THE SIGNIFICANCE OF COMMUNITY TO BUSINESS SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY

In this paper, I focus attention on one aspect of business social resp onsibility, the relationship between businesses and community. Specifi cally, I explore the impact of business operators' perceptions about n orms of collective action in their communities on the level of their s upport for and commitment to their communities. This relationship was elaborated using data from interviews with 1,008 business owners and m anagers randomly selected from 30 small Iowa communities (500 to 10,00 0 in population). Findings indicate the majority of small business ope rators report that they are committed to and provide support for their community. Also, it is concluded that operators' educational levels a nd lengths of residence, the success and age of their businesses, and their perceptions of community levels of collective action are signifi cantly associated with levels of business social responsibility.