The many and the few: rounding up the SMEs that manage CSR in the supply chain

The purpose of this paper is to outline the anatomy of small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) that try to manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the supply chain.

The data used for analysis stem from a large‐scale survey of 1,071 Danish SMEs carried out in 2005.

It is concluded that CSR activities directed towards the supply chains still remain the privilege of a small group of SMEs with quite advanced CSR systems.

The survey was not specifically designed for this article. Moreover, only Danish SMEs participated in the survey. Whether the evidence from Denmark can be generalised to cover SMEs in other countries is left to determine.

The results indicate that there may be a need for more differentiated initiatives to promote CSR that will enable smaller enterprises to address CSR issues in the supply chain. Thus far, CSR has often been associated with large, high‐profile multinationals that have been trying to protect their image and brands from negative press, NGO activism, consumer boycotts and governmental sanctions. Little has been done to examine how SMEs can improve social and environmental conditions in cooperation with suppliers.

This article contributes to the existing body of literature by examining how a number of key SME characteristics affect the management of CSR.