The role of top management in promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Lebanese small and medium enterprises (SMEs) -

Abstract

While a large number of studies have examined CSR initiatives in businesses, the role of top management in planning and implementing those activities has received less attention. Given that top managers are the drivers of strategic decisions, their role in integrating social practices should not be ignored. Another subject that was overlooked by the literature is the social obligation of small businesses. Although SMEs constitute the backbone of the worldwide economy, most researchers have focused on CSR applications in multinational corporations (MNCs) while neglecting SMEs. As well, the role of SME owner-managers in stimulating CSR decisions received little attention from academics. The trend of CSR has been gaining an increased importance in the Lebanese workplace. However, only a limited number of studies were conducted to evaluate companies’ social performance in the Lebanese context. This research aims, in the first part, at identifying how CSR is formulated and implemented in Lebanese SMEs and the role of owners in its conception and implementation. Secondly, the research makes a comparative analysis to highlight the trends of CSR adoption in Lebanese SMEs when compared to large companies while identifying the role of owners and top managers respectively. This qualitative study is based on the existing literature and on in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with a sample of SME owners and top managers in Lebanon. We assess the conditions of CSR in Lebanese SMEs and large companies and the related role and influence of owners-top managers. The results reveal that CSR in Lebanese SMEs is a direct mirror of the owner’s values and demographic characteristics and that they play an important role in shaping the tone, focus and nature of CSR in their respective organizations.