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A Buddhist application of corporate social

responsibility: qualitative evidence from a case
study of a small Thai family business

Shih Yung Chou, Tree Chang & Bo Han

To cite this article: Shih Yung Chou, Tree Chang & Bo Han (2016) A Buddhist application of
corporate social responsibility: qualitative evidence from a case study of a small Thai family
business, Small Enterprise Research, 23:2, 116-134, DOI: 10.1080/13215906.2016.1221359

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2016.1221359

Published online: 07 Sep 2016.

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Small Enterprise Research, 2016
Vol. 23, No. 2, 116–134, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2016.1221359

A Buddhist application of corporate social responsibility: qualitative

evidence from a case study of a small Thai family business
Shih Yung Choua*, Tree Changb and Bo Hanc
a
College of Business & Engineering, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, 4901 E. University,
Odessa, TX 79762, USA; bDepartment of Digital Media Design, Tatung Institute of Technology, Chiayi,
Taiwan; cDepartment of Marketing & Business Analytics, Texas A&M University – Commerce, 2600 S. Neal,
Commerce, TX 75429, USA
(Received 3 May 2015; accepted 28 November 2015)

The impact of religion on corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement has received a
great amount of research attention. However, little is known about what and how specific
core values of Buddhism influence CSR engagement in the family business setting in
Thailand. To explore this gap, we employ a single-case study approach focusing on Chug
Yont Engineering Co., Ltd, a small-sized family company in the context of Thailand where
Buddhism plays a vital role in people’s personal and organizational practices. Our
qualitative findings suggest the following: first, Kamma, as the core value of Buddhism, has
a strong impact on how the owner articulates his business philosophy; second, the owner’s
business philosophy affected by Kamma in Buddhism has led to several external and
internal stakeholder CSR initiatives undertaken by the company; finally, the company’s CSR
initiatives have directly and indirectly contributed to improved company reputation, lowered
employee turnover, and reduced competitive intensity.
Keywords: Buddhism; Kamma; corporate social responsibility; family business; Thailand

Introduction
Because of the emergence of social issues such as poverty, unemployment, environmental pollution,
and classism, many for-profit organizations have long been engaging in social initiatives that not
only help resolve and prevent social problems, but also promote social welfare in local and global
communities. These social initiatives collectively have been labeled as corporate social responsibility
(CSR) initiatives, which refers to firm’s voluntary actions aimed at improving social and/or ecologi-
cal conditions (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001). More importantly, the strong emphasis on CSR in
modern organizations has resulted in a growing scholarly interest in investigating CSR.
In spite of what we have known about CSR, the authors believe that the existing body of
knowledge can be advanced in three significant ways. First, while the vast majority of existing
research has explored CSR in developed economies, little is known about CSR in Asian emerging
economies (Fernando & Almeida, 2012), particularly in the Southeast Asia region (such as Thai-
land) where institutional infrastructure and economic conditions are different from those of in
developed economies. Second, Thailand, one of the emerging markets in the Southeast Asia
region with a population of over 64 million people (Institute for Population and Social Research,

*Corresponding author. Email: chou_s@utpb.edu

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

 Small Enterprise Research 117

Mahidol University, 2014), has become one of the most attractive markets in Southeast Asia due
to its rich natural resources, competitive labor market, and little interference from the government
(Pornpitakpan, 2000). As such, much scholarly effort has been devoted to exploring CSR engaged
by large corporations in Thailand (e.g. Mandhachitara & Poolthong, 2011; Phayakkanant,
Oouncharean, & Chuntarung, 2013; Poolthong & Mandhachitara, 2009; Sananuamengthaisong,
2013; Singhapakdi, Salyachivin, Virakul, & Veerayangkur, 2000; Wanderley, Lucian, Farache, &
de Sousa Filho, 2008). While large corporations in Thailand play an important role in promoting
economic growth, small- and medium-sized family businesses in Thailand are still the dominant
force of local economy (Suehiro & Wailerdsak, 2004). It is, however, unfortunate that research
focusing on CSR in small- and medium-sized family businesses in Thailand remains scarce.
Finally, when investigating antecedents of CSR, scholars (e.g. Brammer, Williams, & Zinkin,
2007) have demonstrated that religion determines much of CSR engagement given that religion
motivates organizations to treat stakeholders and the society favorably (Chatjuthamard-Kitsabun-
narat, Jiraporn, & Tong, 2014). While the impact of religion on CSR has been investigated, the
concept of religion has been treated as a singular construct rather than a broader social system
consisting of specific core values that influence people’s personal and organizational practices
in the system. Consequently, we still have limited understanding of what and how the core
values of Buddhism, which is one of the most influential religions in Southeast Asia (El-
Kahal, 2001; Niffenegger, Kulviwat, & Engchanil, 2006; Selvarajah, Meyer, & Davuth, 2012),
determines CSR initiatives undertaken by business organizations in Thailand.
In light of the above, the authors aim to fill the aforementioned research gaps by conducting a
single-case study that explores the impact of Buddhism on a family business’s CSR initiatives and
CSR consequences in the context of Thailand. Specifically, the purpose of this single-case study is
three-fold. First, the authors examine how the core values of Buddhism affect a small-sized family
business owner’s business philosophy. Second, the authors investigate how the business philos-
ophy determines various CSR initiatives undertaken by the company. Finally, the authors analyze
financial and non-financial outcomes resulting from these CSR initiatives.
Accordingly, this single-case study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in three
major ways. First, in contrast to the vast majority of research that has investigated CSR, this
single-case study focuses on exploring CSR in a small-sized family business in one of the
growing emerging markets, Thailand, because this particular research area has received relatively
little scholarly attention (Jamali, 2007; Payne, Brigham, Broberg, Moss, & Short, 2011). In par-
ticular, the study of CSR in family businesses is crucial because family businesses are the primary
driving force of the economic growth in most emerging economies (Wu, Chua, & Chrisman,
2007). Consequently, this single-case study may provide important qualitative data that help
guide future theoretical and empirical research in CSR in family businesses in emerging
markets. Second, when investigating CSR in family businesses, scholars have applied two
major theoretical perspectives. Specifically, some scholars suggest that family businesses have
strong social performance because of their heavy emphasis on using stakeholder management
approaches to guide their CSR activities (e.g. Mitchell, Agle, & Wood, 1997; Zellweger &
Nason, 2008), whereas other scholars claim that family businesses engage in low levels of
CSR because these businesses have more desire to fulfill their internal interests than to satisfy
external expectations (e.g. Margolis & Walsh, 2003; Morck & Yeung, 2004). Although these
two perspectives provide useful insights, they may fall short of explaining the impact of religion
on CSR engagement in family businesses. More importantly, the inclusion of religion in the
analysis of CSR in family businesses is critical because religious values determine much of man-
agerial behaviors in managing the business, handling business issues, and interacting with stake-
holders (Paterson, Specht, & Duchon, 2013). Finally, although the concept of CSR has been
examined extensively, little attention has been paid to CSR in Asian emerging economies
118 S.Y. Chou et al.

