The Use of CSR in E-Commerce as a Way to Compete

Journal Title: Journal of Competitiveness - Year 2018, Vol 10, Issue 4

Abstract

The article deals with the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on small-medium companies (SMEs) in the field of e-commerce. As many people today are aware of the exhaustion of resources, ethical codes as well as working standards, CSR has become a strong competitive tool. Additionally, with the global increase in economy, e-commerce users have come to be regarded favourably in terms of environmental friendliness, with e-commerce becoming a popular tool of purchase. However, previous research offers little understanding about the relationship between CSR and e-commerce. To shed some light on this issue, two questionnaire surveys and interviews with seven managers of selected companies were conducted in the Czech Republic. The participants in the first study were e-commerce customers (N = 207), and the second study was aimed at SMEs in e-commerce (N = 63). The research shows that the implementation of CSR may influence sales positively. The findings also indicate that consumers prefer companies with CSR as well as the necessity of good implementation of CSR in the company process by managers. The most discussed issue of CSR by SMEs managers concerned working standards. The research also shows big differences between formal acceptance and certified SMEs for CSR. CSR is not only a competitive advantage but also one of the ways to maintain sustainable corporate development with ethical codes and transparent corporate policy.

Authors and Affiliations

Otto Bartok

Keywords

Related Articles

Segmenting the Performing Arts Markets: The Case of Czech National Theater Attenders’ Motivations

Strategic marketing instruments such as segmentation and targeting can benefit performing arts institutions and render their offer more competitive. To segment classical performing arts audiences, however, the traditiona...

Active Labour Market Policies of Selected European Countries and Their Competitiveness

Creating balance conditions in the labour market is a result of the state efforts in the form of implementation of ALMP to incorporate job-seekers. The structural reforms of ALMP are complementary greater than some of th...

On-line Shopping on B2C Markets in the Czech Republic

The paper deals with the e-commerce theory and is aimed primarily at its usage in business-toconsumer markets. On-line purchasing management is increasing not only in the Czech Republic but also in Europe and all over th...

Internal Branding and the Competitive Performance of Private Universities in Ghana

The objective of this paper is in three fold. First, to examine the inter-relationship between internal branding and performance of private universities. Second, to examine customer-based brand equity (CBBE) antecedents...

The Effect of Implementing a Maintenance Information System on the Efficiency of Production Facilities

The paper deals with the topic of facility management focusing on maintenance area and its importance for increasing company competitiveness. The importance of functional company facility management has risen dramaticall...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP432717
  • DOI 10.7441/joc.2018.04.01
  • Views 141
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Otto Bartok (2018). The Use of CSR in E-Commerce as a Way to Compete. Journal of Competitiveness, 10(4), 5-20. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-432717