Exploring social responsibility:perspectives of Scottish microbusiness operators

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how microbusinesses’ undertake Social Responsibility (SR), their motivation and the challenges they encounter while pursuing SR in Scotland. <br/><br/>Design/ Methodology/ Approach: A qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews was carried out in Scotland. Purposeful sampling and referral (opportunistic approach) were used to recruit participants for this qualitative research. 25 face-to-face interviews with microbusiness operators were carried out in Scotland. A diverse range of microbusinesses operators including owners and managers were invited for the interview to explore their understanding and practice of SR. <br/><br/>Findings: The study reveals that most sampled microbusinesses view their charity activities including giving back to society as a social responsibility and do not expect any return to social activities. Several barriers have also been identified concerning social responsibilities such as time, lack of support, financial ability (cost), and the authenticity of charity. Regulatory compliance, religious belief and stakeholders influence on microbusinesses play a critical role for microbusinesses to be socially responsible in Scotland. <br/><br/>Research limitations: The geographical context and scope of this study are limited to the cities in Scotland. Another issue is not covering all types of microbusinesses as they are diverse in nature. Therefore, a quantitative study can be considered for future studies to approach bigger population groups. <br/><br/>Practical implications: The findings notify researchers and policymakers about the microbusinesses’ social responsibility and challenges. There are significant differences between microbusinesses and SMEs. Therefore, all stakeholders including the government, local government, HMRC, charities, educators and other organisations related to small businesses (i.e., Business Gateway) should deal with microbusinesses differently than SMEs. <br/><br/>Originality: Despite there being a huge number of microbusinesses in Scotland, there remains a limited knowledge of the social responsibility practices of these microbusinesses. Therefore, this study examines the microbusiness operators’ understanding of social responsibility. Further, microbusinesses’ challenges and drivers to social responsibility.