The Evolution of the CSR Concept: From Sharing to Caring

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been heralded as the manner in which corporations position themselves in society. In recent times the scope of CSR has evolved beyond management school and business rhetoric to become a term recognised by most in society. Whereas the term CSR may be part of general parlance, the nuances of the concept evade many people. This may be attributed to the fluid development of the ideology and, in accordance its evolution has been in a constant state of flux. Discussions on CSR have developed considerably in recent years, to the extent that CSR can now be considered a strategic tool in the relationship between business, government and stakeholders alike. This book is concerned with capital generated by MNCs and the relationship between MNCs and the state. The government’s role within CSR, then, is primarily as an external stakeholder of MNCs. This, and stakeholder management more generally, is explored in more detail in Chapter 4, but the idea behind this chapter is to introduce CSR and to consider the character of CSR today. These two tasks provide a useful lens to analyse the evolution of CSR in both academic literature and practical application – from ‘indirect’ methods such as disclosure legislation and other regulatory practices to the more direct methods of CSR-influenced legislation which is becoming more commonplace today.