SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE BANKING SECTOR: EXPERIENCE FROM SERBIA

U radu je analiziran nivo razvijenosti društvene odgovornosti, uključujući njene osnovne dimenzije, u bankarskom sektoru u Republici Srbiji. Ciljevi istraživanja se odnose na isticanje značaja koncepta društvene odgovornosti i utvrđivanje nivoa razvijenosti pojedinih dimenzija i aspekata društveno odgovornog poslovanja u domaćem bankarskom sektoru. Na taj način, omogućen je uvid u najrazvijenije aspekte društvene odgovornosti, kao što su odgovornost prema zajednici i klijentima, u okviru eksterne dimenzije, kao i one kojima bi u budućnosti trebalo posvetiti više pažnje i uložiti više sredstava, a to su interna društvena odogovornost i izveštavanje o društveno odgovornom poslovanju. Sagledavanje društvene odgovornosti banaka iz ovakve perspektive predstavlja originalan pristup istraživanju, a saznanja do kojih se dolazi imaju višestruki teorijski i praktični značaj.


Introduction
Social responsibility is an indispensable segment of operations of modern companies.Given the high level of competition among banks in the domestic market, social responsibility can be seen as one of the possibilities for differentiation, by applying different activities in this field.The accelerated process of globalization, as well as the latest global economic crisis, substantially hinders the competition in the market by using traditional mechanisms.Therefore, innovations in the field of social responsibility are gaining in importance.On the other hand, taking a variety of initiatives and socially desirable activities, such as investment in environmental protection, contribution to the development of education, sports, culture, poverty reduction, etc., can be driven by the requirements of accepted international quality standards (e.g, ISO 26000, ISO 14001 etc.), or even true altruistic and philanthropic motives.A common cause of misconceptions about the essential meaning of socially responsible behavior is the observation of social responsibility as respect for the law in the field of human rights, consumer rights, environmental protection and the like.In fact, being a socially responsible company means not only to fulfill legal obligations, but to integrate the basic values of corporate social responsibility in corporate identity and invest "more" into human capital, the environment and relations with stakeholders (Green Paper -Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility, 2001: 6).Thus, in addition to the legal and economic, social responsibility also includes the ethical and philanthropic component (Carroll, 1991), which refer to the voluntary contribution of a company to achieving various social goals, which exceed the limits prescribed by law.
In the past, the issues of social responsibility were not frequently considered in the banking sector since the process of providing services in banks is not directly linked to the risks and/or effects, related to social responsibility, such as, for example, environmental issues.Nevertheless, some authors argue that, today, banks are facing the risks of compromising reputation, criticism from stakeholders and negative reactions of customers even to a greater extent than other companies (Carnevale et al, 2012).What is more, previous research shows that social responsibility, especially responsibility to customers, is particularly important for banks, because customers perceive a socially responsible company as more equitable in terms of price strategy, which has a positive influence on customer loyalty (Matute-Vallejo et al, 2011).However, most studies look at social responsibility in general, without taking into account its various dimensions and aspects, for example, responsibility to employees, customers, communities and other stakeholders, in order to determine which activities banks mostly invest in, and which should be further developed.Also, the studies of this type in Serbia are not common, which is why empirical evidence is lacking.
Therefore, bearing in mind that this is a current topic, but also the existing gap in previous research, in this paper we investigate a problem of social responsibility of banks in Serbia.Although domestic companies largely lag behind the global trends in responsible behavior, both due to the lack of awareness about the importance of these activities, but also due to the lack of funding, when it comes to banks, after observing their practice, it can be assumed that the situation is favorable.The reason for this can be found in the ownership structure of domestic banks, which is dominated by foreign owners, as well as the multinational character of their business.Starting from the formulated problem area, the main research subject is the level of social responsibility, including its basic dimensions, in the banking sector in the Republic of Serbia.The main research objectives are to emphasize the importance of the concept of social responsibility and to determine the level of development of corporate social responsibility in the banking sector in the Republic of Serbia.In accordance with the primary objective, the following derived objectives are: to point out the level of the individual dimensions of social responsibility in the Serbian banking sector and to give proposals for measures to improve corporate social responsibility.

