Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy
Volume 17 Issue 2 June 2022
p-ISSN 1689-765X, e-ISSN 2353-3293
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Ci a ion: Çe a, G., Khan, K. A., Bláho á, A., & Belas, J. J . (2022). Do owne -manage de-
mog aphics in SMEs ma e o co po a e social esponsibili y? Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o
Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531. doi: 10.24136/eq.2022.018
Con ac o co esponding au ho : Gen jan Çe a, [email p o ec ed]
A icle his o y: Recei ed: 3.01.2022; Accep ed: 9.06.2022; Published online: 25.06.2022
Gen jan Çe a
Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlin, Czechia
o cid.o g/0000-0002-9324-181X
Khu am Ajaz Khan
Tomas Ba a Uni e si y in Zlin, Czechia
o cid.o g/
0000-0001-5728-8955
And ea Bláho á
Ins i u e o Technology and Business in České Budějo ice, Czechia
o cid.o g/0000-0002-5436-4999
Ja osla Belas, J .
Alexande Dubcek Uni e si y in T encin, Slo akia
o cid.o g/0000-0003-1796-8598
Do owne -manage demog aphics in SMEs ma e
o co po a e social esponsibili y?
JEL Classi ica ion: J16; M14
Keywo ds: CSR; co po a e social esponsibili y; owne ; manage ; SMEs
Abs ac
Resea ch backg ound: Acco ding o he EU agenda, CSR should be conside ed an in eg al
elemen o he cu en o ganiza ional s a egy, including SMEs. While he deba e con inues abou
he op imal app oach o success ul CSR adap a ion in SME, ye he e is a need o shed ligh on
he impac o owne -manage ’s demog aphics on CSR p ac ices.
Pu pose o he a icle: The pape aims o examine whe he owne -manage ’s demog aphics (age,
gende , educa ion) ma e o he implemen a ion o CSR o no .
Me hods: The s udy is based on a ques ionnai e illed in by owne -manage s o SMEs ope a ing
in Czechia (454) and Slo akia (368). Fac o analysis and nonpa ame ic me hods a e used o es
he hypo heses.
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
512
Findings & alue added: This s udy shows ha he ela ionships be ween CSR and owne -
manage ’s demog aphics a e no alike be ween Slo akia and Czechia. Compa ed o owne s, he
e idence shows ha he Czech manage s a e mo e o ien ed owa d he CSR p ac ices, while in
Slo akia he e is no di e ence. Such inding can be explained by Ho s ede cul u e di e ence. In
addi ion, analysis demons a es ha emale Slo aks a e mo e o ien ed o CSR han men, while i
is no ue in Czechia. Mo eo e , Czech indi iduals who g adua ed in he same ield as hei
business a e mo e o ien ed o he CSR, whe eas in Slo akia his is no . In addi ion, young and old
Slo ak en ep eneu s a e mo e o ien ed o he CSR han hose 35-55 yea s old, mani es ing
a U-shape ype o ela ionship. The o iginali y o his wo k is mani es ed by he ac ha i en-
iches he li e a u e since i is among he i s s udies o analyze he ela ionships be ween owne -
manage ’s demog aphics and CSR in he SME segmen o Czechia and Slo akia.
