Exploring the Multiple Benefits of CSR on Organizational Performance: Case of Lebanon

Abstract

Companies around the globe are recognizing the importance of engaging in Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) that is crucial to their survival and growth. It is evident that when anorganization integrates appropriate CSR practices in its strategy that embed the societal andenvironmental concerns, these practices undoubtedly bring tangible benefits to the business alongwith a sustainable competitive advantage.
 In Lebanon, there is a consistent need for the Lebanese community to live in a safe, clean andhealthy environment. Companies can no longer act as isolated entities that can run separately fromthe society and the environment in which they operate and with which they interact, disregardingthe impact of their activities on the economy, the society, and the environment; these companies areassuming and acknowledging their responsibility not only towards shareholders through profitmaximization but also towards all stakeholders through enhancing the welfare of the society andadopting environmentally-based behavior.However, there exists a substantial lack of awareness of CSR among Lebanese companies. Thecurrent practices in Lebanon have suffered from the lack of responsible behavior towards theemployees, the economy, the society, and the environment. Consequently, the current researchaddresses the urgent managers’ need to understand what CSR is and assess the multiple benefits ofits programs, and how they may help and end up in a win-win situation if CSR is implementedadequately.
 This research is exploratory in nature and uses a survey questionnaire distributed to a convenientsample of Lebanese managers and employees working in Lebanon. The purpose is to assess theknowledge and the implementation of CSR programs at selected number of Lebanese firms. Thisresearch attempts to define the gap between the existing socio-economic and environmentalproblems and the responsiveness levels of Lebanese firms to such problems.