Corporate social responsability’s impact on Portuguese companies and on the surrounding community

• Autor(a) principal: Campos, Kati Bento
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10773/33627
• topic: Corporate Social Responsability; Portuguese companies; CSR drivers; CSR impact; Mixed method study; Employee alignment; Brand image

This exploratory work proposes to expand the knowledge about the internal and external impact that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has on some Portuguese companies and on their surrounding environment. Additionally, na aim was to study the main CSR measures used in Portuguese companies and the factors that motivate them. The study follows a mixed method approach relying on primary data. A questionnaire survey was performed (online) directed at the working population in Portugal, which resulted in 139 responses. Moreover, five interviews were conducted (during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an additional barrier to the process) with Portuguese companies, operating in various industries (sport, coffee, waste management, dairy products, and energy). All of the interviews were recorded with permission. For the treatment of the qualitative data, the interviews were fully transcribed, a content analysis was performed, and the most frequent words were then grouped in patterns and sub patterns. The word clustering technique was then used supported by wordclouds.com. For the quantitative data a graphic analysis was performed with the association of variables 2 by 2. The results show that the main factors that influence companies to adopt CSR measures are age, size, type of company (family or non-family owned/managed) and the importance of company image. Regarding CSR practices, it was possible to conclude that the company image has a great influence on CSR practices and can act as a great incentive and that companies that operate with a CSR DNA (full alignment of employees with the CSR vision for the firm) have a greater contribution to society. Companies that invest in CSR have a very positive impact on the environment, on local communities, and regarding future generations and for their employees.