In oduc ion
S udies show ha businesses bene i om co po a e social esponsibili y
(CSR) in a a ie y o ways, including imp o ing b and image, inc easing
consume loyal y, mo i a ing employees, inc easing employees’ commi -
men and dedica ion, imp o ing i m pe o mance (Ali e al., 2020; Kunz,
2020; S ojano ic e al., 2020). The CSR ini ia i es a e inc easingly an ele-
men o a company’s long- e m s a egic aims. Since o ganiza ions’ man-
agemen (manage s and owne s) a e he s a egis s and decision-make s, he
onus is on hem o ou line success ul CSR ac i i ies ha can bene i i ms
and help hem accomplish hei s a ed goals (Belas, e al., 2020a; Khan e
al., 2020; Sahu e al., 2019). Pe sonal choices made by en ep eneu s a e
c ucial in building a good business s a egy and e lec ing hei social goals
(D’And ea & Mon anini, 2015). Hence, hei demog aphic ac o s such as
age, gende , e c., canno be kep aloo because i migh a ec hei deci-
sion-making and choices. Seeing i h ough heo e ical lenses, he uppe
echelons heo y (UET) sugges s a linkage be ween a manage 's cha ac e is-
ics and o ganiza ional ou comes (Hamb ick & Mason, 1984). Fi ms unde -
ake CSR belie ing ha i is he igh hing o do and hey do i o hei own
ee will, wi hou any compulsion o cons ain (G ims ad e al., 2020;
Smekalo a e al., 2014). Thus, p ac icing CSR is mo e on he choice o he
manage s and owne s. As a esul , i is c i ical o explo e and unde s and
he manage s’/owne s’ pe cep ions o CSR and dema ca e hemsel es
based on demog aphic ac o s.
Such ocus lacks in o ma ion in he con ex o cen al Eu opean na ions.
A s udy p oposed ha he owne /manage s' alues a e i al d i e s o CSR
in SMEs. Manage s a e op imis ic abou CSR implemen a ion and expec
posi i e ou comes o he SMEs, and sugges ha p oac i e and consis en
SMEs can de elop a posi i e image and a be e posi ion (F aj-And és e
al., 2012; Me zke & S eimikis, 2020). In summa y, i can be linked ha
manage s’ pe cep ion, a i ude, and beha io , a e in luenced by manage s’
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
513
demog aphic cha ac e is ics owa ds CSR p ac ice, and his canno be ig-
no ed and a ac s he esea che 's a en ion.
I is ound ha he CSR- ela ed esea ch in he con ex o coun ies like
Slo akia and Czechia is s ill unde - esea ched, wi h li le emphasis paid o
he compa a i e s udies (Remišo á & Lašáko á, 2014). Fijałkowska (2018)
iden i ied ha he e is s ill limi ed e idence on CSR p ac ices and hei
e ec s, especially in cen al and eas e n Eu opean na ions. Ano he s udy
sugges ed a need o CSR knowledge di usion as i has he po en ial o
in luence businesses h ough inno a i e p ac ices in Eu opean coun ies
(Maon e al., 2015). The no ion o co po a e social esponsibili y (CSR) is
ela i ely new in hese Viseg ad coun ies. Acco ding o a ecen s udy on
CSR, u u e s udies should look a CSR om mul iple pe spec i es, such as
gende , age, and educa ional a ilia ion. Based on he pe cei ed dispa i ies
in CSR be ween emale and male owne s and p o essional execu i es, old
and young execu i es can be compa ed. Simila ly, he educa ional p o ile
o execu i es, and hence hei cul u al capi al and cogni i e schema, could
be a ascina ing a ea o esea ch (Yamak e al., 2019).
Mos o he CSR- ela ed s udies conduc ed on la ge i ms wi h eno -
mous esou ces migh con ibu e subs an ially o he economic ou pu .
Small size i ms ha e a mo e decisi e in luence o owne s-manage s on he
p ocesses compa ed o la ge size co po a ions (Öksüzoğlu-Gü en, 2015).
Tha ’s why his s udy ocused on SMEs segmen s in Czechia and Slo akia.
Mos o he economic ou pu s in bo h coun ies a e gene a ed by SMEs,
making hem subs an ially c ucial o he economy, socie y, and en i on-
men . The e o e, hei ole canno be igno ed conce ning CSR, since mos
economic ou pu comes om non- inancial business (D o ský e al., 2020;
Eu opean Union, 2020; Khan e al., 2019).
