The recession has not spelled the end for corporate citizenship, but it has forced corporations to rethink—both good and bad—their approach, according to a survey recently released by The Hitachi Foundation and the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. The 2009 State of Corporate Citizenship survey looks at the attitudes and behaviors of large, medium, and small businesses. The findings reveal that large companies are responding to the recession much differently than small companies, according to the researchers. The report says that large companies significantly increased their investments and involvement in citizenship activities—but they were also more likely to lay people off; small firms kept true to their emphasis on treating employees well by minimizing layoffs, but they significantly decreased attention to other aspects of citizenship, such as volunteering or philanthropy.

Half of the businesses are supporting skill development for employees making less than $40,000 annually. These businesses report that they directly connect these efforts to boosting productivity. According to the report, the survey results reveal that, despite the recession, corporate citizenship practices are ingrained in increasing numbers of American businesses. Many business leaders report that attention to corporate citizenship efforts is more important in a recession. The most recent data show that attitudes of support for corporate citizenship are strong but there remain some gaps between those beliefs and the practices and investments of some businesses.