Dimenzije društvene odgovornosti
Uobičajeno je da se društveno odgovorno ponašanje posmatra u kontekstu eksterne odgovornosti prema okruženju i interne odgovornosti prema prema članovima organizacije.Interna dimenzija društvene odgovornosti podrazumeva brigu o zdravlju zaposlenih i bezbednosti na radu, i to izvan granica propisanih zakonom.Ona uključuje i uvažavanje individualnih razlika i problema sa kojima se članovi kolektiva suočavaju, međusobno poštovanje i razumevanje, promovisanje humanosti i brige za ljude, koja nije ograničena samo na radno vreme već uključuje i pokušaj da se postigne balans između posla, porodice i slobodnog vremena.Izuzetno značajna dimenzija interne odgovornosti se odnosi na jednake mogućnosti za obuku i učenje, koje bi trebalo da podstiču razvoj i napredovanje u karijeri, kao i mogućnost promovisanja potencijala svakog pojedinca.The paper is structured in several parts.After introductory considerations, the first part explains the basic dimensions of social responsibility: internal and external.In the second part, we provide a more detailed analysis of specific areas of implementation of these activities, while the third part points to the multiple significance of corporate social responsibility.The fourth part presents the results of original empirical research, accompanied by the appropriate discussion and recommendations for the improvement of socially responsible practices in the banking sector in the Republic of Serbia.Finally, we present the main limitations of the paper, the newly opened issues, which are the guidelines for future research, the essential contribution of research and summary of the most important results.

Social responsibility dimensions
Social responsibility is usually seen in the context of external responsibility towards the environment and internal accountability to the members of the organization.Internal dimension of social responsibility involves taking care of the employees' health and safety at work, beyond the limits imposed by law.It includes respect for individual differences and problems that the members of the collective are facing, mutual respect and understanding, promoting humanity and concern for people, which is not limited to the working hours but also includes an attempt to achieve a balance between work, family and leisure time.An extremely important dimension of internal responsibility relates to equal opportunities for training and learning, which should encourage development and career advancement, as well as the possibility of promoting the potential of each individual.This should enable the establishment of a just wage system based on the assessment of individual effects and contributions (Stojanović-Aleksic, &, Domanović 2012: 78).
External dimension of social responsibility applies to all external stakeholders, ranging from clients to business partners, local communities, and national levels, and often the wider regional and even global environment.The initial phase of external accountability is associated with responsible behavior towards the environment, which is reflected in the rational use of resources, reducing emissions of harmful substances, recycling and similar activities.In relation to the local community, socially responsible behavior indirectly relates to the creation and promotion of business and payment of taxes, and directly to the participation in various charity activities, sponsorship of cultural and sporting events, funding educational projects, environmental programs, donations, health and social institutions, scholarships for young talents and other forms of assistance to the members of the community.
Until the twentieth century, companies were mainly oriented to the external dimension of social responsibility, usually to the extent necessary to draw the attention of the public and leave a positive impression.The funds were donated to the large number of users because it was believed that the different stakeholders will be satisfied, which would contribute to positive publicity (Kotler & Lee 2005: 10).Companies avoided participation in solving major social problems, because they thought that these should be dealt with by the state or specialized institutions.They did not take care of measuring the results of socially responsible behavior, because it was believed that any initiatives within this area can have a positive impact on the company's operations.