Rega ding demog aphic ac o s, i has been ound ha old and young
manage s ha e di e en cha ac e is ics in e ms o consul a i e and pa ici-
pa i e leade ship s yles. Compa ed o younge manage s, mo e ge ia ic
manage s consul ed mo e b oadly and p e e ed mo e pa icipa ion
(Oshagbemi, 2004). A ecen s udy on leade s o di e en age g oups in
a ious wo k en i onmen s e ealed signi ican di e ences. Showing ha
he di e ences a e a ising om demog aphic ac o s such as age, gende ,
e c. (La sson & Bjö klund, 2020). Ano he ecen s udy comp ehends he
dispa i ies in beha io be ween male and emale manage s du ing he im-
plemen a ion o CSR in businesses (Lu, J. e al., 2020). A s udy on young
manage s sugges s ha ce ain leade ship beha io s may be enhanced o
diminished depending on he leade 's age (Buengele e al., 2016). I has
also been ound ha he en ep eneu ial beha io in o ganiza ions a ies
depending on he age and educa ional le el o hei manage s (Jiménez e
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
514
al., 2021). The exis ing e idence mo i a es o explo e he desi ed objec i e
o he p esen s udy. The p esen analysis is conduc ed on he esponses o
a s uc u ed ques ionnai e designed using a Like scale, illed by he own-
e s and manage s o SMEs in Czechia (454) and Slo akia (368). The hy-
po heses o mula ed a e es ed h ough non-pa ame ic app oaches.
The ollowing sec ion gi es de ails o he esea ch me hodology and s a-
is ical analysis. The las pa o he pape p o ides esul s, discussion, and
conclusions ollowed by he limi a ions and u u e esea ch agenda.
Li e a u e e iew and hypo heses de elopmen
The UET ad oca es ha he o ganiza ional ou comes-s a egic planning and
choice, and o ganiza ion pe o mance le els a e pa ially p edic ed by man-
age ial backg ound cha ac e is ics (Hamb ick & Mason, 1984). Top-le el
manage s ha e di e en demog aphic ac o s; he e o e, hey migh p o-
cess, in e p e , and implemen in o ma ion di e en ly. Tha ’s why di e en
manage s ake di e en ac ions on he same in o ma ion. Since he CSR
ac i i ies a e linked o s a egic planning and s a egic decisions
(Heikku inen, 2018; Idowu & Ve igans, 2017; Me zke & Z a iko a,
2021), manage s' demog aphic ac o s migh a ec hei CSR ac i i ies
planning and choice. Se e al o he s udies ela ed o di e en aspec s, such
as implemen ing s a egies, i m's inancial pe o mance, e c., conce ning
manage s and key people demog aphic ac o s iden i ied subs an ial di e -
ences (Jespe sen & Bys ed, 2016; Liem & Hien, 2020). A s udy ha e alu-
a ed SME owne –manage s' men al models in ela ion o CSR and associa -
ed concep s ac oss six na ions in Eu ope disco e ed ha he men al models
o SME owne -manage s ha e a ew commonali ies as well as a ew a ia-
ions (Fassin e al., 2015). Based on hese a gumen s, he li e a u e e iew
sec ion es ablishes he linkage o CSR pe cep ion o owne s-manage s and
di e ences based on demog aphic ea u es, age le el, and educa ion.
Li e a u e e eals ha owne s and manage s in la ge i ms do ha e some
di e ences. Based on he heo y o biases and heu is ics, owne s and
manage s in e p e and hink di e en ly (Buseni z & Ba ney, 1997). I was
also ound in he pas ha en ep eneu s beha e di e en ly han manage s,
and all hese a iances a e subs an ia ed. A ecen s udy compa ed he own-
e s and manage s o SMEs wi hin he V4 na ions abou he dispa i ies in he
pe cep ion o business isks. The owne s a e al oge he ound mo e hope ul
in hei showcase isk assessmen han he manage s o SMEs. On he o he
hand, compa ed o he owne s, manage s display a mo e c i ical app aisal
conce ning he a icula ion ha he business en i onmen in hei ield o
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
515
doing business is o e - egula ed. They also e lec ed some simila i ies;
esponden s indica ed he same s a e o mind in he cases o ope a ional and
pe sonnel isks (D o ský e al., 2022).
