INFLUENCE OF CSR ACTIVITIES ON OPINIONS OF INSURANCE SERVICE USERS WHEN PURCHASING INSURANCE

Corporate Social Responsibility implies a company's independent determination to direct its activities towards social welfare in the community in which it runs its business operations. Insurance companies as institutional investors contribute significantly to the development of the entire economy on one hand, while on the other, through socially responsible business, they support important projects for development of the entire community. In insurance sector, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is deemed a long-term investment, because a company makes voluntary contributions to support the community, thereby directly strengthening its position on the market. The paper presented opinions of five categories of insurance service users on CSR of insurance companies. Focus was on the extent insurance service users believed that insurance companies helped development of a local and wider community, whether they perceived their insurance company as a socially responsible company and whether they considered its socially responsible behaviour before choosing it. Results showed the necessity of promoting socially responsible activities of insurance companies in order to make the target group more aware of what their chosen insurance company actively undertook in that field.

Key words: corporate social responsibility, insurance companies, performance of a company, creativity, company’s reputation, sustainable development.