. The peculiarity of this program is that it targets existing clusters of small-scale enterprises (large groups of firms operating in the same industry and localized in the same geographical area). This is done by fostering small-scale enterprises (SSEs) collective efficiency and by improving their support system so that they can exploit the opportunities available in their national market as well as in the global one. The paper introduces the rationale of the UNIDO approach (centered around vision-and capacity-building at the cluster level) and it articulates the methodology which is being followed in India. In line with the topic of the conference, the paper provides a handful of case studies drawn from the UNIDO experience in BDS-related activities in India. Emphasis is placed upon the procedures followed a) to articulate entrepreneurs' demand, b) to undertake pilot project development, and c)...

CSR Perceptions and Activities of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in seven geographical clusters . The entrepreneur, regardless of firm size, is driven mainly by personal values, which determine the scope and scale of any intervention. From internal ESR, the entrepreneur expects mainly economic returns; therefore, actions focus on improving business performance or securing orders with international buyers. External charity driven ESR activities are dominated by the ‘feel-good’ factor, offering emotional returns. At the same time, entrepreneurs do not seek publicity for their benevolence; therefore, many of their actions remain unknown. The position of SMEs in the value chain shapes their activities and their financial size. In some instances, markets and more so buyers put pressure on suppliers, which impacts internal ESR activities such as worker education or improvement of health and safety conditions. External pressure raises awareness and forces the implementation of improve...

Purpose: - To identify the CSR practices, analyze their underlie components and study them for similarities/differences across Private Indian Companies (PC), Multinational Companies (MNC) and Public Sector Companies (PSCS).

Design/methodology/approach:  -  The  study  is  based  on  primary  data constituting  a  sample  of  145  companies  including  65  Private  Indian Companies  (PICs),  51  Multinational  Companies  (MNCs)  and  29  Public Sector Companies (PSCs) working in India in various sectors. The data thus generated was analyzed with the help of factor analysis.

Findings: - The study finds that there is no major difference in components of CSR practices of PICs, MNCs and PSCs. The identified CSR factors emerged from PICs are Employee Welfare, Environmental and Natural Resources Protection, Community Development and Community Affairs. The identified CSR  factors  emerged  from  MNCs  are  Community  Welfare,  Employee Development  &  Safety,  Environmental  and  Natural  Resources  Protection, Working  under  law  and  compliance,  Employment  Generation  and Community  Supported  that  of  PSCs  are  Employee  Welfare  and  Social Support, Sustainable Development, Community Development and Heath & Scholarship Program. The difference lies only in priority/preference to follow CSR practices.

Research/limitations/implications: - It is a starting-point for further research in Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives. The paper is of value to the researcher and practitioners of corporate social responsibility.  The study would help others companies who yet to start CSR and to actualize their CSR interventions.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, CSR Trends, CSR Practices, Community Welfare, Sustainability, CSR India, CSR Initiatives

In the past, companies were expected to adapt their offer of goods and services to the quality levels demanded by their customers and to comply with the basic legal and social standards of the communities within which they performed. The economic transformations of the '90s added new requirements. In the context of the opening of the markets and of an accelerated process of globalization the expectations of various public categories changed considerably. The consumers, the investors, the local communities, the public authorities, the mass-media, and some NGOs began to pressure the companies to adopt a more responsible behavior, to account not only for what they do but also for how they conduct their economic activities.

This article was published en 2014 in the Corresponsables CSR Argentina Anuary (http://www.corresponsables.com/download/ANUARIO_CORRESPONSABLES_2014_ARGENTINA.pdf ) and show the state of art of Universities Social Responsibility in Argentina