Marketing povezan sa društvenim ciljevima u poslednjih nekoliko godina predstavlja jednu od najpopularnijih društveno odgovornih aktivnosti.Podrazumeva se da je deo prihoda od prodaje proizvoda i usluga usmeren ka neprofitnim organizacijama ili ustanovama, gde se aktivnost promoviše, tako da potrošači postanu svesni da deo svog novca daju za rešavanje problema ugroženih grupa.Ove aktivnosti su obično usmerene ka rešavanju zdravstvenih problema, potreba dece, gladi, zdravstvenoj zaštiti, zaštiti životinja.Neprofitne organizacije se mogu pojaviti kao posrednici u ovim aktivnostima, a kompanije mogu da osnuju fondacije za prikupljanje i distribuciju tih sredstava.Specifična varijanta ove inicijative je korporativni društveni marketing, koji nastoji da promoviše željeno ponašanje u velikim razmerama, kao što su, bezbednost u for the company and the wider community are considered socially responsible.Modern approach to the understanding of social responsibility is inextricably linked with the concept of sustainable development, which refers to the need for a rational use of limited resources.Although the concept of sustainable development has been well known in the business world for several decades, it seems that the global economic crisis has further pointed to its importance.The crisis has shown that intensive orientation to increase production and profits, with the uncontrolled exploitation of resources, does not represent a guarantee of continuing economic progress.The concept of sustainable development suggests that the living environment, with all its natural resources, does not have unlimited capacity and that at one point the question that arises as a priority is related to the development of future generations, rather than solely orientation on the progress of the existing ones.In philosophical terms, the key issue of social responsibility and sustainable development can be reduced to the question about the world we want to leave to future generations, and the answer to this question depends largely on the initiatives and activities of companies in the field of social responsibility.
The emergence of the economic crisis has put many companies in the position where they have to fight for survival, which in the opinion of many scholars threatens the dimension of social responsibility, considering the fact that companies will be willing to devote fewer resources for these activities.On the other hand, many believe that exactly in times of crisis, investment in a socially responsible initiative contributes to the formation of positive consumer attitudes about the company, and in this respect the products and services of socially responsible companies are perceived as desirable, and therefore, lead to an increase of their sales and profits.One study, conducted in the USA showed that factors associated with social responsibility have almost the same effect on the company's reputation as well as traditional factors, such as price, quality, functionality and usability (Carroll, 2007: 78).
A particularly important aspect of social responsibility is corporate social responsibility disclosure.Implementation of corporate social responsibility entails a new framework for measuring performance, the so-called triple bottom line reporting, also known as sustainability reporting, which includes a holistic view of business results, including financial, social and environmental component of the overall results.Thus, the idea is that business success should not be measured only on the basis of traditional financial indicators, but also on the social and environmental results (Sredojević, 2006: 11).

Key application areas of corporate social responsibility
There are a number of activities related to the concept of corporate social responsibility.One area that is often associated with this concept, and the concept of sustainable development, is the environment and environmental management, which includes activities related to: proper utilization of energy and materials, reducing environmental pollution, the use of safe technologies and biodegradable materials, the development of recycling, reducing energy costs, the development of safe packaging.
Another important group of activities is related to the promotion of social objectives, such as activities aimed at raising awareness of the social order (assistance to the sick, animal protection, the fight against poverty, the fight against global warming, etc.).In doing so, the company may not be a direct donor of such shares, but may indirectly affect the dissemination of information, organizing various events, promotions, advertising materials on the websites of companies and the like (Stojanović-Aleksić & Bošković, 2015).
Marketing related to social goals has been one of the most popular socially responsible activities in the last few years.It means that part of the revenue from sales of products and services is directed to non-profit organizations or institutions, where the activity is being promoted, so that consumers become aware that part of the money they paid for a product/ service is allocated to solving problems of vulnerable groups.These activities are usually aimed at solving health problems, the needs of children, hunger, health care, the protection of Stojanović -Aleksić V., Erić Nielsen J., Bošković A. Social responsibility in the banking sector: experience from Serbia saobraćaju, prevencija pušenja, alkoholizma, narkomanije, donacije organa, borba protiv kriminala i slično.(Kotler & Lee, 2005: 133).
