Establishing strategic CSR in SMEs: an Austrian CSR quality seal to substantiate the strategic CSR performance

Integrating CSR into their strategy system can help enterprises to produce a competitive advantage. This can both add to their long-term prosperity and help increase overall sustainability, provided they use a broad, dynamic approach to CSR that is compatible with strategic management. SMEs in particular often feature excellent responsibility performance, without realizing it and without trying to benefit from it. <P>In Austria, as in other countries, SMEs often suppose CSR to be a domain of large enterprises: too bureaucratic, expensive, time-consuming and complex. This paper presents a case from Austria, the development of an official CSR Quality Seal directed at SMEs to help them communicate their sustainability performance effectively and display a visible sign for their stakeholders. The seal was devised to meet objections to the application of standardized CSR tools in industry, especially in SMEs. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.