Owne s' main aim is en u e g ow h compa ed o manage s whose p i-
ma y concen a ion is gene a ing amily income (S ewa & Ro h, 2001).
Zhao and Seibe (2006) ound ha owne s sco ed mo e han manage s on
conscien iousness, one o he pe sonali y dimensions. Speci ically o CSR,
i has been ound ha manage s a o CSR p ac ices in he i m. Wha
ma e s is ha each manage pe cei es he ole o he business owa ds
p o iding social wel a e, which impac s hei decisions o con ibu e o
di e se CSR ac s. Conside ing he discussed condi ions abo e, e en hough
he manage s ope a e in mo e moni o ed and con olled si ua ions, hey s ill
ha e a posi i e ou look owa ds CSR. I has been ound ha p o essional
manage s ocus on s akeholde g oups, such as cus ome s, supplie s, and
employees. In con as , owne s de elop and use CSR as a s a egic ool o
ela e o ce ain in e es g oups and s akeholde s, such as he media, poli i-
cians, he s a e, and public opinion. The oles in luence owne s' and op
manage s' a i udes owa d he social esponsibili y hey pe o m in he i m
(Ta el-Viia & Alas, 2009). On he one hand, a s udy ound ha CSR is only
impo an o senio execu i es when hei pe o mance is close o hei aim,
no when i is signi ican ly behind o o e he a ge , especially i hei
sha eholding is low (Kim & Kim, 2020). On he o he hand, i ms add ess
social p oblems and conside CSR (Belas e al., 2020b). In such scena ios,
i becomes impe a i e o in es iga e u he he di e ences which a e mo e
conscien ious o CSR owne s o manage s.
Simila ly, he e a e sh eds o e idence ha owne s a e mo e
conscien ious owa ds business and goals. I migh in luence owne s mo e
subs an ially owa ds CSR p ac ices in small i ms. The di e ences
be ween owne s and manage s can be seen in hei en husiasm and
mo i a ion o manage he i m, isk- aking a i ude, and le el o expe ise
(Kulchina, 2017). I seems easible and logical o unde s and u he how
manage s and owne s hink di e en ly owa ds implemen ing CSR
p ac ices. Thus,
H1: The e is a signi ican di e ence in CSR be ween owne s and manage s
o SMEs, wi h owne s being mo e conscien ious abou CSR.
Di e en manage s ha e di e en managemen s yles. They ollow di -
e en ools, ac ics, pe sonali ies, in e pe sonal skills, e c., which hey ha e
gained om hei di e en li e expe iences and lea ning (Johansen, 2007).
These di e ences always c ea e a acuum o u he in es iga ion, espe-

Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
516
cially in ecen imes, when he pa icipa ion o he emale gende is in-
c easing in e e y aspec , e en in small business owne ship and manage-
men .
Conside ing he ew p e ious s udies, se e al di e ences we e aced
be ween male and emale leade ship and managemen . The e a e s udies
which ound di e ences be ween emales and males’ manage s in di e en
aspec s such as in he pe cep ion o p o essional oles (Seghie i e al.,
2015). Gende signi ican ly di e s in some aspec s o leade ship s yle
(Oshagbemi & Gill, 2003). The in ol emen o women in co po a e go -
e nance is posi i ely linked o a company's inancial pe o mance (Amin e
al., 2021). Companies wi h gende -di e se leade s a e mo e e ec i e a
implemen ing en i onmen ally iendly s a egies han o he companies
(Glass e al., 2016). I is also ound ha he s a egies emale manage s use
ha e a a o able impac on business pe o mance (Johansen, 2007).
