What CSR activities influence organizational commitment?

: the case of Novartis

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have researched the multiple dimensions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in today’s literature (Vlachos et al. 2013). However, only few scholars have focused on how it is affecting a firm’s workforce (Turker 2009; Aguilera et al. 2007). This master thesis seeks to investigate the influence of a company’s CSR activities on the organizational commitment of its employees. To answer the underlying research question a qualitative approach was undertaken, in form of a single case study. The company studied is Novartis Pharma AG a multinational corporation within the pharmaceutical industry. Findings of the master thesis reveal the most relevant CSR activities of Novartis that influence the organizational commitment and additionally show that they have a positive impact on their associates’ commitment. These CSR activities are the company’s values & behaviours, measures for increased work life balance, skill and career development, the Novartis social businesses and corporate volunteering opportunities. Furthermore, several managerial challenges regarding these activities are revealed. Among those were a missing process to evaluate and track the total impact of the corporate volunteering platform and improvements regarding the company’s skill development program. Implications for future research include; the use of the found variables within a broad quantitative study to underline their importance via statistical significance, and to explore their relative weight in the decision making process of staying or leaving a company.

Date of Award	28 Jul 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Laure Leglise (Supervisor)