(Fernando & Almeida, 2012). Thus, this single-case study provides crucial insights into socio-cul-
tural differences in CSR.
The remainder of this single-case study is organized as follows. In the second section, the
authors provide a brief review of the CSR literature and Buddhism in Thailand. Next, the
authors present the research framework and methodology. In the fourth section, the authors
discuss the qualitative findings of this single-case study and implications. This is followed by
general discussion and conclusion of this single-case study. In the last section, the authors high-
light limitations of this single-case study and provide future research suggestions.

Literature review
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)
Since its emergence in the literature, CSR has received much scholarly and practical attention.
From a theoretical standpoint, CSR can be considered a corporate investment that not only
helps improve and prevent society issues, but also allows the organization to enhance its legiti-
macy and sustainability (Delmas, Etzion, & Nairn-Birch, 2013). As CSR has commonly been
viewed as a crucial organizational practice, it becomes natural to understand the types of CSR
initiatives engaged by organizations (Husted, 2015). Given that the primary goal of CSR is to
maximize synergies and minimize trade-offs between economic, social, and environmental stake-
holder interests (Steurer, Martinuzzi, & Margula, 2012), there is a general consensus that different
stakeholders have their unique impact on the types of CSR initiatives implemented by the organ-
ization (Clarkson, 1995). As a result, stakeholder theory (e.g. Mitchell et al., 1997), which broadly
classifies an organization’s stakeholders into internal (e.g. employees and shareholders) and exter-
nal (e.g. suppliers, customers, and the society) stakeholders, has been commonly utilized by prior
research exploring the types of CSR initiatives (Morsing, 2006). For instance, evidence from
existing research has shown that CSR initiatives aimed at employees (e.g. safe physical workplace
conditions and work and life balance practices) help promote employee physical and psychologi-
cal well-being (e.g. Brammer, Millington, & Rayton, 2007; Shen & Zhu, 2011; Turker, 2009;
Verdeyen, Put, & Van Buggenhout, 2004). Additionally, scholars (e.g. Hammann, Habisch, &
Pechlaner, 2009; Lu, Wang, & Lee, 2013) who focus on exploring CSR initiatives targeted at
external stakeholders (e.g. socially responsible supplier selection practices and socially respon-
sible marketing practices) have revealed that external stakeholder CSR initiatives not only
enhance firm financial outcomes, but also improve firm non-financial performance.

Outcomes of CSR
Because CSR may be viewed as a business practice that strengthens an organization’s sustainabil-
ity and competitive advantage, another CSR research stream focuses on identifying outcomes of
CSR, which can be broadly classified into financial outcomes and non-financial outcomes. Gen-
erally speaking, previous research on how CSR affects firm financial performance suggests a posi-
tive relationship between CSR and firm financial performance (Lu et al., 2013). For instance, in an
early study conducted by Russo and Fouts (1997), it was indicated that firms with high environ-
mental performance have high profitability. The positive relationship between CSR and financial
performance is also supported by a later empirical study conducted by Simpson and Kohers
(2002). Similarly, Luken and Stares (2005) found that firms’ effort in CSR contributes to
short-term profitability as well as long-term competitiveness in small- and medium-sized firms.
In addition to enhancing firm financial performance, CSR has been linked with improved firm
non-financial performance. For example, Hammann et al. (2009) showed that a firm’s socially
 Small Enterprise Research 119

responsible practices toward employees, customers, and the society have a positive impact on the
firm’s performance in areas such as reputation, employee satisfaction, and customer satisfaction.
Drawing upon the signaling and expectancy theory, Lin, Tsai, Joe, and Chiu (2012) showed that a
firm’s corporate citizenship results in attracting job seekers and fostering employees’ expectations
of career success. Homburg, Stierl, and Bornemann (2013) revealed that CSR fosters customers’
trust and company identification. In a recent study, Cheng, Ioannou, and Serafeim (2014) demon-
strated that higher levels of CSR performance result in better access to capital due to enhanced
stakeholder engagement and increased organizational transparency.

Determinants of CSR
Given the significance of CSR, an important research stream focuses on exploring determinants of
CSR. For instance, Mikkilä (2003) theoretically posited that whether a firm chooses to engage in a
particular CSR initiative is affected by its stakeholders’ assessment of the acceptability of the type
of the initiative. Brammer and Millington (2006) analyzed corporate philanthropy and found that
organizational visibility predicts an organization’s CSR. In their study of shareholder proposal
activism and CSR, David, Bloom, and Hillman (2007) showed that shareholders’ activism can
be used by managers to resist external pressure for CSR engagement. Sangle (2010) examined
why companies implement proactive environmental strategies and found that institutional
pressure is the most significant determinant of proactive environmental strategy initiation. In
Kim and Statman’s (2012) empirical study, it was found that the level of CSR engagement is
determined by the interests of shareholders. Finally, Chin, Hambrick, and Treviño (2013)
studied the impact of CEOs’ political ideology, classified into political conservatism and political
liberalism, on their firms’ CSR practices and found that CEOs with political liberalism exhibit
higher levels of CSR than CEOs with political conservatism.

