Corporate social responsibility: a comparison between government contractors and companies that receive revenues from commercial sources

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyze the level of emphasis placed on the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) categories (health and safety, environment, diversity, human rights, discretionary, and corporate) between defense contractors and companies that receive the majority of their revenues from commercial sources. Five companies were selected from each of the following three groups: defense contractors, top CSR companies, and largest companies from a diverse industry base. The results indicate that defense contractors place less emphasis on the CSR categories than those companies that receive their revenues from commercial sources. Specifically, defense contractors were rated lower in the human rights and corporate categories. This exploratory study establishes a foundation for future research in the relationship between CSR principles and defense contractors.