CSR and the Supply Chain: Effects on the Results of SMEs

Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez, Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez and Elva Alicia Ramos-Escobar
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Luis Enrique Valdez-Juárez: Faculty of Business Administration, Technological Institute of Sonora, Guaymas Sonora 85400, Mexico
Dolores Gallardo-Vázquez: Department of Financial Economics and Accounting, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Extremadura, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
Elva Alicia Ramos-Escobar: Faculty of Business Administration, Technological Institute of Sonora, Guaymas Sonora 85400, Mexico

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-27

Abstract: Currently, companies and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) are looking to be more competitive. To achieve this, they are adopting new business models and strategies that allow them to move towards sustainability. Strategies such as CSR (Corporate social responsibility) and supply chain management have become essential for ensuring a company’s permanence and financial consolidation. The literature has stated that theories on stakeholders and sustainability are fundamental pillars for the development and sustained growth of business. The purpose of this article is to examine the effects of CSR and SCMM (supply chain management) on innovation, image and reputation, and, in turn, their influences on profitability in SMEs. An additional purpose is to verify the bidirectional relationship that exists between CSR and SCM in SMEs. This research was based on a sample of 143 companies in the city of Guaymas Sonorain Mexico. For the analysis and validation of the results, we used the ordinal least squares method (OLS) through multiple linear regressions and SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) statistical technique based on the variance, through PLS (Partial Least Squares) (using SmartPLS version 3.2.6 Professional). The findings show that SMEs that develop social and sustainable practices increase their level of innovation, and improve their image, their reputation, and their financial profitability. The results also indicate that CSR and SCM have a strong interdependence. This work contributes mainly to the development of the literature on stakeholders and sustainability.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; supply chain management; SCM; image; reputation; stakeholders; innovation; small and medium enterprises; SMEs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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