Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, Second Edition

DEFINITIONS OF CSR

What is corporate social responsibility? It is not as simple as it sounds. The definitions differ vastly according to the perception and sensitivity of the analyst. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development defines CSR thus: ‘Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.’⁸ The same report gave some evidence of the different perceptions of what this should mean, from a number of different societies across the world. Definitions as different as ‘CSR is about capacity building for sustainable livelihoods. ...