Corporate Social Responsibility and Current Crisis: how has it affected in Spain?

Abstract: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is practice that is followed with the controversy of whether is a real management tool or rather is a fad. A good context in order to study this polemic is the current crisis that has affected worldwide, because if CSR practices are kept in this context means that it is not a fad. Spain is the country chosen for focused this report, due to it is one of European countries most affected by economic crisis. So, this thesis seeks to check which polemic part is right as well as observes CSR situation in Spanish companies so far. CSR situation of large companies and SMEs are the main points investigated, in order to do this, it uses a quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, using surveys it is examined large companies’ situation, more specifically IBEX 35 companies that are Spanish enterprises that list at the stock market. Secondly, SMEs situation is analyzed qualitatively using gatherings, interviews and the documentary that are conducted by a Spanish awareness camping called “El valor de ser grande”. Moreover, it is reviewed and analyzed the existing literature creating a theoretical framework built on the pillars of CSR. The research allowed us to obtain the main features about Spanish companies both large companies and SMEs regarding CSR. In large companies CSR is root and is perform for years to gain momentum over time, i.e., it is performed as fundamental element in the company. Instead, in SMEs CSR is beginning to gain further strength and is increasingly performed but it still has a long way to go. Therefore, it is said that CSR is in the second phase, the first one was in big companies and now it is up to SMEs. Moreover, it is confirm that the crisis has increased CSR value to society and business provoking a clean effect over bad CSR policies. In conclusion, this research proves that companies have increased CSR actions in the crisis context so far. Therefore CSR is not a fad, although this will not be final result until the crisis is over and then its final effect will be rechecked.