Religion as a CSR determinant

As scholarly interest in exploring determinants of CSR continues to grow, a number of studies
have sought to understand the relationship between religion and CSR because religion motivates
organizations to treat stakeholders and the society favorably (Chatjuthamard-Kitsabunnarat et al.,
2014). For example, in an early study that examines the relationship between religions and
business ethics, Agle and Van Buren (1999) found that Christian beliefs have a weak association
with attitudes toward CSR. In his study of small- and medium-sized firms’ CSR, Vives (2006)
found that one of the major motivations of CSR engagement is religion. However, findings of
a later study conducted by Brammer, Williams et al. (2007) revealed that CSR is not necessarily
a priority of religious individuals, but religious individuals hold broader conceptions of CSR than
do non-religious individuals. Meanwhile, in Zinkin’s (2007) review of Islam and CSR, it was
demonstrated that Islam’s definition of responsible business is aligned with a modern view of
CSR concerning what needs to be done to enhance social, human, and natural capital. In a
later study conducted by Jamali and Sdiani (2013), it was shown that intrinsic religiosity (e.g.
the use of religions as a means to a fundamental part of inner life) is associated with a narrow
view of CSR, whereas extrinsic religiosity (e.g. the use of religion as a means to personal and
social gains) results in a broad perspective of CSR.

CSR in Thailand
Although CSR is not a new concept in Asia (Chapple & Moon, 2005), CSR practices in Thailand
are at an early stage, and concentrated mostly in large non-family corporations (Kraisornsuthasinee
120 S.Y. Chou et al.

& Swierczek, 2006). Nevertheless, few studies have attempted to explore CSR in small- and
medium-sized business in Thailand. For instance, in Singhapakdi et al.’s (2000) study, it was
shown that managers’ personal moral philosophies are predictors of the managers’ ethical inten-
tions, which, in turn, affect corporate ethical values. Poolthong and Mandhachitara (2009) examined
CSR and its impact on retail banking customers and discovered that CSR initiatives influence cus-
tomers’ perceived service quality, trust, and affective attitudes toward the firms. In their later study,
Mandhachitara and Poolthong (2011) analyzed the impact of CSR on customer outcomes and found
that CSR has a positive impact on attitudinal loyalty of customers in the retail banking context.
Phayakkanant et al. (2013) showed that CSR has a positive impact on corporate image, business
network relationship, service loyalty, and organization value in the hotel setting. In Sananuamength-
aisong’s (2013) analysis of CSR strategies, classified into corporate citizenship, ethics awareness,
social cohesiveness, and green products, in the food industry, it was found that corporate citizenship
results in stakeholder reliability, employee satisfaction, and corporate reputation.

CSR in family businesses

Although there is no particular way to define family business, there is a general consensus that
family involvement as ownership and management determines if a business is family owned,
managed, and operated (Anderson, Jack, & Dodd, 2005). Indeed, as noted by Miller and Rice
(1967), the involvement of family in the business distinguishes family businesses from non-
family businesses. In other words, family involvement signifies the control of the firm by the
founder and/or descendants in the firm’s strategic and operational decisions.
Although operational activities of family businesses may be different from those of non-
family businesses, much scholarly attention has been paid to exploring operational activities of
family businesses because family businesses play a crucial role in determining the economic
growth in emerging economies (Chung & Yuen, 2003; Sciascia & Mazzola, 2008; Wu et al.,
2007). Among various streams of research, there is a growing interest in understanding CSR in
family businesses. In particular, scholars (e.g. Davis, Schoorman, & Donaldson, 1997; Dyer &
Whetten, 2006) have argued that family businesses are more concerned about CSR than non-
family businesses because CSR engagement provides positive and long-term reputation. More-
over, from the stakeholder management perspective, family firms engage in higher levels of
CSR activity than do non-family firms because of their relational orientation toward their stake-
holders (Bingham, Dyer, Smith, & Adams, 2011). Given this, few studies have explored CSR in
family businesses. For example, drawing upon a systems theory perspective, Vallejo Martos and
Grande Torraleja’s (2007) case study revealed that some assumptions, such as nature of human
beings and nature of human relations, affect the development of a family firm’s internal and exter-
nal aspects of CSR. In their study of community social responsibility, Niehm, Swinney, and Miller
(2008) discovered that commitment to the community, community support, and sense of commu-
nity determine much of a family business’s CSR. More importantly, these researchers showed that
the size of a firm affects the firm’s ability to engage in CSR activities. The study conducted by
Fitzgerald, Haynes, Schrank, and Danes (2010) demonstrated that owners’ attitudes about their
local communities are likely to affect their financial and technical contributions to the community,
and that owners in communities with economic issues are more willing to make substantial con-
tributions of financial and technical assistance than those in communities with little economic
issues. Finally, in Fernando and Almeida’s (2012) case study, it was illustrated that strategic
CSR initiatives result in profits and firm’s reputation.
In sum, our careful review of the literature reveals that even though CSR and CSR in family
businesses have been vastly explored, most existing scholarly effort has concentrated on understand-
ing CSR in large family and non-family businesses in developed economies. As a consequence, there
 Small Enterprise Research 121

is a fundamental lack of understanding of CSR in small- and medium-size family businesses in emer-
ging markets where family businesses are a dominant force of local economy (Suehiro & Wailerdsak,
2004). Moreover, while it is well documented that religion plays a pivotal role in an organization’s
undertaking of CSR, much existing research examining the religion–CSR relationship has viewed
religion as a singular construct rather than a broader social system with specific core values that influ-
ence people’s personal and organizational practices in the system. Taken together, the authors
contend that greater research is needed to explore what specific religious values are relevant to
small- and medium-size family businesses’ CSR engagement in emerging markets such as Thailand.
To fill this gap, the authors focus on the influence of Buddhist values on CSR engagement in a small-
sized Thai family businesses because Buddhism is not only one of the most influential religions in
Southeast Asia (El-Kahal, 2001; Niffenegger et al., 2006; Selvarajah et al., 2012), but also heavily
influences Thai people’s individual and social practices (Tuicomepee, Romano, & Pokaeo, 2012).
More importantly, the authors focus on a small-sized business in particular because small- and
medium-sized businesses account for about 96% of all Thai businesses (Chorruk & Worthington,
2013). In the next section, the authors discuss Buddhism in Thailand briefly.

