Management & Marketing no. 2/2014

Study on the convergence of Romanian corporate values with socially desirable values

Daniela Şerban,
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Simona Vasilache,
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Adelina Bărbălău,
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

Abstract. Our study consists in a dual perspective on corporate values, which relates core corporate values expressed by Romanian companies with corporate values deemed desirable by the Romanian society. To assess the corporate values expressed by companies, the corporate websites of ninety Romanian companies have been surveyed to collect the statements of core corporate values, which were then content analyzed and classified according to their meaning in thirteen general categories. For the purpose of assessing the corporate values desired by the Romanian consumers, a questionnaire was developed based on the categories of values previously identified, and was further sampled to male and female Romanian citizens of all ages. The questionnaire asked the respondents to choose four corporate values (the average number of corporate values expressed by companies) which they considered desirable in the organizational culture of Romanian private and state‐owned companies. Based on the observed results, meaningful conclusions and potential recommendations have been formulated.

Keyword: consumer values, social values, questionnaire‐based research, social responsibility.

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