Corporate social responsibility: a study of savings banks

Purpose – Society's concern about issues related to development aid to underdeveloped countries has grown significantly in recent years. The gross inequalities between North and South, constant conflicts, political crises, and natural disasters have sensitized society to the urgent need to help these depressed areas. The objective of the present study is to examine the role Spain's savings banks play in international cooperation and development as a field that society and the general public see as ever more crucial. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes an exploratory analysis of the interventions carried out by all Spain's savings banks during 2009. Findings – The results of this exploratory study reflect an increasingly relevant role of these savings banks in cooperation for development, mainly due to pressure from their customers and from society in general. They also show the importance of so‐called “Works in collaboration”, mainly with non‐governmental organizations/non‐governmental development organizations, in designing and implementing corporate social responsibility programs. Originality/value – Much of the value of the present work is because of the lack of previous studies focused specifically on analyzing the role of Spanish savings banks in the field of cooperation for development. Its originality also lies in its proposing new courses of action in this area to improve that role.