Employees’ Perceptions Of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Case Study Of Award Recipient

Employees’ perceptions of organizational corporate social responsibility (CSR) are usually a mixture of personal experiences of internal CSR and actions that affect external stakeholders. Recent research points to numerous benefits from employees’ positive view of company’s CSR efforts, however, analyses of employees’ perceptions and attitudes are still rare. The aim of this paper is to explore employees’ perceptions of company’s behaviour towards relevant stakeholders, and the extent to which such behaviours are seen as commendable, taking into consideration the company’s reputation. Analysing CSR orientation through employees’ perceptions can help distinguish between company’s genuine CSR orientation and simple window dressing. Using a mixed method approach that combines questionnaire, interview and content analysis, this exploratory study focuses on the perceptions of employees in a company recognized for socially responsible behaviour in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results suggest that employees perceive their company as socially responsible, but also that there are variations in perceptions depending on the stakeholder group and point out the importance of the national business system and culture in CSR evaluation. The empirical findings correspond to its public reputation and provide legitimacy for the awards received.