In ecen imes, i has been also ound ha emale manage s a e mo e in-
e es ed in en i onmen al and CSR. Being an indus ial na ion, i is loca ed
in a ecen s udy in China ha en i onmen al in es men by women in
leade ship posi ions cu s pollu ion emissions conside ably. Women manag-
e s' inc eased en i onmen al in es men s ems mainly om hei inhe en
commi men o social esponsibili y (Jiang & Akba , 2018). The p esence
o women in ac ual leade ship posi ions and he implemen a ion o sus ain-
able ope a ions imp o e a company's inancial pe o mance and alue
(Bannò e al., 2021). Looking speci ically in o whe he gende di e ences
exis in CSR p ac ices in i ms, qui e a ew s udies wi nessed ha emale
manage s a e mo e conscious ega ding CSR alues han male coun e pa s
(Lu, J. e al., 2020). Ti ko e al. (2021) claim a signi ican di e ence be-
ween males' and emales' pe cep ion o CSR. Female esponden s, com-
pa ed o male esponden s ega ding CSR, whe he i is necessa y o no ,
ound ha emale opinions a e i me han male. Simila ly, i is also ound
ha emales ha e mo e inclina ion owa ds in e nalized mo al iden i y han
males because emales us ha a i m mus be ad an ageous o people and
socie y, which e eals women’s pe cep ions owa ds CSR. I also suppo s
ha gende plays an impe a i e ole in pe cep ions o social esponsibili y
(Ha ch & S ephen, 2015). Hence, based on he abo e discussion, i seems
easonable o compa e how male and emale manage s and owne s pe cei e
CSR, speci ically in he Czechia and Slo akia.
H2: The e is a signi ican di e ence be ween males and emales o SMEs,
so ha emales sco e highe in CSR han males.
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
517
Owne s-manage s’ alues shape he ex en and ypes o CSR in i ms
(Sa eanu e al., 2021). Ano he s udy suppo s ha manage s’ mo al alues
signi ican ly impac manage s’ CSR pe cep ion (Te e a & He, 2020). I
suppo s ha CSR ac i i ies in small businesses depend on he a i ude and
beha io o manage s and owne s. I was ound ha manage s’ yea s o age
ha e a s a is ically signi ican in luence in explaining CSR beha io
(Kukanja e al., 2016).
Age- ela ed changes in mo i a ion migh lead o a g ea e emphasis on
good emo ional expe iences and one's own and o he s' well-being (Scheibe
e al., 2021). Bi kinshaw e al. (2019) ound ha managemen s yles a e
mo e di e se wi h age han any o he cha ac e is ic o manage s. The s udy
e ealed ha olde manage s s ess mo e on de eloping co e compe encies,
cus ome e en ion, and ela ionships and a e mo e conce ned wi h he
i m's b oad image in he ma ke . Con a y, young manage s a e mo e con-
ce ned wi h i ms' compe i i e posi ioning in he business en i onmen . In
a nu shell, i ms ha e bene i s and challenges a ising om he age di e si y
o manage s since expec a ions and demands di e by gene a ion.
G eek manage s us ha CSR ac ions o e se e al bene i s (Leonidas
e al., 2012), young F ench manage s belie e ha he p ima y mo i a ion o
adop CSR policies is o main ain and imp o e he co po a e image. Amaz-
ingly, i has been ound ha manage ial commi men o CSR is allied wi h
lea ned quali ies such as aining and educa ion a he han manage s’ age
(Quazi, 2003). Suppo ing he same, a s udy ound ha manage s’ age has
no impac on manage s’ CSR pe cep ion (Te e a & He, 2020). Young ex-
ecu i es may choose o ocus on achie ing high and consis en ea nings in
he sho e m. On he con a y, as op manage s ge olde and ace less
ma ke p essu e in e ms o ca ee conside a ions. They may be mo e eady
o add ess he conce ns o a wide ange o s akeholde s, ega dless o he
immedia e impac on he i m's p o i abili y (Fab izi e al., 2014). I indi-
ec ly e eals ha olde execu i es migh look mo e owa d CSR ac i i ies.