Buddhism in Thailand: a brief introduction

Although Buddhism originated in India, it has had a significant impact on Thai people’s religious
beliefs given its transnational nature. Specifically, it is estimated that about 94% of Thais are Bud-
dhists (Tuicomepee et al., 2012). Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Theravada Buddhism, a
denomination of Buddhism, influences majority of Thai people’s religious and social practices.
For instance, Thais generally have faith in Buddha, practice Dhamma (i.e. Buddha’s teachings),
and highly respect Sangha (i.e. monks) (Payutto, 1997). Moreover, Thais’ belief of Dhamma is
manifested by practicing five basic percepts, including (1) not taking life or doing bodily
harm, (2) not stealing, (3) not engaging in sexual misconduct, (4) not lying, and (5) not consuming
alcohol (Payutto, 1997). Although there are several beliefs in Dhamma, the central theme of these
beliefs is called Kamma, which refers to an individual’s actions that cause the individual’s sub-
sequent positive or negative life experiences (Payutto, 1997). Put simply, all Dhamma beliefs
emphasize the importance of Kamma and encourage Thais to do good things (e.g. helping
those in need) because practicing these percepts allows one to experience internal happiness
and cheerful mind. As such, Kamma reinforces Thais’ internal beliefs that doing good things
results in getting good things back, and that doing bad things leads to experiencing bad things.
Accordingly, when linking the perspective of Kamma with socially responsible behaviors,
Payutto (1997) suggested that helping other people allows one to experience social harmony,
and that helping can be exhibited by providing monetary and/or physical assistance, using
good language, and participating in constructive action and problem solving.
While the authors have briefly described Buddhism in Thailand, it is worth noting that the
intention is not to offer an in-depth discussion on Buddhism. Instead, the primary goal is to high-
light how Kamma in Buddhism in Thailand might determine social responsible performance at
the individual and organizational level. In the following section, the authors present a single-
case study on the core impact of Kamma in Buddhism on CSR and CSR outcomes in a small-
sized Thai family business.

Research methodology
As mentioned previously, this study employs a single-case study approach, which is generally
used when researchers need to obtain a general understanding of a particular phenomenon, and
provide insight into the question by investigating a given case (Stake, 1995). Although case
122 S.Y. Chou et al.

study research approach has been widely applied in the field of management research, it is not
without criticism. Generally speaking, criticism of the use of case studies centers on internal val-
idity, construct validity, external validity, and reliability (Gibbert & Ruigork, 2010).
To mitigate threats of using the case study approach, we follow Gibbert and Ruigork’s (2010)
recommendations. First, we establish internal validity by formulating a clear research framework
(see Figure 1) that specifies the relationship between variables and outcomes. In particular, this
single-case study seeks to explore how the core value of Buddhism shapes the owner’s business
philosophy as well as the company’s CSR initiatives that, together, determine the company’s
financial and non-financial outcomes.
It is worth pointing out that we follow the stakeholder perspective of CSR and classify the
company’s CSR initiatives into two types: CSR initiatives focusing on customers and the commu-
nity (i.e. external stakeholders) and CSR initiatives focusing on employees (i.e. internal stake-
holders). Additionally, we attempt to establish internal validity by obtaining the same data
from different sources (Eisenhardt & Graebner, 2007) such as interviews and the company’s
financial statements and documents. Second, we increase construct validity by carefully defining
constructs involved in this single-case study (see Table 1 for construct definitions).
Third, given that all case studies suffer from the absence of external validity (Yin, 1994), we
caution that findings of this single-case study should not be considered generalization from a
sample case to general population. Finally, to achieve reliability, this single-case study specifies
research procedures allowing future researchers to replicate this single-case study (Eisenhardt &
Graebner, 2007).
To illustrate the relationships specified in the research framework, the authors selected Chug
Yont Engineering Co., Ltd (CYE), which is a small-sized family business located in the city of
Samutsakhon in Thailand. It is important to note that small-sized businesses in Thailand are charac-
terized as those businesses with fewer than 50 employees and/or fixed assets not exceeding 50
million Thai Baht (The Department of Labor of Thailand, 2011). CYE was selected for multiple
reasons. First, CYE is a small-sized family business run by an owner who has been practicing
Buddhist Dhamma for more than 60 years. As such, much of the owner’s individual values
reinforced by Buddhism have been implicitly and explicitly incorporated into business operations
and practices, including CSR initiatives. Second, although CYE is considered a for-profit family
business, the company has consistently been engaging in CSR and thus has been highly regarded

Figure 1. Research framework.

 Small Enterprise Research 123

Table 1. Research constructs and definitions.

Construct
Kamma in Buddhism
Business philosophy
Customer-oriented CSR
Community-oriented CSR
Employee-oriented CSR
Financial outcomes
Non-financial outcome: firm
reputation
Non-financial outcome of
CSR: employee
perceptions
Non-financial outcome:
competitive dynamics
Definition Source
An individual’s actions that cause the individual’s Payutto (1997)
subsequent positive or negative live experiences
The value system or philosophy that shapes a Krishnan (1973)
business owner’s attitudes toward certain
managerial practices
CSR initiatives aim at enhancing customer N/A
economic well-being
CSR initiatives aim at improving community N/A
welfare and infrastructure
CSR initiatives aim at improving employee N/A
physical and psychological well-being
The extent to which a company achieves its Venkatraman and
economic goals Ramanujam (1986)
A firm’s cumulative public judgment received over Fombrun and Shanley
time (1990)
Employees’ subjective beliefs of what and how Glavas and Godwin
CSR initiatives should be engaged by the firm (2013)
The causes and consequences of the action and Smith, Ferrier, and
reaction of firms with a given industry Ndofor (2001)

by local Buddhist temples, community, educational institutions, government agencies, charitable

organizations, and other for-profit organizations. Finally, the authors had the permission to access
confidential information about CYE through in-depth face-to-face interviews with the owner, man-
agers, and reviewing the company’s financial statements and documents. It is important to note that
the authors utilized an expert interpreter who helped convert English into Thai, and vice versa.

