Corporate Social Activities in Germany: The Experience of Companies

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the European experience of the formation and regulation of socially responsible behaviour of economic entities; distinguishing the dominant drivers of corporate social responsibility in Germany and strategic priorities for its implementation. Its contents are interpreted in the expanded and narrow sense. Expanded approach insists that CSR is a set of interrelated types of responsibility (legal, economic, professional, moral, political, etc.) that reflect the system of values of society. Narrow interpretation foresees the definition of the degree (measure) of adoption by the subject of socially significant goals of society, the fulfilment of mutual rights and responsibilities, observance of social norms. The research subject – the peculiarities of the functioning of the European model of socially responsible entrepreneurship, the practice of its implementation in Germany. The methodology of the research is based on the definition of general principles of constructing the system of corporate social responsibility, disclosure the essence of the categorical apparatus, considering its main theoretical concepts. In the process of research, a set of methods of scientific cognition were used: analysis, synthesis, generalization (for the disclosure of the conceptual-categorical apparatus of the subject of the research); statistical method, grouping, empirical approach (while analysing the practice of distributing social responsibility among the subjects of social partnership in the EU for ensuring social protection of the population, and differences between the EU countries on the level of such responsibility of the subjects of the social process, depending on the model of socio-economic development). Conclusion. Under the influence of the challenges of globalization and the 4th Industrial Revolution, aggravation of competition, the conditions of the economy are changing. The need for business models on the basis of the strategy of sustainable development, socially responsible behaviour of business structures on the basis of systemic and long-term is growing. This situation actualizes the problem of creating mechanisms for maintaining social compromise in society. System of ensuring responsibility of the subjects of society for the formation of normal living conditions of society is one of the institutional mechanisms of social control and creating conditions for balancing personal, collective and social interests. Institutional support for the functioning of the mechanism for supporting social compromise regarding the formation of normal living conditions is based on the levers of state regulation (subsidies, preferential taxation, economic incentives, and compliance with the standards of activity); institute of entrepreneurship (international and national standards for doing business); institute of the public (the system of social reporting of enterprises, work with territorial communities). Compliance with product quality standards, with obligations to stakeholders, social reporting and progress reporting (including its environmental parameters), transparent business promotes the implementation of socio-stabilizing functions of entrepreneurial activity both on national and on a world scale. Experience of European (in particular, German) companies proves the need to adherence to the principles of social responsibility in entrepreneurship and the possibility of their use as a competitive advantage.

Movement of autonomous systems after selected infrastructure as a globalization effect induced by initiate Industry 4.0

“…There is a group of countries that show high scores for real or recalculated values. Malta, for example, has the highest values in the Em group and the Edo proportional group, but in the precedence analysis it reaches zero values (see figure 9,11,15,17). By comparing individual sub-graphs it is possible to find out that long precedencies correspond more closely with real values, the first precedence with proportional values.…”

“…European experience with shaping and regulating socially responsible behavior of economic subjects has Galeska et al [9], the authors examined the differentiation of dominant driving forces of corporate social responsibility and strategic priorities in Germany in the Industry 4 environment. They identify interconnected types of responsibility (legal, economic, professional, moral, political, etc.)…”

Measuring Territorial Social Responsibility and Sustainability Using the EFQM Excellence Model

“…Other authors such as Galetska et al [18] also understand CSR in a broader sense, as a reflection of society's values, involving different stages of responsibility (legal, economic, professional, moral, political, etc.) and agree on the need for business models that take SD into account and uphold long-term commitments to society.…”

“…To create shared value, the interests of stakeholders and citizens must be known, and new trends and current challenges must be incorporated into business management [12]. The above-mentioned stages of social responsibility can be summarized into three groups of key elements of CSR, according to Calvo-Mora et al and Galetska et al [5,18]:…”

Local Extremes of Selected Industry 4.0 Indicators in the European Space—Structure for Autonomous Systems

“…European experience with shaping and regulating socially responsible behavior of economic subjects; Galetska et al (2019) looked at differentiating the dominant driving forces of corporate social responsibility and strategic priorities in Germany in the Industry 4.0 environment. They identified interconnected types of responsibility (legal, economic, professional, moral, political, etc.) that reflected the system of company values.…”