| The Problem. The study sought to determine the correlations between corporate concern for society, as well as the components of corporate social responsibility (CSR), namely economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic, and some chosen financial measures of corporate profitability, size, and the degree of stability in corporate financial position in the large commercial banks investigated.;Results. The results of the study were (1) no relationship was found between corporate concern for society nor any CSR component and any corporate profitability measure--either for the short or the long term, (2) no relationship was found between corporate concern for society nor any CSR component and any corporate size measure either in the short or in the long term, (3) no relationship was found between corporate concern for society nor any CSR component and the degree of stability in corporate financial position for the short term. Significant correlations were found between corporate concern for society, as well as economic responsibility, and the degree of stability in the relative share of balance sheet items for the long term, (4) significant correlations were found between the following pairs of variables: economic and legal responsibilities, economic and ethical responsibilities, economic responsibility and corporate concern for society, legal responsibility and corporate concern for society, and (5) no relationship was found between any of the following pairs of variables: economic and philanthropic responsibilities, legal and ethical responsibilities, legal and philanthropic responsibilities, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities, philanthropic responsibility and corporate concern for society.;Method. The research design utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data were concerned with the orientation toward CSR of the very top management of the chosen large commercial banks. The mailed instrument used to secure this data relied on Carroll's construct which defined CSR. The measurement of the orientation toward these components used an instrument that was developed in a 1985 study by Aupperle, Carroll, and Hatfield. |
