A Survey on Socially Responsible Activities of Business Companies in Central Europe

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (hereinafter – CSR) is becoming an essential tool for sustainable development and increasing business competitiveness in Central European countries. The purpose of the study is to identify the most common socially responsible practices among companies in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, and to examine differences in their involvement by industry, size and territorial coverage. The methodological basis of the study includes a questionnaire survey of 300 companies (100 from each country), conducted in 2023 as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility in Business Practice of the Visegrad Region project. For statistical processing, correlation analysis methods (Pearson coefficients, t-tests) and comparative analysis based on four criteria: country, industry, enterprise size, and regional coverage. The results showed that 27% of Czech, 34% of Polish and 43% of Slovak companies strategically plan CSR activities. The most common forms of social responsibility include applying business ethics (43%), caring for employees beyond legal requirements (41%), staff training (36%), equal opportunities (36%), and cooperation with local communities (34%). At the same time, the differences across countries, industries, and sizes were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). The analysis uncovered negligible differences in the engagement of surveyed businesses in socially responsible activities across industries, sizes, and regions. The suggestions for businesses emphasise a more strategic approach to socially responsible activities, with a focus on delivering the greatest value to the greatest number of people.Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Pillar, Business Companies, Czechia, Poland, Slovakia