LAPSE:2023.33247
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.33247
The Corporate Social Responsibility of Polish Energy Companies
Magdalena M. Stuss, Zbigniew J. Makieła, Agnieszka Herdan, Gabriela Kuźniarska
April 21, 2023
If corporate social responsibility (CSR) is expected to work efficiently, there should be a standardised approach for implementation of the CSR concept for all businesses, including companies operating in the energy sector. Although many companies declare compliance with CSR standards, further investigation should be undertaken to evaluate if and how those standards have been applied in practice. The aim of this research is to examine the level of standardisation of the CSR activities within Polish energy companies and explore the good practices developed by those companies. The Polish energy companies have been selected for the investigation as the literature review we conducted demonstrates that there is limited research in this area and there is a knowledge gap regarding how Polish energy companies apply CSR regulation in practice. To accomplish the stated aims, the following research questions were developed: (1) What is the essence of applying the CSR concept in Polish energy companies, and at what level of development is the concept applied? (2) To what extent do Polish energy companies have a common approach to the CSR concept, and in what areas are there differences? (3) To what extent have Polish energy companies applied global CSR standards and solutions? (4) Is there a gap between the declared measures of CSR and their actual implementation in Polish energy companies? The research methodology of this study is based on a systematic literature review of the sources acquired from databases such as ProQuest, Emerald, SCOPUS and the Jagiellonian University Library. The multiple case study approach was identified as the most suitable research tool. Companies for the study were selected according to their affiliation to the energy sector and listing on the main market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. These two assumptions allowed us to base this study on the largest Polish energy companies that have international status. Six areas of CSR annual report disclosures have been identified and used for the investigation and analysis. This research looks at similarities and difference between these six aspects of CSRs disclosed by Polish energy companies. The investigation allows us to conclude that the top three energy companies use similar tools to build their CSR strategies: formalised CSR concept, published CSR reports, disclosure of CSR information on the company website, CSR related activities offered to stakeholders, obtained CSR certificates, and CSR awards. This indicates the existence of a standardised approach to CSR across Polish energy companies.
Keywords
corporate social responsibility, CSR, disclosures, energy sector
Subject
Suggested Citation
Stuss MM, Makieła ZJ, Herdan A, Kuźniarska G. The Corporate Social Responsibility of Polish Energy Companies. (2023). LAPSE:2023.33247
Author Affiliations
Stuss MM: Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, 31-007 Kraków, Poland [ORCID]
Makieła ZJ: WSB University, 41-300 Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland [ORCID]
Herdan A: Accounting and Finance Department, Faculty of Business, University of Greenwich, London SE10 9LS, UK
Kuźniarska G: Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, 31-007 Kraków, Poland
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
14
Issue
13
First Page
3815
Year
2021
Publication Date
2021-06-24
Published Version
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
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PII: en14133815, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.33247
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doi:10.3390/en14133815
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Apr 21, 2023
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