Značaj društveno odgovornog poslovanja je višestruk, kako u pogledu koristi za preduzeće, odnosno banku, tako i za njegovo eksterno okruženje.Polazeći od saznanja do kojih autori dolaze u različitim teorijskim i empirijskim istraživanjima, može se zaključiti da društvena odgovornost doprinosi jačanju brenda ( animals.Non-profit organizations may appear as mediators in these activities, and a company can establish a foundation for the collection and distribution of these funds.A specific variant of this initiative is corporate social marketing, which seeks to promote the desired behavior on a large scale, such as traffic safety, prevention of smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, organ donation, the fight against crime and the like (Kotler & Lee, 2005: 133).
Volunteer work for the community is an activity that has also been very popular in the last years.It is a social initiative which means that employees are working voluntarily to support a specific charitable goal.There are specific types of gifts that companies provide to the community in the form of direct physical labor or professional knowledge, skills and ideas.This group of activities can be realized through participation in the cleaning of parks, forests, rivers, planting trees and flowers, visits to orphanages, socializing with old and disabled people, visiting children in hospitals, distributing food to soup kitchens, building playgrounds for children without parental care, free tutoring for children and adults in different areas, etc. Volunteering is considered one of the most direct forms of social engagement organization, which provides the greatest sense of usefulness to the participants.
Corporate philanthropy is a direct contribution of the company to various humanitarian actions, in the form of financial grants or assistance in kind.This group of corporate social initiatives includes scholarships, donations of products and services, provision of equipment, and the like.Philanthropic activities contribute to the company's image in the public and thereby to a certain kind of so-called moral or reputational capital, which can lead to the greater loyalty of the existing clients as well as attract the new ones (Figar, 2007: 234).

The importance of social responsibility for modern business
The importance of corporate social responsibility has been the subject of debate in the academic and professional community since its inception.Some concerns are related to the questions whether social responsibility pays off and whether socially responsible activities should be seen as a cost or as an investment.It is clear that the implementation of socially responsible practices represents a kind of a challenge for each company, but the question arises as to the extent to which engagement in this challenge is justified.As each activity, decision or situation can be viewed from many different perspectives, social responsibility, too, cannot be taken as an absolute positive or an absolute negative thing, but as a relative concept, which has its strengths and weaknesses, costs and benefits.
Although the impact of social responsibility on the financial results is difficult to measure, and previous studies lead to conflicting results, it is possible to identify a specific positive relationship (Margolis et al, 2007).However, the real effects of social responsibility are indirect and can be expected rather in the long term than in the short term.Also, irresponsible behavior, if met with the condemnation of the public and consumers, causes high losses, which are difficult to compensate.Accordingly, the potential positive effects, even in a very long period of time, are far more profitable than any damage.
The importance of corporate social responsibility is manifold, both in terms of benefits for the company or bank, as well as for its external environment.Starting from the variety of theoretical and empirical studies, it can be concluded that social responsibility contributes to the strengthening of the brand (Kotler & Lee, 2005: 16), and improvement of the corporate image.In fact, empirical studies indicate the existence of a high degree of correlation between the perceptions of stakeholders about the company and its social responsibility.Greater involvement of the company in terms of realization of various social interests certainly leads to a better image.If the bank, based on the perceptions of stakeholders about its unethical behavior, acquires a negative image, it may result in the loss of their trust and consequently the market position, with an extremely long and expensive recovery.Of course, in order for social responsibility to contribute to the advancement of corporate image, it is necessary to be adequately promoted in public.In addition, a strong brand and image contribute to the positive clients' Stojanović -Aleksić V., Erić Nielsen J., Bošković A. Social responsibility in the banking sector: experience from Serbia društvenim, ekološkim i etičkim rizicima (Dow Jones Group Sustainbility Index, FTSE4Good Index Series).Sve veći broj investicionih fondova integriše kriterijume društvene odgovornosi u svoj selektivni proces i uskraćuje pozajmice preduzećima koja se ne pridržavaju određenih standarda životne i društvene sredine (Đurović & Ranđić, 2011:95).
