Valuations of Corporate Social Responsibility in Poland
Valuations of Corporate Social Responsibility in Poland

Summary/Abstract: This study contributes to the ongoing research on CSR valuation and the emergence of indices associated with socially responsible investments (SRI) and corporate social responsibility. Valuation played an important role in the creation of business criteria for investing in the companies listed in the Respect Index of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The study reveals how responsibility has been transformed into liquidity criteria that ground the Index’s performance. Despite standardization in CSR reporting, the most recognized discourse on the legitimacy of CSR has revealed a diversity of justifications for the meaning companies declare and pursue. Thus, there are parallel practices of CSR valuation: reports demonstrate a diversity of values and their justification while the index enhances the drive for the business case in CSR policies. Despite these differences, the research reveals the power of numbers: quantifications that describe specific CSR activities simultaneously eliminate a company’s issues and challenges. Given that CSR activities are amorphous in nature, the quantification and collection of data in their regard does not mean that the activities and their reporting address the major challenges companies face nor claims articulated in their environment.

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