Abstract
The Department for the Economy and Transport (DEandT) at the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) has taken on leadership of the Corporate Social Responsibility policy agenda in Wales. The key aim of DEandT is to establish a clear, focused and accessible policy on CSR that is relevant and appropriate to the economy and people of Wales. This paper reports on four key research objectives of a study undertaken to inform CSR related policy in Wales, with particular reference to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The paper sets out to make a contribution not only to policy and practice in this field but to the building of theory. Research into CSR among SMEs is growing, but still under represented in relation to work on larger firms. In addition, research on the role of governments in this agenda is scarce. This qualitative study of 114 SMEs in Wales shows that there is a large variety of CSR undertaken, and that although awareness is high, there is an appetite for 'light touch' government intervention. The contribution of this paper to theoretical development is evaluated and tentative recommendations for policy development are set out.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 135 - 160 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Contemporary Wales |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 1 |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2011 |
Keywords
- corporate social responsibility
- government
- SMEs
- small and medium sized enterprises
- CSR