engleski

Social Responsibility through bankers lens: Evidence from Croatia

The position of this paper is to contextualize the CSR of banks in Croatian context within the current economic and political situation. Firstly the paper examines the origins and developments of CSR in banking industry. Secondly the paper examines the CSR of banks in the Republic of Croatia. Purpose –The paper's purpose is to highlight the initiatives of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in banking industry: globally and locally. Design/methodology/approach –The research is based on primary and secondary research. The survey questionnaire was created and used in secondary research and it was administered to 7 banks which have been analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics. Findings – Croatia has to surpass most problematic factors for doing business which are recognized throw: inefficient government bureaucracy ; tax rates ; tax regulation ; corruption, problematic access to financing etc. To overcome existing problem Croatia should use potential benefits of corporate social responsibility and CSR activities should be guide for banking industry and ensure the ‘licence to operate’ in integrated European financial market. The findings suggest that banks have an objective view-point about CSR activities. Research limitations/implications – Limitations in research- due to the topics sensitiveness managers were not willing to fill the questionnaire even after several attempts of contacting them and reminders. Basically, it is still very difficult to engage managers in such cooperation with the academic sector, especially when topics cover sensitive issues as ethics, CSR, organizational performance etc. so this issues still are not preferred in the Croatian business environment. Practical implications –Corporate social responsibility should enhance to expand used components of CSR activities. Originality/value –The paper provides unified information about CSR through bankers’ lens. This paper contributes to the discussion about corporate social responsibility (CSR) of banking institutions in transition economy with evidence from Croatia.

corporate social responsibility; bank sector; Republic of Croatia

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