Company overview
Established in 1962, CYE is a small-sized machinery and industrial construction family business
with two factories. CYE’s products include fish deboners, conveyors, cookers, can washers, and
rotary fish washers. Additionally, CYE offers services in consultation, product design, installa-
tion, and after-sales service. Despite its early financial struggle, the company has been performing
satisfactorily with average annual revenue of $500,000. In 2014, the company employed 22
employees including 1 family member. With respect to organizational structure, the owner and
his wife represent the business and final decision-makers. There is one factory manager in
each of the two factories. The main function of these two managers is to assign tasks to employees
and handle sales. Finally, there are 20 frontline employees who perform mechanical jobs (e.g. dril-
ling, welding, assembling, and lathing). The primary mission of the company is to provide quality
products and services with reasonable prices. Additionally, the owner not only embraces the phil-
osophy of being socially responsible as an individual that is mainly affected by Buddhism, but
also actively engages in various CSR initiatives.

The owner’s Buddhist values and business philosophy

At age 10, the owner, who is currently 73 years old, visited a Buddhist temple with his older sister.
This trip resulted in his faith in Buddhism. At age 21, the owner established CYE, and at age 45,
124 S.Y. Chou et al.

the owner decided to become a monk for a week. During this week, the owner studied and prac-
ticed Buddhism. Ever since his first visit of the temple, the owner has been a sincere Buddhist who
highly values Kamma in Buddhism by practicing Dhamma and respecting Thai monks.
Influenced by the Buddhist value of being humble, the owner believes that his business would
not be sustainable without his employees. Consequently, the owner stated his main philosophy
that shapes his attitudes toward operating his business as follows:

I think treating employees like my own family is an important part of my business. In reality, my
employees are those who bring wealth to me and to the company. Without these employees, it is
impossible for me to take care of my family. Thus, I treat my employees the way that I treat my family.

From the owner’s response, it can be inferred that Kamma in Buddhism directly influences how
the owner intends to operate the company. More importantly, it is evident that the owner views
that his actions in treating his employees positively have an important impact on his subsequent
personal and business experiences.

Is CYE a socially responsible company?

One of the perspectives that have been commonly used when analyzing CSR engagement is the
stakeholder management perspective, which suggests that socially responsible organizations
recognize their relationships with a range of stakeholders and thus take strategic initiatives to
develop and maintain meaningful relationships with the stakeholders (Simmons, 2008). Extend-
ing the stakeholder management perspective, one would expect that organizations that pay atten-
tion to stakeholders’ interests are more sustainable and legitimate than those that do not. Because
CYE is not a publicly traded company, it leads to the authors’ assumption that the stakeholder
management perspective is an appropriate CSR perspective for analyzing CYE’s CSR engage-
ment. Broadly speaking, CYE’s stakeholders include internal employees, customers, community,
and government agencies. When asked about whether CYE is considered a socially responsible
company, the owner responded:

Yes, I think so. I care about my employees, particularly their quality of life. Additionally, I care about
local people’s health, education, and practice of Buddhism. That is why I try to make financial and
non-financial contributions to local hospitals, Buddhist temples, schools, and local government
agencies. As for my customers, I sometimes allow customers who struggle financially to use our pro-
ducts first and pay us back when they have enough money.

As defined previously, CSR refers to firm’s voluntary actions aimed at improving social and/or
ecological conditions (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001). Looking closely at the owner’s response,
it appears that CYE engages in initiatives that help improve the well-being of the employees
and customers, enhance local health and education condition, and advance religious infrastruc-
ture. Meanwhile, it has been claimed that organizations are not only transactional entities, but
also social entities (Delios, 2010). Extending this perspective, the authors concurred that CYE
is indeed a socially responsible company. Moreover, it seems evident that Kamma in Buddhism
triggers CYE’s socially responsible initiatives, which can be classified into external stakeholder
CSR initiatives focusing on customers and the community, and internal stakeholder CSR initiat-
ives focusing on employees.

External stakeholder CSR initiatives: customer-oriented CSR

The owner believes in treating customers with honesty and respect. When asked about his specific
customer-oriented CSR initiatives, he responded:
 Small Enterprise Research 125

Sometimes, I was confronted by local customers who have financial issues and are unable to pay for
our products. I told them to use our products first and pay back when they are ready financially. Of
course, because my company is still a for-profit company, I only let customers defer their payments
when I perceive that they are honest with me.
Other times, I was faced with customers who just started their businesses that are not financially
stable. In response to this situation, I also ask these customers to use our products first and pay
back whenever they can.

Based upon the above two responses from the owner, it can be inferred that the owner not only
embraces Buddhist values at the personal level, but also relates these values to his business.
Specifically, the owner’s initiatives in helping customers with personal and business issues are
consistent with the Buddhist value, Karuna (i.e. compassion), which is a desire to help others
escape from suffering. While the owner’s customer-oriented CSR initiatives might be considered
risky from the financial perspective, helping customers who struggle financially has resulted in
positive organizational outcomes. For instance, some customers exhibit their loyalty and affective
commitment to the company by proactively introducing new customers to CYE.

External stakeholder CSR initiatives: community-oriented CSR

CYE also exhibits high levels of community-oriented CSR initiatives by making financial contri-
butions to local hospitals, Buddhist temples, and primary and secondary educational institutions.
Since CYE has expertise in industrial construction, the owner has helped these organizations
build physical facilities (e.g. building roofs, water tanks, classrooms, shelters, and gates)
without charging, or by charging only the cost. The owner stated:

I do not charge or charge only the cost because these organizations usually do not receive enough
financial support from the government agencies. Sometimes, they have to ask for support from
local people. Thus, if I make contributions to these organizations, it means that these donations are
meant for helping people, not for making profit. This is also why I do not charge or charge only
the cost.

The owner not only makes financial contributions to the local community, but also exhibits his
care for the local community. For instance, the owner actively participates in the operations of
educational institutions, hospitals, and temples by being an advisory board member. It is,
however, somewhat ambiguous regarding whether these community-oriented initiatives are
exhibited at the personal level or the company level because the authors observed that the
owner does not relate his initiatives to his company when making contributions, and that he
often refuses to be acknowledged for what he has contributed. More interestingly, the authors
noticed that the owner engages in community-oriented CSR during regular business hours
when most business owners are expected to engage in business-related activities. This may
imply that the owner’s Buddhist values, such as loving kindness and helping those who suffer,
are embedded in the owner’s personal and business life.

