Corporate social responsibility - What does it mean?
By Mallen Baker: First published 8 Jun 2004
One of the most frequently asked questions at this site - and probably for all those individuals and organisations dealing with CSR issues is the obvious - just what does 'Corporate Social Responsibility' mean anyway? Is it a stalking horse for an anti-corporate agenda? Something which, like original sin, you can never escape? Or what?
Different organisations have framed different definitions - although there is considerable common ground between them. My own definition is that CSR is about how companies manage the business processes to produce an overall positive impact on society.