The Initiatives of Corporate Social Responsibility as Sources of innovations/Socialines Imoniu Atsakomybes Iniciatyvos Kaip Inovaciju Saltiniai

Introduction The changing global business environment is characterized by growing competition and has forced companies to find new ways of competing in the integrated global economy. In order to remain competitive, companies are facing increased pressure to be more inventive so that they can react quickly to consumer demands. Companies' competitiveness refers to their ability to produce high quality goods and services in an efficient and innovative way and by that to outpace their competitors. Companies can gain competitiveness through offering their products and services at lower prices than competitors, or through offering products and services at comparable cost but in unique quality creating a greater buyer value. Product, service or business model innovation is a key source of competitiveness at company level. The implementation of initiatives of corporate social responsibility promotes companies in their desire to enter into additional commitments to improve their business practices and to introduce innovative human resource management technologies in their operations, to use natural resources conserving technologies, human health-friendly materials and manufacturing processes, to harmonize working relations and actively participate in social dialogue, considering the positions expressed by the stakeholders and the public expectations. The implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributes to business innovativeness and competitiveness. The problem and novelty of the study. The premise of the study is that socially responsible initiatives are the sources of different types of innovation. Innovation in all aspects of business is the creation of new value for consumers and for company and contribute to competitiveness of company in global economy. While the CSR initiatives as the sources of innovations in different business aspects and socially responsible innovations of Lithuanian companies have received a little attention in the literature, this study is significant and topical in term of novelty. The object of the study is socially responsible initiatives. The aim of the study is to explore socially responsible initiatives as sources of inovations. The tasks of the study are: 1. To investigate the importance of innovation in gaining competitiveness of company. 2. To analyze the influence of initiatives of corporate social responsibility in creating innovations. 3. To analyze the development of socially responsible innovations in Lithuanian companies. The methods of the study are systematic, logical and comparative analysis of scientific literature, synthesis. 1. The importance of innovation in gaining competitiveness of company The development and implementation of innovation is very important for companies in all industries to survive in global and competitive markets. Fuglsang and Sorensen (2011) described innovation as development of a new product or service so as to gain acceptance in the company, in the market or in society. As stated in the Summaries of EU Legislation on Innovation and the Lisbon strategy (2003), innovation--"the successful production, assimilation and exploitation of novelty in the economic and social spheres". In these days innovation is no longer equated only with high--technology and new products, but is coming to be understood as a broad, continuous, systematic activity that takes place throughout the company. Sawhney et al. (2006) presented 12 types of innovation (see Fig. 1). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Moore (2005) has argued that the case for different types of innovation focus along the life of the business cycle. According to Fey and Birkinshaw (2005), innovations occur primarily through new combinations of resources, ideas and technology, a fertile innovation environment relies on a constant inflow of knowledge from other places. …