CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE SECTOR OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES

Društveno odgovorno poslovanje (DOP) predstavlja koncept poslovanja unutar kojeg poduzeće ostvaruje svoj temeljni cilj, maksimizaciju profita, ali istovremeno utječe na posljedice koje njegovo poslovanje može načiniti okolini i društvu. Upravo je pojam DOP-a definiran i razjašnjen kroz ovaj rad definicijama raznih autora te su sumirana njegova obilježja i razjašnjene njegove dimenzije kako bi ga se kao koncept jednostavnije shvatilo. S obzirom na to da poduzeće kao dio gospodarstva u poslovanju nije samo, razjašnjeni su i dionici njegove okoline te su istaknute prednosti koje implementacija DOP-a donosi poduzeću. Kroz rad je prikazan povijesni razvoj DOP-a na području RH te su definirane strategije, prednost i izazovi implementacije DOP-a koje se mogu javiti u sektoru malih i srednjih poduzeća. Radom su također dati primjeri dobre prakse i to upravo hrvatskih tvrtki iz područja MSP-a, a koje podrazumijevaju tvrtke Biovega d.o.o., Končar institut za elektrotehniku d.o.o. te Špeceraj d.o.o. Također, provedeno je empirijsko istraživanje provedeno kako bi se dobio uvid u osviještenost potrošača o DOP-u u sektoru MSP-a i percepcije važnosti istoga za njih same.Corporate social responsibility (CSR) represents a business concept within which the company achieves its fundamental goal, profit maximization, but at the same time affects the consequences that its business can have on the environment and society. It is precisely the concept of CSR that has been defined and clarified through the definitions of various authors, and its features have been summarized and its dimensions have been clarified in order to make it easier to understand as a concept. Given that the company, as part of the economy, is not alone in its operations, the stakeholders of its environment were also clarified, and the advantages that the implementation of CSR brings to the company were highlighted. The paper presents the historical development of CSR in the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and defines the strategies, advantages and challenges of CSR implementation that may occur in the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises. The work also provides examples of good practice, specifically from Croatian companies in the field of SMEs, which includes the companies Biovega d.o.o., Končar Institute for Electrical Engineering d.o.o. and Špeceraj d.o.o. Also, an empirical study was conducted to gain insight into consumers' awareness of CSR in the SME sector and their perception of the importance of CSR for themselves