Transformations  in
Business & Economics

Corporate Motives of Supporting a Social Cause. Evidence from the Romanian Banking Market
Alin Valentin Angheluta, Mirela Nemtanu (Vonica Radutiu), Andreea Angela Vonteat

ABSTRACT. The present paper aims to identify the motives underlying the banks' decision to support a certain social cause. Considering the social responsibility initiatives being of major importance, it reveals the conduct of banking entities relative to the fact that they operate on the Romanian banking market. Some of the main research objectives reside in outlining the manner in which the corporate social responsibility (CSR) planning process is approached, and in examining the aspects with regard to the monitoring activity of the non-profit sector. Integrating a qualitative research method based on the use of in-depth semi-structured interviews, its prime conclusion emphasizes the fact that the motives which determine the support given to a social cause by the banking entities may be divided into three definite directions - a commercial, a strategic, and a charitable one. The particular conclusions corresponding to the study reveal that the banks' social responsibility initiatives represent a pillar of their organizational communication, while they do not adopt a proactive attitude towards monitoring the non-profit sectors' coordinates.

KEYWORDS: motives, corporate social responsibility, banks, NGOs, social cause.

JEL classification: M14, M31, 021, L31.