Fu he mo e, ano he s udy sugges s ha he associa ion be ween CEO
ca ee ime ame (age) and CSR is con ingen on he ci cums ances o con-
di ions ha i ms expe ience. I is signi ican o conside he indus y-
speci ic and owne ship-speci ic bounda y condi ions conce ning he CEO’s
ca ee ho izon o he i m’s in ol emen in CSR (Oh e al., 2016). Since
bo h o he men ioned s udies e lec di e en aspec s o how he age o op
execu i es can a ec CSR in ol emen gi es scope o u he in es iga-
ion. Owne s and manage s a e he key people who d i e SMEs. Unde -
s anding hei pe cei ed di e ences based on hei age abou CSR becomes
ele an .
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
518
Since he exis ing li e a u e gi es mixed esul s based on he age o
owne s and manage s, he p esen s udy examines he impac o age on
manage s and owne s in a speci ic segmen o SMEs.
H3: The e is a signi ican di e ence in CSR be ween he di e en age
g oups o owne s-manage s.
Based on he uppe echelons heo y (UET), educa ion plays a conside -
able ole in manage s’ alue and e hical decision-making and migh o m
manage s’ pe cep ion owa ds CSR p ac ices in i ms. Consequen ly, man-
age s-owne s' educa ion can impac e hical beha io , ul ima ely a ec ing
hei pe cep ions o CSR. Owne s-manage s' pe cep ions ega ding he
business en i onmen a e in luenced by he and hei educa ional le els. I
is belie ed ha highe educa ion gi es mo e knowledge ega ding econom-
ic egula ions, a be e unde s anding o he business en i onmen , and he
capabili y o o ecas he challenges in he business en i onmen accu a ely
(Vi gle o a e al., 2017).
One’s capabili y o accep and diges new and a ied expe ise and
complex in o ma ion is e lec ed in i s educa ion. Manage s wi h ad anced
aining we e mo e ecep i e o new ideas and esponsi e o change. The e
can be a di ec ela ion be ween manage s’ educa ion and CSR. The highe
he educa ion le el, he highe he manage s' conce n o e CSR (Lu, F. e
al., 2021). S udies suppo ha unde s anding CSR concep s and hei ap-
plica ion imp o es wi h highe educa ion. The e is a signi ican impac o
educa ional le el on comp ehension o he no ion o CSR (Ka abase ic e
al., 2016). Highligh ing he impo ance o educa ion, ano he s udy s a es
ha educa ion and aining can help i ms lessen he in luence o ba ie s o
CSR p ac ices (Pham e al., 2021).
I has been ound ha educa ion makes indi iduals mo e en i onmen al-
ly and socially esponsible (Meye , 2015). A s udy ound a signi ican posi-
i e ela ionship be ween CEOs wi h MBAs and co po a e en i onmen al
pe o mance (Sla e & Dixon-Fowle , 2010). The o e all summa y o he
abo e discussion highligh s he impo ance o educa ion o manage s and
owne s and how educa ion le el a ec s CSR pe cep ion in SMEs. The e-
o e, based on hese a gumen s, one can o mula e,
H4: The e is a signi ican di e ence in CSR ac oss owne s-manage s’ edu-
ca ional le els.
The p esen s udy ex ends i s indings unde he scope o UET heo y. I
in es iga es he owne s' and manage s' di e ences in CSR in SMEs based
Equilib ium. Qua e ly Jou nal o Economics and Economic Policy, 17(2), 511–531
519
on hei demog aphic ac o s. The in es iga ion o he di e ence has use-
ulness, such as unde s anding he ac o s a ec ing he di e ences such as
educa ion, age o gende , e c. I can help esea che s and policymake s o
unde s and he majo ac o s. Since UET heo y suppo s ha pe sonal ai s
and ea u es o manage s and owne s a ec o ganiza ional ou comes
(Hamb ick & Mason, 1984). I becomes impe a i e o unde s and he key
ac o s behind he di e ences in his case. The abo e-discussed li e a u e
ied o de elop and show he linkage and impo ance o demog aphic cha -
ac e is ics. O cou se, he pa o he manage -owne 's pe sonali y ai s can
a ec hei pe cep ion o CSR. In small i ms, manage s and owne s a e he
key people who plan, make s a egies, and a e esponsible o CSR. Hence,
i is equi ed o unde s and he demog aphic- ela ed ac o s causing di e -
ences in pe cei ed CSR in SMEs.
