Corporate Social Responsibility in European Developing Countries : Exploring the interplay between companies and consumers in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract: Background: Major attention within the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been devoted to developed countries in the Western world and only few studies have been researching CSR in the developing world. Specifically Europe has been considered as wholly developed even though there are still many European countries that are in transition, one of them being Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Aim: The purpose of this thesis is to find out whether the current Western CSR framework can be applied to European developing countries, specifically to BiH, and whether companies’ attitudes and actions regarding CSR and consumers’ knowledge and attitude towards CSR match each other or not. Definitions: The term CSR generally refers to the impact business has on society beyond its traditional aim of solely seeking profits. Completion and results: A quantitative study in the form of surveys among companies and consumers (students) in BiH was carried out. The results revealed that the Western CSR framework is only limitedly applicable in BiH and that the knowledge about CSR is not on an advanced level and needs to be further developed. A communication gap between companies and consumers was identified.