CSR Perceptions and Activities
of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
in seven geographical clusters .
The entrepreneur, regardless of firm size, is driven mainly by personal values, which determine
the scope and scale of any intervention. From internal ESR, the entrepreneur expects mainly
economic returns; therefore, actions focus on improving business performance or securing orders
with international buyers. External charity driven ESR activities are dominated by the ‘feel-good’
factor, offering emotional returns. At the same time, entrepreneurs do not seek publicity for their
benevolence; therefore, many of their actions remain unknown.
The position of SMEs in the value chain shapes their activities and their financial size. In some
instances, markets and more so buyers put pressure on suppliers, which impacts internal ESR
activities such as worker education or improvement of health and safety conditions. External
pressure raises awareness and forces the implementation of improvements as prescribed by local
law or code of conduct; even when combined with other interventions, these do not guarantee
compliance. Regardless of market demands, some clusters developed their own ESR agenda
respecting the outside pressure, and designed bottom-up solutions to persistent problems.
We observed that virtually all SME activities discussed in the interviews were sustained by
financial contributions, and that the absolute monetary contribution towards ESR increased
with the size of the enterprise. However, as a percentage of turnover, the contribution towards
ESR was essentially pegged below 1% of turnover, and thus decreased with an increase in
enterprise size. Enterprise position in the value chain also shaped spending and allowed medium
sized enterprises, often represented by exporters, to diversify their spending across all
categories.
The interviewed cluster SMEs pointed out limited collective engagement, and repeatedly
stressed that ESR is predominantly an enterprise internal activity, and that when selecting
partners for cooperation, religious organisations topped the list, largely due to the trust bestowed
to their mission. Some collective ESR activities were initiated by the financially stronger
enterprises; with their dominant position in the cluster, they were more competent in designing
programmes and negotiating with local institutions.
The prevalence of social institutions facilitates the implementation of collective ESR activities.
Partnering demands the definition of common objectives and the development of programmes
that, once successfully implemented, may yield even the smallest of successes and contribute
towards the building of trust. Trust is vital for the collective ESR; however, it does not guarantee
effective implementation of agreed activities or directly translate into mutual benefits.
The survey findings indicate that an imposed ESR agenda provides a stimulus for change;
however, home-grown activities that address the problems from the inside may in the long term
guarantee sustainability of the interventions. SMEs unanimously responded that they will
continue their ESR activities, despite any negative changes in their company performance.
Essentially they will not abandon their ESR agenda, but will change scope, scale and form of its
implementation.
In conclusion, for SMEs, the sustainability of their economic business performance is the
foundation for their ESR engagement. Indisputably, compliance with local laws must be reinforced
if any additional ESR actions are to be developed. Further growth, however, is also governed by
the strength of linkages within the supply chain, so that SMEs can consciously engage in building
the supplier environment rather than outsourcing their problems up the supply chain.
Approaching the issue from the development prospective, a shift from pressure to appropriation is
required. Fostered by trust-building mechanisms, the current ad-hoc approach of implementing of
ESR activities must be formalised and become an integrated part of strategic business planning.
Consequently, building on small successes, SMEs can scale up their engagement slowly, gaining
confidence while learning about the multiple impacts of their ESR actions.
SMEs acting alone will bring upon a limited impact on the ESR agenda of the cluster, and
therefore multi-stakeholder or public–private partnerships are instrumental in the development of
comprehensive programmes. In addition, partnering along the supply chain or with international
buyers may bring the twofold benefit of improving business performance and increasing
emotional returns through increased social engagement for both parties.

The issue of business failure has been a major concern to various stakeholders in the developed and developing economies as the importance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) cannot be overemphasized in economic development. This study appraised critically the causes and symptoms of organizational failure of small and medium enterprise in Nigeria by examining how SME survival is connected to the demise of the owner and also determine if the less-competitiveness of the SME is caused by a poor organizational structure which leads to failure. The data required for this study was gotten through the instrument of questionnaire. Three hundred (300) copies of questionnaire were administered out of which two hundred and eighty two (282) were retrieved for analysis. Two hypotheses were formulated from the structure of research questions. Regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses through the statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS 18.0). The result showed that the demise of the owner has a significant effect on the survival of major SMEs in Nigeria (R2 = 0.155, at P < 0.05) and that the less-competitiveness of the SMEs is caused by a poor organizational structure which leads to failure (R2 = 0.512, at P < 0.05). The study therefore recommends among others that managers should have strategic succession plans for organizational perpetuity and also work on their organizational structuring to stay competitive in business.