Internal stakeholder CSR initiatives: employee-oriented CSR – employment management

The owner’s belief in treating employees as his family has also resulted in his practices in employ-
ment. For instance, since the start of his business, the owner has not fired employees or engaged in
layoffs even when the company encountered low financial performance. The owner noted that:

I relate this practice to my past when I was poor. My employees are not wealthy and that is why they
need jobs from me. With this on my mind, I do not want to fire people. I think if my employees have
something else better to do, they will leave by themselves. Also, some employees have been working
126 S.Y. Chou et al.

for me for a long time and they are older right now. It would be difficult for older individuals to find
jobs. So, I just want to make sure that my employees are able to sustain their lives with the jobs that I
provide. It is called Metta or loving kindness from the Buddhist perspective. Firing people is usually
not my first option because I believe in forgiveness. When I am faced with employee-related issues, I
typically talk to the employee first in order to grasp his problems. After the inquiry, I generally offer
my opinions of how to overcome the problems. However, it is still up to the employee regarding
whether he wants to implement my opinions.

There have been several incidents that employees left the company due to higher wages offered by
CYE’s competitors. Although the owner strives to offer a living wage to his employees, the size of
CYE prevents it from offering what other large companies can offer. Consequently, CYE has
encountered situations that its employees left the company in pursuit of higher wages. Neverthe-
less, CYE has also faced with situations that its previous employees came back to work for CYE.
When explaining these situations, the owner stated:

I understand that it is human nature to pursue money. However, CYE is a small company and cannot
offer competitive wages that can be found in large companies. I recognize this issue and thus offer
benefits to my employees. For instance, I provide free housing and utilities to my employees.
When employees left the company, some of them soon realized that the benefits that they received
from large companies are not generous compared to CYE’s. As a result, some of these employees
came back and asked me for jobs. I generally welcome them back because I want them to have a
good life.

The statements from the owner clearly indicate that employment practices used by CYE are
heavily affected by Buddhist values such as Metta and Kamma. Specifically, the owner shows
his genuine concern for his employees not only during their tenure with the company, but also
their future. The owner’s sense of kindness and care for employees greatly reflect the Buddhist
thoughts: loving kindness and helping those who struggle.

Internal stakeholder CSR initiatives: employee-oriented CSR – work environment

In order to promote positive employee relations, the owner has implemented several practices.
Specifically, the owner stated:

My company offers employees free housing, utilities, and transportation. One of the major reasons for
doing this is because employees can come to work on time. Also, because most of my employees
cannot afford to purchase their own houses, giving them a free place to live could motivate them
to work hard.

Based upon the owner’s response, it is evident that CYE takes care of internal stakeholders (i.e.
employees). While the CSR literature has discussed the importance of satisfying internal stake-
holders, much of the scholarly attention has been paid to satisfying employees’ higher order
needs (e.g. growth needs). Nevertheless, the owner’s response seems to imply that small-sized
family businesses with limited tangible and intangible resources in emerging economies, such
as Thailand, may be able to retain talented employees by properly allocating organizational
resources that help fulfill employees’ basic lower order needs (e.g. physiological and safety
needs). More importantly, through the qualitative evidence obtained from CYE, the authors
suggest that managers need to thoroughly examine local economic infrastructure and organiz-
ational conditions in order to determine appropriate CSR initiatives.
While the owner attempts to satisfy the employees’ basic needs, he also recognizes the impor-
tance of quality relationships among the employees. As a result, the owner has developed several
rules and policies that help govern employee relations. For example, bulletin boards that state code
 Small Enterprise Research 127

of conduct and code of ethics are clearly displayed in the entrance of the management office and
stockroom. Some other examples of CYE’s policies that help promote positive employee relations
include no fighting, stealing, and drinking alcohol on the job. While these policies allow the
company to facilitate positive employee relationships, it is obvious that these policies are consistent
with Buddhist values, especially no stealing and drinking alcohol. Most importantly, these initiat-
ives indeed create a positive work climate and thus promote employee well-being. Not surprisingly,
evidence from prior CSR studies has consistently shown that CSR engagement is associated with
employee well-being (e.g. Payne & Joyner, 2006; Vuontisjärvi, 2006). Accordingly, the findings
from this case study may confirm the positive relationship between CSR engagement and employee
well-being in the context of family business as well as in Thailand.

Outcomes of CYE’s CSR initiatives

Although it has been suggested that CSR initiatives could result in unintended negative outcomes
(Wilburn, 2009), there is growing evidence in the literature that CSR initiatives result in positive
outcomes (e.g. Cheng et al., 2014; Russo & Fouts, 1997). Given the mixture of findings in the
literature, another question raised by the authors is what outcomes CYE experiences after enga-
ging in CSR initiatives. To better examine outcomes of CSR initiatives experienced by CYE, the
authors categorized these outcomes into financial and non-financial outcomes.

Financial outcomes of CSR

As noted previously, evidence from prior research has largely indicated that CSR initiatives help
improve financial performance (e.g. Lu et al., 2013). In order to examine CYE’s financial per-
formance, the authors defined financial performance as the extent to which a company achieves
its economic goals (Venkatraman & Ramanujam, 1986). Consequently, it is critical to know
CYE’s economic goals. Influenced by Buddhist values, the owner noted his economic goals of
the company:

When I just established the business, I focused much on making profit. As the business continues to
operate successfully, I gradually changed my business mentality. Currently, I first calculate the total
cost for a particular business project. Then, I add 20% on top of the cost as the profit margin for the
business project. When the business project and the transaction are completed, I usually donate half of
the profit to local community. The other half is used for sustaining my family and taking care of the
employees.

When exploring the financial outcomes, the authors discovered that CYE generally maintains an
annual profit of $100,000. As a small family business, CYE has adequate profit that allows
business continuation. Although the owner did not state specific economic goals of CYE, he
noted the following:
Money is one of the things that I cannot bring with me when I reach the end of my life. One of my
goals is to make sure that the business can continuously operate so that my employees can continu-
ously get paid and sustain their lives.

