Corporate Social Responsibility in Spain: An Evolution through the Global Compact

Abstract

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained prominence in recent years, both in professional and academic circles. Research in this field justifies the evolution of the concept of business and its relationship with stakeholders. Today, the need to consider CSR as part of business strategy is evident. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct an initial analysis of the evolution of CSR by examining the rate at which Spanish companies joined the UN Global Compact (2000). This aims to highlight the level of commitment of Spanish companies to CSR, and consequently, to the 10 principles of the Global Compact. The sample of companies was taken from the website of the Spanish Global Compact Network, and a descriptive analysis of the data obtained was performed. The results show that much remains to be done regarding CSR, as only 0.0613% of all active companies in 2012 (3,146,570) were signatories. The importance of SMEs in the Spanish economy is evident through the number of member companies, which is 33,599.6, making this type of entity the one that concentrates the most companies of this type.