Employees’ Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility: A Focus Group Study in Izmir City

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine how white collar employees working at the Izmir offices of large-sized international companies in Turkey understand and interpret Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept. Focus group interview as one of the techniques of qualitative research method was used in this study. The focus group interview that was conducted with eight businesspeople brought out their opinions into light, and thus more profound data regarding CSR was collected and also localized accounts of personal views and experiences were presented. The primary findings of the research were grouped into seven categories: Selection of the CSR activity; Reason(s) for conducting a CSR activity; CSR and being an ethical business; CSR training; CSR and company image; CSR, a matter of budget; CSR, a matter of spending time or money. On the other hand, CSR-related words and phrases and motivations and concerns behind CSR activities werealso elicited as secondary findings of the research. There were three limitations in the study: the research was conducted only in Izmir city, there was only one focus group, and the participants were all from international companies. To be able to gain a deeper understanding about the issue and then compare the views of different groups of employees on CSR, further research is suggested