THE CONCEPT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION. THE PERSPECTIVES OF THE STUDENTS

Abstract

During the last years, the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become an aspect of utmost importance, not only for the companies and the business sector, but also for Academia. The main objective of the present research is to describe and analyze the way university students understand the concept of CSR and its added value for the development of their professional careers. To achieve this objective a quantitative study took place at a private, for profit European University. After an exhaustive literature review on the concept of CSR in Higher Education, a survey was used as the main data collection instrument. The survey was sent to 1100 postgraduate students from different programs of study (education sciences, business administration, public health, information systems, English literature, music education). The results of this study demonstrate that not all the university students have the same knowledge of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility and that this knowledge may vary according to their discipline and/or academic background. In addition, it is important to mention that almost all participants recognized the importance and the added value of CSR for their future careers, as well as the benefits that derive from its application in today’s society. Finally, university students underlined the urgent need for more detailed information and training on the concept of CSR, and the introduction of contents of Ethics and CSR in the curriculum of their programs of study. The results and conclusions of this study can guide future research and support policy-making in the field.