A quantitative analysis of factors that influence small business owners and managers to engage in social initiatives

Business owners and managers are motivated to engage in socially responsible behavior and social initiatives for a variety of reasons. Main motivations include profitability, legitimacy, and sustainability, or moral, motivations. This quantitative study was designed to explore and discover valuable information concerning small business owners' motivations for engaging in social initiatives. This study built upon the earlier work of Bronn and Vidaver-Cohen (2009). The original study examined the motivations of business owners and managers to engage in social initiatives, using a sample of Norwegian companies. This study expanded on the original study by examining the effects of business size and industry sector on small business owners and manager's motivations to engage in social initiatives, using Bronn and Vidaver-Cohen's survey instrument. The target population was owners and managers of businesses within the United States that employed between 1 and 100 full time employees. The study found no significant differences in any of the motivations based on industry classifications. The study also found that the greater the number of full-time employees that a business employed, the greater the sustainability, legitimacy, and profitability motives were to engage in social initiatives.