How to define Corporate Social Responsibility : A case study on a service company

Abstract: Background: In the beginning of the 1960´s, pollution and immoral behaviour was common in the business world and as a reaction to this, an increased interest for socially beneficial activities occurred. Since then, large amount of literature and research has been conducted within the matter and the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has developed. Today, stakeholder theory is a common aspect when discussing CSR and some researchers argue that the stakeholders influence to what extent an organization engages within socially responsible activities. Yet, there is still an inquiry to identify what social responsibility really is and to define it. Problem: Due to the augmented interest for CSR many large organizations engage in CSR activities. However, one industry where little research and literature has been conducted in the field of CSR is in the context of service organizations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how Corporate Social Responsibility is defined and how it is exercised in the context of service organizations and also the importance of different stakeholders in this process. Method: In order to execute this, qualitative case study on a service organization was performed. This was executed because the nature of the purpose was explanatory and the intention was to gain a deeper knowledge about the concept of CSR within a service organization context. Nine interviewees with different stakeholders from one single organization were executed in order to fulfill the intended purpose. Conclusion: The definition of CSR is rather complicated in a service organization context. A strong correlation between position and knowledge about the concept was identified. Service organizations tend to engage in strategic CSR activities to a greater extent than pure altruistic. Moreover, several stakeholders seem to influence the process of CSR in a service organization. The demand from the shareholders is considered as vital in the aspect of social responsibility, as well as the demand from customers and employees.