Students’ Attitudes Towards CSR in the Context of Decisions Related to Taking Up a Job and Requirements for Employers

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the challenge to shape attitudes towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) of future employees and managers. CSR could be an important factor that may influence the career decisions of future employees. The research concentrates particularly on the cognitive and behavioral components of CSR. Therefore, the theoretical part of this paper presents the importance of CSR within the process of an employee applying for a job, and shows how employees need to feel the appreciation from management for their commitment to CSR values. This paper also emphasizes the importance of the education system in shaping CSR attitudes. Within the empirical part of the paper a research problem is presented, which targets the difference between actual CSR knowledge and CSR behaviors and decisions. A survey was conducted among 266 students from the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz. The findings indicate significant discrepancies between the declared knowledge and choices of students with regard to applying for a job and the requirements for employers. The presented attitudes of the respondents are inconsistent and require further answers.