Impact of applying the rules o f social responsibility o f business and business ethics on economic performance of Polish firms. Does ethical business pay o ff?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an important factor which shapes organizational culture of enterprises. There is a broad literature on the qualitative effects of CSR rules implementation on company performance. The presented article is targeted at Presenting the impact of CSR certification on financial performance of Polish enterprises. Authors use comparative analysis of financial data referring to two groups of enterprises: the first one constituted of the CSR certified companies and the comparative group, selected on basis of quasi — experimental design. The comparative analysis reveals that CSR certified companies have different financial characteristics than the non CSR certified group. The CSR certified companies more economically use resources, especially fixed capital, have higher labor profitability and profitability on sales, have on the average less assets than the rest of companies, possess nearly two times higher financial liquidity and significantly better compensate employees. Authors conclude that it is highly probable that the CSR certified companies in Poland represent different business model based more on human capital than on physical or financial assets, like the rest of the companies. The CSR certified companies have better financial performance than the rest of economy. It pays to be fair in Polish business reality.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 zostało dofinansowane ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę