The Influence of Cultural Values on the Perception of Corporate Social Responsibility: A comparison between German and Swedish university students

Abstract: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a fast growing topic in the modern business world. Especially university students and young professionals consider corporate social responsibility as an important factor to consider regarding their buying behavior and the choice of possible employers. Various studies have shown that national culture is influencing the perception of corporate social responsibility. When considering the 6 dimensions of Hofstede, there are parallels between cultural features and the perception of CSR of individuals. This study in particular describes the connection between the cultural background and the perception of CSR of Swedish and German university students, born in the years between 1979 and 2001.

The deductive research was implemented with focus group interviews of each two German and Swedish groups divided by gender, and a preparing pre questionnaire form. Three research questions regarding culture, corporate social responsibility and the connection between both were formulated. They structure the thesis and lead to an outcome of the study which has shown that corporate social responsibility and culture are connected to each other. The fact that cultural differences can be used to explain different perceptions of corporate social responsibility is an important indicator of the influence of cultural values on the perception of corporate social responsibility.