Corporate Social Responsibility of Companies in the Context of Russian Military Aggression in Ukraine

Abstract

The war in Ukraine became a test for many foreign companies from the point of view of implementing the principles of corporate social responsibility, which they had previously declared. This especially affected international businesses, including Polish companies, that actively worked on the Russian and Ukrainian markets, whose economic interests for many years related to cooperation with Russian partners and the sale of Russian goods on the market of Ukraine. This article is devoted to the issue of corporate social responsibility of businesses in the context of Russian military aggression in Ukraine. The main objective of the presented paper was to identify and clarify the role of corporate social responsibility and business attitudes towards corporate social responsibility and its impact on decisions on possible cooperation in times of war. In addition, the specific objective was to identify the effects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on business activities conducted by Polish entrepreneurs, considering their attitudes towards corporate social responsibility principles. This goal was achieved through an analysis of the literature on the subject and in-depth interviews conducted with a sample of 100 Polish entrepreneurs. The results indicated that Polish entrepreneurs felt significant negative consequences of the conflict. After Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, most surveyed companies suspended (47,1%) or ended cooperation (43.1%) with Russian partners or exported products to Russia. Contrary to expectations, only some companies (18.4%) cited corporate social responsibility values among the reasons for this decision. It was also shown that there was no relationship between corporate social responsibility involvement and the declared ratings of companies remaining in Russia. In addition, companies reporting to suspend their activities during the conflict are considering a return to earlier cooperation in the future.