Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2011
Abstract
Social responsibility (SR) is a topic of considerable interest to large and multinational companies--but less is known about the extent to which it is embraced by smaller organizations which constitute 99% of US firms. Most of the scant research on social responsibility and SMEs derives from Europe and demonstrates that SMEs understand and enact social responsibility differently than large companies. To address a gap in the literature about US SMEs we conducted interviews with owners/CEOs of private manufacturing firms in four regions of the US to determine how they understand and to what extent they embrace social responsibility as a core component of firm identity. Results show that SME owners/CEO social responsibility orientation is influenced by heritage, locus of control and self-efficacy and is sometimes triggered by disruptive events.
Keywords
SME, mental models, social responsibility, locus of control, personal heritage, disruptive events
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Thornton, Joseph C., "Social Responsibility, Views From Small and Medium US Private Business CEO/Owners" (2011). Student Scholarship. 393.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/393