Clearly, the owner’s CSR initiatives are not used as a means to increase the company’s profitabil-
ity and/or personal financial wealth. While several existing studies have shown the significant
impact of CSR initiatives on corporate financial outcomes (e.g. Luken & Stares, 2005; Russo
& Fouts, 1997; Simpson & Kohers, 2002), findings of this case study may imply that enhancing
financial performance might not be the central goal of CSR initiatives when these initiatives are
linked with Buddhist values.
128 S.Y. Chou et al.

Non-financial outcomes of CSR

It has been suggested that one of the most critical benefits that CSR initiatives generate is corpor-
ate reputation (McWilliams, Siegel, & Wright, 2006), which refers to how a firm is perceived by
the public over time (Fombrun & Shanley, 1990). Accordingly, the authors sought to understand
the impact of CYE’s CSR initiatives stemming from Buddhist values on CYE’s reputation. Inter-
estingly, it appeared that CYE’s reputation is associated with its CSR initiatives given that CYE
has a strong reputation for corporate giving in the city of Samutsakhon. In addition, the owner has
been perceived as a giver by local organizations, particularly Buddhist temples and educational
institutions. As a result, the positive reputation that CYE and the owner receive has resulted in
the establishment of strong personal and business networks that is critical for CYE’s long-term
business success. More importantly, due to its strong networks, CYE has been making little
investments in public relations and advertising that help promote the company. These outcomes
seem consistent with one of the Buddhist values, Kamma, which encourages people to do good
things because doing good things results in getting good things back. The owner supported this
view by stating that:

Most of my new customers were referred by my existing customers as well as those organizations that
I have helped. Although it was never my intention to attract new customers by engaging in CSR
initiatives, those organizations that I have helped, such as temples and educational institutions,
often voluntarily promote CYE.

The second non-financial consequence that the authors explored centers on the employees’ per-
ceptions of CSR engagement, which refers to employees’ subjective beliefs of what and how CSR
initiatives should be engaged by the firm (Glavas & Godwin, 2013). Specifically, the authors first
asked the owner whether the employees value his CSR initiatives and the owner responded:

Although there are certain employees who do not really care about CSR initiatives, some employees
do highly value the company’s CSR initiatives. I think it depends on employees’ attitudes and beliefs
as well as their personal relationships with me. However, I often try my best to educate them regarding
the importance of these initiatives from the Buddhist perspective.

Based upon the owner’s perception, it may be concluded that while Buddhism heavily influences
the owner’s business practices and CSR engagement, it seems that the quality of social relation-
ships between the owner and his employees determine how the employees perceive CYE’s CSR
initiatives. While existing research has demonstrated that employees’ perceptions of CSR initiat-
ives could affect the success of CSR engagement (e.g. Lee, Park, & Lee, 2013), findings of this
case study may further suggest that leaders and/or managers of family businesses should pay
attention to building high-quality leader–member relationships because quality relationships
can reinforce employees’ positive work attitudes (Cogliser, Schriesheim, Scandura, & Gardner,
2009) and willingness to engage in positive organizational behaviors (Walumbwa, Cropanzano,
& Goldman, 2011), such as CSR initiatives.
When investigating CSR, scholars have found that employees’ CSR perceptions are related to
positive organizational outcomes such as enhanced organizational commitment, increased organ-
izational identification, and intention to stay (e.g. Brammer, Millington et al., 2007; Kim, Lee,
Lee, & Kim, 2010; Peterson, 2004; Rodrigo & Arenas, 2008). Given this, the authors examined
turnover rate in CYE and found that CYE’s turnover rate has been relatively low. Most of the
employees left CYE permanently because they were too old to perform their tasks. Although
there have been some employees who joined CYE’s competitors after leaving CYE, some of
these employees did eventually return to CYE due to the owner’s care for employee well-being.
CYE’s low turnover rate has also resulted in high levels of employee loyalty. The owner informed
 Small Enterprise Research 129

the authors that most of his employees do not actively look for other jobs. Most importantly, these
employees often show their commitment to CYE by providing ideas and suggestions, and helping
one another. Although there was a lack of a large amount of quantitative data to inform us if CYE’s
low turnover rate, high employee loyalty, and high organizational citizenship behaviors exhibited by
employees are products of the owner’s CSR engagement, these findings provide support for Kamma
in Buddhism as the central value for the owner’s undertaking of CSR initiatives.
The last non-financial aspect that the authors examined is whether CYE’s CSR initiatives
influence competitive dynamics, which is defined as the causes and consequences of the action
and reaction of firms within a given industry (Smith et al., 2001). According to the owner,
there are approximately 10 competitors in the area where CYE is located. When asked if his
CSR initiatives trigger increased competition, the owner responded as follows:

I personally do not think the company’s CSR initiatives trigger any response from competitors.
However, because we often help customers with financial difficulties by reducing our prices or not
making much profit, some competitors have warned us that we reduce our prices too much.

Although it is not obvious regarding whether CYE’s CSR initiatives reshape the competitive
dynamics, it is evident that CYE exhibits the so-called socially responsible pricing, which
refers to a firm’s pricing decisions that are consistent with the firm’s obligations to society, and
that are not necessarily maximizing the firm’s economic outcomes (Vachani & Smith, 2004).
Although motivation for engaging in socially responsible pricing could vary across companies
and industries, it has been claimed that socially responsible pricing could stem from moral
values (Vachani & Smith, 2004), which can be partially shaped by religions (Cohen & Rankin,
2004). Our finding may suggest that CYE’s pricing strategy is not triggered by intention to
obtain market shares. Instead, CYE can be considered a company implementing socially respon-
sible pricing motivated by Buddhist values. Most importantly, CYE’s socially responsibility
pricing strategy reflects the owner’s perceived responsibility to society and desire to promote cus-
tomer well-being driven by Buddhism’s loving kindness.
Because tasks performed in CYE are highly skill-based, CYE has been providing mechanical-
and engineering-related training to its employees. As CYE’s employees acquired critical job-
related skills, some of CYE’s employees resigned and established their own businesses that
offer similar products and services to customers. When asked about this particular competitive
condition, the owner simply stated that competitors who are CYE’s previous employees generally
try not to compete directly against CYE. This unique competitive advantage could be explained
by the owner’s genuine interests in promoting employee well-being. Additionally, one can attri-
bute these CSR initiatives targeted at CYE’s employees to the owner’s Buddhist values of loving
kindness and helping those who struggle, which in turn enhances the employees’ appreciation and
gratitude. Consequently, these findings may suggest that CSR initiatives that focus on internal sta-
keholders not only enhance internal stakeholders’ commitment to the company, but also
strengthen the company’s competitive position by reducing competition stemming from previous
internal stakeholders.

