A Corporate Case Study: The Application of Rokeach’s Value System to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Abstract

Starting from the research assumption that corporate social responsibility (CSR) values cannot be communicated efficiently, if they do not belong naturally to a company’s identity, this paper debates the prospect of applying Rokeach’s Value System (1973) to Continental corporation’s CSR values. Rokeach’s Value System (1973) is used to compare Continental data provided online and establish whether the ideal corporate values presented by the company are similar to the real values, with respect to the CSR values. We base our assessment of the level of integration of CSR into corporate identity on Maon et al.’s integrated model of CSR development (2010). Our analysis reveals that although the Continental corporation works with the CSR concept in a strategic and systematic manner, the set CSR values do not correspond to the real corporate values.