Corporate social responsibility effects in micro entrepreneurship ventures run by women

Currently, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is usually considered an activity of high strategic value for companies. However, in the case of micro enterprises it is assumed that it is not a priority due to the scarcity of resources and the need to survive first at the beginning of the business. This makes difficult to carry out research on how it is implemented and the impact that CSR activities have. This empirical research seeks to contribute to this gap in knowledge by evaluating how CSR practices adds value to the growth of these kind of organizations. Through in-depth, qualitative study based on the life-story methodology, we studied the role of 21 female entrepreneurs in the gastronomic sector. The discourse analysis sought to identify how the dimensions of environment, management activities and individual characteristics had an impact on the growth of entrepreneurship, being affected by the CSR activities as a moderator variable. The results indicate that the development of support networks, and the use of psychological resources such as resilience and the presence of a strong system of social values were fundamental elements for the survival and growth of these micro ventures.