<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes one of the prerequisites for success of contemporary organizations aimed at humankind’s survival by sustainable development. As SR behavior can generate significant benefits, more and more organizations are developing SR strategic plans and implementing SR initiatives. In ISO 26000, CSR has three basic concepts: Responsibility for one’s influences over society, interdependence and holistic approach. Therefore, authors focus on systemic approach to CSR. The purpose is to demonstrate how combined use of appropriate systems theories can help dealing with CSR. Accordingly, Dialectical Systems Theory (DST) and System Dynamics (SD), as relevant systems theories, i.e. methodologies stemming from different systemic paradigms, were selected. DST helped to identify some relevant aspects and components of CSR which were empirically tested in businesses in the Republic of Serbia. Hence, the following factors, i.e. groups of SR activities are selected as relevant for improving organizational performance: General CSR activities; CSR activities towards consumers; CSR activities towards environmental protection and beneficiaries’ health, and Socially responsible after sales activities. In addition, empirical research results indicating the influence of the above factors on performance were the basis for using the tools of SD, such as stock and flow diagrams and causal loop diagrams. SD tools contribute to simulating the system’s future behavior, i.e. future performance level after improving these CSR activities. Authors introduce a new, systemic approach to conceptualizing and researching CSR by providing appropriate methodological support for exploring relevant interdependencies of CSR aspects.</p>
</abstract>

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes one of the prerequisites for success of contemporary organizations aimed at humankind’s survival by sustainable development. As SR behavior can generate significant benefits, more and more organizations are developing SR strategic plans and implementing SR initiatives. In ISO 26000, CSR has three basic concepts: Responsibility for one’s influences over society, interdependence and holistic approach. Therefore, authors focus on systemic approach to CSR. The purpose is to demonstrate how combined use of appropriate systems theories can help dealing with CSR. Accordingly, Dialectical Systems Theory (DST) and System Dynamics (SD), as relevant systems theories, i.e. methodologies stemming from different systemic paradigms, were selected. DST helped to identify some relevant aspects and components of CSR which were empirically tested in businesses in the Republic of Serbia. Hence, the following factors, i.e. groups of SR activities are selected as relevant for improving organizational performance: General CSR activities; CSR activities towards consumers; CSR activities towards environmental protection and beneficiaries’ health, and Socially responsible after sales activities. In addition, empirical research results indicating the influence of the above factors on performance were the basis for using the tools of SD, such as stock and flow diagrams and causal loop diagrams. SD tools contribute to simulating the system’s future behavior, i.e. future performance level after improving these CSR activities. Authors introduce a new, systemic approach to conceptualizing and researching CSR by providing appropriate methodological support for exploring relevant interdependencies of CSR aspects.

Corporate Social Responsibility Considered With Two Systems Theories: A Case from Serbia

University of Maribor, Faculty of Economics and Business

Naše gospodarstvo/Our economy

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes one of the prerequisites for success of contemporary organizations aimed at humankind’s survival by sustainable...

Corporate Social Responsibility Considered With Two Systems Theories: A Case from Serbia

Published Online: Oct 15, 2022

Page range: 10 - 17

Received: Jun 01, 2022

Accepted: Aug 01, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ngoe-2022-0014

Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility, ISO 26000, Holistic Approach to CSR, Dialectical Systems Theory, System Dynamics

© 2022 Dejana Zlatanović, et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Corporate Social Responsibility Considered With Two Systems Theories: A Case from Serbia

Published Online: Oct 15, 2022

Page range: 10 - 17

Received: Jun 01, 2022

Accepted: Aug 01, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ngoe-2022-0014

KeywordsCorporate Social Responsibility, ISO 26000, Holistic Approach to CSR, Dialectical Systems Theory, System Dynamics

© 2022 Dejana Zlatanović, et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility, ISO 26000, Holistic Approach to CSR, Dialectical Systems Theory, System Dynamics