Developing social responsibility in Croatian Universities : a benchmarking approach and an overview of current situation

In the past few years social responsibility has appeared as a significant element of sustainable economic and social development. Although, when it comes to social responsibility, it is the large corporations that most often come under public scrutiny, social responsibility should be the backbone of actions of all the other actors of society. This paper puts special emphasis on the importance and significance of social responsibility of university, which directly influences the quality of life in the community with its educational, research and social actions. By behaving in a socially responsible manner universities show that they know how to respond to current social issues, both through projects related to community development, as well as through educational programmes that educate young people to become socially responsible individuals and equal participants in creating positive social change. As the society we live in is faced with complex economic and social issues, there is a need for a new business paradigm which is based on principles of social entrepreneurship (generating social benefits and solving social problems in a more responsible, innovative and enterprising way). Universities that recognize the importance of social entrepreneurship enrich their educational programmes and actively participate in creation of entrepreneurial environment that stimulates cross-sectoral cooperation and joint solving of social problems.