Evaluation of the efficiency and corporate social responsibility of the transport industry using the Data Envelopment Analysis method

Involvement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is of increasing importance across different economic sectors, including transport industry. This study examines the relationship between CSR and efficiency of companies in the transport industry. It belongs to the type of quantitative research and extends the scope of research related to the subject of CSR and efficiency of companies in the transport industry. Whereas previous literature lacks empirical research analyzing the relation between CSR and efficiency in the transport industry, the present study aims to fill in this research gap. The study focuses on data for 2013–2015 period and on major transport companies in the USA, in particular those representing the air and road transport sectors. The paper is based on Data Envelopment Analysis method which is used to measure efficiency, while the Pearson correlation coefficient is used to detect the relationship between CSR and efficiency. The results confirm positive relationship between CSR and efficiency of transport companies. The paper contains further evidence on the relationship between individual CSR areas (social, environmental and governance CSR) and efficiency. This study can contribute not only as a recommendation for transport companies, but also as an introduction to further and more detailed research of the relation between CSR and efficiency.

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