Social Responsibility of Construction Company as Strategy for Sustainability in Island Territories

Abstract

In the last years, the increase in urbanization and the volume of construction has accelerated. This situation requires systematizing the use of limited resources, especially in island territories. The construction sector contributes to the depletion of these resources and has a significant impact on society, which is why it is necessary to change its strategy and decision-making. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) may be the strategy to develop a socio-environmentally responsible production model that replaces the traditional model. A socially responsible construction company closes the cycles of construction materials, gives value to the waste generated, minimizes the impact that buildings have on the environment, makes responsible use of energy and water, uses innovations to improve the process and adequately manages its human resources. The aim of this work is to analyze the socially responsible behavior of companies in the construction sector in a limited and fragmented territory as is the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and to compare the importance that companies give to actions (environmental, social and economic) of CSR depending on whether they have been implemented or there are plans to implement them in the future. Quantitative and qualitative tools are used. The results indicate that aspects related to environmental sensitivity and social contribution contribute to a greater extent to the implementation of a CSR strategy, while economic aspects have a negative influence. In the case of companies that plan to implement a CSR strategy in the future, the aspect related to social contribution is the most influential.

Keywords

• Corporate Social Responsibility, construction sector, sustainability, quantitative and qualitative analysis