Drivers for and Obstacles to Corporate Social Responsibility Practice in Vietnam – A Study in Small and Medium Enterprise Exporters
Authors: Xuan Le Thi Thanh , Khoa Tran Tien , Lieu Nguyen Thi Thanh 
Published: June 2018

Based on the fact that most of factories/manufacturers failed to comply with foreign customers’ requirements for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices from the first audits, the present study aims to explore SME exporters’ understanding of CSR requirements from foreign clients, motivations and obstacles for them to practice and implement CSR. In order to tackle the research objectives, qualitative approach is chosen and in-depth interview with owners, HR/CSR managers and production managers is employed to collect data. The research scope is firms/suppliers in hardlines (non-furniture and non-apparel) section. Thematic analysis is used to analyse and categorise data from interviews. The research findings show some crucial points. Firstly, CSR requirements from clients are not correctly understood. Secondly, there are seven drivers for CSR practices which match with previous studies. Lastly, six per ten obstacles to implement CSR are new findings in the present research context. From these findings, some recommendations are proposed to improve CSR practices in SMEs.
Keywords
Corporate social responsibility (CSR), motivations (motives), obstacles, SMEs
References

Albareda, L., Lozano, J. M., Tencati, A., Midtun, A., & Perrini, F. (2008). The changing roles of governments in corporate social responsibility: drivers and responses. Business Ethics: A European Review, 17(4), 347-363. Arevalo, J. A., & Aravind, D. (2011). Corporate Social Responsibility practices in India: approaches, drivers and barriers. Corporate Governance, 11(4), 399-414. Baden, D. A., Harwood, I. A., & Woodward, D. G. (2009). The effect of buyer pressure on suppliers in SMEs to demonstrate CSR practices: An added incentive or counter productive? European Management Journal, 27(6), 429-441. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2008.10.004Bondy, K., Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). Multinational Corporation Codes of Conduct: Governance Tools for Corporate Social Responsibility? Corporate Governance: An International Review, 16(4), 294-311. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8683.2008.00694.xCambra-Fierro, J., Wilson, A., Polo-Redondo, Y., Fuster-Mur, A., & Lopez-Perez, M. E. (2013). When do firms implement corporate social responsibility? A study of the Spanish construction and real-estate sector. Journal of Management & Organization, 19(02), 150-166. doi:doi:10.1017/jmo.2013.12Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34, 39-48. Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility: evolution of a definitional construct. Business & Society, 38(3), 268-295. Cochran, P. L., & Wood, R. A. (1984). Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 27(1), 42-56. Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative inquiry & research design - choosing among five approaches (2nd ed.). the U.S: Sage Publications, Inc.Faisal, M. N. (2010). Analysing the barriers to corporate social responsibility in supply chains: an interpretive structural modelling approach. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 13(3), 179-195. doi:10.1080/13675560903264968Ghasemi, S., & Nejati, M. (2013). Corporate Social Responsibility: Opportunities, Drivers and Barriers. International Journal of Entrepreuneurial Knowledge, 1(1), 33-37. Gibson, W. J., & Andrew, B. (2009). Working with qualitative data London: SAGE.Graafland, J., & Mazereeuw-Van der Duijn Schouten, C. (2012). Motives for Corporate Social Responsibility. De Economist, 160(4), 377-396. doi:10.1007/s10645-012-9198-5Hamm, B. (2012). Corporate Social Responsibility in Vietnam: Integration or Mere Adaptation? Pacific News, 38, 4-8. Hemingway, C. A., & Maclagan, P. W. (2004). Managers' Personal Values as Drivers of Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 50(1), 33-44. Kang, B. (2014). Corporate Social Responsibility Perceptions and Corporate Performances. Journal of Applied Sciences, 14(21), 2662-2673. Lantos, G. P. (2001). The boundaries of strategic corporate social responsibility. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 18(7), 595-630. Lin, C.-H., Yang, H.-L., & Liou, D.-Y. (2009). The impact of corporate social responsibility on financial performance: Evidence from business in Taiwan. Technology in Society, 31, 56-63. McWilliams, A., & Siegel, D. (2001). Corporate Social Responsibility: A theory of the firm perspective. Academy of Management Review, 26(1), 117-127. Mishra, S., & Suar, D. (2010). Does Corporate Social Responsibility influence firm performance of Indian companies? Journal of Business Ethics, 95, 571-601. Moon, J. (2004). Government as Driver of CSR. ICCSR Research Series Papers, 24. Pedersen, E. R., & Neergaard, P. (2009). What matters to managers? The whats, whys and hows of corporate social responsibility in a multinational corporation. Management Decision, 47(8), 1261-1280. Visser, W. (2008). Corporate social responsibility in developing countries. In A. Crane, A. McWilliams, D. Matten, J. Moon, & D. Siegel (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility (pp. 473-499). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Xuan, L. T. T. (2013). Managers' preceptions of Corporate Social Responsibility: The construction industry in Vietnam. (Doctoral), Western Sydney University, Xuan, L. T. T., & Khoa, T. T. (2015). Drivers of Corporate Social Respobsibility Practices-A comparative analysis between Spanish and Vietnamese Construction Industry. Paper presented at the The International Conference on Business 2015, Hochiminh city.Xuan, L. T. T., & Teal, G. (2011). A development in defining Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Science and Technology Development, 14(2), 106-115. http://baocongthuong.com.vn/viet-nam-sau-10-nam-gia-nhap-wto-nhung-thanh-tuu-kha-quan.htmlhttp://www.unido.org/en/what-we-do/trade/csr/what-is-csr.html#pp1[g1]/0/