Social responsibility practices and evaluation of corporate social performance

This paper develops an empirical procedure for measuring Corporate Social Performance (CSP) in firms, from the opinions of a group of firm managers concerning their perception of the importance of different aspects of appropriate business management from a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) perspective. The methodology is based on the model presented by Carroll (1979), considering the different interdisciplinary dimensions contemplated by CSR. The survey results are used to construct a second order factorial model that enables us to measure and evaluate firms' CSR considering the concept's different dimensions. The model enables us to globally measure firms' CSP by integrating its different dimensions and learning specific details of the variables involved and their relationships, and could be a useful guide for corporations willing to objectively implement sustainability management. We apply the procedure to evaluate the behaviour of a sample of 416 Spanish firms. Our results suggest that there is a positive relationship between firms' CSP and aspects such as size, degree of CSR awareness and stakeholder pressure. Therefore, in order to increase the degree of CSR implantation in Spanish firms, specific lines of action aimed at increasing the level of awareness of CSR practices should be addressed, particularly at small firms.