Keywords.  Business Failure; SMEs survival; Owner-Manager Demise; Strategic Plans.

Lucrarea investighează în ce măsură este viabilă adoptarea unei strategii de responsabilitate socială corporativă (RSC) de către o întreprindere mică sau mijlocie. Calitatea de „cetăţean responsabil” nu este limitată la dimensiunile firmei, ci este asociată cu modul în care aceasta se raportează la societatea şi comunitatea în care activează. RSC se referă la un tip de atitudine faţă de societate şi de cooperare cu reprezentanţi ai comunităţii locale. Ţinând cont că strategiile de RSC presupun comunicarea permanentă şi apropierea faţă de publicul – beneficiar, se poate argumenta că întreprinderile mici şi mijlocii pot fi chiar mai eficiente în acest tip de activitate decât marile organizaţii comerciale. Avantajele conferite unei întreprinderi mici şi mijlocii de activitatea de RSC sunt diverse: contribuirea la dezvoltarea comunităţii locale sau rezolvarea unor probleme sociale, dezvoltarea imaginii companiei, conturarea unei mărci puternice, generarea unui avantaj competitiv, creşterea ataşamentului şi a loialităţii clienţilor etc. În esenţă aceste avantaje nu sunt diferite faţă de cele de care beneficiază o companie mare, dar în cazul întreprinderilor mici şi mijlocii costurile de implementare a unei strategii RSC sunt mai mici, cu efecte multiplicatoare mai însemnate decât în cazul marilor companii.
În acest context, ţinând seama şi de faptul că activitatea de RSC are şi urmări financiare pentru o organizaţie, se pune întrebarea în ce măsură întreprinderile mici şi mijlocii din România derulează acţiuni de tip RSC. Lipsa de vizibilitate în România cu privire la acţiuni de tip RSC desfăşurate de întreprinderile mici şi mijlocii se datorează lipsei proiectelor de acest tip, sau numai lipsei promovării acestora?
Pentru a investiga practica privind responsabilitatea socială corporativă în cadrul întreprinderilor mici şi mijlocii din România se propune o anchetă exploratorie. Aceasta urmăreşte construirea unui tablou al acţiunilor de RSC în contextul sectorului IMM şi înţelegerea modului în care întreprinderile mici şi mijlocii înţeleg conceptul de responsabilitate socială corporativă şi cum se raportează la acesta.

This investigation is motivated by the lack of scholarship examining the content of what firms are communicating to various stakeholders about their commitment to socially responsible behaviors. To address this query, a qualitative study of the legal, ethical and moral statements available on the websites of Forbes Magazine's top 50 U.S. and top 50 multinational firms of non-U.S. origin were analyzed within the context of stakeholder theory. The results are presented thematically, and the close provides implications for social responsibility among managers of global organizations as well as researchers interested in business ethics.

This investigation is motivated by the lack of scholarship examining the content of what firms are communicating to various stakeholders about their commitment to socially responsible behaviors. To address this query, a qualitative study of the legal, ethical and moral statements available on the websites of Forbes Magazine's top 50 U.S. and top 50 multinational firms of non-U.S. origin were analyzed within the context of stakeholder theory. The results are presented thematically, and the close provides implications for social responsibility among managers of global organizations as well as researchers interested in business ethics.

This investigation is motivated by the lack of scholarship examining the content of what firms are communicating to various stakeholders about their commitment to socially responsible behaviors. To address this query, a qualitative study of the legal, ethical and moral statements available on the websites of Forbes Magazine's top 50 U.S. and top 50 multinational firms of non-U.S. origin were analyzed within the context of stakeholder theory. The results are presented thematically, and the close provides implications for social responsibility among managers of global organizations as well as researchers interested in business ethics.