The Role of the State in Launching Social Responsibility in Small and Medium Enterprises

Abstract

The article deals with possibilities of government involvement in the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Some member states, such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands, have already prepared strategic documents in the field of CSR. In the Czech Republic we are just at the beginning of the formulation of national documents and the increased state involvement in CSR concept. A positive aspect is the launch of the preparatory activities for the formulation of the National CSR Strategy and National Action Plan for CSR by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as the CSR coordinator in the Czech Republic.The government of the Czech Republic should focus their attention on the preparation of strategic documents in the CSR area and on a possible extend of the basic ideas of social responsibility among managers of small and medium-sized companies. In this way these companies will be fully engaged in this concept (especially by creating contact points, e-learning supports and the possibility of consultations with employees of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Trade as CSR coordinator). In this respect, it is possible to use the examples of a good practice from selected EU member states whose governments are addressing to an issue of an involvement of small and medium-sized companies in the CSR concept (e.g. Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands). It is also possible to use the results of surveys conducted among small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech Republic in the years 2007–2013.