Društvena odgovornost u bankarskom sektoru: iskustva iz Republike Srbije Bankarstvo, 2016, vol.45, br. 2 opinion of the company.As a result, loyalty is built and the satisfied customers continue to use the services of the bank.Positive image, in the context of corporate social responsibility, can influence the increase in the shares' value because the market will appreciate more the companies that are less exposed to social, environmental and ethical risks (Dow Jones Group Sustainability Index, FTSE4Good Index Series).An increasing number of investment funds integrate social responsibility criteria into their selective process and deny loans to companies that do not adhere to a certain standard of social and environmental protection (Djurovic & Randjic, 2011: 95).
Porter and Kramer (2006) point out that the social dimension of competitiveness has a remarkable influence on the market position.This dimension refers to the external factors that significantly influence key drivers of competitiveness in certain areas where the company operates (Porter & Krammer, 2006: 85).In addition to the effect on enhancing its position in the domestic market, social responsibility can be seen as a determinant of international success (Mitic, 2007), which is particularly important bearing in mind the multinational character of the majority of banks.In terms of globalization, public pressure is growing and forcing companies to align their actions with the requirements of the community.In fact, CSR is not an innovation, since most international and multinational corporations apply this concept, but one of the key prerequisites for success in the global market.
The positive effects of CSR are evident in the field of human resources management.Studies have shown that the involvement of companies in socially desirable activities leads to greater employee satisfaction (Koh & Boo, 2004).Therefore, social responsibility can play an important role in retaining the existing workforce, but also in attracting new high-quality workers, affecting the perception of people on the organizational culture of the company as humane and friendly.
On the other hand, from the macroeconomic point of view, it is especially important to talk about the contribution of socially responsible companies to sustainable development of an economy.Given that sustainable development has three pillars, economic, social and environmental, by observing the basic dimensions of social responsibility, it can be concluded that this way of doing business is fully complementary to the objectives under all three pillars of sustainable development.Various activities and initiatives aimed at the rational use of limited resources and environmental protection will help the local community in many ways.Also, responsible behavior towards employees and customers, as well as responsible management of financial resources, can contribute to achieving the aforementioned goals.

Social responsibility of banks in Serbia: empirical research
In addition to the overview of the current domestic and foreign literature, we conducted an empirical research in order to develop an adequate theoretical basis as the starting point.The sample consisted of nine banks, including 38 respondents, managers of various hierarchical levels in banks in the territory of the Republic of Serbia.
As an instrument for data collection, we used an adapted questionnaire that consists of 30 questions.The starting point for creating questionnaire are empirical studies conducted by Dam & Scholtens (2012), Oh et al (2011), Sánchez et al (2011) and a questionnaire of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, developed for comprehensive research in order to select the most prominent business companies that this institution chooses every other year for the National Award for Corporate Social Responsibility.The revised structure of the questionnaire is the result of the authors' original scientific approach, according to the defined subject and objectives of the research.The first part of the questionnaire includes questions on key dimensions of social responsibility that the respondents should answer, based on the assessment of the extent to which they agree with the above testimony, using a five-point Likert scale.General information about respondents were collected from the five questions that make up the second sektoru Republike Srbije, izračunate su mere deskriptivne statistike, aritmetička sredina i standardna devijacija.Posmatrana je interna i eksterna dimenzija društveno odgovornog poslovanja, pri čemu je eksterna dimenzija dekomponovana na nekoliko aspekata, i to: odgovornost prema klijentima, zaštita životne sredine i odgovornost prema zajednici.Kao posebno relevantan aspekt, izdvojen je i analiziran stepen objavljivanja informacija o društveno odgovornom poslovanju.
Društvena odgovornost u bankarskom sektoru: iskustva iz Republike Srbije Tabela 1. Interna društvena odgovornost Izvor: Autori part of the original questionnaire, and relate to gender, age, position in the organization, years of service and level of education.Reliability of a scale was analyzed using Cronbach's Alpha coefficient, with the calculated reliability of measurement scales, which amounts to 0,890, indicating a high degree of reliability, since the questionnaire consists of 30 items.
