Socially responsible behaviour of business: empirical analysis

Increasing importance of human capital, implementation of innovations, and application of new technologies on the modern stage of development served as the impetus for a change in socio-economic relations. Among the main trends in the development of modern society a major role belongs to those connected with the transition of certain functions, traditionally fulfilled by the social state, to large business. In this regard, academic and public circles are actively discussing social partnership between the authorities, business and employees, and also the expansion of the Concept of corporate social responsibility. The article presents the results of the questionnaire survey of managers of the Vologda Oblast industrial enterprises. The aim of the survey was to get the information concerning the experience and priority directions of work of these organizations in the field of social responsibility. The results reveal a number of problems in the formation of socially responsible behaviour of corporations, in particular, the lack of a unified form of reporting on corporate social responsibility, non-systemic participation of business in the development of territories and, as a consequence, the lack of a unified comprehensive concept of social responsibility of Russian business forming a model of relationships between its participants. The solution to this problem is seen in the collaborative actions of the authorities and business, support to strategic investment projects with simultaneous enhancement of requirements for their validity. Uniting the interests and resources contributes to the elaboration of coordinated strategy in addressing socio-economic issues, in attracting experts in the sphere of regional management; it also contributes to the introduction of innovation approaches to designing and implementing projects and programmes.