Macro and micro dimensions in Lithuania: are companies as socially responsible as they should be?

Purpose – The main objective of this article is to define macro dimension of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Lithuania and evaluate its relation with the actual level of social responsibility of business entities operating in the country. Design/methodology/approach – For theoretical and methodological parts of the paper analysis of scientific literature and secondary data, and comparative analysis and synthesis of CSR concepts have been used. The research itself was based on expert valuation method and analysis of the data from social research and the main documented strategies to promote CSR in Lithuania. Findings – The analysis of macro dimension of CSR in Lithuania disclosed the fact that both the government and the society acknowledge the importance of social responsibility of business, although their views are still at the stage of development. Based on that and the level of CSR predominant in companies operating in the country it was determined that business entities in Lithuania are at least as socially responsible as they are required to be by the government and the society of Lithuania. Research limitations/implications – Further researches are needed to conduct a comparison analysis among countries with similar and (or) different characteristics, e.g. the level of economic development, historical background, etc., in order to assess which factors are the most important when it comes to macro and micro dimensions. What is more, it is believed that a third dimension should be added to the research – meta dimension, represented byNGOs and other civil society organizations. It would allow evaluating their impact on the promotion of CSR in the country. Finally, although it became obvious that both the government and the society expects that business entities would be socially responsible in one way or another, it is still unclear whether these parties would be willing to directly and (or) Finally, although it became obvious that both the government and the society expects that business entities would be socially responsible in one way or another, it is still unclear whether these parties would be willing to directly and (or) indirectly awardcompanies for acting in a socially responsible manner to encourage socially responsible behavior. Therefore, a research should be conducted in this area to assess these parties’ views towards promoting business entities to be socially responsible by actually demonstrating that CSR pays. Practical implications – The results of this research provides proof that companies in terms of CSR are directly and (or) indirectly restricted by government and society, meaning that the latter parties are more or less in charge of setting the level of social responsibility of business entities operating in certain countries. Originality/Value – The originality of this article is based on the fact that a different approach was taken which revealed that the level of CSR not only depends upon companies themselves, but two other parties – governing bodies of countries and societies – and their understanding of CSR. Research type: research paper/conceptual paper