In order to test the level of corporate social responsibility in the sample, and to compare the level of the various dimensions of social responsibility in the banking sector of the Republic of Serbia, we calculated the measures of descriptive statistics, the mean and standard deviation.We considered the internal and external dimension of CSR, with the external dimensions decomposed into several aspects, namely: responsibility towards clients, the environment and the community.As a particularly relevant aspect, we analyzed the disclosure of information on social responsibility.
The results of empirical research point to the middle level of development of the internal dimension of social responsibility of banks in the Republic of Serbia (Mean = 3.004), indicating the existence of banks' involvement in the field of responsibility to their own employees, but also open opportunities for further improvement of this dimension of business.It is significant to point out that the respondents largely agreed with the statement: "We invest in human resource development by regularly organizing trainings for employees and we care about developing their skills, as well as their personal development."Based on this, it can be concluded that employees in the banking sector in Serbia are granted continual training and that managers take care of their personal development.This approach to employees is extremely important, since adequate training affects employee satisfaction and, consequently, the performance (Jones et al, 2009: 170).On the other hand, the flexibility regarding the balance between life and work is an area that should be improved (Mean = 1.53), since the overloaded employees may develop dissatisfaction which leads to performance degradation.One possible way to solve this problem is the introduction of shift work.
Stojanović -Aleksić V., Erić Nielsen J., Bošković A. Social responsibility in the banking sector: experience from Serbia We regularly measure employee satisfaction through concrete methods and constantly take steps to improve their satisfaction.38 1 5 3,00 1,336 In the past 3 years, we employed persons belonging to vulnerable groups (persons with disabilities, minorities, persons older than 50 years, etc.) We offer solutions to employees regarding the balance between life and work (for example, flexible working hours, the ability to perform certain tasks from home instead of the office, etc.).
Društvena odgovornost u bankarskom sektoru: iskustva iz Republike Srbije Tabela 2. Eksterna društvena odgovornost -Klijenti Responsibility to customers represents a very important aspect of business, which banks devote a lot of attention to, as confirmed by the results of this study.Specifically, the respondents rated the liability to customers with high grades (Mean = 4.15), with the largest agreement observed with the statement: "We provide clients with detailed information on the characteristics of the product/service as well as guidance and conditions" (Mean = 4, 66), although other activities are not far behind.This result speaks about the market orientation of the bank management and a high level of awareness of the importance of customer satisfaction in the modern environment.
Environmental protection recorded an average score of 3.69 by the respondents, indicating a medium to high level of development of this CSR aspect in banks.It is significant to point out the fact that, according to the survey, most banks adopted some of the international standards in the field of environmental protection, enabling organizations to more easily identify and control the impact of its activities, products and services on the environment, improve the attitude towards the environment and implement a systematic approach to environmental protection (ISO 14001, 2005).The area that should be further developed in the future is the use of recycled materials, since it provides multiple benefits, both in terms of environmental protection, but also in terms of saving resources.
Stojanović -Aleksić V., Erić Nielsen J., Bošković A. Social responsibility in the banking sector: experience from Serbia  Top rated aspect of social responsibility, within its external dimensions, is responsibility towards the community with an average score of 4.36.This result indicates the high level of awareness of the banks' management about the importance of investment in various activities aimed at improvements in the local community.In addition, the obtained data indicate the highest level of investment in humanitarian actions (Mean = 4.79), immediately followed by the actions directed towards education (Mean = 4.45), culture (Mean = 4.37), sport (Mean = 4.29), with the lowest, but still relatively high score for actions aimed at poverty reduction (Mean = 3.95).
Bank management assessed the degree of transparency or publication of information on corporate social responsibility with an average score of 3.18, which indicates the existence of effort in this field, but also significant opportunities for improvement.The application of international sustainability reporting framework, defined by the world's leading organizations in the field of sustainability, Global Reporting Initiative (Global Reporting Initiative -GRI) is estimated to 3.24, which means that some banks implement this framework, which is based on the idea of triple bottom line and contains guidelines or principles and standards for reporting on economic, environmental and social performance and effects, as well as the appropriate methods for their measurement (Global Reporting Initiative, https://www.globalreporting.org/Pages/default.aspx,04.02.2016).
