Title: The perceived social responsibility in the banking activities by Puerto Rican entrepreneurs

Authors: Ahmad H. Juma'h; Doris Morales-Rodríguez

Addresses: Accounting, Economics and Finance Department, University of Illinois Springfield, Illinois, USA ' Faculty of Business Administration, Keiser University, Florida, USA

Abstract: Banks, as part of financial institutions, are the cornerstone of the country's expansion and economic development. In Puerto Rico, where there is a need to decrease the dependency on multinational manufacturing entities, small and medium-sized companies can contribute to the economic development of the island. Financial institutions, e.g., banks and cooperative financial unions, are an essential part of the solution to the problem of financing economic activity. Commercial banks need positive perceptions from entrepreneurs to improve their profitability. Financial institutions use corporate social responsibility strategies to influence public perception to increase customer satisfaction. To examine the Puerto Rican entrepreneurs' perceptions of banks' social responsibility, we distributed a questionnaire to micro, small, and medium-sized business persons. As one of the confirming conclusions, banks operating in Puerto Rico enjoy a negative perception among entrepreneurs.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility; CSR; perception; micro-companies; small-medium enterprises; economic growth; Puerto Rico.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAF.2020.118820

International Journal of Accounting and Finance, 2020 Vol.10 No.4, pp.175 - 189

Accepted: 17 Feb 2021
Published online: 08 Nov 2021 *

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