General discussion and conclusion

In this single-case study, the authors have attempted to investigate three areas: (1) the influence of
Kamma in Buddhism on the owner’s business philosophy, (2) the effect of the owner’s business
philosophy on the company’s external stakeholder CSR initiatives aimed at improving customer
well-being and community welfare, and internal stakeholder CSR initiatives targeted at enhancing
employee physical and psychological well-being, and (3) the financial and non-financial
130 S.Y. Chou et al.

outcomes of CYE’s CSR initiatives. Overall, the authors have found strong qualitative evidence
that Kamma in Buddhism has a strong impact on how the owner of a small-sized family business
in Thailand articulates his business philosophy. Moreover, the authors have revealed that the
owner’s business philosophy motivated by Kamma in Buddhism has led to the company’s exter-
nal and internal stakeholder CSR initiatives. Furthermore, the authors have demonstrated that the
company’s CSR initiatives directly and indirectly improve the company’s reputation, lower
employee turnover, and reduce competitive intensity.
While a few studies have sought to understand the relationship between religion and CSR, this
case study advances the existing body of knowledge by exploring this relationship in one of the
emerging economies in the Southeast Asia region: Thailand. Considering the qualitative evidence
that the authors have obtained, the authors derive the following implications for theory and prac-
tice. As supported by the owner’s responses, it can be confirmed that the owner has strong faith in
Buddhism, and that the owner’s Buddhist values, particularly Kamma, heavily guide the com-
pany’s practices, including CSR initiatives. Even though it is well documented that religiosity
has an impact on CSR (e.g. Jamali & Sdiani, 2013; Mazereeuw-van der Duijn Schouten, Graaf-
land, & Kaptein, 2014), the literature still lacks a thorough understanding of what specific core
values in a particular religion are relevant to CSR engagement. Through this single-case study,
it is demonstrated that Kamma in Buddhism is the core value motivating CSR engagement in
a small-sized family business in Thailand. That is, the authors advance the literature by illustrating
that, Kamma, one of the most essential Buddhist values, is the central theme of CSR engagement.
In addition to advancing the literature, this single-case study provides two important practical
implications. First, the authors show that the owner exhibits his concern for employees because of
his Buddhist values. The concern for employees, therefore, has resulted in various CSR initiat-
ives. Given this, it is worth emphasizing that managers’ concern for their employees’ well-
being may serve as an institutional cornerstone for CSR initiatives directed to internal stake-
holders. Second, the authors demonstrate that the owner’s genuine care for the welfare of external
stakeholders (e.g. customers, community, and external organizations) driven by Buddhist values
has led to CSR initiatives undertaken by the company. These external stakeholder CSR initiatives
have further helped improve the company’s financial and non-financial performance. In other
words, our findings suggest that organizations’ care for external stakeholders helps establish
firm image, identity, and reputation, which are essential for improving firm financial performance
and long-term survival.
In sum, even though this single-case study focuses on Buddhism, it is not the authors’ inten-
tion to highlight that Buddhism is the only religion that is associated with CSR engagement.
Instead, it is the authors’ hope that greater scholarly effort can be devoted to exploring specific
religious values that are relevant to the mindset of CSR. While the extent of quantitative data
obtained by the authors may be limited, which may reduce the generalizability of the findings,
the qualitative evidence indeed strongly supports the link between Kamma in Buddhism and
CSR mindset in CYE. That is, doing good things results in getting good things back.

Limitations and future research

The qualitative findings of this single-case study suggest that Buddhist values are relevant to CSR
initiatives, which, in turn, affect firm financial and non-financial outcomes in the family business
setting in Thailand. Nonetheless, this single-case study contains the following limitations. First,
because single-case studies are subject to limits in generalizability and potential biases resulting
from observing a single event (Tversky & Kahneman, 1986; Yin, 1994), this single-case study
suffers from the absence of external validity. Accordingly, the authors caution the reader that
the qualitative findings of this single-case study should not be considered as generalization
 Small Enterprise Research 131

from a sample case to general population. Given this limitation, the authors recommend that
future researchers use a multiple-case study approach to validate the findings of this single-
case study. Second, as indicated by scholars (e.g. Chu, 2011), small- and medium-sized family
firms outperform large family firms because of concentrated family ownership and control.
Given this, it can be expected that the findings of this single-case study may be different when
the research framework is applied to large family firms. As such, it is strongly encouraged that
future research examines whether financial and non-financial consequences experienced by
CYE can be found in large family firms practicing Buddhist business philosophy. Finally,
because this singe-case study examines CYE, which is a private family firm, it does not consider
the impact of shareholders on the operations of a family firm. Meanwhile, evidence from existing
research has shown that shareholders’ interests of a publicly traded family firm can influence the
strategic decisions of the firm (e.g. Jara-Bertin, López-Iturriaga, & López-de-Foronda, 2008).
Thus, it can be expected that there is a distinction between how private and publicly traded
family firm may view CSR engagement. That is, given the impact of shareholders’ engagement
in corporate governance, the authors strongly recommend future researchers to validate the quali-
tative findings of this single-case study using publicly traded family firms.

Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the members of the Chug Yont Engineering Co., Ltd, especially Mr Kriengsak
Lertpittayapoom, Mrs Lamead Lertpittayapoom, Mrs Nongkran Lertpittayapoom, and Mrs Sureeporn Lert-
pittayapoom, for their willingness to provide data and help in shaping the authors’ thinking.

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