Corporate social responsibility and the UK construction industry

Purpose - This paper offers a preliminary exploration of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues being addressed and reported by some of the UK's leading construction companies. Design/methodology/approach - The paper begins with a short discussion of the characteristics and origins of CSR and this is followed by a brief outline of the construction industry and some of the challenges it is currently facing. The empirical information for the paper is drawn from the CSR reports and information posted on the world wide web by some of the leading construction companies. Findings - The findings reveal substantial variations in the nature and the extent of reporting. The paper specifically focuses upon six sets of CSR issues namely those relating to environment; health and safety; human resources; supply chain management; customers and communities; and governance and ethics. More generally the paper suggests that although construction companies report their recognition of the importance of CSR and their commitment to integrate it within their businesses they make relatively limited use of key performance Indicators and have low participation rates in general benchmarking exercises. Originality/value - The paper provides an accessible review of the CSR issues and agendas being reported by some of the UK's leading construction companies and as such it will interest academics and practitioners working in the construction industry and those professionals who work with the construction industry.