Legitimacy for CSR? Motivators for SMEs to adopt a proactive CSR strategy
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2022-09-14
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en
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This study answers the research question: “What factors motivate SMEs with a global supply chain to adopt a proactive CSR strategy while their legitimacy is not challenged?”. The nature of the study is inductive, due to the fact that legitimacy and CSR are not studied in relation to SMEs in the existing literature. The study has been researched through qualitative research methods containing semi-structured interviews. Five different organisations have participated in the study which all felt like their legitimacy was not challenged during the adopting of the proactive CSR strategy. The study has been researched with six dimensions derived from literature; Legitimacy, economic responsibility, legal responsibility, ethical responsibility, philanthropical responsibility and personal motivation.
The main important motivators of the organisations studied are the essential, economical responsibility, in which the continuity and the relationship with the stakeholder is endured. And the second most important motivator is the ethical responsibility in which solving issues in the supply chain and limiting the negative impact of the organisation are the most important indicators. The findings indicate that ethical responsibility cannot be a sole motivator for SMEs to adopt a proactive CSR strategy, as economical responsibility is necessary for an organisation to continue to exist.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen