The pursuit of strategic CSR

Abstract: Awareness and understanding of the concept of CSR and how to apply it to the individual organization is a question that many entrepreneurs and organizations ask. The concept of CSR has the opportunity to bring the entrepreneurial and innovative energy of private enterprises to solve the critical problems in developing countries.There has been an intense focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, its implications and the role of the private sector over the past decades. CSR is gaining recognition within the business sector and is starting to become a part of companies’ strategies. The problem has been that companies do not know how to approach this emerging concept and integrate it into their organization. This paper adapts the previous theories and by transferring and building knowledge from the companies examined in our research we develop strategic CSR guidelines for small and medium sized companies (SME´s) in a developing country context. The purpose of this thesis is to conduct research on CSR-strategies in core business activities. We have contributed with practical examples on strategic CSR and constructed guidelines to a successful CSR integration process for entrepreneurs and SME`s that aspire to run profitable sustainable businesses in developing countries. Finally we have also provided clarity to the theory of strategic CSR and its implications in a developing country context.The research has built its foundation on a qualitative approach that highlights examples of successful strategic CSR integration in companies that are active in the developing country context of Nepal. In dept interviews with founders and employees have been conducted on five companies from different sectors as well as a CSR expert. A total of eleven in dept interviews have been carried out. The empirical material has been analyzed with a connection to the theoretical framework in our study. In the conclusions and final remarks we have constructed a set of six guidelines to inspire and enable more entrepreneurs and SME´s who wants to engage in the CSR aspects and integrate it into their businesses. The main factor that we have found important for the integration process is the values of the founding entrepreneur and it´s transmit to the organization culture and business core activities.