Stojanović -Aleksić V., Erić Nielsen J., Bošković A. Social responsibility in the banking sector: experience from Serbia In the past year our company has organized or participated in some of the actions with the aim of contributing to culture.
Previous research has shown that reporting on social responsibility leads to multiple benefits for the company, such as the impact on the value and financial performance.For example, Carnevale et al (2012) investigated the interdependence of reporting on corporate social responsibility and market value in the European banks.The results show that, in certain countries, stock price and book value increase when banks apply the so-called social reporting.

Conclusion
Adopting a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility and continuous investment in the improvement of the community by banks is significant for several reasons.Besides the fact that bank thus provides a contribution to the community development, environmental protection and customer satisfaction, it also encourages the satisfaction of employees, builds up a positive image and provides greater confidence to stakeholders.
The necessity of the application of corporate social responsibility stems from the fact that Serbia is faced with a number of challenges to be resolved.Therefore, the role of the state is not enough, but it requires the involvement of various business entities (Ivanović-Đukić, 2011).This study analyzed the socially responsible behavior of the banks, observing different aspects of corporate social responsibility in the context of its internal and external dimensions.
The results obtained by empirical research point to the highest degree of responsibility towards the community.This means that banks mainly invested in humanitarian activities, as well as activities that aim to contribute to education, culture and sport.Responsibility to customers is also a highly developed aspect of business, which indicates the market orientation of banks and is fully in line with the previous findings, which explains that customer loyalty is directly related to social responsibility (Matute-Vallejo and others, 2011).Slightly less attention and investments are devoted to environmental protection, where banks also achieve good results.
One aspect that is slightly less developed compared to the others is responsibility towards the employees.Despite the well-estimated opportunities for training and development of human resources, the management of banks estimated the responsibility towards vulnerable groups, as well as the organization of working time, as somewhat less favorable.Also, there should be additional education of the management in terms of reporting on corporate social responsibility in accordance with the guidelines of the widely represented international sustainability reporting framework.
The scientific contribution and originality of the paper lies in highlighting the significance of corporate social responsibility in the banking sector, observing the problem from a different perspective compared to the previous research.This way, the existing theoretical knowledge in the field of banking management, especially management of social responsibility, is supplemented and substantiated with the relevant empirical evidence.
However, the inevitable limitations of the research can be identified.First of all, the use of descriptive indicators has its drawbacks, so in future research the obtained knowledge should be strengthened by using more reliable statistical indicators.Another disadvantage stems from the limitations of the survey, i.e. its technique for data collection, primarily from the subjectivity of respondents.As new knowledge always leads to new relevant research questions, the results of this study also encourage new ideas.In future research it would be interesting to investigate the influence of various organizational factors on the development of the internal and external dimensions of the banks' social responsibility, and to analyze the specific strategies that banks applied in the realization of their corporate social responsibility.
year our company has organized or participated in some of the actions with the aim of contributing to education.year our company has organized or participated in some of the actions with the aim of contributing to sport. the past year our company has organized or participated in some of the actions with the aim of contributing to poverty reduction.

Table 1 .
Internal social responsibility N Min Max Mean Std.Deviation Working conditions that do not harm the health of employees are guaranteed in our organization.

Table 2 .
External social responsibility -Clients N Min Max Mean Std.DeviationThe quality and safety of the product/service is guaranteed by using any of the international quality standards (ISO, HACCP, etc.).

Table 4 .
External social responsibility -CommunityN Min Max MeanStd.Deviation In the past year our company has organized or participated in some of the humanitarian actions.

Table 5 .
CSR disclosure N Min Max Mean Std.Deviation Our company publishes a report on all aspects of CSR.