Determining Factors For Social and Environmental Practices of Corporate Responsibility in Mozambique

Abstract

Purpose: This study analyzes the main factors that determine the adoption of social and environmental practices in companies operating in Mozambique. To this end, it analyzes the perception of managers about the pressure, motivation and barriers they face for these practices.   Theoretical framework: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is based on legitimacy, stakeholder and institutional theories. The stakeholder theory has two variants: one that concerns the attention to all stakeholders in the activities of the organization; the second is understood in a strictly organization-centered manner and relates to empirical responsibility. The latter coincides with the concept of legitimacy theory where they try to ensure that their activities are perceived as being legitimate. In institutional theory, the dependence of an organization creates isomorphisms of structure, climate and behavioral focus.   Method/design/approach: The data were collected through a stratified sampling survey according to the size and nature of the activities, using Likert type questions. Constructs of Pressure, Internal Motivation and Barriers to CSR practices were assessed, as well as compliance with social and environmental practices. A number of 227 representative responses of Mozambican business fabric were obtained. To analyze the data and test the conceptual model presented, we used the PLS (Partial Least Squares) methodology.   Results and conclusion:. The results show that there is little pressure from stakeholders and society in general, low motivation of the agents responsible for practicing social and environmental actions and that they recognize that barriers exist, but do not have a significant effect on the decision to adopt CSR practices. It was also found that in the CSR analysis, social practices should be seen separately from environmental practices.   Research implications: The study argues that managers consider the multi-factors involved in CSR. It also points to important contributions to the definition of economic policies and institutional designs, particularly in developing countries, to leverage CSR practices.   Originality/value: This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that, although there are positive conditions, negative factors (barriers) in the determination of social and environmental practices should not be neglected. Additionally, the conclusions presented differ significantly from the results obtained in geographies of developed countries, thus contributing to the understanding of the determining factors in African countries, which has been less studied, and in particular in Mozambique, to which we contribute in a pioneering way.