Social inclusion and competitiveness of companies: Employing people with disabilities

Abstract

Work enables participation in society. However, people with disabilities are particularly often affected by unemployment and thus by social exclusion. The social inclusion of people with disabilities, by promoting employment, can only be achieved by companies themselves. Deliberately employing people with disabilities, therefore, represents an important social responsibility of companies towards society. Evidence from the literature shows that corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, as well as social inclusion, are more than just a commitment and can bring various benefits to a company. The aim of the present study is therefore to analyse the case for promoting the employment of people with disabilities to show whether and to what extent social inclusion as part of the CSR strategy can contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of companies. The topic is viewed and analysed from different perspectives, using five dedicated journal papers, mainly based on qualitative data. The results reveal first insights as well as trends and tendencies and provide a basis for subsequent studies. They show that social inclusion as part of the CSR strategy can increase a company's competitiveness and business performance, presumed the company succeeds in creating a corporate culture that accepts and promotes social inclusion on one hand and creates awareness for CSR initiatives among stakeholders on the other. Simultaneously, governmental frameworks that respond positively to and expect sustainable development or social inclusion can provide additional and significant support to these concerns. Due to the limited literature and research on the subject, further research is necessary. In particular, there is a lack of best practice approaches on how social inclusion can be promoted in companies and implemented in CSR strategies.