Corporate Social Responsibility:

Chapter 1: Corporate Social Responsibility: In Global Context

Links to Further Reading

Carroll, A. B. 1999. Corporate social responsibility - evolution of a definitional construct. Business & Society, 38(3): 268-295.

http://bas.sagepub.com/content/38/3/268.abstract

This paper gives a thorough and wide ranging overview of the first fifty years of CSR research.

Porter, M. & Kramer, M. 2011. Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, January – February: 62-77

http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value

This article has gained substantial attention from the business world and is potentially a game-changing contribution to the CSR debate in terms of the language and rhetoric of ‘shared value’. As an approach it has its critics, but is certainly an important article in the contemporary CSR field.

Links to Practice

CWS 1.1 Visit the Companion Website for links to CSR organizations, interest groups and web forums

CSRwire is the leading source of global corporate social responsibility and sustainability news, reports, events and information: http://www.csrwire.com/
2 degrees is a leading global business community for driving growth, efficiency and profit through sustainability: http://www.2degreesnetwork.com/
Forum for the Future is a non-profit organisation working globally with business and government to create a sustainable future: http://www.forumforthefuture.org/

CWS 1.2 Visit the Companion Website for more examples of CSR initiatives by governments in different countries.

The Swedish Government’s human rights website is a tool to promote the dissemination of human rights knowledge nationally and internationally: http://www.manskligarattigheter.se/en/who-does-what/sweden
The Australian Government’s Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities is responsible for implementing the Australian Government's policies to protect Australian environment and heritage, and to promote a sustainable way of life: http://www.environment.gov.au/
The Maldives promotes responsible tourism and this article discusses how The Maldives has announced plans to become the first carbon neutral country: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/07/us-maldives-climate-idUSBRE8660FO20120707

CWS 1.3 Visit the Companion Website for links to these and more examples of social enterprises.

TerraCycle is a US based social enterprise which converts waste into a useful product: http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/
VisionSpring is a social enterprise dedicated to reducing poverty and generating opportunity in the developing world through the sale of affordable eyeglasses: http://www.visionspring.org/home/home.php
Grameen Bank is a community development bank and gives very small loans (microcredit) to those at the very bottom of the economic scale: http://www.grameen-info.org/

CWS 1.4 Visit the Companion Website for more examples of CSR initiatives and approaches in different countries.

“European Commuters Embrace Car-Sharing,” Article from The Wall Street Journal, USA (2012): http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204652904577196474254828162.html
Business Action for Africa highlights the role that the private sector plays in tackling the impacts of HIV and AIDS in developing countries. The initiative is supported by the likes of Unilever, Shell and British American Tobacco: http://businessactionforafrica.org/
(VIDEO) Mondelēz International’s (Formerly Kraft Foods) “Make a Delicious Difference Week,” is a community investment programme which sees over 20,000 global employees volunteer their time to support the fight against hunger and the promotion of healthy lifestyles: http://www.mondelezinternational.com/About/community-involvement/Delicious_Difference_Week.aspx
“Fairtrade hallmark sets the gold standard,” Article from The Guardian newspaper (UK) (2011): http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/feb/14/fairtrade-gold