Corporate vs. Corporate foundation as a support tool in the area of social responsibility strategy – Polish mining case

The article addresses the growing problem of implementing and executing the concept of social responsibility. The research began with a review of literature on strategic approaches to defining the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility, and by placing the subject in an international context. The role of a corporate foundation, as an executive tool for CSR projects, was reviewed. The research group consisted of selected joint stock companies, members of the only index in Poland related to social activity (WIG-ESG), operating in the mining sector and related sectors. The main objective of the research was 1. to identify the trend of strategic approach to social responsibility in the research group, 2. to define the existence of foundations in the entities' organizational structure, 3. to identify CSR activities at the time of pandemic as corporate and/or corporate foundation activities. The research methodology was based on the use of research methods, i.e. literature review according to the keywords, case study, comparative method. In the descriptive part, the difference between the CSR strategy, Sustainable Development, Creating Shared Value, and the Responsible Business Conduct approach was identified. The results section indicates which strategy is known and used in the research group. Then the role of the corporate foundation in the strategy of CSR activities was indicated, the forms of these activities were grouped as corporate and corporate foundation activities. The coincidence of the operational CSR strategy of companies with the statutes of corporate foundations, translates into CSR practices, both from the operational level of the entity and from the foundation. The added value is to examine the relation of the employment structure and answer the question if representatives of the founding company (management board, supervisory board) sit on the foundation's bodies.