Resumen de Corporate social responsibility in small shops. An ethical proposal
Domingo García Marzá, Carmen Martí Marco, Roberto Ballester Fuillerat
In this paper we present the main results of a pilot study undertaken in the Autonomous Region of Valencia, Spain, on the implementation of ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in small shops. The study's basic hypothesis is that CSR can become one of the distinctive features of small shops as well as an important value in terms of differentiation from their main competitors, namely, big chains and department stores. The study results confirm the original hypothesis. It shows that the specific features of small shops (their small size, community interaction, knowledge of the neighbourhood, proximity to clients and workers, etc.) can be regarded as sources of potential for making CSR a distinctive feature of small or traditional shops. We could also come to view CSR as a basic value for forging a common shop identity, which they currently lack.
This paper presents: a working hypothesis, a perception study of CSR, their main results and conclusions. It also shows Small shops' potential for introducing CSR and offers recommendations for future CSR implementation: training, expanding the concept of quality to include social quality, improving visibility of good practices and, last but not least, boosting rapport with local administrations in order to forge a citizen trade alliance that recognises Small shops as valid actors in the development of the city model.
