A Study of CSR Performance and Extent of Social Responsibility Management Practices in Regional Companies : the Case of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan

This research paper presents the summarized results of a study conducted in September 2016 in collaboration with Wakayama Pref., Employers’ Association (WEA) to examine the CSR performance and the extent of CSR management practices of regional companies in the case of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. This study is conducted to extend the scope of a similar study conducted in collaboration with the WEA on the same issue in 2012 by incorporating additional questions into the questionnaire survey, with considering an international comparison of corporate social responsibility practices in SMEs. It is designed on the framework of social responsibility management concepts presented in ISO260000 with the emphasis on regional companies. On the summarized results of the 2016-questionnaire survey and the comparative analysis of these results with the results of 2012 questionnaire survey, this research paper presents the current state of CSR practices, their trends and factors affecting these practices in the context of SMEs in Wakayama prefecture, Japan. The results of the analysis show a steady progress in the CSR performance of companies on the Wakayama prefecture in comparison to the situation exited in 2012 although the progress has not been substantial.The study highlights the need to focus on improving CSR management practices of regional SMEs rather than continue to focus on the CSR management practices of large companies in big cities for CSR improvements.