Dimensions and contingencies of corporate social responsibility in SMEs' supply chains

Purpose of this paper: This research aims to conceptualise the dimensions of CSR in supply chains and then demonstrates the degree of implementation of these CSR practices from SMEs perspectives. The objectives of this research are three-fold. The first is to conceptualise the dimensions of CSR in supply chains, highlighting which dimension is prioritised in the practice. The second is to demonstrate to what degree SMEs implement CSR practices. The third is to explore the contingencies that drive and enable SMEs’ CSR practices based on the institutional theory and the stakeholder theory. Design/methodology/approach: A large-scale questionnaire survey was conducted with SMEs in South Korea. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed via email to the SMEs based in the Gyeongbuk Province of South Kore, and 87 usable questionnaires were collected. The data were analysed by analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a 2X2 matrix and ANOVA to demonstrate the SCR implementation level and the contingencies behind it. Findings: SMEs tend to focus on explicit CSR practices that can be easily identified their customers. On the contrary, operational issues hidden to the customers are not considered in SMEs’ practices. ANOVA analysis empirically showed that stakeholder and institutional pressures are valid in the performance of SCR practices. However, the level of pressures was largely biased to customers, government and regulatory pressures, which means that SMEs are more reactive rather than proactive to implement CSR practices. Value: This research investigated CSR practices within supply chains particularly from the SME perspectives, which have not been fully explored in the supply chain management discipline. In addition, it will empirically analyse the contingencies of CSR implementations using survey data. Research limitations/implications: This study has a limitation in conducting the survey with SMEs in one country, which may reduce the generalisability of this research. Practical implications: The conceptual model to evaluate the degree of SCR implementation can be used as an index to compare the CSR level of the SMEs.