Relationship between CSR and traditional and alternative energy consumption in Hungary
Relationship between CSR and traditional and alternative energy consumption in Hungary

Summary/Abstract: Our study tries to identify the relationship between the CSR of Hungarian energy companies and the households’ energy and alternative energy consumption based on literature review as secondary research and three case studies as primary research. Beside ethics the corporate social responsibility is typically influenced by three main actors: the companies, the governments and the customers. The major actor of CSR is of course the corporate, but the other influential factors also should be taken into account. The government gives the main framework of CSR by the laws and incentives, but the customers’ needs determine what kind of CSR can appear. If customers are really responsible, the real CSR can appear, but if customers are self-conscious, only shallow CSR actions will spread. The companies should measure the effects of implementation of their CSR in order to gain consumers loyalty or stronger image. The results show that in the energy sector the real, “deep” CSR could not spread because of the gap between the consumers’ positive attitude and their effective or real behaviour. The results also imply that according to CSR pyramid the number of the really responsible energy corporations will be much less, than the number of corporations, which use CSR as communication tool, so the companies do not have to undertake real responsible actions because the implementation of shallow CSR is enough for the consumers. One reason of this is that energy industry is a more monopolistic market and for the consumers not easy to switch between different energy providers mainly because of the necessary infrastructure. But in nowadays more and more consumers switch to the traditional heating forms, e.g. wood. Even so the energy companies do not want to have bad reputation and have started carrying CSR actions for ten years or so.

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