Authors : Luis Novoa-Buitrago and Cristina Abad
Abstract: This study seeks to establish the state of the art concerning the relation between corporate social responsibility, CSR and small and medium sized enterprises, SMEs. Through a systematic literature review of recent years, this study aims to identify the hypotheses, objectives and methods used in previous research as well as outline the possible research paths for upcoming years. Following the systematic review technique proposed in social sciences, recent studies from the past decade (2008-2018) included in Web of Science (WOS) were analyzed. Subsequently in order to illustrate the concentration of references, an artificial intelligence program was used to construct a reference tree (basis, consolidated topics and latest research trends). This review found methods, objectives and hypotheses that can be used in future studies regarding the relation between CSR and SMEs. It also reveals four pending issues to be explored by the literature: identification of processes and tools used, analysis of the influence of relational and social capital strategies, CSR performance in SMEs in developing countries and strategies of CSR reporting in SMEs.
Luis Novoa-Buitrago and Cristina Abad, 2020. Social Responsibility of SMES: A Systematic Review. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 15: 2108-2111.