신용협동조합의 사회공헌활동이 경영성과에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities is increasing rapidly in line with customers’ growing interest in CSR. In the face of escalating demands for corporations to demonstrate social responsibility, CSR activities are no longer considered merely an alternative option for corporations but are viewed as a necessity. The CSR of a credit union is different from that of a profit-pursuing corporation. Since credit union principles include social responsibility and service to communities, the CSR activities of a credit union form an integral part of its business activities and in fact, are similar to the public social services provided by the government for free. However, a credit union is not a public organization; rather, it is a cooperative owned by members and therefore, it needs to be managed efficiently to promote the well-being of its members. That is the reason why it is important to examine whether credit unions’ CSR activities are enhancing their image, brand value, and ultimately, business performance. In line with the above, this study conducts an empirical analysis to examine the effect of various CSR activities in credit unions on their image, brand value, and business performance. The study findings indicate that donations and sponsorship do not serve to enhance credit unions in the aforementioned areas. Instead, the findings suggest that credit unions need to direct the strategic focus of their CSR activities towards public services and voluntary work in the community, which will ultimately contribute to the improvement of their business performance. This strategic direction for CSR activities needs to be adopted, not just by individual credit unions but also by the Credit Union Foundation for CSR established by the National Credit Union Federation of Korea.