CORPORATE SOCIAL REPORTING AS A BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT TOOL

Anna Bagieńska

doi:10.3846/bm.2018.21

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provides the contribution of business to the implementation of sustainable development enabling to achieve a balance between business effectiveness, as well as the social interests and environmental protection. The CSR report presents the results of economic and social activities of enterprise. The CSR report creates the possibility of evaluation of the enterprise achievements in the context of financial and non-financial expectations of stakeholders different from financial capital providers. The aim of the paper is to present the role and importance of CSR reporting based on international standards and guidelines as well as to identify the main evaluation criteria. The analysis of the contents of the CSR reports submitted to the Competition CSR Report in the years of 2011–2016 shows what tools and key performance indicators are used. On the basis of the research results, the method of assessment of the CSR activities were proposed.

Highlights

Social responsibility of business is defined as a voluntarily employed strategy of enterprises comprising social, ethical and ecological aspects of operation in commercial activities and in contacts with stakeholders (Green Paper, 2001)
Guidelines, tools and key performance indicators are used in the Corporate Social Responsibility reporting process?
The realization of individual aims ought to be measured by means of key performance indicators (KPIs)

Summary

Introduction

Social responsibility of business is defined as a voluntarily employed strategy of enterprises comprising social, ethical and ecological aspects of operation in commercial activities and in contacts with stakeholders (Green Paper, 2001). According to the conception of sustained development, an enterprise should aim at achieving broadly understood benefits for all stakeholders, local communities and the environment, focusing on only economic profit of a company (Urbaniec, 2015). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a bidirectional open system, on one hand, directed towards signals from the society, on the other, openly and publicly revealing conducted activities. The Corporate Social Responsibility reporting is a tool which enables informing stakeholders about the enterprise responsibility. Undertaking CSR and the Corporate Social Responsibility reporting are optional initiatives of an enterprise. For other firms, reporting on social responsibility is not obligatory, but it is advisable with a view to presenting stakeholders a comprehensive picture of the enterprise activity

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