How is CSR-Intensity related to the Entrepreneur's Motivation to engage in CSR? Empirical Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Dutch Construction Sector

Abstract

Despite the increasing interest in the adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), hardly any attention has been paid to the relationship between the motivation of the entrepreneur to engage in this area and the degree to which the entrepreneur adopts CSR. This paper investigates to what extent pull factors and push factors make entrepreneurs in SMEs decide to adopt CSR. From our empirical research among 181 SMEs in the Dutch construction sector, the main conclusion is that the front-runners and the followers are both motivated more by pull factors than by push factors to engage in CSR activities, but also that pull factors are more important for the front-runners than they are for the followers.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises, pull factors, push factors