Bridging the gaps : an exploratory study on corporate social responsibility among small-medium enterprises in Singapore.

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) among small-medium enterprises (SMEs) is an area largely overlooked by past research in both public relations and business ethics literature. To fill this gap, we examined CSR among SMEs in the Singapore context. We first looked into how CSR is defined by SMEs and uncovered the CSR activities they engage in. After which, we investigated the drivers and barriers affecting their CSR engagements. For this research, we adopted a triangulation of in-depth interviews and surveys, which were endorsed by Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME). In Study 1, in-depth interviews were conducted with 15 corporate representatives from the top 500 SMEs in Singapore. In Study 2, 113 business owners and managers from the same sample participated in a self-administered web survey, which generated a response rate of 27.2%. Four key findings surfaced. First, SMEs have a low comprehension of CSR, despite being moderately aware. Second, SMEs engage in CSR activities of higher relevance to their immediate stakeholders and communicate such efforts informally. Third, individual values of SME owners, better relationships with stakeholders, and governmental influences are the main drivers of CSR engagement. Fourth, the lack of financial resources, manpower, and time form the main barriers. To gain a holistic understanding of the CSR landscape among SMEs in Singapore, we proposed a new CSR definition and a web model to capture the idiosyncrasies of SMEs within their environment. These present important implications and new opportunities in the fields of CSR, public relations, and public policy.