The Viseg ad na ions a e consis en ly wo king on he a ea o CSR no
only wi h la ge companies, now e en SMEs e en s a ed paying heed o
CSR ac i i ies (Me zke & S eimikis, 2020). The ocus is no only limi ed
o la ge i ms, bu also SMEs. The in e es ing pa o he s udy is o com-
pa e he manage and owne , conside ing he wo a e di e en . The di e -
en ole o SMEs can in luence hei pe cep ion, and ha is he no el y o
he p esen s udy. To he ex en o he au ho s' knowledge, no p io s udy
has compa ed owne s wi h manage s o de e mine he di e ences in hei
CSR pe cep ion based on hei demog aphic ac o s in he Czech Republic
and he Slo ak Republic.
Me hods and p ocedu es
The pape aims o examine whe he owne -manage demog aphics ma e
o CSR o no . The analysis is done in a su ey based on a i m-le el. The
da a a e collec ed in Decembe 2019–Feb ua y 2020. The uni o he analy-
sis in his s udy a e owne -manage s o SMEs ope a ing in Czechia and
Slo akia. Table 1 p esen s he sample p o ile.
Fou s a emen s a e used o measu e CSR, as p oposed by Çe a e al.
(2020). The p oposed CSR cons uc ies o cap u e aspec s om knowing
he concep o CSR o i s bene i s and gained epu a ion o he company
when i is implemen ed. These ou indica o s we e o mula ed as a i e-
poin Like ype o scale (1=s ongly ag ee, 5=s ongly disag ee). The low-
es mean among he indica o s was epo ed o he i s s a emen (2.58),
whe eas he highes mean was o he second indica o (2.95). Acco ding o
Shapi o-Wilk es , none o he indica o s was s a is ically no mali y dis ib-
u ed, indica ing he use o non-pa ame ic me hods. The associa ion be-
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Acknowledgemen s
The esea ch was suppo ed by VEGA p ojec No. 1/0364/22: Resea ch on eco-
inno a ion po en ial o SMEs in he con ex o sus ainable de elopmen .
Annex
Table 1. Sample p o ile (%)
Va iable
To al
(n=822)
Slo akia
(n=368)
Czechia
(n=454)
Owne
-
manage
Owne
78
77
78
Manage
22
23
22
Gende
Female
30
31
29
Male
70
69
71
Educa ion links
No
64
62
65
o business
Yes
36
38
35
Age (yea s old)
< 36
16
18
15
36
–
45
23
22
23
46
–
55
28
29
27
> 55
33
32
35
Table 2. Tes ing H1, H2 & H4
Sample
Mean ank (m )
Mann
-
Whi ney U
Z
p
Owne -
manage
Owne
Manage
Czechia
235
199
14869
2.451
0.014
Slo akia
182
194
11062
0.902
0.367
Gende
Female
Male
Czechia
213
234
19212
1.500
0.124
Slo akia
150
200
10611
4.182
0.000
Educa ion
links o
business
No
Yes
Czechia
237
209
20514
2.162
0.031
Slo akia
187
181
15480
0.487
0.626
Table 3. CSR and age (yea s old)
Sample
Age ca ego ies
K uskal Wallis
< 35
36
-
45
46
-
55
> 55
Mean ank
χ
2
(3)
p
Czechia
223
231
226
228
0.165
0.926
Slo akia
139
197
205
183
17.314
0.015